My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Isaiah 26:9 (NIV)
The best time to seek the Lord is early in the morning.
Sure it will be difficult to stir yourself awake, pull back the covers and place your feet on the ground. The full weight of the day presses down on your shoulders and all you want to do is crawl back into bed. But what rich rewards wait for those who seek the Lord before the first rays of the morning sun break through the clouds.
Jesus is our example. It says in Mark 1:35 “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.” (NIV).
Jesus didn’t stay in the bedroom or find another room in the house, but went as far as leaving the house. He found a solitary place to be alone with His Father.
Beloved, we must steal away early before the day robs our hearts. When we are alone in prayer we must understand this is the most blessed and satisfying place where we meet Jesus. How many people struggle with prayer only because it requires us to be alone and isolated?
And what do we do when we enter the secret place of prayer? Do we unburden our needs and wants? Do we run down a laundry list of things to do and places to go? Do we pray for our love ones and family members? Perhaps, but the purpose of meeting Jesus in those lonely places away from distractions is because Christ is our attraction. His jealous love for us demands our attention!
By faith we come to Him prayer to present ourselves as a living sacrifice. Not driven by our wants, desires and hopes and plans. Such a sacrifice Jesus is pleased for it comes from heart yearning to be near Him.
How lonely He must be when His people refuse to leave their slumber to meet Him in the morning. Listen, all of creation is silent yet in those hours the world will stir awake. The birds begin to sing and light begins to dawn all evidence of God's sustaining power. His voice can be heard more clearly in the dark stillness of the early morning hours.
With great longing, He waits for us to walk through the door to greet Him with a kiss. Just say little or nothing at all, but only to adore Him.
Prayer is not a monologue but a breathing dialogue. Words flow in a musical pattern and we pause to listen for Him to speak, and then flow again. Until we understand it a pleasure to be in His presence then pray will always be some laborious obligation we must fulfill.
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