Yesterday, while heading out the door to go to the movies, my husband announced “I don’t have my phone—but we have yours, right? We need at least one phone with us.”
Funny how for years we lived with no cell phones—now we can’t seem to survive without them! I thought.
For most of us, leaving the house without our phones, we feel lost, even vulnerable, unsafe.
The ability to communicate and get information anywhere anytime has tremendous value, but can also serve as great distraction.
Reaching for the phone—for some while still in bed—is often the first action of the day. Yet this simple act, as innocent as it seems, can quickly distract us. Before we know it, we’re responding to messages, checking emails, reading articles—and we’ve robbed ourselves from entering the day fully engaged with God!
Many heroes of the faith in Scripture spent quiet time with God, usually early in the morning.
David tells us in Psalms:
O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. (Psalm 63:1-2)
Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)
Daniel had quiet times of daily prayer. Job would rise early to offer sacrifices and pray for his children.
And of course Jesus understood the importance of daily quiet time with the Father. In the gospels we read He often went out early in the morning to seek silence and pray.
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. (Mark 1:35)
Establishing daily time with God is necessary for anyone who wants a close, intimate relationship with Him. Although morning devotions aren’t a command in Scripture, it’s clear that many of the great men and women of faith throughout history have testified to morning being the optimal time.
In his book Power Through Prayer, E.M. Bounds writes:
The men [and women] who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day. If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day.
Without setting our hearts with God first thing in the morning, it remains difficult—once we move into the demands and distractions of the day—to be still within, to hold His peace, and to hear His voice throughout the day.
It’s a matter of priority, isn’t it? I won’t occupy myself with other things until my heart is first engaged with You.
In that precious morning time of Bible reading, prayer, quiet meditation and listening, He fills us with His presence, His peace—and the heart we need to love Him and others through each new day.
What a joyful way to live!
Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Elton
So very true, Cheryl. We feel so vulnerable without our phones in this crazy world. I do feel it is a safety factor, but so many other things we do on our phones can become an unnecessary distraction.
God’s Word arms us to face the day, which we know nothing about. We have expectations, but there can always be a curve ball. I read through the Bible each year, and so many times the assigned reading addresses what happens on that particular day. The reading is “set on stone,” so to speak, but God isn’t. Only He could put all that together.
Thank you for your words of wisdom, Cheryl. We do serve an amazing God, and I don’t know how anyone lives without Him!
Yes! The importance of spending time with God in prayer and meditation cannot be over emphasized !
“When you arise in the morning think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive ~ to breath, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
By Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 121 – A.D. 180.)
Great article, Cheryl! I just read it on my cell phone, so I guess your point is very valid. It’s great to start our day with God!
Guilty! You are so spot on identifying this new addiction that we often have to forcefully counter. Precise and compelling, Cheryl. This one’s a keeper!