Happy Sabbath friends! As of recently, I have been doing my best, with our Heavenly Father’s help and guidance, to wake up at 5 AM – 5:30 AM each morning to either pray, or pray and read the Word of God. It has not been the easiest task might I say, as the temptation to hit the “snooze” button on my alarm is very much prevalent each morning. Yet, in the Bible it is encouraged numerous times to wake early in the morning to spend time with God.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Mark 1:35 NIV

“Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord.”
Genesis 19:27 NIV

“Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.”
Genesis 28:18 NIV

It doesn’t just say “in the morning…”, instead, each verse states explicitly “EARLY in the morning…”. God calls upon each of us each morning…EARLY in the morning, to rise and start the day with Him.

“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.”
Psalms 119:147 NIV

On the days when I successfully have awoken at 5 AM – 5:30 AM to spend time with our Heavenly Father, I have noticed a change with the rest of my day. I noticed that I would have a more positive and optimistic mindset than other days where I did not spend the mornings with God. I noticed I was filled with more patience towards others around me, and I could hear God’s voice more clearly than those days where I did not spend the mornings with Him. Waking up EARLY in the morning, helped me become more connected with our Heavenly Father. I can tell this is something our Heavenly Father encourages us to do because there was even a couple days that I was awoken before my alarm and was filled with so much energy and excitement to talk to Him. I don’t believe God would be waking us from our slumbers if it wasn’t His calling for us to rise EARLY in the morning to spend time with Him just as Jesus, Abraham, and Jacob did in the Word of God.

Ever heard of the saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day?”. That saying exists because breakfast is the first meal of the day, and it’s the one that will give us the strength to power through until lunch, and dinner. Jesus should be our breakfast. He is the most important meal of the day. He should be the first meal we consume as He will give us the strength to power through the whole entire day.

Believe me, this is still something I have to keep myself accountable on as it is a hard task, but nothing is impossible with God by our side.

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.””
Matthew 19:26 NIV

I pray over all who may be reading this message that they are filled with the encouragement to rise early each morning to spend time with You, Jesus. We are all in this together as this is something I am keeping myself accountable with on a daily basis. Yes, I may fall short from time to time, but God, You are always there ready to pick me up each time so I can try and try again until one day it becomes a natural instinct to just do it. I pray over all who may be reading this message that yes, we may fall short…yes, this may seem impossible…but all things are possible with God by our side. Keep praying for God to place this desire upon your hearts, and I can promise you, starting each morning with our Heavenly Father is such a divine experience as it fills you with hope, patience, love, and so much more to carry with you throughout your day.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

Amen.