In the Morning

I was reading in an old journal of mine from 2012 this morning when I came across the following entry. I felt the Lord would have me share it with you, praying it will encourage you to begin each morning with a special time alone with God: 

“And be ready in the morning and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.”—Exodus 34:2. The morning is fresh and new.  There are not yet any currents created by the ripples of human concerns.  The early morning is still for the hustle and bustle of activity has not yet begun.  The early morning is quiet and the voice of Almighty God is more easily heard.  I personally love the early morning hours spent with my Lord and Savior in prayer and in the Word of God.  It refreshes, renews, and recharges me for another day.  It is in the early morning hours, alone with God, that He wonderfully reveals Himself to me.  During this morning time with Him, I am reminded how wonderful God is and how blessed I am.  “Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.”—Exodus34:8 And I must do likewise! 

There truly is nothing like starting the day with God and His Son Jesus Christ.  It sets the tone for the day as well as helps to ease and iron out all the rough spots that can spring up during the day.  My husband began his day with God in prayer early in the morning even in his elder years.  He was usually already up by the time I awoke, which was between 5 and 6 am.  Even on the mornings that I occasionally woke up at 4 am, he was already up and could be found praying in his office.  Our Savior was known to be alone with God early in the morning as we can read in Mark 1:35–And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. We could have no higher or better example than He.

You may be thinking, That’s ok for you since you’re a morning person, but I most certainly am not!  Actually I was never a “morning person”.  When I went to college, my mom helped me in putting my schedule of classes together; however, after the first semester started, I quickly changed the schedule so that my first class didn’t start until 10 am.  My family teasingly would say, Don’t look at Jeannine or talk to her until she’s been up awhile. Beginning the day with the Lord takes discipline, desire, and continued determination as much as it does to get up and go to work.  That paycheck is a great motivator to get up and go to work so we can get our bills paid and make a living.  So what’s the motivator for getting up earlier and meeting with God before work?  The peace of God that it brings to the soul, the closeness it facilitates between us and the Lord, the joy that fills the heart after spending the first part of the day with Him and how it lingers throughout the day.  All of that plus more are great motivators to spend the first part of your day with God and His Son.  It does take discipline, and as I heard a Godly lady say one time, that discipline begins the night before by going to bed at a decent hour.  Dr.Williams challenged many men, especially pastors, to get up early and begin the day in prayer and the Word of God, and I have heard many testify of how it was a great game changer in the way the day went for them.  He often challenged people in the church services by saying, Ask God to wake you up in the morning when He wants you to pray, then get up when He wakes you up.  The Lord has an even greater desire to meet with us, and He knows how to wake us up.  I took that challenge one time many years ago, and I have been continuing to ask the Lord to wake me up ever since.  There truly is nothing like starting each new day alone with God in prayer and the Bible.  

Reflections:

🌿 This week, set aside time each morning to meet with God in prayer and His Word before beginning your daily activities.

🌿This week, prepare the night before by going to bed earlier so you can wake up and spend uninterrupted time alone with the Lord.

Our new podcast, Still Facing Tomorrow—The Legacy of Dr. Tom Williams  is out! Episode 1 aired Tuesday, October 13th, and each episode will be available every other Tuesday.  Click on the picture below to go check it out and hear more of how you can build a prayer life rather than just a prayer time as well as begin your day with God.