And He Walks With Me: In The Morning, Give Me Jesus

I am not a morning person.

My bed just loves my company.  I'm snuggled in and cozy.  The responsibilities of the day are at bay.  I am resting. But the alarm screams at me to get out of bed.

The critical part of my day is what happens when I oblige the alarm's call.  What happens when my feet hit the ground and my brain engages for the day?  I have two choices: 1) Get ready, get breakfast, rush out the door, and let the anxieties of the day immediately consume me. 2) Spend time with my Jesus, get ready, get breakfast, head out the door energized prepared for the war that wages for my soul.

While the first option seems like less work and requires less forethought, it is detrimental.  (I speak from experience).  We are woefully unprepared for the attacks of the enemy.  We catch Jesus on the run rather than actually knowing him.  We aren't filled with the Spirit.  It is even possible to risk becoming lazy.  

Trust me.  I get it.  It isn't easy to get up earlier, especially when little ones are just on the brink of waking, and take some quiet time to yourself.  It isn't easy to put the desire for more sleep to the side.  But I'm learning that it is necessary if I am going to be a woman who's heart is focused on the Lord through the day.  It has to start at the beginning like all the best stories do.

The second option allows me to start my day, my first waking thought, in the prescence of my Savior and King.  It allows me to prepare for the war that is constantly raging for my soul as Ephesians 6:10-13 points out.  You see, if I'm preparing for war, I have to start each day by putting on my armor, and in order to do that, I have to spend time in the Word and talking with my commander.

But the most critical question is how does that get accomplished? To start, I use Isaiah 50:4-5.

"...Morning by morning he awakens; 

he awakens my ear

to hear as those who are taught.

The Lord God has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious;

I turned not backward."

Each morning, God wakes us, and if we allow it to happen by spending time in his Word, he allows us to hear from him.  He teaches us and equips us with all that we need to know for the day ahead.  He opens our ears that we may walk with him, and press forward in our walks with him.  He desires to transform us and teach us who He is and what he desires for us and from us.  If we will wake and listen, we are able to move forward.

As I look more into the Scriptures, I find Mark 1:35.

"And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed."

Here's what I notice: it was quite and early.  Now, I am all for quiet.  When it's quiet, I not only tend to stay focused, but I can hear the Lord.  It's intimate, and I get to know him.  In these moments, I am not trying to show off  or impress anyone.  It's just me and Jesus and it's real and raw.  The earliness allows for that, but I know it isn't all that fun.  It's become a time that I look forward to.  As you continue to read on after this verse, you can see how this time alone in the quiet with the Father allowed him to prepare to minister and serve.

The Word should be our treasure that allows us to know our King.  We can't walk throughout the day with Him if we don't start our days with Him.  As we are faithful to do this, he will increase our desires to spend time with Him, and we will become mighty women of God.

May your prayer as you wake this week be, "In the morning give me Jesus."

This was the first in the series: And He Walks With Me. 

Join us next week for finding Jesus in the middle of the day.