Psalm 59:16
But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
Do you have a morning ritual? Is it a nice steaming cup of coffee and the morning paper? A pre-work jog? A goodbye kiss to your spouse? What if your morning ritual involved talking to God? Do you think it would change the way your day would go?
When I first started working in Pennsylvania, I was still living in Ohio. I commuted over an hour each way to work. I often used my drive to work to talk to God, and would pray, ask for guidance, and sing, yes, actually sing. I would listen to Christian music, and start many days singing to God. I sincerely believe it helped me deal with some of the things my job entailed. I was a social worker at the time, and often saw kids who were sick, hurting, in need, and troubled. My heart broke for many of these kids, and sometimes I would pray on the drive home as well, trying to make sense of some of the tragedies I saw.
After a year of commuting, and a nasty wreck on the Parkway (in which no one got hurt, proof that God listened during these morning chats) I found that I really missed that time in my car each morning, time with just me and God. I was still setting aside time to pray, but it just was not the same. Now, I often end my days with prayer and reflection, but maybe, just maybe, it is time to reinstate my morning prayers and praises.
What if you started your mornings with a chat with God, a few moments in scripture? What kind of an impact do you think it would have
