Make Your Mornings About God
“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.” – Psalm 119:147
by Jared Tharp
What does a “typical” morning look like for you? What are your habits and rhythms? How do you prioritize your time and energy? For most of us, a “morning routine” seems unrealistic or undesirable. Early hours are typically a rush or a whirlwind of emotions (especially if you have little kids), and we are usually eager to just get out the door and get on with our day. However, maybe we should give more thought and consideration to our mornings than we typically do.
Throughout the Scriptures there is this subtle, but repetitive, theme of waking up early in the morning with purpose and drive. We see it throughout the Old Testament in the lives of Abraham (Genesis 19:27; 21:14; 22:2-3), Moses (Exodus 8:20; 9:13; 24:4; 34:4), and Joshua (Joshua 3:1; 6:12,15; 8:10). Men who rose in early hours of the day to answer God’s calling or to follow and obey His guidance and direction.
When we turn to the New Testament, we see this discipline again in the life of Jesus. In Mark 1:35 we read that Jesus rose “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Jesus was a morning person! In fact, I think a case could be made that when He rose from the dead, He did so early in the morning (Mark 16:9), ha!
How we utilize and spend our mornings, I believe, says a lot about our own character and priorities. In Psalm 119:147 the writer says, “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.” Whatever else you do after you wake up, this should be the apex of your morning routine. Before cooking breakfast, before answering emails, before aimlessly scrolling through social media or the television guide, the first thing we ought to do when we wake up is to go and be with God and cry out to Him for help!
We need help every second of every day. Our entire life is sustained moment by moment by God and His power; how could we ever think we could just start off our day, with all the tasks and demands ahead, without crying out to God for help? What does that say about my faith and who I am hoping in?
George Mueller once said in his autobiography,
What does a “typical” morning look like for you? What are your habits and rhythms? How do you prioritize your time and energy? For most of us, a “morning routine” seems unrealistic or undesirable. Early hours are typically a rush or a whirlwind of emotions (especially if you have little kids), and we are usually eager to just get out the door and get on with our day. However, maybe we should give more thought and consideration to our mornings than we typically do.
Throughout the Scriptures there is this subtle, but repetitive, theme of waking up early in the morning with purpose and drive. We see it throughout the Old Testament in the lives of Abraham (Genesis 19:27; 21:14; 22:2-3), Moses (Exodus 8:20; 9:13; 24:4; 34:4), and Joshua (Joshua 3:1; 6:12,15; 8:10). Men who rose in early hours of the day to answer God’s calling or to follow and obey His guidance and direction.
When we turn to the New Testament, we see this discipline again in the life of Jesus. In Mark 1:35 we read that Jesus rose “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Jesus was a morning person! In fact, I think a case could be made that when He rose from the dead, He did so early in the morning (Mark 16:9), ha!
How we utilize and spend our mornings, I believe, says a lot about our own character and priorities. In Psalm 119:147 the writer says, “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.” Whatever else you do after you wake up, this should be the apex of your morning routine. Before cooking breakfast, before answering emails, before aimlessly scrolling through social media or the television guide, the first thing we ought to do when we wake up is to go and be with God and cry out to Him for help!
We need help every second of every day. Our entire life is sustained moment by moment by God and His power; how could we ever think we could just start off our day, with all the tasks and demands ahead, without crying out to God for help? What does that say about my faith and who I am hoping in?
George Mueller once said in his autobiography,
“I saw more clearly than ever that the first and great primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished.”
Feed your soul every morning on God; make your mornings about God and being happy in Him! As soon as you wake up ask yourself the same question every day, “how can I feed my soul and get it into a happy state with God?” This may require a change in your routine. It may require you to re-prioritize and let go of other certain things in your life. It may even require you to wake up earlier than you already do! But what could be more important than the nourishment of your soul?
How do I even do this and what do I need to do or where do I need to go to get my soul happy in the Lord? Where do I even begin with changing up my mornings and redeeming the time? Start where the Psalmist started, “Rise before dawn and cry for help.”
How do I even do this and what do I need to do or where do I need to go to get my soul happy in the Lord? Where do I even begin with changing up my mornings and redeeming the time? Start where the Psalmist started, “Rise before dawn and cry for help.”
