I Will Praise You in the Morning?

Written by Julie Cosgrove

Take Today’s Next Step: Build a Habit 

“They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD.” (1 Chronicles 23:30)

“Before your feet hit the floor in the morning, praise the Lord,” the retreat leader crowed. “Then crack open the Bible and spend time together with Him at the foot of His throne.”

Inwardly I groaned. “God did not make me a morning person. I can’t speak to anyone without my first cup of coffee. Not even Him,” I whispered to my friend.

She patted my shoulder and replied, “Then pray for that first. Ask Him to change you into a morning person.”

Be Who You Are!

By Doug Fields

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
Psalm 139:14 (NLT)

I am NOT a morning person! There. I said it, confessed it, admitted it, and shouted it.

I used to feel extremely guilty that I was not a morning person.

For many years I was convinced that good Christians “rise and shine and give God the glory, glory.” I tried to be that person, but I never got there. I don’t wake up with a smile and say, “Good morning, God!” as I whistle and skip down the hallway heading toward my quiet time. I’m the guy who drags himself out of bed mumbling, as I smack the snooze button and throw the alarm at the cat.

It has been the constant stories from early risers that have triggered my feelings of inferiority. For years, I was envious of those who could live on little sleep and wake up early with one hand on a Greek New Testament and the other grasping a pen to journal and pray. I thought good Christians wake up early and survive on little sleep because they are so Spirit-filled. On the other end of the spectrum, are the backsliding, carnal Christians, who like me, need a full eight hours of sleep in order to function.