God’s Time: 3 Reasons Why You Should Start Praying Early in the Morning Right Away
Dear Readers,
Why is it so important to pray early in the morning? We all know we should rise early and pray, but many of us either neglect it or do it casually because we don’t fully grasp its importance. Early morning prayer is even more crucial than you might realize, so here are three reasons why you should start praying early in the morning right away.
Number one. Dawn is God’s time.
We’ve all been given 24 hours, and how we use them is entirely up to our free will. We can pray in the morning, during the day, or in the evening — it’s entirely our choice. But, why pray at dawn? It’s because dawn marks the beginning of the day, hence God’s time. If you look at the Bible, God asks us to honor Him with the first fruits and to offer the firstborn of livestock to Him.
35 “We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree.
36 “As it is also written in the Law, we will bring the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests ministering there.
37 “Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and olive oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work.
Nehemiah 10:35–37, NIV
This goes beyond fruits and livestock. God values and desires the beginning and the first things. Yes, God does accept prayers at other times, but He especially cherishes prayers offered in the morning — the first hour of the day. Prayers later in the day or evening are like offering God our second or third-best fruits.
Those who pray in the morning can be compared to those who receive a gold medal, while those who pray later in the day receive silver or bronze medals. Just as we prefer gold over silver or bronze, God also prefers prayers offered in the early morning — the first hour of the day. As the beginning and the first belong to God, we should wake at dawn and start our day with a prayer.
Number Two. Dawn is when the mind and spirit are sharpest.
Early morning is when the body is still waking up from sleep. After several hours of deep sleep, your body finds it challenging to get up in the morning, as your half-awaken physical nature pulls you back to bed.
However, this is an opportunity. When you wake up early and pray, your body may have started moving, but your physical nature hasn’t fully awakened yet. Before eating, drinking, working, and engaging in the affairs of the day, your physical nature is still somewhat dormant.
So, praying in the morning allows you to focus more on spiritual and mental aspects because your physical body is still half asleep. Early morning is a time when your spirit is freest from the influence of the sleeping body, making it the best time to meet and converse with God undisturbed and in deep spirituality.
Number three. Early morning prayer is challenging.
Photo by Christopher Schruff: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-tabby-cat-lying-on-shag-rug-720684/
As mentioned earlier, dawn is when the body is deeply asleep after a long night’s rest. It seems natural for us to choose sleeping over anything else in the morning. However, this desire to sleep more and stay in bed longer is precisely what makes this time more precious to us. The more valuable something is to a person and the more willingly it is offered to God, the more God values it. Even people appreciate when others give them something valuable rather than something useless or insignificant. It’s the same for God.
If you were to offer God a time of your day, it’s much more valuable to offer Him your early morning when you’re so desperate to sleep than to offer Him your daytime or evening when it’s not so important or precious even to you. The difference it makes is like heaven and earth. God knows this, and that’s why He listens more closely to those who wake at dawn and pray, and regards them even more highly.
Conclusion
Photo by Mathew Thomas: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-standing-on-rock-during-sunset-906531/
So, we’ve explored three key reasons why you must wake up early for morning prayers. Could there be anything more important than morning prayers?
Try setting an alarm for tomorrow morning, wake up, and pray. It’s okay to start with ten or even five minutes. Eventually, morning prayer will become a habit and will no longer be as challenging or difficult as it may seem at first. I’ve been through it, and so have many others. Don’t be intimidated by the challenges you face in the beginning. Embrace the challenge, and face your task.
And even if you fail to wake up early one day, don’t be discouraged. Pray in the morning or during the day, and try again the next day.
God awaits you every morning to hear your prayers. Now it’s time to answer him back.
Leave in the comment section what you find the most challenging in your early morning prayers. Share your progress with us and other members. Don’t forget to follow us for more on Pastor J’s Way of Wisdom.
I pray that God’s blessings be with all those who wake up in the morning to pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Originally published at http://pastorjwayofwisdom.wordpress.com on January 26, 2024.
