Rejoicing at the End of Day

Psalm 65:8 "... thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice."

The other day I was struck by this small verse tucked away in Psalm 65. He makes the coming and going of mornings and evenings to be happy? This verse gave me great comfort, for I don't naturally "like" the "outgoings of the evening."
When I look at dusk approaching, naturally a sense of gloom comes over me, for some reason, I don't know why.

I am getting near to my next birthday and it seems that one day goes faster than the day before. They all seem to get lost in a giant blur. And getting through the winter months is toughest of all. I look at current events and see nothing but one disaster upon the heels of another.

But God is not affected by these gloomy thoughts. He is perpetually happy, because He is satisfied with what His Son did to satisfy His righteous judgment on the sins of this world. (Romans 5: 6-8) Oh, He knows it is getting worse down here by the day. But He is not fretting, like I tend to do.

He is rejoicing, according to this verse, with the comings and goings of our days and nights in our brief stay here upon this planet. In fact, He already sees us with Him in eternity. It is like we are already there. But I take comfort that as I see the darkness each night start to encroach the planet with its blanket of darkness, God is still there. He is still with me. He is with me at night just as much as He is in the midst of a sunny day.

I cannot say I do not get affected by the darkness of the winter days. I do. I remember fondly one of my dear children always imploring the Lord, "Make it a sunny day today." They had a hard time with the dreariness too.

But to the Lord, one day is as another. Psalm 74:16 tells us: "The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun."

I can go on, face another day, when I know that it ultimately belongs to Him.

In Psalm 104: 20-23 it tells us more about why God created the days and the nights:

"Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.

The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening."

It is all part of God's established pattern for us while we dwell here in time.

Psalm 136: 8-9 tell us that mercy is available both day at night, at all times, for God, in His provision, has given us:

"The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:

The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever."

There is grace for each day and just enough for that day, not for tomorrow.

There is comfort in this established pattern God has set for us. He promised us it would be this way until the end of time, for He said in Genesis 8:22 "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

Is the earth remaining? Yes, it appears to be. Then I can rely upon the fact that when I see the darkness creep up after another day has passed away forever, that God will make the outgoing of that day rejoice.

I can trust He will be with me for the next day, for my life. In fact, all my days are numbered and I am held securely in His nail scarred hands.