The Hidden Benefits of Seeking God in the Morning
Do you know the benefits of seeking God in the morning, have great intentions to make it happen, but someone or something gets in your way? Do you long to study the Bible and have a thriving morning prayer time, but sometimes that feels impossible?
Maybe you’re good for a few days, but then something happens in your schedule, and it’s hard to get back into spending a few minutes with God.
Or maybe you share my sentiments: the kids distract, and the time spent with God is “overrated.” The result is frustration and irritability at the kids for not being quiet and for not leaving mom alone. Then we wonder: what’s the use anyway?
So What’s the Big Deal About Meeting God?
For the last 17 years, my kids have made me a morning person. They have woke me up too early for most of that time frame.
I like to wake up, grab my tea, and slowly wake up. However, having kids requires me to be at service right away when my feet hit the ground.
If I wake when they do, my time with God is full of distractions. I find myself trying to get through the verses or reading material just to check it off of my “To-Do List,” but it not sinking in. I couldn’t even regurgitate what I just read most mornings.
So here’s the deal, is this even worthwhile to seek first the kingdom of God?
I ask myself this on most mornings.
If I was to set my alarm and awoke even earlier, chances are my toddler would wake up too. He seems to have a mommy pager on him. In frustration, I might give up or even get irritable with my kids over my lack of time seeking God first in the morning.
What I’ve realized is even on the mornings I don’t seem to make a connection with God, I am laying the groundwork for further meetings with God, showing my kids the importance of mornings with God, growing dependent on God, and realizing I need this time with Him.
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What Are the Benefits of Seeking God in the Morning?
God wants to meet with us.
He wants us to set aside our busyness, our To-Do lists, and be still before Him, basking in His presence.
He’s waiting for us to commune with Him, and to communicate with us through prayer.
When I think of this, I envision my great grandmother sitting at her kitchen table. She had cookies and coffee all ready to go for my grandpa. Every day at nine in the morning, she awaited his presence and looked forward to this communication every day. These daily meetings were vital to her life, they filled her up and kept her in the loop of what was happening in her son’s life.
God wants to meet with us every day.
When we meet with God, we get the opportunity to confess our sins and be made clean.
We can rest assured that all the wrong things we’ve done are removed and we are pure in His sight.
We might not remember the specifics of the sins we’ve committed, but we can ask for forgiveness for the sins that we realize and that we don’t realize. Confessing our sins keeps us humble and decreases our pride.
As we meet with God, our weariness disappears, and we receive rejuvenation and wisdom.
The problems that are overwhelming us become decreased and God’s peace replaces them.
25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
27 And it is good for people to submit at an early age
to the yoke of his discipline:28 Let them sit alone in silence beneath the Lord’s demands.
(Lamentations 3:25-28, NLT).
Misconceptions About Meeting with God
Having daily time with God does not make us more spiritual. Our salvation is based on what Jesus did, not what on we have to do.
God doesn’t love us more or less if we put time aside for Him. His love for us is consistent and unchangeable.
To seek God in the morning doesn’t predict that our day will go better, and not meeting with Him doesn’t mean that our day will go worse.
The truth is spending time in God’s presence sets our mind and heart upon God’s words so we can have the strength and wisdom to get through our day regardless of it’s a good or terrible day.
9 Tips for Seeking God in the Morning
- Put it on the calendar. We put what’s important onto our schedule, and this is the most important action we could do.
- Have a morning routine, and add Bible study into it.
- Don’t fall into the trap of needing to spend a certain amount of time. Some days five minutes might be all we have. Those five minutes are still life-sustaining minutes.
- Find some accountability. Is there a spouse, friend, Bible study group, or an online Bible study group?
- If the mornings are busy, then give grace, and do it at night or in the afternoon.
- Create a Bible Study basket or box.
- Start small! Maybe you only have 5 minutes, and that’s all we can do during this season of life. Using Bible study templates keep you on track and helps you have a consistent plan.
- Try and be consistent: we’re creating a routine.
- Add in worship music: it gets our hearts ready.
Here’s an important truth to remember, our meeting with God will look different from someone else’s.
We might not be able to:
- Have an hour-long Bible Study.
- Or go deeply into a book of the Bible during our time.
- We might not be able to consistently go through a Bible Study without missing a day.
This doesn’t mean we are getting anything less than someone else. God sees and knows our needs. He knows how to best grow our faith, He knows our communication skills and sees our efforts.
A Powerful Morning Prayer to Start Your Day
Father-
Thank you for another day and the blessings you will send me today. Help me walk in your will. Keep me fixed on your Word and not my ever-changing feelings.
Use me to witness for you. Stop me in my tracks and poke me to pay attention to those around me. Cause me to lay aside my busyness for your purpose.
Give me strength and courage today to face both the good times and the problem ones.
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength. ~ Charles Stanley
