Isaiah 50:4b “The Sovereign LORD … wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.”
I’ve found no better approach to begin each day than to rise early and go to my study, read the Bible, write in my journal, and pray. These simple practices started haphazardly in my teenage years with the best of intentions but little consistency or satisfaction. Over time, however, meeting my Heavenly Father every morning has become a cherished, life-giving habit. In these days plagued by turmoil, isolation, and fear, it’s especially vital to begin the day by learning God’s perspective.
If you’ve been struggling to establish this important discipline, here are tips that have made my “quiet time” a delight:
Choose the morning, even if you’re not a morning person. Why? Because it’s the one time of day (especially if you set your alarm very early) when your schedule rarely changes and you are least likely to be interrupted.
Prepare the fuel. Every night, I fill my coffee maker and set it to automatic. Freshly brewed coffee awaits me at 5:15AM so I’m ready.
Find your place. I go to the same spot every morning – a comfortable armchair in my study where my Bible and journal await on a homemade side table.
Follow a plan. I learn the most when studying is purposeful, digging deep into a book of the Bible (as I’m doing now with the book of Isaiah) or reading through the entire Bible chronologically (as I did in each of the previous three years). Pro tip: A great way to learn is to constantly ask this question as you read: What do I learn about God and his ways?
Use a journal. I jot down observations, questions, thoughts, and direct quotations as I read through and cross-reference Scripture (also, see the “pro tip” above). I often write out a prayer that draws from what God showed me in his Word that morning.
Pray. I finish with a time of prayer. There is never a shortage of people and situations to lift up to God. And never a enough words to thank and praise our Lord.
That’s it. Putting in the effort may seem awkward and unfulfilling at first. The Enemy will try to tempt you with drowsiness and distractions. But you will succeed if you seek God’s help and stick with the plan. Resolve to make this your urgent, life-giving aim. There is nothing that has impacted me for greater good than this simple but consistent habit of seeking God every day in Scripture and prayer. What on earth is holding you back?
Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he mediates days and night.”
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