I’m an early bird. The older I get, the earlier I rise. I also walk like Frankenstein for the first 15 minutes after tumbling out of bed, and if I only wake up to pee in the night twice, I’m gold!
I haven’t always been an early riser.
Something happened to inspire me to get my butt out of bed.
God.
In my early twenties, I made a deal with Him. He would pull me out of a pretty crummy mess, and I’d promise to give Him the time He deserved.
He held His end of the bargain.
So did I.
But, rising early…before my kids…my husband…the sun…the mailman…the rooster…the dough the Amish women kneaded the night before…(because let’s be honest, who else does that?)wasn’t always easy.
Until I realized, God was waiting for me in those early hours. He had treasure for me to find, a heart to synchronize with His, and an inside to mend.
The words on the pages came alive for me in the stillness of pre-dawn. He became real, intimate, special–not a religion or a figure. A friend, a confidant, lover of my soul, my best friend.
But it was the early hours that made the difference.
Why? Because, time slips away so easily. Daily demands put studying and relationship on the back burner. Oh maybe I’d slip in a daily devotional reading, which is better than nothing and valuable of course, but nothing compares to that one-on-one time. Nothing compares to looking up and realizing you’ve been before the throne for hours and yet it only seems like a minute or two.
God rewards sacrifice. Dragging out of bed to give God the first part of your day is a sacrifice. But the rewards are worth the lack of shut eye.
“O God, You are my God;Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1
Early morning time prepares you for good days and rotten days. It gives you the fuel to keep going when the roads of life twist and turn and seem endless.
Early morning time prepares your heart for tough co-workers, friends with serious problems who need wisdom, bosses who drop their work on your shoulders, cars that cut you off, and strangers who stand in front of you with 500 items, knowing you only have ONE!
Early morning quiet time allows you to hear only His heartbeat.
I’m not saying you can’t have quality time with God at night. But even Jesus awoke before the rest to start His day with His Father.
What about you? When do you spend time with God? What do you think keeps you from getting up early if you don’t already?
Okay, the song, “Wake Me up Before You Go-Go…” just popped in my head. Random. Whatayagonnado?
