“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.” Psalm 5:3
First in Your Day
There is really no commandment or obligation to seek God at the beginning of your day. However, let me share four reasons why someone would want to spend the first part of their day with God.
1. When you know what it is to be loved by God and to love Him in return, then you long to be with Him. When you wake up, you are thinking of Him and the day you will spend together. King David often wrote passionately about seeking God early in the day because of His relationship with Him (See Psalm 59:16, 63:1, 88:13).
2. When you rely upon God as your source of life and help for living, then you go to Him before you start your day on your own. You lean on Him for instruction and for anointing. “… He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned.” Isaiah 50:4
3. When you live to serve the Lord, you go to Him in the morning to get His leading. Jesus did this to find solitude with His Father in Mark 1:35.
4. Furthermore, when you put God first in your day, you are giving Him the honor He deserves. Because of His worth to you, He comes first.
First in Your Week
Taking a day of rest is a way of recognizing God’s grace in our lives, a way of turning from our sufficiency and leaning on His (See Isaiah 58:13, 14). Taking the first day of the week is symbolic of God being honored as first in our lives.
First in Your Year
The Jews held the Feast of Trumpets at the first of their new year, followed by Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. It was a dedication of themselves to God at the first of their year. We honor God when we seek Him at the first of the year for what He wants to do in our lives.
God doesn’t want us to make our relationship with Him one of rules and regulations, but one of value and love. Putting Him first in your day, week, and year are not to become obligatory, but they are ways to show God honor for being your Lord.
Application: If you don’t already, get up a little earlier and pray before you start your day. See what a difference it can make.