#4: Develop the habit of getting up early
You may not be an "early bird" naturally, however I know many people who have allowed God to change their sleeping habits as they sought for a closer walk with Him. Remember, the manna from heaven falls early and it also melts early too. So if we don't want to miss out, we need to allow God to teach us to wake up early!
“The men who have done the
most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away
the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in [sleep or in] other
pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the
day. If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be
the last place the remainder of the day.”[i]
Robert McCheyne struggled with making early
prayer a habit, but he felt the difference when it was lacking. Listen to his
thoughts: I think most of us can relate.
“I ought to pray before seeing any one. Often when I
sleep long, or meet with others early, it is eleven or twelve o’clock before I
begin secret prayer. This is a wretched system. It is unscriptural. Christ
arose before day and went into a solitary place. David says: “Early will I seek
thee”; “Thou shalt early hear my voice.” Family prayer loses much of its power
and sweetness, and I can do no good to those who come to seek from me. The
conscience feels guilty, the soul unfed, the lamp not trimmed. Then when in
secret prayer the soul is often out of tune, I feel it is far better to begin
with God—to see his face first, to get my soul near him before it is near
another.”
Some of you may work night hours and so you
start your day at a different time then the rest of the world. That’s fine. The
point is, whenever your day starts, make it a priority to get up extra early to
have that sacred undistracted time with God before you begin your daily (or
nightly) duties. And if you don’t think you can get up…well, just ask God to
wake you up. He’ll do it if you give Him permission.
For years I have been able to wake up without an
alarm clock. I just ask God to wake me up to pray and He always does. Countless
times when I’ve told Him, “Please wake me up at such-and-such time to spend
time with you,” He will consistently wake me up at least 1 or two minutes
before the requested time. It has warmed my heart to see how eager God is to
spend time with me. He is so eager, more eager than I even, and He doesn’t want
to waste a second of our time together.
“Prayer is not time wasted—Every morning
take time to begin your work with prayer. Do not think this wasted time; it is
time that will live through eternal ages. By this means success and spiritual
victory will be brought in. The machinery will respond to the touch of the
Master’s hand. God’s blessing is certainly worth asking for, and the work
cannot be done aright unless the beginning is right. The hands of every worker
must be strengthened, his heart must be purified, before the Lord can use him effectively.”[ii]
John Bunyan, author of Pilgrims
Progress, once stated, “He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely
find Him the rest of the day.” May this not
be our testimony!
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