Good Morning, Lord!

When I was thirteen, our family visited Czechoslovakia, but I developed pneumonia after a lingering cold. Treatment there in those days was cautious: bed rest and penicillin shots. I was in bed for a month! I had never met any of my relatives. We were staying with my mum's side of the family, but when it was time to visit my dad's side of the family halfway across the country, I wasn't allowed to go.

My dad, mum, and brother left without me. I don't remember missing them that much; I was enjoying the attention from my grandma, aunt and uncle, and two cousins. My brother must've really missed me, though. When he came back, he made a silly face and waved at me wildly, both hands flapping. Impressed with this display of affection, I captured the moment by drawing a picture in my diary of Eddie waving.

Years later, I'm thinking about my brother's reaction, as I had photocopied the drawing for scrapbooking. Just as my brother was so delighted to see me, I imagined the Lord's delighted reaction as I come to Him in the morning for my daily quiet time. He's overjoyed to connect with me. Sometimes, though, my morning feelings don't always match my Lord's enthusiasm. How to overcome this reluctance?

Psalm 5:1-3 – Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up. (NKJV)

We have to be intentional about meeting with God. Years ago, Sœur Sourire, the Singing Nun, wrote a song about this: "Mets ton joli jupon, mon âme, j'ai rendez-vous Seigneur avec Vous." (Put on your pretty petticoat, O my soul; I have an appointment with You, Lord.") Take the necessary steps to get ready to meet with God.

I try to greet Him as soon as I wake up. "Good morning, Lord!" I learned the following tip when a friend and I shared a room at a summer camp that we were both involved in. In the morning, my friend sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Right away, without any preliminaries, she started talking conversationally to the Lord. It wasn't a long, formal prayer, but an immediate connection, even before she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, or got up to use the bathroom. I was impressed. Often, we think that we have to be so formal, but she approached her Lord as children would approach their daddy.

It's good to begin with praise to get our feelings going. This simple song, written by a YWAM student, is great to sing first thing in the morning.

Good morning, Lord.
It's a joy to offer praise,
And to thank You for Your faithfulness,
And to glorify Your name.
Good morning, Lord!
I give this day to You.
I want to bring You pleasure,
In all I say and do.

Strangely enough, it's sometimes easier to sing alone in the car if I have to be somewhere early, than worrying about waking people up.

What I've just described is a real challenge in my own life. I'm far from perfect — many times, I don't feel like praising the Lord the moment that I wake up, but I'm making a conscious effort to do it. Let's work together on being as enthusiastic in meeting with God as He is about meeting us in our daily quiet time.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You are so eager to meet with us every day. May we match Your enthusiasm as we form the good habit of greeting You each morning. May we bring You pleasure in all that we say and do. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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