Psalm 63:1-2: "A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee,
my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary."
"Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Savior,
Did you sue for loving favor,
As a shield today?
"O how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day;
So when life seems dark and dreary,
Don't forget to pray."
-- Did You Think To Pray? Robert Murray McCheyne said,
"I ought to pray before seeing any one.
Often when I sleep long, or meet with others early, it is eleven or twelve o'clock
before I begin secret prayer. This is a wretched system. It is unscriptural.
Christ arose before day and went into a solitary place ...
I feel it is far better to begin with God
-- to see his face first, to get my soul near him before it is near another
David says: "Early will I seek thee"; "Thou shalt early hear my voice.'' David is the author of this Psalm
He was in the Desert of Judah
The conditions were harsh, and David was alone in a desert place, and separated
from every comfort and friend.
He suffered thirst, hunger, pain, loneliness, and exhaustion
When you read verse 1, you remember that David had many needs in the desert,
But he does not tell about those things.
He tells us about his greatest need.
"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."
David is not concerned about food, water, comfort, or rest.
He doesn't pray for any of those things.
David hungers and thirsts for God.
David seeks to be fully satisfied in God alone
David is searching for a deep communion with the Lord.
He sought God early in the morning.
He hungered and thirsted after God, so he sought God early, before daylight.
David said, "early will I seek thee."
Fatigue will not prevent David from seeking God early.
Insufficient sleep will not prevent David from seeking God early.
Confusion and chaos and pressing crisis situations that demand for his attention will not
prevent David from seeking God early.
Many who are seeking to kill him will not prevent David from seeking God early.
There are some reasons why we should do what David did.
We should do whatever it takes to make it a daily habit.
The first thing we should do every morning is to seek God in prayer.
No one or anything is more important than God.
When your house is on fire, you don't wash the dishes.
Getting the fire put out is more important.
It is urgent that we get the fire out.
So, we call the fire department and turn on the garden hose -- we can wash the dishes later.
David had many pressing duties and details in which to deal.
He was on the run.
He had many people that needed him.
He had critical decisions to make.
And he was an old man facing these tasks.
Because God is most important, we must seek Him early.
We must seek God early because it is important to focus our thoughts on seeking His will
for us each 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.
Morning listlessness is the way to have a listless heart.
The heart which is not seeking God in the morning is indicating that he does not need God.
David's heart was ardent after God.
We should seek God's grace early in the morning.
God's grace is profoundly important to every Christian.
God's grace works in our lives in ways we will not understand until we get to heaven.
We need to appropriate a measure of God's grace each and every day.
And when we seek God early we have our best opportunity to see those needs met
throughout the day.
We need to seek God early because our minds need renewing.
Romans 12.1-2: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
Christians, we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is our reasonable service.
At the very beginning of the day, before the important tasks of the day begin, we should
seek God.
What a difference that will make for us all through the day.
Christians, we must attend to the needs of our mind, and this is done with prayer to God.
When we do we are better prepared to take on all that we will face that day.
We should seek God first because important decisions will need to be made through
the day ahead.
Are you planning on committing adultery?
Some time back a survey was taken of 200 pastors who committed adultery
or other immoral acts.
The survey found they had something other than immorality in common.
And that was that none of them had a regular quiet time in fellowship with God
Will you drink a beer at lunch time?
Will you laugh at dirty jokes?
Will you steal if you get the chance?
"When you met with great temptation,
Did you think to pray?
By His dying love and merit,
Did you claim the Holy Spirit
As your guide and stay?
When your heart was filled with anger,
Did you think to pray?
Did you plead for grace, my brother,
That you might forgive another
Who had crossed your way?"
-- Did You Think To Pray?
Decisions not to do these things are decisions that are already made early in the morning
when we meet with our God.
Also, we are more equipped to make the decisions to do right.
We make a decision to witness.
We make a decision to pray for every meal, to read the Bible to the children that night
-- these decisions are already made in the morning.
In addition to making decisions about the pitfalls and temptations that you know you are likely
to face every day, why not decide not to make some decisions?
It would be so much better to decide not to make some decisions until you have met with God.
We need to seek God's wisdom and grace in our prayer before we start our day
Meeting with God early each day is important.
