Seize the Day by Seizing Your Mornings

Ps 119:147 "I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your word."

Ps 5:3 "My voice You shall hear in the morning,
o Lord; In the morning I will direct it to you, and I will look
up."

Mornings were an important part of the day for Jews, not only devotionally, but theologically (Ex 29:39), socially (Ex 16:21, Jer 21:12), and economically as well (Gen 26:31, Ecc 11:6, Mt 20:1). Mary Magdalene, Mary, and Salome rose up "very early in the morning" to visit the tomb and seek Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 16:1-5). It was during this hour that the angel announced "He is risen!" That was certainly more than they were expecting on that great morning!

While mornings were important to most Jews, Jesus' morning devotional discipline is remarkable.

Mark 1:35 "Now in the morning, having risen a
long while before daylight, He [Jesus] went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He prayed" (cf Lk 21:38, John 8:2).

It was well before 6 am, but not before 3 am (Robertson). The towns and villages he stayed in were very crowded; it would be nearly impossible to find a place to be alone in such ancient towns, with their narrow streets and sometimes ten or twenty people living in the common one-room houses. Most town blocks consisted of four homes all facing a common courtyard. But one could find a place alone in the hills outside one's village if one arose early enough (Keener).

Sometimes it takes extra effort to find privacy with God. Morning time with the Lord was important to Jesus, and if we are to be like Jesus, I think mornings ought to be important for us as well. Our heart should be that of the hymnwriter:

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning

Born of the one light, Eden saw play!

Praise with elation, Praise every morning,

God's recreation Of the new day!

There is a great album, entitled In the Morning (by Steve Green) that your mother and I probably listen to 3-4 mornings per week, and that I would recommend to you.

Andrew, I advise you to seize the day by seizing your mornings. This will help you excel still more. Next week we will get into the details of what you should do specifically with your morning devotional time.

Love, Dad