“In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus.”
When I hear this song, I tend to picture these words coming from someone in matching pajamas who calmly sits up in her bed and reaches for her journal with one hand and her Bible with the other. Someone who can do so calmly because she woke up with plenty of time to read and journal and welcome the day with a smile on her face and pep in her step.
Maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but I often think such songs are for those who actually enjoy the act of waking up. I am not one of those people. My first thought on most days is more “give me five more minutes of sleep” or “give me coffee” than “give me Jesus.”
And yet even as a non-morning person, I love this song. I love it because I’m not overjoyed when my alarm breaks through my sleep to tell me it’s time to start another day. I love it because in my mind it goes like this: “In the morning, when I’m not ready to rise and face the day, give me Jesus.” I love it because I need Jesus.
What would our days look like if we opened our eyes in the morning and whispered, “Give me Jesus” before we even reached out for our phones?
How would our mornings be different if we took even one minute to pause and thank the Lord for another day and pray that He would guide our steps through it before we jumped out of bed?
In my case, they would look more kind.
Over the past year I have made more of an effort to meet with God before my feet hit the floor and my hand hits my phone. Have I been successful in this effort every day? Absolutely not. But I can tell you with absolute confidence that the days I sit with God before doing anything else begin on a much kinder note.
Those are the days I find myself holding more patience, more grace, more kindness towards both others and myself. There’s no magic to it, there is only meeting with my Maker before facing the rest of the world and its demands for me.
The past few weeks I have spent my mornings reading through the Psalms. There are a few I find especially sweet in the morning, so I wanted to share them with you. If you don’t have a morning routine for Bible reading or prayer, start with these Psalms. The beautiful thing about them is that we can pray these words when we don’t have any of our own.
1. Psalm 118:24 - This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Thank you, Lord, for making this day. Let me rejoice and be glad in it.
2. Psalm 143:8 - Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Having made this day, Lord, You know what it holds for me. You know the way I should go. Make me to know Your way as I lift up my soul to You. Let me hear of Your steadfast love as I trust in You, Sovereign Lord.
3. Psalm 68:19 - Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.
Just as you know the way I should go today, You bear me up, carrying me and my burdens in Your almighty arms. May I cease striving and rest in the knowledge of my salvation today.
4. Psalm 90:14 - Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Satisfy me this morning with Your steadfast love, Lord, that I may rejoice and be glad.
5. Psalm 113:3 - From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!
Lord, You are worthy of praise. You set the sun in the sky and established its course. All of creation speaks of Your beauty and power. I praise you, my God, as I witness the work of Your hands.
Imagine starting your day knowing that this is the day the Lord has made, He knows what it holds, He holds us, His love satisfies us, and He is worthy to be praised through it.
I encourage you, the morning person and the not-so-morning person, to meet with God in the morning. Start your day with the One who will satisfy every longing, meet every need, and bear every burden. He is already here.