Tomorrow always seems promising. The hope for tomorrow promises us new beginnings and a fresh start, especially when we made a mess of today. One slip up, failure of the will or wrong decision can unravel your day and deem it unredeemable and wasted. It is paralyzing even to the point of cutting our losses and giving up on the day. We convince ourselves that bad decisions should follow a previous bad decision. We say, “I give up on today; there’s always tomorrow.” This is all too common for me when trying to keep a diet. “I fell off the wagon during lunch; I’ll just binge for dinner” Or in my relationship with the Lord, “I overspent and missed my devotional time. This day is shot, I’ll pick up where I left off tomorrow.” I neglect the fact that I can still find communion with God today and make healthier eating choices even when I derailed my plan.
But why is that? Why is that we lose hope in today for an exchange of a better tomorrow? Now don’t get me wrong we ought to be optimistic about tomorrow but not in exchange for giving up on today. This is especially so because God still rules and reigns on the rest of our day, and he can always redeem it.
Perhaps this Laissez-faire attitude towards our ruined today derives from misunderstanding the famous quote from the prophet Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations.
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
While it does mean that God’s mercy is abundant, it doesn’t mean that it’s only available in the morning. It’s not like there is a reset switch in God’s attitude once it’s past midnight. God’s mercy is available and abounds throughout your day; morning, noon, night, when on track, and when you’ve fallen off the track. It never ceases! After all, what is time to the Lord? His ways are higher than our ways (Isa 55:8-9).
On earth, we enjoy the one sunrise a day, but astronauts onboard the ISS (International Space Station) experience the sunrise sixteen times in a 24 hour period. That is because the space station orbits the earth at 17,500 miles per hour at an altitude of about 220 miles above the earth’s surface. Technically, from there vantage point, they encounter 16 mornings through a day. It would seem from God’s vantage point; there are many “mornings” within the day in which his grace and mercy can renew us.
It is why the writer of Hebrew admonished the believers to encourage one another. Don’t give up on today. Don’t let the deceitfulness of sin taint your today. Don’t let the deceitfulness of sin convince you that God has moved on from your today.
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:13
Today has yet to become your yesterday. As long as it’s called today, you can still shape your today. As long as it’s called today, bad decisions don’t have to define your day. As long as it’s called today, you can start over. As long as it’s called today, you can pick up where you left off. As long as it’s called today, brand new mercies yet await you.
…Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
Hebrews 4:7
So do not harder your hearts. There is still hope for today.