I love the quiet of early mornings.
Not that it makes me one of those super-charged and ready-to-face-the-day-head-on kind of persons. Quite the opposite actually. I love the slow start to the day beginning with my quiet time with the Lord.
Before the notifications on my phone chime, before the headlines claim my attention and before the endless scrolling takes over, I head to my familiar seat at the dining table with my journals and Bible.
Over the years, Psalm 5:3 has resonated within me:
“In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly.”
The Bible does not prescribe a format or ask us to schedule a time for prayer. God is indeed near to all who call on Him and we are reminded to pray without ceasing. He listens when we pray chasing after toddlers or while running to keep up with the teens or in the midst of an endless traffic jam or juggling various responsibilities and roles. He is our ever present help in times of trouble and we have the privilege of calling upon Him anytime, anywhere.
But for me there is something sacred about the quiet of the dawn.
The morning time gives me a peace, a stillness that the later hours of the day do not provide. I have this time to myself… to journal, to read my Bible, to pray.
Some mornings feel almost picture-perfect. There is so much I want to fill into my Gratitude Journal- answered prayers, the many blessings that I’m thankful for, the words flow off my pen easily. The empty spaces in my prayer journals get filled in as answers to prayers unfold.
When I read the Bible, Scripture comes alive as a light unto my path. The hard questions find answers… faith seems effortless.
And then there are the other mornings where my prayers oscillate between being a ramble and a rant. My thoughts wander. I’m restless, unsure, uncertain, anxious, distracted, sometimes all at once. My meandering mind is organizing my mental checklists and I am overwhelmed at the things I need to complete. On other days, I’m tired—occasionally even drifting off with my Bible open and pen still in hand, leaving behind a page of scrawled thoughts.
Yet, the morning routine of stillness has shaped me in ways that I do not fully comprehend.
I realize that the quiet space becomes a place of realignment of my thoughts and priorities. It gives me the luxury to pause and purposefully set my focus on the Word and on the Lord.
That uninterrupted time becomes more than just a routine—it becomes the guiding force of how I respond instead of react, of how I can live out my faith and reflect Christ.
I will be quick to admit that I don’t always get it right – there are moments of frustration, flashes of impatience, the rancidity of bitterness, the sharp shards of anger and many times I fail in the very things I prayed for that morning. There are enough moments that require grace beyond what I naturally possess.
But beginning the day rooted in faith helps me see those challenges differently—not as burdens that I need to carry alone, but as opportunities to rely on the One who created this day and has promised to carry me through.
I know that I can go back to the One who waits for me, the One whose mercies are new every morning.
That open invitation draws me back to Him, morning after morning and that assurance is enough for me.
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