In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
—Psalm
5:3 NIV
Us in 1989
As a working mother of three, time alone
with God seemed an insurmountable challenge. I’d read a verse or two from my Bible at bedtime
when I could hardly keep my eyes open, then mumble a prayer as I drifted off to
sleep. Then I attended a women’s retreat where the speaker challenged us to
spend an hour a day in prayer, promising it would change our lives. It seemed
she was asking for the moon. The only way I could see to make that happen was
to rise an hour earlier in the morning. An extra hour meant setting my alarm
for 5:30.
I did it. Crawling out of my warm bed when
that annoying alarm went off was the last thing I wanted to do. Thankfully,
we’d already learned to keep our alarm clock across the room, eliminating the
snooze option. I made myself a cup of coffee and lit a candle, then plunged in.
I discovered that by journaling my prayers first and reading scripture second, my eyes
were opened to the cries of my heart before I feasted them on God’s
word. His promises began to jump off the page and fill a need. Not every day.
But often enough that the habit became something I wanted to do. Like returning
to a good novel to see what happens next, I wanted to see what God had for me
that day.
Thirty years later, I’m retired. Yet I
rarely sleep past six, eager to continue this intimate relationship with my
Lord.
Questions
for Reflection: What steps am I willing to take to experience increased
intimacy with God and let Him set the tone for my day?
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