I wonder how often this phrase is used every day? I wonder how many plans that are made the night before are carried out when the morning comes? This morning as I looked out across the lake I reflected on the benefit of the morning. There is a quietness that can’t be matched at any other part of the day. If you arise early there is a peacefulness because everyone else in the house is asleep. It is a time when you can hear the voice of God clearly. There are no stirrings in the mind of all the things that have taken your attention during the day. It is as if the morning gives you a fresh start. We have been kept through the night. When we are sleeping, we are defenseless and unconscious. When we arise from sleep, we are springing forth from the image of death. In the morning when our minds are first awakened, we have much to praise God for. This exact phrase “in the morning” is used over 133 times in the bible. If God saw fit to include this phrase so many times let’s identify some of its benefits.
When we awake and praise God in the morning it will set the tone for the day. It will promote cheerfulness in our attitude as we remember the blessings of God. It will prepare us to better deal with the situations that arise during the day. In Psalms 30:5, the psalmist speaks of anger and weeping as momentary and in the night. He then turns his thoughts to joy. He says joy comes in the morning. This does not mean that morning in itself changes everything, but it does give us a new perspective on life. Yesterday is gone and there is nothing we can do to change it. Morning gives us a fresh start, an opportunity to talk to God again after a long night. It gives us a fresh look at His blessings before the day has time to place a dark cloud over them.
Psalm 30:5 “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
In Psalms 59, we see David remembering the events of I Samuel chapter 19. Saul had surrounded his house and had planned to kill David when morning arrived. God provided a way of escape for David and spared his life. In Psalm 59 he is praising God for deliverance. He fled the enemy in the night and when morning came, he burst forth in song praising God. We have much to praise God for every morning when we see the light of a new day. We should sing to Him from a heart full of praise. This determination to worship will fill each day with a new attitude that will be a great testimony to the goodness of our God. It will show others how we are different from those who start each day as if it were a chore and wish it were over.
Psalm 59:16 “But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.”
In the morning David prayed in Psalm 5:3 “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” His focus was on God first in the day and directing him during the day.
In the morning Jesus sought out His Father in prayer. 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.” The Son of God, God in the flesh, felt the desire and need to get alone with God the Father first thing in the morning. If the one who created us, the one who with a word could change everything, thought it good and needed to seek out His Father first in the morning, how much more should we do the same? The author Albert Barnes said it well. We are to pray and meet with God “before the world gets possession of our thoughts; before Satan fills us with unholy feelings.”
Meeting with God first thing in the morning seems impossible for some. They fail to see it as vital to their spiritual growth and their dependence on God for the day. Their sleep is more important than spending quiet time with God. It is a matter of priorities and discipline. Before you stop reading think about these thoughts.
- When we meet with God first, we are centering our day around who He is and what He can do through us, not what we can do.
- When we start our day with Him, we are showing Him that He comes first in our day. We can seek His guidance for the day and allow Him to lead.
- There is no better preparation for the day than to meet with the One who holds it in His hand. It will promote kindness to others, gratitude in our hearts, cheerfulness in our spirit, and discipline as we gain knowledge to do right in every situation.
- When we start with God in the morning, we lay our burdens and cares at His feet. This makes the load of the day much lighter. Unsurrendered burdens make life heavy and stressful.
I understand it will be a challenge for many of you to change old habits, but the reward is far greater than the effort it takes to do it. When you do all of your studying and praying at night you go to sleep and sometimes forget what you’ve learned. When you do your greatest time with the Lord in the morning you have all day to practice what you learned and see the benefits of a day started right.
Psalms 5:3 says, “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”
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