Have you been away from home and realized your phone battery is low, only to find you didn’t bring a charger? While this happens to all of us occasionally (or maybe just once, a lesson learned), none of us likes to feel vulnerable and detached from those we love. That sense of detachment is how I feel when I miss my morning quiet time.

Think about your typical morning routine. Do you wait until the last snooze to get out of bed? Is having an occasional morning quiet time all you expect of yourself? Maybe no one ever challenged you to set aside time every morning to spend with God.

Why am I writing about meeting God every morning? Because the Christian life must be lived intentionally. Mornings are important. Your morning routine, or lack of one, can change your life. One gives you a Spirit-led trajectory—the other results in a sluggish, unfocused drift. Meeting with God first before you accelerate into your day is a winning way to follow Jesus. Over time, this excellent practice will change your life.

Lamentations 3:23 proclaims that God’s mercies are new every morning. Beyond the mercy of breath of life each morning, the Bread of Life (John 6:35) waits to satisfy us eternally. We cannot run on automatic and expect to see God working in our lives.

My phone illustration reminds me I want to stay connected to the Source.

Make Your Meeting Your First Priority

My relationship with God is first. I have a friendship with Him, and friendships require time and investment. I am not comparing my saving relationship with Jesus to any human relationship. Not at all. The all-powerful, all-knowing God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, my soul rescuer, my Redeemer, the One who died for my sin and is alive today and is my Helper and Comforter, He is the One I meet. He provides everything I need to love and serve Him on earth, and He keeps me faithful because He is faithful (Hebrews 10:23), until He comes again.

That old quote that we become like those we keep company with is true. We become like our closest companions.

• “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.” 1 Corinthians 15:33
• “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Proverbs 13:20).

Today, I’m writing to persuade you to add a quiet time to your morning routine at home before you leave for the day. Understand that it will carry a sacrifice, but waking to be with God has eternal significance. Will you consider waking before the others in your house? Or spending your early morning with the Lord? I can testify this is one habit you won’t regret. Solitude, alone with God, is transformative.

Isaiah 50:4

The Lord God has given me the tongue of disciples, so that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple.

Just getting to this point, I’ve given so many reasons! I could name a hundred, but here’s a short list.

5 Reasons Why I Meet with God in the morning:

1. To meet with God – The Creator of the universe, is not lonely. I need Him. Like the music director said in Psalm 42:2, “When can I go and meet with God?” The author of this statement longed to meet with God. If you don’t have that longing. It’s ok. Show up; soon you will.
2. To follow Jesus’ example – He often went away for prayer and to meet His Father. It stands to reason that if Jesus needed to meet with God, then so do I (Mark 1:35). How can I take up my cross daily and follow Jesus if I don’t look to Him at the beginning of each day(Luke 9:23)? How will I trust Him when trials and suffering come if I’ve not invested my spirit and grown in faith.
3. To surrender – Too often, I am on the throne. Philippians 2 urges me to imitate Christ. Surrendering and choosing humility are settled in my time with Him. My wrong thinking, bad attitude, and rebellious spirit dissolve and lose their hold on me as I confess my sin and let His Spirit reign in me. God changes my heart, and it needs it every single day.
4. To begin my day in His presence – Jesus promises to be with me always, but when I choose to meet with Him, I sense His presence. Through the Holy Spirit, He responds to my willingness and provides all I need to follow His plan. I get to gaze upon His beauty, majesty, and splendor(Psalm 27:4). I would miss this joy if I were in a rush, flying down the road to work or wherever.
5. To remind me of His power in my life– Because I’m in right relationship with God, spending time with Him gives me emotional and spiritual health. Also, I am alerted to the devil’s schemes. The cunning plans are often inward, tearing down my attitude, my faith, my will. Only God’s power can conquer the enemy’s works. I believe that is why Jesus urges His children to “watch and pray”(Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38).
6. BONUS REASON: “He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day.” John Bunyon
   That quote might be a one-sentence summary of this article!

Might I gently say, these few reasons given are not achieved when you are exhausted at the end of a day. You can read a devotional to transition to your bedtime. But Christians must take spiritual responsibility. It is a duty unlike any other to submit oneself each day to our dear Lord. Often, we are willing to arrange our schedules for other early morning appointments. If you will learn from Jesus’ example, take His yoke, follow His lead, you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29-30).

Jesus accomplished my salvation on the cross. Now I belong to Him. The very least I can do is meet with Him.

And now you know why I meet with God in the morning! Do you meet with God in the morning? If you don’t, why not begin? He is waiting.

“My quiet time is not a gift I give to God.
My quiet time is a gift God gives me.
I don’t offer him my quiet time. I offer him simply my time, my self. He’s the one who provides the quiet spirit.”
― Emilie Barnes, Fill My Cup, Lord… With the Peace of Your Presence

©Valerie Rumfelt

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