But I cry to you for help, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you. –Psalm 88:13
During a conversation recently with a Christian brother, he told me something about himself which I thought was intriguing: He confessed that unless he had his daily prayer and Bible study time first thing in the morning that there was a strong possibility that he would not get around to it that day. This insight into his daily routine is a common problem for many followers of Christ. When we fail to make our daily prayer time a top priority we can easily become so involved in other tasks that we end up not praying at all that day. How many times have we got up, intended to spend time alone with the Lord, and before we knew it we were doing everything but that? It’s happened to me, and if we are honest we’ll admit it has happened to most of us at one time or another.
David of the Old Testament understood the power of prayer, and he also knew that beginning his day with time alone with God was vitally important. David was a man who carefully guarded the personal time he spent with God. We do well to emulate such a commitment to daily prayer. All of the other tasks and responsibilities have their place and are no doubt important. However, we cannot function at the level of faith the Lord intends apart from daily time in prayer and in God’s Word. Beginning the day in prayer is like a spiritual injection of God’s power into the heart of our being. By faith we can walk through the day having had our spirits lifted and our spiritual batteries revved up. The result is a more positive outlook, a more balanced approach to the day, and a more spiritual perspective on life and all its problems.
Make time to pray every morning. Also spend some time meditating on God’s Word and letting its truths speak to your heart. This does in fact take time and commitment, but the benefits are greater than I can possibly express here; you simply have to experience them for yourself.
When we make our way to that quiet place each morning, rest assured that the Lord will meet with us there. He will offer wonderful words of life, grace, peace, comfort, and joy. A time of prayer will always be the best way to begin the day. Spiritual victory waits when we walk forward having been alone for a while with the Lord.
Why not begin today?
