Why We Should Begin Every Day with God

I used to think of morning quiet times as something Christians invented. Something “man-made,” if you will. But as I was crafting an argument to myself against a man-made morning quiet time, the Lord showed me I was wrong. He showed me how important it is to make room for a morning quiet time with Him. However, notice the adjective He left out: man-made.

There are many Scriptures that support beginning our days with God, among them Mark 1:35-36, 1 Samuel 1:19, and Job 1:5.

I have always struggled with having a morning quiet time. I manage to talk myself out of it quite often. I spend time with the Lord later in the day, and it is fine, I tell myself. And it is fine, but it is not the best thing for me.

God desires our best. In all we do.

This relationship benefits us. I can tell a huge difference between days when I start with the Lord and days when I do not.

My quiet time is mine. My relationship with the Lord is mine. It is unique. It is not man-made. I finally understand this.

There are endless resources that provide instructions on how to do quiet time. Most of these resources come from people who truly want to encourage me. However, they usually end up making me feel that if I can’t sit down with a cup of coffee and a journal to read the Bible and speak eloquent prayers over my day, all with appropriate praise music playing in the background, I have failed at quiet time.

And that is just not true.

Yes, you should spend time with the Lord first thing. You and Him, a quiet time together.

But here’s the kicker—it doesn’t have to look a certain way.

A few months ago, Proverbs 31 Ministries launched the First 5 app to encourage quiet time. They have encouraged women to check this app first thing before letting the world in. When you launch the app, it goes straight into a devotion and Bible reading. It was a great tool to help me get started on a daily quiet time. Your quiet time might look different—it might be simply prayer time, or reading a short devotional. It might be just reading a verse or two in your Bible. The point is to find a way to begin your day with the Lord, a way that works for the two of you.

Morning is hard, and I totally get that. My middle schooler gets on the bus at 6:25 a.m., so my day starts very early. And did I mention I am not a morning person?

But focusing on the Lord first thing every day has made such a difference. My attitude is better. My perspective is more positive. My hectic days are easier.

And the more time I spend with the Lord, the more time I want to spend. The more I look forward to it. It is what we were made for: relationship with our Savior.

I want to encourage you today to start a morning quiet time. Just start by talking with the Lord and reading His Word. Your quiet time doesn’t have follow a certain set of rules. It is just you and your friend Jesus starting the day together. It’s a relationship.

Dana Herndon is a writer and blogger as well as an elementary and middle school teacher. She and her husband live in Georgia with their three children. In addition to teaching and writing, Dana loves to read, watch Food Network and HGTV, follow politics, and paddleboard. She blogs at danaherndon.com.