Are you an early riser? Or do you prefer to sleep in? Most of us are one or the other and are sometimes forced to be the opposite of our natural early/late rising tendencies due to jobs or other circumstances. Both of us are early risers with demanding jobs that require working late into the night. So often times it can be a struggle to get up early the next day when the demands of the previous day seem to constantly spill over into the next. But we keep pressing on and get up early day after day.
But why? Why do we do it?
Today we want to share with you three reasons that we choose to be early risers based upon God’s Word. While it hasn’t always been easy, we’ve found that we have a much more productive morning routine when we seek God early each morning.
3 Reasons We Choose to Be Early Risers
1. Because Jesus modeled this during his ministry on this earth.
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” — Mark 1:35
From this verse we see that Jesus rose early for prayer. We also see that He was in a place of solitude. We, too, have found that early in the morning there is a quiet that you cannot find any other time of day. It is in that quiet place that we hear God speaking the most as there are no distractions. It is in this quiet place of solitude that we commune closely with the Lord and He is right there to meet us when we rise.
2. Because God promises us joy in the morning.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” — Psalm 30:5b
How many times have we had rough days that we just wanted to end? Even as Christians we suffer from pain and exhaustion that give us the temptation to be sad or depressed. We live in a fallen world where joy isn’t always so easily found. However, we have found that when we rise up early the next morning we are met with His joy. There has not been one time that this has not been true when we really give it all over to Him. Does this mean that we will feel joyous all day? Not always, but the joy that comes in the morning will give us the strength to go on.
3. Because we value the early morning fellowship with our children.
“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up [in the morning].”
— Deuteronomy 6:7
When we are able to rise early before the children wake up, it allows for a very productive morning routine where we can get our family devotional in order. There is nothing like getting a fresh word of encouragement from the Lord to start off your day. And what’s even greater is that we can pass along that fresh word, coupled with God’s love along to our children to help them start their day off right, too. We have found that by receiving this gift of fellowship each morning that our children are benefiting both physically and spiritually. It’s a win-win for the family!
While getting up early each morning is not always easy, it is the best choice for our family. For those of you who may feel a tug at your heart strings to get up early but have been neglecting to do so, we encourage you to search the Scripture on what God has to say about rising early. We also encourage you to ask the Lord for the strength and mindset to make this a priority in your life. He will meet you in the morning and show you wonderful things!
In His Great Service,