Establish that as one of the best habits that you will ever have.
Set your alarm fifteen minutes earlier than normal for tomorrow morning.
Select a passage from God's Word that you are going to read in the morning.
Then early in the morning, read God's Word, then spend some time in prayer.
Make that a habit every morning for the rest of your life.
Our laziness in not setting time aside to spend with God is a terrible sin.
People of this world are far wiser than we.
They get going early in the morning and keep going late into the evening.
We are not that interested in seeking God and His wisdom and knowledge.
A man bought a new hunting dog.
Eager to see how he would perform, he took him out to track a bear.
No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail.
Suddenly he stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new direction.
He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear's path.
A few moments later he stopped again, this time he was smelling a rabbit's scent
that had crossed the path of the deer.
And so, on and on it went until finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog,
only to find him barking triumphantly at the hole of a field mouse.
Sometimes, we as Christians are like that.
We start out with a firm determination to keep Christ first place in our lives.
But soon, and very soon, our attention is diverted to things of lesser importance.
One pursuit leads to another until we've strayed far from our original purpose.
Meeting with God in prayer each morning should be the priority of every Christian.
There are many early risers mentioned in the Bible.
These men of God found solutions to life's problems by directing their prayers
to the God who would hear and guide them all they will face that day.
Before the day began, they received the confidence necessary to take on their responsibilities.
Abraham rose early in the morning to stand before the Lord. (Genesis 19:27)
Jacob rose early in the morning to worship the Lord. (Genesis 28:18)
Moses rose early to build an altar to God, (Exodus 24:4)
and also to meet God at Sinai. (Exodus 34:4)
Hannah and Elkanah rose early to worship God. (1 Samuel 1:19)
Job rose early to offer sacrifices. ([Job 1:5)
David awakened early for prayer. (Psalm 119:147; Psalm 57:8)
Hezekiah rose up early and gathered the rulers of the city and together they went up
to the house of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 29:20)
The Son of God rose early to go to a solitary place to pray. (Mark 1:35)
Christ longed for communion with God; and He would rise a great while before day
and go up into the mountain to pray.
The disciples, when fully awake and ashamed of their indulgence, would know where to find him.
We might go through the list of men who have mightily impressed the world for God,
and we would find them early seeking God.
Some years ago, one of our deacons and I attended a bible conference in the mountains
of Tennessee.
The main speaker was Vance Havner.
Every session was just powerful -- you could feel the presence of God.
After the morning session, we were on our way back to our room, and passed by
Vance Havner sitting on the front porch of the building in which he was staying.
My deacon asked me to go on because he wanted to ask Vance Havner a question.
Later he told me that the question was: "Why is there such a powerful presence of God
when you speak."
He asked this question because Havner read his message from a manuscript with
a voice that never varied.
Havner answered: "It had nothing to do with him that it was all about God."
He went on to say: "I get up about four in the morning, and I walk up that mountain
until I get to the top.
Then, I find a clearing where I can sit, and then, I spend the morning with God."
Many years ago, I was privileged to go on a mission trip to South Korea.
In our orientation we were told that the Korean Christians would get up every morning
at 4am, and pray for three or four hours.
Then, we were told that we shouldn't try to keep up with them for our days were so long, already.
We met with our Korean pastor and other Christians, and visited from 10am in the morning
until 5 pm in the afternoon.
We walked everywhere we went, and it was cold -- 18 above zero.
At 7 pm, we went back for the evening service.
People accepted Jesus as Saviour in every home that we visited, and there were many
decisions to receive Jesus each night in each service.
The service was over about10 pm.
More than 35 adults received Jesus as their Saviour during those six days.
I know it had nothing to do with me.
For I could not speak their language, and all I could do was pray for them
as they witnessed.
God blessed that week because that pastor and Christians from that church
met with God every morning, and He went with them all through the day.
"Well early in the morning, about the break of day,
I ask the Lord, "Help me find the way!"
Help me find the way to the promised land
This lonely body needs a helping hand
I ask the Lord to help me please find the way.
When the new day's a dawning, I bow my head in prayer.
I pray to the Lord, "Won't you lead me there?"
Won't you guide me safely to the Golden Stair?
