Early in the Morning

Psalm 5:3: “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; / In the morning I will direct it to You, / And I will look up.”

This psalm has been called the Morning Psalm for centuries, and has inspired believers like us to rise early to seek God, before the new day comes rushing in on us. Many years ago a wise, elderly believer said that how you spend the first hour of your day plays a major role in determining how the rest of your day will go. Over the years, in the crucible of life, we have discovered how right that old saint and King David were. It’s not easy to do, but it is simple. When we start out our day first with a time of Bible reading and prayer, it makes an enormous difference in the way that day plays out. We’re more likely to say and do the right thing throughout the day, and we also have a better chance of ending the day the right way.

I have seen this to be true in my own life and the life of my family. God has been with us through more battles than we thought possible. Every kind of setback, failure, heartache, and disappointment, including extended periods of financial stress, health problems, business problems, church problems, people problems . . . you name it, it has hit us, and yet God has been faithful through it all.

Early missionaries to Africa reported that the young converts to Christianity were very receptive to regular private, morning devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot out in the jungle where they went early each morning to pour out their hearts to the Lord. Over time the paths to these quiet-time places became well worn. As a result, if one of them began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would graciously remind the negligent believer, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.”

“LORD, help us to seek You first thing each morning, so that we can walk with You throughout the entire day, in Jesus’ name.”