In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.
In our generation, we have distractions waiting to tempt us from the moment we open our eyes. Apps that keep us connected to each other but tend to pull us farther away from God. IDK about you but I don’t want a surface level acquaintanceship with God. I want to love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. I want to seek Him, to know Him, love Him, serve Him, obey Him and ultimately glorify Him... but at the end of the day I’m still human and I need the Holy Spirit to help me DAILY.
We all have our own definitions of the "best time" of day, but scripture makes it clear.
Do I have to wake up early? Is it really necessary to seek God in the morning? What if I’m not a morning person and I do better at night? For most of us, our day begins in the morning, and if we’re prioritizing God, that means He comes first thing in the morning.
In the beginning, Cain and Abel brought an offering to the Lord. Cain brought some fruits of his labor, but God didn’t respect that offering or look on it with favor. I think it’s because in Cain’s case, God was an afterthought. His brother Abel put God first and brought the best of the firstborn of his flock. It pleased God and He looked on that offering with favor. God deserves the best of your first In everything.
“I rise before dawn and cry out for help; I put my hope in Your word.”
Psalms 119:147
I want to remind you that there’s grace for imperfection and I personally struggle with creating deep moments of intimacy with God in the mornings in this in this season of my life. The idea here is to be intentional and deliberate about giving God the best of your first. Even though I have a newborn and I can’t control when she wakes up in need of her Mama, I CAN set my heart on God so that the moment I wake up I’m in a state of thanksgiving and prayer. I thank God for who He is, for her little baby cries, for my handsome husband sleeping beside me. I thank Him for grace and mercy in understanding that I may have to meet the needs of our baby girl before reading the word or sitting still before Him. But on the days where I can wake up to my alarm instead of the baby, I’ve created a structure around my devotional time that helps me to give thanks, repent, listen, learn and pray.
Step 1: Set A Time
It may seem strange to set an appointment with God on your calendar, but it all starts with a time and a place to meet. TRUTH: God can meet you anywhere, anytime. Reality: We are so busy & distracted that we'll miss out on hearing from God if we're not intentional.
Be deliberate. Look at your calendar and block out time in which you commit to spending with the Lord before your day begins. Choose where that time will take place and imagine meeting God face to face right there every morning.
“Let me experience Your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in You. Reveal to me the way I should go because I long for You.
Psalms 143:8
Step 2: Create Sacred Space
I know that God can and will meet me wherever I am, but there’s something special about creating a secret place to shut the door of distraction and meet with your Heavenly Father.
Create a space that you'll look forward to coming to each morning with the joyful expectaion of meeting with God. This isn’t just about the physical space; it’s about creating space for God to do a work in your heart and mind and soul. God can show up and transform your life in an instant, so dont be so busy with your clutter - ((mental or physical)) - that you miss it.
Step 3: Start with Reverence
It feels like reverence is something that forget about. Our modern day lives are jam packed with a fast paced agenda and rarely do we take time to stop. I mean COMPLETELY STOP. Not like the way we stop at a stop sign in the neighborhood, like California Roll kinda slow down, check the scenery and move on. But stop long enough to humble our hearts, minds and spirit.
There is something powerful about taking time to be silent to acknowledge the presence of the Almighty God that we have the honor of serving. We get to have a relationship with the Father of all creation. We get to listen to, talk to and learn from God the Most High!!
Make it a priority to change both your heart posture and your physical posture when you address God. He’s not like any other, so we should treat God with the Holy Reverence that he is worthy of.
“Be still and know that I am God.
Exodus 13:13
Step 4: Bible + Journal + A Pen
I don’t believe there’s one right way to seek God, as long as you’re doing so in spirit and in truth. However, I’ve found that when I’m consistently reading the Word, and writing out the things that I’m learning, my spiritual growth is accelerated.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults and training in right living;”
2 Timothy 3:16
When we feel like God speaking to us, we can confirm or reject that by putting it up against his word. I absolutely love going through old journals and seeing how many prayers have been answered. I see how many bad circumstances God used for my good and His glory. I see how my hardships were used for Gods glory and the good of others. I see places where I have grown in my faith and areas that I still struggle with.
“The Lord answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it.”
Habakkuk 2:2
By choosing to prioritize God first thing in the morning, and reverently seeking him in a place without distraction; we see grow in deeper intimacy with our Father and see His word come alive!! We learn things about God, about ourselves and our purpose that we have been created to fulfill on earth.
I hope you’re encouraged and inspired to create your own plan to seek God and grow deeper in your relationship with Him.
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