Starting the day with God's Word is a privilege is within our reach! We can approach Him from the very first second. Take time to meditate on this word from Scripture: "Fill us every morning with your goodness, and we will be joyful all our lives" (Ps.90.14). One last detail: also end your day in His presence!

Prayer of the day

"Lord, I ask in the silence of this morning for much strength, peace, and discernment. On this new day, I want to dedicate my steps to You, and constantly remember that if I am alive, it is because You exist. Make me your instrument, more and more humble and understanding of the world's issues. 

Make me, Lord, able to understand the difficulty of others, and also to make sure that my difficulties are not an obstacle to progress. Help me, Lord, to be a better person every day.

Make my ears closed to all slander; do not let my thoughts and tongue hurt others. May I be able to understand and put myself in the place of others, always remembering Your words, Lord.

May it be so, every morning, and may I feel your peace on all the paths I stand and walk on.

Amen.

Message and thought of the day

Sometimes we imagine that the world revolves around us. But we are wrong. The world belongs to God and He controls everything. As each day dawns He reminds us that only His plans count, that He has the last word on events, but that He is interested in every detail of our lives, even the most trivial. 

Our way of starting the day prepares the hours that are to come. So make the decision to start the day like this: first of all, isolate yourself in God's presence for a few minutes. Five minutes will be enough the first time. Discuss with Him your plans for the rest of the day. If you have an agenda, present it to Him. 

Don't hesitate to reveal your worries and fears to Him. Perhaps you notice a specific commitment or issues that worry you. Ask Him to grant you wisdom in dealing with them. If He doesn't answer you immediately with a specific solution, accept that He may want you to trust Him completely. 

He already has something better planned for you, something you haven't thought of. Many times we start the day with a restless heart, full of stress, fear and doubt. We are in a hurry to throw ourselves into the fray. But nothing forces us! Better to start the day in the company of Jesus! 

Our day always begins with a first thought, a first word. As much as those first thoughts, those first words belong to God; He alone can take away our fears and worries.