I challenge each of you to rise up early, a great while before the day, to spend time with God. Enjoy your coffee with prayer and Bible study.

You don’t want to venture out into a temptation-filled world, a busy day with children, or a sin-filled heart without first asking God for strength.

Time with God is nourishment for our soul. Satan will fight you from getting this important nourishment. He wants this quiet time to be demanding and legalistic, frustrating, and boring. He wants us to dread it like we were made being forced to eat or drink something we could not stand. But this daily bread should be something we crave (as much as chocolate during PMS).

It doesn’t take long for the things of this world to overwhelm us - appointments and schedules, people clamoring for our time and energy. Jesus knew what it was like to feel this. He got up before dark to spend time in prayer.

“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” Mark 1:35

Learn to Love the Morning

I am an early riser (not as early as my hubby who is always up before 4:00 am) But I am awake before daybreak. I love the early morning. I thoroughly enjoy going to feed the horses at sunrise no matter how cold it is (well, OK sometimes I’m not so chipper about going out when it’s below 20).

Every day, I am thrilled by the sight of the early morning hazy sky. I love the farm sounds that greet me– several birds, cats, dogs and the occasional mooing from our neighbor’s dairy cows. These sights and sounds lead me into a time of praising God. By the time I’m back in the house I have spent time with My Father and I am ready for our day.

George Muller gives an encouraging urging (written in 1839) for us to all rise early:

I want to encourage all believers to get into the habit of rising early to meet with God. How much time should be allowed for rest? No rule of universal application can be given because all persons do not require the same amount of sleep. Also the same persons, at different times, according to the strength or weakness of their body, may require more or less. Most doctors agree that healthy men do not require more than between six or seven hours of sleep, and females need no more than seven or eight hours.

Children of God should be careful not to allow themselves too little sleep since few men can do with less than six hours of sleep and still be well in body and mind. As a young man, before I went to the university, I went to bed regularly at ten and rose at four, studied hard, and was in good health. Since I have allowed myself only about seven hours, I have been much better in body and in nerves than when I spent eight or eight and a half hours in bed.

Someone may ask, “But why should I rise early?” To remain too long in bed is a waste of time. Wasting time is unbecoming a saint who is bought by the precious blood of Jesus. His time and all he has is to be used for the Lord. If we sleep more than is necessary for the refreshment of the body, it is wasting the time the Lord has entrusted us to be used for His glory, for our own benefit, and for the benefit of the saints and unbe­lievers around us.

Just as too much food injures the body, the same is true regarding sleep. Medical persons would readily agree that lying longer in bed than is nec­essary to strengthen the body actually weakens it.

It also injures the soul. Lying too long in bed not merely keeps us from giving the most precious part of the day to prayer and meditation, but this sloth leads also to many other evils. Anyone who spends one, two, or three hours in prayer and meditation before breakfast will soon discover the beneficial effect early rising has on the outward and inward man.

It may be said, “But how shall I set about rising early?” My advice is: Do not delay. Begin tomorrow. But do not depend on your own strength. You may have begun to rise early in the past but have given it up. If you depend on your own strength in this matter, it will come to nothing. In every good work, we must depend on the Lord. If anyone rises so that he may give the time which he takes from sleep to prayer and meditation, let him be sure that Satan will try to put obstacles in the way.

Trust in the Lord for help. You will honor Him if you expect help from Him in this matter. Pray for help, expect help, and you will have it. In addition to this, go to bed early. If you stay up late, you cannot rise early. Let no pressure of engagements keep you from going habitually early to bed. If you fail in this, you neither can nor should get up early because your body requires rest.

Rise at once when you are awake. Remain not a minute longer in bed or else you are likely to fall asleep again. Do not be discouraged by feeling drowsy and tired from rising early. This will soon wear off. After a few days you will feel stronger and fresher than when you used to lie an hour or two longer than you needed. Always allow yourself the same hours for sleep. Make no change except on account of sickness. (Autobiography, 117-119. Emphasis mine.)

Purpose to begin each day with God. Remember every morning as you wake, He is waiting to spend time with you.

Popularity: 31% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!