I want to share a simple yet profound thought, which I heard at a recent day retreat I attended. It will also serve as a challenge for us this week.
What does it mean when we say, “Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night, or even good day” to someone?
I believe in all these cases we are expressing “good wishes” to the person for whatever time of day it is.
Don’t we wish even more for the person?
What if we say instead…
Aren’t our wishes for the people we encounter more about wishing God’s…
…presence,
…love,
…mercy,
…joy,
…goodness,
…strength,
…blessings,
…and compassion
to be with them throughout their day?
Are you up for the challenge of trying to greet people with the word “God” instead of “Good” this week?
I will warn you it might be more difficult than you think to say, “God morning!” At least it was for me. I had to stop and consciously concentrate on saying “God” instead of “Good.” During a break, I tried it when I approached the speaker who mentioned it.
If you send it in a text or email to someone, I bet they will think you mistyped your message. However, maybe if you continue to do it, they will get the idea it is intentional!
Photo courtesy of Sapphire Dream Photography under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
What are some Bible passages that mention morning, noon, and night?
Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. –Isaiah 33:2 (NIV)
Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice. –Psalm 55:17 (NLT)
At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws. –Psalm 119:62 (NIV)
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening. –Psalm 92:1-2 (NLT)
From these verses, what else will be included in our “God wishes?”
That people…
…know how gracious the Lord is.
…long for the Lord.
…turn to God in their distress.
…know the Lord hears their cry.
…give thanks to the Lord.
…sing praises to God.
…proclaim His unfailing love.
…know the Lord’s faithfulness.
My sincere prayer for you this week is that you may have a “God week!”
Share “God wishes” as you go about your week.
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. –Psalm 118:24 (ESV)
Hi Christine! I just Love this message. I will give this a try for sure, especially at work. I find myself saying” Bless it” through out the day! I don’t really think about it, I just say it when I feel a bit overwhelmed or stressed. Thank You for your posts! I enjoy reading them. Grateful, Thankful and Blessed to know you my friend!
Thanks so much for reading and sharing, Lorie! I appreciate your faithfully reading and the encouragement to know God is using the reflections for His glory! I hope it will bring a smile to your face as you say, “God day…” I, too, am so grateful for how God brought our lives together. God is so good! God day to you~
God Evening, Christine! :o) I’m going to give it a try again tomorrow morning when I go to the Dentist for my tooth extraction. I definitely want to wish him God’s Presence, Love, Mercy, Joy, Goodness, Strength, Blessings & Compassion throughout his day, as well as everyone else I encounter. 🙂 I will be praying my ‘dental anxiety’ doesn’t over-ride my ability to follow through with it so that I will remember to do it. As always, you inspire me…….to try something new/step out of my comfort zone, to Trust in The Lord and His Promises…..to be a better version of myself….Thank You!!
God day, Lynn~ Thank you for reading and sharing. I hope that things went well today with the dentist and you were able to spread God wishes. Thank you for faithfully reading and your kind words. God is good and He helps me be a better me too through the reflections! 🙂 Blessings~
God Evening, Christine! Just wanted to share about yesterday…….all went well with my tooth extraction & bone graft. When the Dentist came in, he extended his hand and said “Good Morning” to me. I shook his hand, said “Good Morning”, then put my other hand on both our hands and told him that I also wanted to wish him a “God Day” as well. He was noticeably “surprised” but thanked me and said he really appreciated that! When all was done and he was leaving the procedure room, I wished him a “God Rest of His Day”. Again, he thanked me and said “I will need it!” What a Joy it is to spread God’s Joy and His Blessings! Thank You, again, for that “share” on 10/5!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! That is just awesome! It is great to see your willingness to step out in faith and share God with others. God day to you~