Meeting with God in the morning is a great way to start our day. What should we spend time with God in the morning for prayer?
Jesus did it.
Early in the morning, he rose while it was still dark. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he tiptoed around his companions and found a quiet place to sit. No one was around. In his secret, solitary sanctuary, he had precious moments alone with his Father.
Meeting with God in the Morning
Jesus took the time to rise in the morning to meet with God. During the day, he and his disciples were often bombarded by crowds of people vying for his attention.
Jesus often traveled on foot with his disciples from place to place, meeting the physical and spiritual needs of those he met along the way. To say he was exhausted is a definite understatement.
So why did Jesus make time to spend with God in the morning?
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. Mark 1:35
Obviously Jesus prayed at other times as well, like when he spent all night praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion (Matthew 26:36). But there was something special about meeting with God in the morning that Jesus valued–and it is definitely worth our consideration!
New Morning, New Start
On a beautiful spring morning, creation is filled with life. Sparrows sing a greeting to the rising sun. The air is crisp, inviting a fresh start to a new day. A new beginning. A clean slate. The past blunders from yesterday have been washed away, and a new day awaits us. This is one of the reasons why I love Lamentations 3:22-23,
Even if you are not a “morning person”, I believe that there are great benefits to giving our Savior the firstfruits of our day. And it doesn’t have to be at the crack of dawn!
Here are seven ways to meet with Jesus in the morning.
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Feel free to read my full disclosure here. Thank you!
Seven Ways to Meet with Jesus in the Morning
1. Find a Solitary Place
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16
You may live in a house full of people or work in a crowded environment. Despite the hustle and bustle of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he often withdrew from noise of his surroundings to find a quiet, solitary place. If you are able to, find a secluded place in your house that can be your secret meeting place with the Lord.
It could be your living room, bedroom, or even a walk-in closet! When I used to work as a curriculum editor, on nice days I would slip out of the office for a ten minute break and walk around our building to spend time talking with God. Wherever you decide, make sure that it is a quiet place to read, reflect and pray.
But what about the kids?!
Since I am a homeschool mom, this often means that my children are wandering somewhere in our house! They usually wake up pretty early, so I am not always able to wake up before them to have my time with the Lord. If this is the season of life you are in, that’s okay!
Find time to spend with God on a schedule that works for you.
When my kids were little, we had “Bible Time” together, or I found quiet activities for them to do while I spent a few moments with God. Now that there are a little older, I tell them to play quietly in their rooms while I am in the living room or prayer room. Later in the morning we have our “Bible Time” together as a family. Most days, this works out just great!
2. Prepare your Favorite Beverage
Have you ever made plans to meet with a friend at a coffee shop or bakery just to chat? We as women love to connect face-to-face over a hot beverage. You can bring the coffee shop to your house by preparing your favorite beverage, and plan to meet with Jesus!
I love planning the night before for my “coffee dates” with the Lord, and the anticipation of spending time in the Word over a hot beverage is just delightful. If you are able to wake up a few minutes earlier than the rest of your family, you can prepare a cup of coffee or tea to enjoy with God before everyone else gets up. Those moments will give you a great jump start on your day!
3. Sing Songs of Praise
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 59:16
What a wonderful way to usher in God’s strength and power to conquer the day–with praise! There is great power in praise, and what better way to defeat the enemy’s schemes than through praise and worship in the morning! Here are some great songs to reflect on or sing in the morning. Click on the highlighted song titles to have a listen!
I love this version of Great is Thy Faithfulness by CeCe Winans performed with her mother.
The song How is it Between Us by Sara Groves is a great reflective song about staying connected to the Vine as we go about our day!
I LOVE the Good Morning song by Mandisa–this song will get anyone moving in the morning!
The song Give Me Jesus by Fernando Ortega (and another version by Danny Gokey) is such a wonderful song to reflect on the the morning–definitely one of my favorites!
Give Me Jesus by Danny Gokey is on his Christmas album, but it is worth it just for this song!
4. Read a Psalm
Reading a Psalm in the morning is a great way to orient your soul before the day begins. They are often quick, reflective passages that only take a few minutes to read, and will fill your heart with the truth and power of God’s Word.
Here is a free 14-day Scripture reading plan you can download that has many Psalms to reflect on in the morning.
Just click on the image to download!
5. Write Scripture
If you have a few moments while you read, write down a couple of verses from a particular passage that really spoke to you. Writing down scripture is a great way for the words to sink into your soul, helping you to remember the verses to recall for later.
6. Read a Good Devotional
Reading a short devotional can be a great way to get the Word in your heart in the morning before heading off to work or school. The nature of devotionals are to give you bite-sized pieces of God’s Word in the form of stories or reflections to help you chew on and digest Scripture. You can always go back to certain passages of Scripture later for deeper study.
Here are some great devotionals!
Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are by Shauna Niequist
Jesus Always: Embracing Joy in is Presence by Sarah Young
He Holds My Hand: Experiencing God’s Presence and Protection by Carol Kent
Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman
7. Spend Time in Prayer
Prayer is such a sweet time of talking with God. Having a few moments of uninterrupted time with the Lord in prayer is a powerful way to connect with God.
That’s why I created a prayer journal dedicated to carving out a few moments in our mornings to pour our hearts out in prayer. Short on time? Pray in the car. Running late with the kids?
