“In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” — Psalm 5:3
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College football players have many responsibilities and keep up a grueling schedule. These athletes attend class, study and practice football several hours per day. However, most of them don’t start their work at 8:00 in the morning like many people. Many football players run a few miles or lift weights before sunrise and then eat breakfast and get their day going. It’s not always easy to get everything done.
College athletes have little time to relax and sometimes have late nights studying for exams or spending time with friends. It’s probably tempting to sleep late sometimes and miss a weightlifting session or skip class, but it’s better to develop personal discipline and keep priorities in order.
Long ago, King David had a full schedule and everybody wanted to spend time with him, but he kept his focus on God for most of his life, and challenged us to do the same. He found it important to meet with God in the morning. “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3).
In the Bible, we see over and over again the great value of speaking to God in the morning before we talk to anyone else. For example, Joshua jumped out of bed at dawn when it was time to cross the Jordan River according to God’s command (Joshua 3:1). Also, Jesus set us a good pattern by speaking to the Heavenly Father while everybody else was still asleep. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).
On another occasion, some women witnessed the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ because they went to the tomb at dawn. “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb” (Matthew 28:1). When they got there, Heavenly messengers surprised them and told them that Jesus was not there because He had risen just as He said He would. “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him” (Matthew 28:8-9). Since they went early, they saw and heard God change history as they got to be the first witnesses to the crucified Savior walking out of the grave.
Meeting with God as one of the first things you do each morning can pave the way for peace, direction, understanding and blessing in your day.
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia
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