The Morning Watch

“Blessed is the day whose morning is sanctified. Successful is the day whose first victory is won in prayer. Holy is the day whose dawn finds thee on the top of the mount!” ~Joseph Parker

 

There’s no doubt about it. The early morning hours are vital to the rest of our day.  On the very first day of history, God, in His unsurpassed and perfect creative mind, created the night and the day, evening and morning. He created the hours to our day, and He set them as different and saw them as good.

From the beginning, the morning has had a special place in our day. Like clockwork, morning comes around at the same time everyday, with an anointing over it. Just as Sunday is our day of rest that we wholly devote to the Lord, so is the first part of our days. As Priscilla Shirer calls these times, in “The Resolution for Women“, Sabbath Spaces (or 14 minutes of our day alone with Jesus). We often fail to realize the necessity of this time, because our days are so full until the very end as we try to squeeze out every bit of life in the twenty-four hours we have been given, that we can’t seem to wake up in the morning hours. We live from moment-to-moment, exhausted, drained, and without a boundary to rest and be refreshed.

Here are five (of countless) reasons why the morning is a universal time to be treasured & sanctified: (whether you are a night person or a morning person:)

1. There is nothing more humbling that awakening to the dawn & sunrise, and first thing telling the Lord “Good Morning!” It is by no accident that we wake up each day. Each breath is mere gift of God, and each day has a specific purpose for His glory. Knowing this, the morning is the perfect time of day to reclaim perspective and purpose for the following priceless hours.

 “And have you ever ordered Morning, ‘Get up!’
told Dawn, ‘Get to work!’
So you could seize Earth like a blanket
and shake out the wicked like cockroaches?
As the sun brings everything to light,
brings out all the colors and shapes,
The cover of darkness is snatched from the wicked—
they’re caught in the very act!

Job 38: 12-15 (MSG)

2. Jesus arose in the early morning hours to spend time alone with His Father. It is during this time that He  sought direction for the upcoming day, prayed, and was filled by the presence of His Father.

“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”

Mark 1:35

*Note: This “early” time that Jesus arose was said to be the fourth watch of the night, from 3-6 A.M. This was also the same time Jesus walked on water! This was also the time when Israel was released from Egypt!*

3. Just as we are to tithe one-tenth of our wages to the Lord, so should we tithe one-tenth of our day to Him. Just as Abel gave the first of his flocks to the Lord (which pleased Him very much), so should we give the first minutes of our day to Him (because He deserves it ALL).

4. Every morning, God’s mercies are new. There have been many days I have gone to bed exhausted and weary from the trials of the day before, only to be met by the newness of the next day! Praise God for His new mercies each morning!

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end, they are new every moring; great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

5. Time with Jesus in the early morning sets us up to see Him move in wonderful and miraculous all day. Before Abraham offered up his son Isaac, He arose early to be with the Lord and to be obedient to the Lord. On the third day, when Jesus conquered death and rose from the grave, that the women who visited the tomb came very early and discovered He wasn’t there! The first of their day was devoted to Him; and it set up a blank canvas for God to paint beautiful miracles and acts of His faithfulness!

My challenge to you: find a morning routine that get’s you excited! For me, the first thing I do when I get out of bed is make some coffee. There’s something about the scent of coffee that embraces my soul and invigorates my spirit. After my coffee has brewed and filled the room with it’s warmth, I choose a unique mug for my day (each has a story), and I go sit in my chair and spend time with Jesus. The most important thing is to have NO access to media during this time. It thwarts all hearing from the Lord when I am constantly distracted with the time and messages.

Begin your day with Him. He deserves it all, and He loves to fill us for the hours to come, all so He can do again twenty-four hours later.

Sincerely,

Gretchen