Ask the Lord for His supernatural strength to shine through those hurried moments.
I am excited to share with you this my prayer journal in my shop: Every Morning with Jesus.
This prayer journal is designed to draw you closer to the heart of Jesus in the moments we spend with him in the morning. Is getting up early in the morning a struggle for you?
Try just getting up 15 minutes earlier than you normally do to spend ten minutes of alone time with him!
This prayer journal includes the 14-day Bible reading plan that is available above, and it contains 14 powerful verses pertaining to meeting with God in the morning.
Within the prayer journal are designated days for reading each Scripture, along with spaces to write your observations, thoughts and prayers.
It also comes with Bible journaling stickers for decorating your Bible and prayer journal!
(You can download the stickers for FREE by clicking here!)
What are your favorite ways to connect with God in the morning? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
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Looking for ways to deepen your prayer life? Join the newest BOLD Prayer of Jesus challenge! Sign up to receive a free prayer guide, prayer journal, Scripture reading plan, Scripture cards, a Bible journaling page, and more! Click HERE to sign up!
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These are such great suggestions and so simple to implement! Love the idea of making a date with Jesus! My mornings are best when I meet with the Messiah before the rest of the house wakes! Blessings!
Thanks so much for visiting, Liz! 🙂 Blessings to you as you continue to meet with our Lord in the mornings!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful post! I tweeted it.
Thank you for visiting, Kim! Your blog is BEAUTIFUL!! 🙂
Christin, thank you for the music list and Bible verses. So helpful to our daily walk! I’m sharing this encouraging post! Blessings!
Thank you so much Leslie! 🙂
Christin, these are such great tips. My kids are still at the point where they love to sleep in so I get to enjoy a few quiet moments without the noise — thankfully. I will be checking out some of the songs on your playlist — what a great way to start your morning off right.
And by the way, I love your printables. They are always so colorful and cheery!
Blessings to you!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Marva! Always a pleasure! I love all of these songs, and have found myself singing them all week long! lol 🙂
It’s a matter of making that date with God, even when we have to get creative about it, isn’t it? Lots of great suggestions in today’s post. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely! I think getting creative with our times with the Lord keeps things fresh and exciting! Thanks for visiting, Donna!
Thanks for such an encouraging post! I’ve found that it is helpful to me to write out Scripture choosing a couple of verses from the chapter I read each day. I don’t always get to it in the morning or do the writing every day, but I do try to spend time in the Word and prayer. It’s hard sometimes to get up early, but it’s worth it when I do. I’ve found usually that my best time is right after breakfast, maybe while I still have coffee left, to go up to my room for a quiet time with God. Blessings to you! I’m your neighbor at #TeaAndWord.
Thanks so much for visiting, Gayl! I truly love spending time with the Lord in the morning! I am not always able to do it early before my kids get up, so on those days I usually carve out a bit of time after breakfast. Writing out Scripture has been so great for me–even writing one verse helps me slow down and process what I am reading. Have a great week! 🙂
I’ve heard people say to find a special place to pray for years. I just didn’t think it made that much difference…. until I actually tried it. It does make a difference! when I go there, I know that I’m going to meet God… all the distractions are gone so I can clear my thinking and focus in on HIm alone. I highly recommend trying it for a season of time and you’ll see how it can transform your prayer time. thanks!
Karen, you are so right! There is something truly special about meeting with the Lord in the same place! I have two favorite places where I meet with God: My prayer room, which is a small room in our basement, and in our living room. It makes SUCH a difference. Thanks for visiting! 🙂
I love all of your ideas about meeting God in the morning. Thank you for sharing with us at Grace & Truth Link-Up
Thank you so much for visiting, Maree!
So many great tips. I have tried many of them, but not meeting with a hot beverage. Tea and God. What a great combination.
Such a wonderful combination! 🙂 Thanks for visiting, Theresa!
Christin, you have offered such great ideas! Cece’s version of “Great is Thy Faithfulness’ is very dear to my heart. That’s the song I listened to (several times) on my way to the hospital to give birth to my first-born through C-section. I was terrified. Listening to that song brought me comfort and peace. Thanks for sharing on Grace and Truth. I have chosen your post as my feature this week. Be sure to stop by and get the “I was Featured” button – I think the link you have on the one in your sidebar is old – Jennifer isn’t co-hosting G&T anymore;)
Thank you so much Aimee!! Wow, it’s amazing how much a song can mean to us in our times of great need, and praise God for the comfort and peace you received from this song! Thank you for featuring my post, and yes, I will be sure to get a new featured button! 🙂 Blessings to you and your family!
Beautiful. I really loved all of ideas on how to get closer to God. Well written. I’ll be re-pinning this on Pinterest for more to see. God is good!
I always go to psalms every time I am victorious and in tribulation. I think we’re all need to be with the scripture every morning to prepare us for the entire day. Anyway, thanks a lot for this post.
Amen, spending time with the Lord each day is such a powerful lifeline!
Hello Christin,
I love reviewing the 7 ways to spend time with Jesus. I enjoyed the suggestions and would like to review more. May I suggest that you can also spend time with Jesus while exercising.
Thanks so much Vickie! Thanks so much for visiting my blog, and yes, exercising is another great way to spend time with the Lord! Listening to worship music, a sermon, or Scripture while exercising is a great way to connect with God in the morning! Thanks so much for the suggestion! 🙂