01/03/2018
Are you in the habit of beginning each day in prayer, contemplation, and reading scripture? Do you offer this as a time dedicated to the Lord, and in which the two of you can be alone together? Do you rise early and go into your prayer closet where you call His name and wait upon Him? If so you already know how spiritually refreshing that time is, but if not, I would encourage you to do so... mornings are a special time with the Lord, and of new beginning.
“O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.”
Psalms 5:3 ESV
Even in the early writings of the Old Testament the value of praying in the predawn hours before one went out into the world to begin the day was important. At very least it was the first thing done upon rising from bed (for those who are not “morning people”), and this was still the practice in the New Testament... as we see in the habit of Jesus.
“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 ESV
Jesus did this to prepare Himself for the day. It was in the early morning hours that He sought guidance from God regarding His coming day’s efforts... and God’s will for Him in them. After Jesus had risen before dawn, and gone to a quiet place, His disciples awoke and started looking for Him. Let’s listen to the exchange between them when at last they find Him...
“And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you." And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out."”
Mark 1:36-38 ESV
Every morning I rise in the wee hours of the day, and it is my habit to then read scripture, a devotional message, and then, with my spirit thus directed, close my eyes and take several deep calming breaths as I allow myself to calm and reach out to the Lord... it is then that we talk in prayer. To do this requires a dedication to the practice, and to go through these morning preparations in full confidence that God will join us in conversation each and every day. It will become the high point of your day’s activities.
You might say “well I tried this method of prayer and devotion, and I didn’t feel His presence!” My response to you is that either your mind wasn’t still, or you neglected to wait, or listen, long enough. Learning how to bring yourself into a state of worship where God can interact with you takes time to perfect, and as you do so, you will be able to reach that point more easily.
At the conclusion of my morning prayers, I do one more thing that most do not do, I write some of what the Lord has given me in devotional messages, such as this one. Some mornings it is difficult. My mind may be racing, or for some other reason I remain distracted; but occasionally, I think that God just wants me to wait on Him in the exhaling of my breath as He prepares me through anticipation for his arrival. As an example... there are mornings when I have completed my prayers, and as I prepare to write I still myself, but there is nothing there. The usual gush of words does not come to me. Have you ever reached out for God’s hand and grasped nothing but air? This emptiness is how such mornings make me feel.
On mornings like this I continue to still myself and then cry out to Him in prayer... “Father, give me just one word this morning! One word Father!” Because I know that one word from God speaks volumes to our souls. I continue by pleading “Please Father, there are so many who await you; give my just one word!” It is at this moment of humbling myself, and acknowledging the Father’s hand, that the one word comes, and as I tearfully write it into my smart phone with my trembling finger, the accompanying message flows into me.
On mornings when I plead for “just one word”, I feel as though I hear the prayers of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane with a new and deeper sense of understanding. I hear the pleading in His voice, and sense His stillness of Spirit, and I know that, like my times of fervent prayer, a channel has opened between the Father and Himself. Prayer like this comes with tears, pleading, and a humbling of the spirit, and in the case of Jesus... sweat like blood. God’s answer comes with the assurance of our obedience.
“And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Luke 22:44 ESV
Morning prayers are rich and rewarding, they prepare us for our day by allowing God to direct us in it, but such dedication in prayer is not always easy. Andrew Murray knew the difficulty of such Morning offerings and communion. Listen as he writes...
“The true practice of Christianity strives toward having the character of Christ so formed in us that in our most common activities His temper and disposition will be displayed. Do not be disturbed if the goal appears too high to attain or occupies too much of your time in the hour of private prayer. The time you give will be richly rewarded.” - Andrew Murray
Prayer:
Father, thank you for my time with you each morning, and thank you for stilling my spirit as I prepare to speak with you. Merciful Father I find such peace and joy in our hours spent together in study, prayer, and my doing your will as I write. I thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who taught us that morning prayer is fulfilling, and allows you to actively direct all we do each day. I may pen your words each morning Father, but others rise from prayer to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or witness and deliver the gospel of Jesus Christ to those in need of hearing it. Holy Father how great thou art, and how wonderful our time of walking in the garden together is. Continue to meet us each day Lord, and as we prepare ourselves, join us in our prayer closets, or chairs, and let you voice lead us into obeying your will for us that day! Praised be your name Father for you are merciful, and your grace unending. Holy, Holy, Holy, art thou my Lord and King!
Rich Forbes