In the Morning

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. - Psalm 5:3

I notice such a difference in my day when I begin with prayer and devotion vs. when I don't. And yet I'll admit that for some reason it's one of those disciplines with which I have a hard time being truly consistent. Maybe it's because the very moment I wake up, all kinds of desires and thoughts and to-dos come rushing at me, demanding my attention, and often times I'm tempted to give in and answer them first. But I know that nothing is as important or pressing as first acknowledging God, coming to Him in prayer and listening for His voice above the rest. He deserves the very first of my day, as well as the very last. He deserves to be my first thought, not my afterthought. He deserves the best of me, not just the leftovers. The reality is that each day I have to choose all over again whom I will serve, whom I will listen to, whom I will follow, which voice I will obey. And I want to wake up each and every morning choosing to serve, listen, and follow after God. To obey Him, to put Him first, to be led by Him in each and every area of my life and be surrendered to Him in each moment. To commit every part of my day to Him and trust Him with every detail as it unfolds. To lay it all before Him, to give myself and all I have completely to Him. There is no doubt about it, I need His grace and His mercy anew each morning. I need His strength, I need His guidance and His wisdom, I need to hear from Him. I want to wake up each morning by His Word speaking to me. I'm always awestruck when I can sense Him awakening me and speaking to me. He does so every morning, if only I will stop and listen. And it makes all the difference when I do! I notice much more intimacy with Him throughout the day when I seek Him first and give Him my day at the onset. How amazing it is to be in a relationship with a God who always hears us and is always wanting to speak to us and tell us great and unsearchable things we do not know! (Jer. 33:3) Oh if only we'd just call out and be as eager to hear from Him as He is to speak to us. So in short, I'm working on being more intentional with my time with God first thing in the morning, to devote the very first of my day to waiting expectantly on Him. It's worth it to know that I am being led by His Spirit from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep at night. :)

I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. - Psalm 3:5

He [The Sovereign LORD] wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. - Isaiah 50:4

My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. - Isaiah 26:9

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. - Psalm 143:8