Try to complete this sentence. Mornings are for… What comes naturally at the end of this? If you’re like me it sounds something like, mornings are for getting ready, catching buses, finding shoes, eating or not eating breakfast. In other words, rushing, rushing, rushing. What about weekend mornings? Ah, those mornings are for sleeping in, pancakes with the fam, brunches and coffee dates. But are mornings ever for meditating, reading, relaxing and spending quality time? I know, those words sound foreign when put with the word morning. But interestingly enough the older I get, the more I realize that mornings can be about meditating, breathing and thinking. Mornings are pretty wonderful (and not just because of coffee.)

When I was in high school and college, I always heard that having a morning quiet time was really great. It would change the way you felt about the day, it would prepare you, equip you, get you motivated and so on. In my mind though, I never really equated the wonderful attributes of the morning QT with the actual act of reading your bible, praying, and listening. I was more intrigued with the magical aspect of the morning time and so my attempted QT’s never felt quite right. In other words, my heart was NOT in the right place. I guess I hadn’t fully grasped the need to rise early, but the bible does. It outlines the need clearly and is filled with examples and verses of early morning prayer. Here are just a few:

Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. Psalm 5:3

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

And, a personal fav…

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35

Before this year, I got by with just having a devotional at the end of the day. I’d do the rushing thing in the morning, then go off to work, come home exhausted and IF I felt like it, I’d settle down for a late devotional. Not the best strategy, actually, not really a strategy at all. This year, I decided I needed something to change. With my New Year’s Resolution in place (you can read about it here), I decided to give morning prayer another chance. I did anticipate that it would be a difficult discipline. Getting up early, prepping things the night before, clearing up my fogginess so that I could actually read something is tough. But what I did not anticipate is how much I’d look forward to it. How much I’d enjoy getting up before the sun does, spending time quietly before the rush of the day begins, sitting and contemplating HIS goodness. The difference between now and when I tried it before? My willingness to meet Him at whatever costs.

It hasn’t been smooth riding- I mean early is still early, but a few things I do really help make a difference.

• I wake up 30 mins earlier. That’s it. Not a whole hour, just 30 mins. A daily morning devotional doesn’t have to be a 2 hour-long affair. Taking small steps helps.
• I have an assigned spot. It’s just the chair at my table but I get it ready the night before. I place my laptop, bible, devotional book, notebook and whatever pens I’ll need ready to go at my spot. I don’t want to be hunting for anything in the morning.
• I make coffee! YES, it makes a huge difference. When I eat or drink something, it kicks my mind and body into awake mode and wakes up my brain. Caffeine people! It really helps
• I crank up the music. The night before, I set up my apple tv to the iTunes radio and pick a worship station that’ll get me going in the morning. That way when I get up I don’t have to think and I can just turn it on and go.
• I set a time limit and stick to it. Sometimes I feel like I can sit there for a looong time worshiping, praying, thinking. But if I go over my time limit I end up rushing to get dressed and instantly, everything I’d just been striving for goes out the window!

Now, none of this is to say that evening and night devotionals/QT can’t happen! They do and for some, they must. For me however, I’ve realized how much of a blessing it is to prepare my day with Him, early and secluded. If you’ve never tried it or just feel that it would be too much of a sacrifice, I say, just try it for one week. Yes, it’s a sacrifice and yes, it’s hard. But at this point I’m not asking you to do burpees or squats! Make this time yours, in whatever way you can to connect the best with the Lord. Read in bed, set 3 alarms, set up your assigned spot out on the patio- whatever it takes. After all, it is He who created the mornings!