Seven Ways to Meet with God in the Morning

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.

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,

Like a freshly brewed cup of coffee, God's mercies meet us in the morning with the fresh start of a new day. Click To Tweet

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!

What are your favorite ways to connect with God in the morning? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Be sure to check out these other posts:

1. Five Ways to Study the Bible
2. Seven Powerful Morning Prayers to Start your Day

Linking with these lovely bloggers here!

Looking for ways to deepen your prayer life? Join the BOLD Prayer Challenge! Sign up to receive a free prayer guide, Scripture reading plan, Scripture cards, bookmarks, and a Bible journaling page. Click on the image below to sign up!