WEBVTT - A Morning Prayer to Help Us Savor Long Summer Days

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your Daily Prayer,

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<v Speaker 1>a podcast dedicated to helping you find the words you

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<v Speaker 1>need to connect with your Father in Heaven. No matter

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<v Speaker 1>what is going on in your life today, you can

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<v Speaker 1>trust that God wants to hear from you. Right after

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<v Speaker 1>this short word from our sponsor, you will pray that

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<v Speaker 1>today's prayer to help us savor long summer days together.

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<v Speaker 1>A morning Prayer to help Us Favor long Summer Days

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<v Speaker 1>written by Lynette Kittle, read by Ikebrigger. So the sun

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<v Speaker 1>stood still and the moon stopped till the nation avenged

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<v Speaker 1>itself on its enemies. As it is written in the

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<v Speaker 1>Book of Jeshure, the sun stopped in the middle of

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<v Speaker 1>the sky and delayed going down about a full day

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<v Speaker 1>Joshua ten, verse thirteen. Some people feel like summer days

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<v Speaker 1>go by much too quickly, but for others they seem

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<v Speaker 1>to slowly and endlessly drag on, hour after hour, sunrise

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<v Speaker 1>after sunset. The meaning of long summer days depends too

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<v Speaker 1>on where we're spending them, as they're not all alike.

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<v Speaker 1>For sun summer days are truly endless, some even seemingly

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<v Speaker 1>lacking sunrises and sunsets, where it feels like it may

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<v Speaker 1>have felt like and Joshua's day when the sun didn't set.

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<v Speaker 1>Some summer days are longer than others. For a few years,

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<v Speaker 1>our family lived in the Land of the Midnight Sun, Alaska,

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<v Speaker 1>where summers truly feel much longer than the number of

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<v Speaker 1>days suggests, with the residents and visitors alike enjoying basically

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<v Speaker 1>twenty four to seven sunlight. Funny how during these never

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<v Speaker 1>ending Alaskan summer days, my husband and I slept and

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<v Speaker 1>ate less, yet didn't feel tired and functioned on much

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<v Speaker 1>less slate than usual. The summers seemed delightfully longer than

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<v Speaker 1>they do in the US mainland, in a good energizing way,

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<v Speaker 1>feeling like we were being blessed with more summer months

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<v Speaker 1>than usual. Still, we tried, like many new parents in Alaska,

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<v Speaker 1>to block out the midnight sun during the regular nighttime hours,

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<v Speaker 1>hoping our babies would think it was dark outside and

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<v Speaker 1>time to sleep. It's amazing when we consider how God

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<v Speaker 1>created and set the times up. As Song one of

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<v Speaker 1>four nineteen describes, he made the moon to mark the seasons,

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<v Speaker 1>and the sun knows when to go down. Other summer

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<v Speaker 1>days are shorter. In contrast, while living in Hawaii, which

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<v Speaker 1>is much closer to the equator, we found our days

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<v Speaker 1>to be split evenly between twelve hours of daylight and

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<v Speaker 1>twelve hours of nighttime all year long, causing us to

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<v Speaker 1>miss the longer daylight summer evenings enjoy to cross most

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<v Speaker 1>of America's landscapes. Although sure and steady, we missed the

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<v Speaker 1>Alaskan opportunity to fish all night long under daylight's lingering watch. Nowadays,

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<v Speaker 1>long summer days are a mix of the two extremes,

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<v Speaker 1>with light beginning to peek through around four am and

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<v Speaker 1>hanging around until nine pm or so. Again, as Psalm

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<v Speaker 1>seventy four sixteen describes God's hand and the days and

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<v Speaker 1>seasons in our lives, the day is yours, and yours

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<v Speaker 1>also the night you established the sun and moon. Summer

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<v Speaker 1>offers long days of reflection, rest, and refreshment. Still, whether

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<v Speaker 1>we're living in a time zone with longer or shorter days,

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<v Speaker 1>we can savor long summer days by appreciating God's planning

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<v Speaker 1>of the season, which offers us time to reflect, rest

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<v Speaker 1>and be refreshed. As Ecclesiastes one five informs us, the

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<v Speaker 1>sun rises and the sun sets and hurries back to

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<v Speaker 1>where it rises. God calls us to enjoy summer days.

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<v Speaker 1>During long summer days, it's beneficial for us to remember

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<v Speaker 1>God's faithfulness and goodness in providing the season for us

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<v Speaker 1>to enjoy. As Ecclesiastes nine, verse nine urges, enjoy life

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<v Speaker 1>with your wife, whom you love, all the days of

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<v Speaker 1>this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun,

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<v Speaker 1>all your meaningless days, for this is your lot in life,

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<v Speaker 1>and in your toilsome labor under the sun. He calls

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<v Speaker 1>us to make the most of them by enjoying each

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<v Speaker 1>and every day of our lives. Pray, Dear Father, thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for giving us long summer days to bask in

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<v Speaker 1>the warm summer light and prolonged evening glow. Help us

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<v Speaker 1>to savor and enjoy each day you give us with

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<v Speaker 1>the people we love, just as your word encourages us

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<v Speaker 1>to do, whether we have longer or shorter daylight hours.

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<v Speaker 1>We should guard our lips from grumbling and complaining. Let

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<v Speaker 1>praise come forth from our lips, from our morning rising

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<v Speaker 1>and to our evening lying down on days when it

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<v Speaker 1>seems like the sun is standing still. Strengthen us to

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<v Speaker 1>choose to savor and enjoy our long summer days. In

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<v Speaker 1>every situation and circumstance we find ourselves living in. Let

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<v Speaker 1>your light shine in and through us this summer, thrawing

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<v Speaker 1>those around us to save the light you give us too,

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<v Speaker 1>and Jesus' name. Amen. Your Daily Prayer is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of Life Audio and Sale Media. If you haven't already,

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