Things I Could be Doing at 5am

1. Sleeping (this is what I was hoping to be doing ... at least until 6am ... but instead I've been awake since about 4am).
2. Taking care of sick children (thankfully no one has thrown up since midnight).
3. Blogging (guess that's what I'm doing right now).
4. Facebook (did that briefly).
5. Working on the family finances (haven't been able to get to it yet this week).
6. Making dinner for this evening (but I'm afraid it's a bit too early and I'd wake the family up).
7. Taking a walk (yes, that is a serious consideration ... but maybe I'll wait for sunrise).
8. Taking a shower (see #6).
9. Nursing a baby (that's what I anticipate doing in about 13 weeks!)
10. Listening to Daily Audio Bible and praying.

I think I'll opt for #10. We'll see how the Lord leads from there.

You know, Lord, that we have been sick this week. You know how much sleep You made me to need. You know that I went to bed at midnight last night, turning off my alarm and trusting You to wake me at the right time. You woke me before 4am. I don't know what You have in mind for today, but please fill me with Your love and strengthen me by Your grace. I love You and trust You.

Reconnecting

Satisfy us in each morning with Your unfailing love,

so we may sing with joy to the end of our lives.

Psalm 90:14, NLT

Early mornings are when I am most myself. All is quiet, the sun is rising, my heart is open, and the cares of the day are still an hour or two away. It is an opportunity to just be me before my Father, resting in Him and opening my heart to receive. Spirit, soul, and body fed by His love.

I can ruin it of course, by waking with a bunch of goals and a load of expectations. But the best times are when I leave all that behind and let Him lead me, setting my heart on just one thing: to seek His face and listen to His voice. That's all I really need.

There are many mornings when I do not get up early. Many, many. Late nights, sickness, forgetting ... these and many other reasons keep me in bed late. But after a while I remember ... He reminds me ... and I begin again to respond to His invitation to come, taste, see what He has in store for me. I come. I am always glad that I did.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him!

Psalm 34:8, NLT

Lord, help me to respond daily to your call to wake early, letting You renew my heart and mind with Your love.

Some favorite early morning companions which point me to God:

Daily Audio Bible

The Prayer Room