The phrase \u201cthe evening and the morning,\u201d repeated throughout the first chapter of Genesis, underscores life\u2019s daily-ness. In case you haven\u2019t noticed, life is very daily: It happens one day at a time. Each day, part of life\u2019s rhythm of work and rest is therefore to be joyfully and gratefully stewarded as God\u2019s gift to us.<\/p>\n
This has inspired morning and evening hymns, to elicit pause and assist our praise at both ends of the day: at morning, for new mercies, fresh grace, unsoiled opportunities; at evening, for blessings received, work accomplished, dangers escaped, and sins forgiven.<\/p>\n
Therefore, having featured Harriet Beecher Stowe\u2019s morning hymn (\u201cStill, Still, With Thee\u201d), it seems fitting to include one written for evening. Among evening hymns, one of which made it into CoG7\u2019s Worship in Song<\/em> (\u201cDay Is Dying in the West,\u201d #333), my favorite is John Ellerton\u2019s \u201cThe Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended.<\/em>\u201d The simple yet elegant tone of this nineteenth century hymn endears many to it. Its worldview provides helpful perspective: Though it often doesn\u2019t seem like it, God is in charge of the world. Thus, its hopeful ending: \u201cBut stand, and rule, and grow forever, \u2018till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.\u201d What a comforting note on which to end a toilsome and anxious day.<\/p>\n But this hymn\u2019s predominant emphasis is the church\u2019s unceasing prayers and praise, set in relation to the sun\u2019s daily circuit around the earth. (Psalm 19:4-6 is clearly on Ellerton\u2019s mind as he penned these lines.) The sun beckons night in one place as it awakens dawn in another, causing round-the-clock prayers and praise to rise from the worldwide fellowship of God\u2019s people: \u201cThe sun, that bids us rest, is waking\/Our brethren \u2018neath the western sky,\/And hour by hour fresh lips are making\/Thy wondrous doings heard on high.\u201d The sun always shines somewhere, <\/em>as somewhere the lips of the saints are always being heard. God lives and gives unto each day what He deems best.<\/em><\/p>\n Evening hymns help us value the gift of each day, given by the One who neither sleeps nor slumbers (Psalm 121:4). They help us connect \u201cGive us this day our daily bread\u201d (Matthew 6:11) with \u201cBless be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits\u201d (Psalm 68:19). They amplify the meaning of Jesus\u2019 admonition to not worry about tomorrow, for each day has sufficient trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34), and give us confidence in God\u2019s promise to match our strength with the demands of each day (Deuteronomy 33:25).<\/p>\n So sing an evening hymn. His praise shall sanctify your rest. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended,\/The darkness falls at Thy behest;\/To Thee our morning hymns ascended,\/Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n We thank Thee that Thy Church unsleeping,\/While earth rolls onward into light,\/Through all the world her watch is keeping,\/And rests not now by day or night.\u202f.\u202f.\u202f.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The sun, that bids us rest, is waking\/Our brethren \u2018neath the western sky,\/And hour by hour fresh lips are making\/Thy wondrous doings heard on high.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,\/Like earth\u2019s proud empires, pass away:\/But stand, and rule, and grow forever,\/Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The phrase \u201cthe evening and the morning,\u201d repeated throughout the first chapter of Genesis, underscores life\u2019s daily-ness. In case you haven\u2019t noticed, life is very daily: It happens one day at a time. Each day, part of life\u2019s rhythm of work and rest is therefore to be joyfully and gratefully stewarded as God\u2019s gift to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":3517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n