Does God Want Me to Be a Morning Person?
Transforming Truth: Spiritual Discipline
“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.” – Mark 1:35 (ESV)
I did it again this morning. I set my alarm an hour earlier than I needed to so I wouldn’t have to rush through my intentionally slower prepare-for-the-day routine. However, after another night of struggling to fall asleep, reading my Bible until my eyes finally grew heavy, that first pleasant “slow rise” chime emanating from my iPhone was easy to ignore.
I hit snooze, then snoozed again, until finally, the sound of my 18-year-old daughter noticeably primping in her bathroom was enough to make me feel guilty when the fourth round of chimes sounded.
When my husband (also not a morning person) and I started our family, my friends promised me that I would never be able to sleep in and I’d only get a moment of peace if I got up before everyone else. But guess what? They were wrong.
Even as infants, my three daughters didn’t have a natural tendency to wake up early. To this day, we are known to be a family of “night owls” who take forever to get going in the morning but are highly productive and creative in the evenings (another reason my daughters enjoyed our homeschooling years). Because of that, I was convinced that my daily devotions, Bible reading, and quiet time with God should simply to take place in the evening—or whenever I could find time.
If God wanted me to be a morning person, He would have made me that way, right? Are you nodding your head in agreement? Have you decided that there’s no need to fight your natural body rhythms to spend time with God early in the morning?
You see, I am not a morning person. For as long as I can remember, I have struggled to get up any earlier than absolutely necessary to get ready and get going with my day. Waking up early has never come naturally to me.
Yet all those years of springing out of bed with just enough time to react to the first activity of the day was slowly, surely wearing me down. By my late thirties, I’d become a tightly wound, anxious, reactionary woman letting the day rule me instead of allowing God to rule the day.
Soon I began to battle chronic physical anxiety symptoms, and insomnia became a normal part of my nighttime routine. Wide awake, I read more Bible chapters in one “sitting” than I ever did before, trying to soothe my sense of dread and distract my spiraling thoughts as the hours passed.
As I soaked in Scripture to combat the battle taking place in my mind, I began to understand how vital it was to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) and to “guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). I also realized that this battle with anxious thoughts started the minute I woke up and consciously attempted to move into the day. By nighttime, there was no reversing the course.
Why did I insist on putting off time with God until later in the day? Just to get a few more uneasy minutes of shut-eye?
Even Jesus—our perfect example—was known for his early (often dark) morning time away from everyone else so He could be fully present with the Father, as described in Mark 1:35 and other passages in the Gospels. What was it about that early morning, first things first, time with God that was so important for Jesus? And would it make any difference for me?
I turned to Scripture to confirm whether I should make a change. What does the Bible say about mornings? Here’s a short roundup of what I found (emphasis mine):
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning …” (Lamentations 3:22-23, NKJV)
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, ESV)
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5b, NKJV)
These are just a few of many examples of God’s character on display through the design of mornings, light piercing the darkness until daylight envelops it completely. This visual only magnifies the importance of setting our thoughts on Him in the morning.
Once I began a new routine of spending time with God first thing in the morning, no matter how little time I had, my days radically changed. The problems didn’t go away, but the negative, anxious, stressful, and fearful thoughts that warred with my desire to “let go and let God” did start to go away. Little by little, I was regaining territory in the battle for my mind, and I began to see my days and the obstacles that lay before me in a whole new light.
Maybe you’re struggling to start your day by replacing your cares for the day with His Word, then taking your agenda to Him and letting go. The struggle is real. I’m right there with you, friend!
However, once you put God in the driver’s seat where He belongs, asking Him to prepare you for what the day holds and guide you through the highs and lows, you’re making a conscious choice to hit the brakes on the hustle that threatens to repeatedly overwhelm you. And once you’ve focused your thoughts on what is true about God’s character and your relationship with Him (found in Scripture), you’ll be able to recognize His gifts and His grace sustaining you. And daily challenges won’t continue to sweep you off your feet.
Starting your day with the Lord does not have to become a new project, my friend. It doesn’t have to be an hour-long, organized, mapped out, journaled, out-of-bed experience. I’m not adding a new to-do to your never-ending list.
It’s about the intent, not the execution. It’s about you and God connecting; it’s about starting your day with the right perspective. Let God lead you in the details of what this should look like for you. He’ll point you to what’s most important in this season.
I’m still not a morning person, but this I do know: God wants to meet you in the morning. If you’ve resisted as long as I did, don’t wait another day! His mercies are new every morning. Joy comes in the morning. Receive what God wants to give you each and every morning. Start now!
Nighttime Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I know there is no “formula” in scripture for what time of day or how long I should spend focused, alone time with You. However, Your word confirms that as believers, we do need to take our thoughts captive and set our minds on things above to stand firm in the face of a deceitful enemy that wants to turn our focus on our failures and flaws. Your word is alive and active, and I believe it can be a powerful weapon throughout my day when I pick it up first thing in the morning. Help me to create more restful rhythms in my life, including my morning routine. May the warmth of Your light piercing through the darkness of the fallen world around me relieve my anxiety, restore my peace, and revive my hope for each new day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Questions for Reflection:
- Are you a morning person, or do you hit the ground running when your alarm goes off, hoping to spend time in God’s word later in the day?
- Do you ever find yourself too tired to soak in what you’re reading by the end of the day? Would you be willing to try a morning approach and see if it has an impact on the rest of your day?
- If you’re a sunshine-radiating morning girl, how does that first-things-first time with God affect your day? What would you say to a sister in Christ struggling with a God-first, earlier morning routine?
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Join the Conversation: Do you try to connect with the Lord first thing in the morning, or is it a struggle to wake up early enough to start your day with Him? Share your reflections about morning quiet time in the comments section. I’d love to know if morning time with God has made a difference in your life!
*This devotional was published on Crossmap.com as part of the Daybreak Devotions series.
