One of the
benefits of meeting with God in the morning is that there is a visible parallel
to the invisible work of God in our souls. Getting up while the night hangs on
to its shadows gives an easy simile to the feelings of my inner man. Even on my
best mornings, things just ain’t so bright in there, if you know what I mean!
My morning
time with God often begins by me telling God how sluggish I feel. I don’t tell
him this for his benefit, but for mine. I know he wants to hear what is on our
hearts just as we like to hear the little children telling us their stories
even though we already have a pretty good sense of where they are at.
I also find
that many mornings are a carry-over from troubling thoughts that follow me from
the previous day. While Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow because each
day has enough trouble of its own,[1] we
are often just as tempted to carry yesterday’s troubles into a new day as we
are to live tomorrow’s troubles before we get to them!
One of the
things that helps most with both of these temptations is to begin the day presenting
our shadowy thoughts to God so that his presence can lead us into the full
light of day. I regularly finish my time in the word and prayer looking out at
the beautiful sunny morning (as was the case today) and realizing that God was
shining in my heart with a gracious gift of encouragement I wouldn’t be feeling
if I hadn’t met with him in the lurking shadows.
I have
learned over the years not to be legalistic about when people meet with God, as
long as it is their daily habit.[2]
However, I have also derived much encouragement from examples of God’s word
that invite me to these early morning times with him. Here’s a sampling.
“But
I, O Lord, cry to you; in the morning my
prayer comes before you.”[3] This is often the case. Morning begins
with the hearts of God’s children crying out to know him. Our prayers come
before him because we know that we have no one else to turn to. If we are going
to make it through the day, we know the one to whom we need to pray!
“Satisfy
us in the morning with
your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”[4]
Not only do we ask God to satisfy our broken hearts with his steadfast love
morning after morning, but we know this is the reason we will rejoice through
any given day, and through all our days! And, if such rejoicing can be had on a
daily basis, why miss the opportunity?!
“Let
me hear in the morning of
your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for
to you I lift up my soul.”[5]
Yes, we often go to bed with heartaches, disappointments, broken relationships,
communication disasters and other such expressions of living in a fallen world.
However, the first person I want to hear from the next day is the one who will
tell me of his steadfast love. Whether I need to repent of something I did
wrong the day before, or reconcile with someone I hurt, or rest in God’s love
when people have wronged me and there is no repentance or reconciliation in
sight, I need to hear of God’s steadfast love as a daily, morning reminder.
And so, the morning gives the
opportunity to lift up our souls to our heavenly Father so we can see how he is
showing us the way we should go, not only in any major decisions, but in the
daily grind of responsibilities and demands that are always more than we can
bear.
Again, there is no legalistic demand
that we meet with God at a certain time of the day, or stay a predetermined
length of time in prayer and meditation. Our lives are now led by the Spirit,
not by the law.[6]
My aim in sharing this is simply to encourage
you to meet with God, in his word, through faith in Jesus Christ, depending on
the daily guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to watch what happens to your soul
as you pour out your heart to the Triune, and receive their ministry to your
inner being.[7]
For me, I like the simile of what
happens inside me being like what happens in the morning around me. I begin in
the shadows, and end up in the full light of day. After all, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at
all.”[8]Why
not meet with such a One as this, and watch what happens to your soul?
© 2015 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
[1]
Matthew 6:34
[2]
I consider a daily time with God in his word and prayer to be like
kindergarten-level Christianity. Eternal life is about knowing God (John 17:3),
so God’s children want to meet with our Father every day, even from our
youngest years of immaturity. Spending time with God is not a maturity issue, as
though it is not something we do until we are mature, but we do mature as we
spend daily time with God!
[3]
Psalm 88:13
[4]
Psalm 90:14
[5]
Psalm 143:8
[6]
Romans 7:6; Galatians 5:18
[7]
Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 shows the presence of the Spirit, the Son,
and the Father, all filling us up with in. That should be our experience when
we seek the Triune in their word and prayer, no matter when or for how long.
[8]
I John 1:5
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