Devotional Life

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” 

Mark 1:35

…and it struck me, how much more then, do we need to rise up early and spend time with the Lord?

It has taken more years than I would like to admit. I am still so far from perfect, but I have come to find that life just does not go as smoothly when I do not start my day submerged in the Word of God. Like the title of my new children’s book says, “My Heart Needs a Bath.” Every day I need to be washed in the Word of God.

It surely looks different for everyone, but here is what my ideal morning looks like. Sometimes I hit this mark and sometimes not so much. More and more I am finding that I hunger and thirst for this time and it is no longer a “have-to” but a “get-to”.

Let me back up and take a minute to discuss the importance of night-before prep. It takes less than 5 minutes, but it sets me up for success and eliminates distractions in the early morning hours. So I prep my tea and fill the tea pot so that it is ready to go (RIP coffee… that’s a post for another day). I set up my reading space. For me it is the kitchen table because… because ALL. THE. BOOKS. I put a blanket and pillow on my chair so that I can read comfortably on my own little tuffet (@ all you young’uns-that’s a cushy chair, Mother Goose style). I set out my Bible, of course, a notebook, a devotional and the relevant Bible commentary. For now I have been using Jon Courson’s Application Commmentary. I have been going through this for almost 4 years and have not yet exhausted it as a resource. I also have a little heat dish nearby in the winter because, honestly, it is just hard to get out of my warm bed. So, that is all the night before. All these books rest on the shelf next to the kitchen table and it’s no hassle to get it out. This way everything is ready to go the next morning when I am tired and maybe not all there yet. No excuses.

5 am - I wake up. If I want alone time with the Lord then this is when it happens in my household. My youngest will be up sometime between 6 and 7 am and I want to greet her with a smile and hug, not grumbling from under my covers that, “Mommy is still resting.”

I start the tea kettle and sit down on said tuffet to pray. Always pray first. I need the Holy Spirit to be my Teacher and lead me in understanding. If I try and do it all on my own then my eyes cross and my head spins, might even fall asleep in my chair. Just being honest. BUT by the power of the Holy Spirit words align, thoughts are clear and I gain access to my “instructions” for the day through my time of reading and praying.

Once I’ve prayed and the tea pot has whistled, then I am all set to jump in. I start with a devotional or sometimes just a godly book that I read through “devotional style”, i.e. one chapter or section at a time. The devo is like priming the pump and it gives my brain and heart a chance to catch up with the clock. I want to give my best to the Lord and after this I feel like I am fully present.

I open my Bible to wherever the ribbon has been left, going through the Bible one chapter at a time. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I started in the Gospel of John several years ago, then read the rest of the Gospels, the remainder of the New Testament and then finally began in Genesis. I have done this once all the way through. It took me about 3 years and I am now half way through for the second time, praise God!

If children are still sleeping after I have read scripture, then I pull out the relevant commentary to see what additional understanding I can add to my wheel house. This is where old customs are explained, money and measurements interpreted and the rich symbolism is drawn out for me. I love it. You guys, the Bible is just so cool.

All along I am highlighting, underlining and writing down anything that jumps out at me. This is how I “meditate” on the Word. I once read that writing down something is the same as repeating it seven times to yourself. What a great way to really burrow God’s Truth down into our hearts! Especially, when you have glitter pens!

Then I pray again. I pray over what God has revealed to me, that He would enable me to walk it out. I pray for the salvation of those who do not yet know the Lord, by name. I pray for my husband and his job, my children, their walk and future husbands and I pray for extended family. Whatever else the Lord puts on my heart, I lift it up to Him and pray His will.

Then, if the kids STILL are asleep (rare, so rare), I will lay my blanket on the floor, kneel down and sing some hymns or turn on worship music in praise of our Good God. This is possibly my favorite part. I know. I know. I just got weird. But I triple doggy dare you to try it sometime and see if it doesn’t change the trajectory of your whole day. “What if someone sees me?” Great! Even better! Can I tell you that there is nothing sweeter to me than when I feel my kiddos come out from their slumber and cuddle up to me while I give praise to the Lord. And if you really want to be moved to tears, just wait for the day that you hear that little voice singing along with yours, “nothing but the blood of Jesus.” “Sweet” isn’t a tender enough word for this experience.

I KNOW THIS SOUNDS LIKE A LOT. Remember, I said that this was my ideal. It is what I aim for. And you know what? Sometimes I hit that mark and the more that I hit it, the more I desire to, crave it.

You likely won’t start here. I didn’t. But build towards something like it one brick at a time. God’s Word always accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish (Isaiah 55:11 paraphrased).

Start somewhere.

Do something.

Never nothing.

…and watch your appetite for time with our Good Shepherd develop as you are fed the most nourishing spiritual food that you could ever imagine.

God is good!

“I have so much to do that I shall have to spend the first three hours in prayer.” 

~Martin Luther