Won't you let this body your burden share?
I pray to the Lord, "Won't you lead me please, lead me there?"
When the judgment comes to find the world in shame
When the trumpet blows won't you call my name?
When the thunder rolls and the heavens rain
When the sun turns black, never shine again
When the trumpet blows, won't you call me please, call my name!
-- Early In The Morning by Peter, Paul & Mary
Mark 1:35-38 : "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.
Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him,
they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also.
That is why I have come."
When we don't spend time in prayer and in reading the word early in the morning,
we will not spend the day giving much glory to God.
Jesus prayed early in the morning.
He got up while it was still dark to pray.
His disciples came to him and told him that people were looking for Him.
Jesus started praying when it was still dark.
Jesus prayed for several hours!
If Jesus needed to pray for several hours, just think how much more that need to pray
in the morning?
Mark 1:35: "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."
We need to become more like Jesus.
Many people live in a perpetual state of "go," "go", "go."
They "burn the candle at both ends," and when it is time to get up in the morning,
there is little energy or time left for God.
Henry David Thoreau wrote, "The morning wind forever blows,
the poem of creation is uninterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it."
He believed morning to be a sacred time when we should "awake to a higher life
than we fell asleep from.
Morning is when I am awake and there is dawn in me."
Too many people awake to a "higher" life induced by the fact that morning is
"when it takes a cup of coffee to get me going."
We need to look to God for the strength and energy to get us going.
The Bible has many references to the dawn, including:
Psalm 119:147: "I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word."
Psalm 57:8: "Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn."
Psalm 65:8: "Those living far away fear your wonders; where morning dawns
and evening fades you call forth songs of joy.
Not only is early morning the most peaceful and beautiful time to view God's creation,
it is also a great time to meditate on His Word and talk to Him.
Everyone needs to depart to a solitary place and pray,
so do not talk yourself out of this valuable one-on-one time with our Father.
He is the one who made the day to begin with, so it makes sense to begin the day with Him
in thankfulness and prayer.
It energizes us for the day, and puts our focus on God who will be with us
the challenges of the day.
Back in the days before electricity, people kept sensible hours by going to bed when it got dark
and then, rising with the sun.
Thomas Jefferson once bragged that in his entire lifetime, the sun never once caught him in bed.
No wonder he was an architect, scientist, musician, politician, and more.
Just think how much more productive we could all be if we started our days off the right way
which is spending the time with God.
God is such a gracious Father to give us night and day.
There is a tremendous comfort and peace in the fact that no matter how much we may
mess things up during one day, there is always a new day to try again.
Children are a great example of this principle.
By the time morning comes, they have completely let go of the previous day's sins.
Parents have had nights where their my children will wake them several times for ridiculous reasons.
Even when there has been crying and frustration, they greet the next morning with a bright smile
and no mention of the previous night.
By God's mercy and grace, He does the same thing for us.
Psalm 30:5; "For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."
I am certain that Jesus never greeted his apostles in the morning with a grunt,
and "Don't speak to me until I've had my coffee."
When you begin your day acknowledging God with sincere prayer, He will direct your paths.
You can give Him the glory just by the way in which you choose to start your day.
The planet, Venus, is called the "Morning Star" because it is the dominant object
in the morning sky, exceeded only by the brightness of the moon.
Clearly our Lord knew the beauty of the light of dawn; He even referred to Himself
as the "bright morning star." (Rev. 22:16)
God is ready and willing to fellowship with us at that sacred time of day.
We should show up early like children, forgetting the previous day and reaching out
toward the day ahead with a cheerful heart, ready to give God the glory.
'My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer to You,
and will look up.' Psalm 5.3
"I will direct my 'prayer' as an arrow, and after that, 'I will look up', to see if it has hit.
When the prayer is directed in the morning, the 'look up' lasts all day." – Dr Charles Stanford.
Christians, we need to seek God early, and we will be full of gladness and strength,
through all that happens all through the day.
"Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Savior,
Did you sue for loving favor,
As a shield today?
"O how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day;
So when life seems dark and dreary,
Don't forget to pray."
-- Did You Think To Pray?
Sermon adapted from many sources by Dr. Harold L. White
