Work, work, from morning until late at night. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall have to spend the first three hours in prayer.
- Martin Luther
All who would seek God seriously quickly realize the importance of setting aside quality time to do so. As exemplified in the Parable of the Sower and Scriptures relating to prayer, a plethora of Bible passages and stories attest to a direct correlation between investing ourselves in the Kingdom of Heaven, with coming to know and please God. Some have even gone so far as to suggested that if you don't find God before sunrise, you may well have missed Him that day.
For millennia faithful men and women have "awakened the dawn" in pursuit of God. In fact, our resolve to rise early can be an excellent indicator regarding our level of commitment to seeing Christ's great commission carried out in our lives and those of others.
Countless mornings have found me waiting on God. Bible study and/or prayer, meditation and/or writing, I've diligently sought Omnity. Sitting and standing, laying and kneeling, walking and biking, thousands of times I've invested mornings in obedience to the Bible's command to "draw to near God and He will draw near to you."
Life conspires to move the prophetic Christian to prayer. Whether excited or troubled by the present or future, both positive and negative events and circumstances should provide more than enough cause for serious, if not strategic intercession. Yet tragically, the greater our blessing and ease, technological advancement and amusements, the less we find ourselves on our knees. As opportunistic as darkness, without constant vigilance, daily distractions quickly usurp discretionary time.
Even the wisest and most dedicated among us fall prey to the snare of waisted time. Sadly, this hold's true for millions investing large sums of time, energy and/or money serving and/or promoting some form of Churchianity rather than the true cause of Christ. As the Protestant reformer Martin Luther warned:
- “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Wherever the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that one point.”
Arise And Shine
Regardless of the shrewdness of our spiritual investments, rising early to pray makes sense. So much so, of late I've been considering the concept of the John 3:16 club (I blame my digital alarm clock). While the name of such a fraternity has a variety of potential, in this case 3:16 stands for a commitment to beginning one's day(s) with 3:16 AM prayer as an appropriate response to Bible's most well know verse!
On the plus side, there are few distractions at what may seem such an ungodly hour. Additionally most would gain 3 hours to their daily schedule or at least rearrange time to be better spent:
- "You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet." (1 Thessalonians 5:5-8 NIV)
Further benefit might arise from being still and waiting on God. Given the crises/opportunity life affords, learning to wait silently before the Lord is a good idea on a variety of levels.
On the other hand, shaving 3 hours from one's sleep schedule can have detrimental effects including reduce mental and physical performance. A variety of factors, from age and health, to the nature and rigors of employment, may hamper or even preclude participation. Perhaps such are more suited to an Acts 4:30, Amos 5:20 or Luke 6:45 group.
While members of any or all the above might and should meet together, it needn't be at such an early hour. The initial idea is to commit at least a day or two a week in private devotion that the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit might be better developed in ourselves and others. It's hoped that such an offering of quality time might provide the impetus needed for greater Kingdom cultivation of our hearts and minds, families and ministries:
- "Ephraim is a trained heifer that loves to thresh; so I will put a yoke on her fair neck. I will drive Ephraim, Judah must plow, and Jacob must break up the ground. Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you." (Hosea 10:11, 12 NIV)
- "Here’s another Message from God to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “Plow your unplowed fields, but then don’t plant weeds in the soil! Yes, circumcise your lives for God’s sake. Plow your unplowed hearts, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem. Prevent fire—the fire of my anger— for once it starts it can’t be put out. Your wicked ways are fuel for the fire." (Jeremiah 4:3, 4 MSG)
- "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Ephesians 5:8-14 NIV)
More information
In the Red Dropdown Icon you'll find resources that we hope will both stimulate and facilitate your pursuit of and understanding of the God of the Bible. To get started simply place your cursor on a category of interest and see where it leads. You can also join the discussion in a variety of ways including posting comments to God Blogs as well as making comments or asking questions by email or text.
Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved