By Michael Kelley

Here we are again, friends. It’s Monday morning, and time to start it all over again.

What do Mondays feel like for you? Is there a sense of excitement and possibility as you face down another week? Did you spring out of bed five minutes before the alarm went off because you couldn’t wait to get started? Were you waiting all weekend long for this very moment to open up before you?

Or did you feel something else?

Likely something else. And if you are feeling that “something else”, then Monday presents a different kind of opportunity for you. A spiritual opportunity. A soul opportunity. It’s an opportunity to remind yourself of some of the promises of God that are true no matter what season, circumstance, difficulty, frustration, or anxiety you might find yourself in.

So what are those promises? There are, of course, many, but here are three specific ones for you to consider this Monday morning:

1. God’s mercies are new.

Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! (Lam. 3:22-23).

What a beautiful reminder this is – that no matter what yesterday held, God has new mercies for you this morning. And if the night you came from was filled with anxiety, fear, and trepidation, the rising of the sun holds the promise of those new mercies.

This morning – this Monday morning – the rising sun marked the dispelling of darkness, and with that, it was the daily reminder that despite our sin and rebellion, God did it once again today. His mercies were renewed.

2. Your bread will be ready.

“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).

This is how Jesus taught us to pray, in faith, trusting that our Father would provide again today our daily needs. Now you probably woke up with some kind of idea of what your day would hold. You probably knew generally what meetings, what conversations, what to-do list, and a few other things that your day will hold. You know some things, but not all things. Your day will hold surprises. But you can nevertheless trust that the Lord has been baking for you.

The bread will be ready, though you don’t know specifically what “kind” of bread it will be. But the Lord does. And we together will not be hungry for His provision.

3. You are not alone.

“Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you” (Deut. 31:6).

You can know this Monday morning that the Lord is with you. If you are a Christian, God has made His dwelling in you through the presence of the Holy Spirit, and so His presence with you is an objective reality.

The question today is not, in fact, whether God will be with you; it’s really a question of how aware you will be of His presence with you.

But even more than His presence, God has promised us, as His children, His advocacy. He is not only with us, He is for us. That, of course, does not mean that God is standing ready to bring to pass all our desires, but rather that He is for our ultimate good. So we can be confident today that no matter how challenging the hours are ahead, God is working to bring about His work in and through us that we might be made more like Jesus and help others to do the same.

So here we are, friends. Monday morning. And we are armed on this Monday morning with some great, great promises. We can move confidently today with the full knowledge of God’s mercies, God’s provision, and God’s presence. Let us go forth, then, into the good works He has planned for us.

Michael Kelley is a husband, father of three, author, and speaker from Nashville, TN. His latest book is a year-long family devotional guide called The Whole Story for the Whole Family. Find his personal blog at michaelkelley.co.