What was your morning like today? Did you wake up chipper and raring to go or dragging? How do you begin your day, with or without a time alone with God? King David was both a morning person and also a night owl. Although busy with kingdom issues, David found time to be alone with God in reading and in prayer. God was his priority no matter the kingdom or family issues before him. We would be wise to learn from him how to juggle our thoughts and our time.
Ps 108 begins with this thought: my heart is fixed or steadfast, my heart is confident or as the MSG puts it “I’m ready, God, so ready from head to toe.” When we begin our time alone with God can we say we are ready to hear from him or are our minds so saturated with the busyness before us that we find it hard to focus?
David continues on to share how he gets ready to be with God; he sings and praises God with all of his heart. This alerts our mind to focus in on who God is and prepares us to listen to him. What song comes to mind when you think of praising Him? Here’s one of old:
When morning gilds the skies
my heart awakening cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer,
to Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
In vs 2 David says awake, O stringed instrument and harp. Long ago often they would place their stringed instruments near to their place of sleep much like you place your alarm clock by your bed. But instead of that buzz, buzz, buzz, they would hear the breezes flowing and touching the strings which would cause the strings to vibrate and awaken them with beautiful music. What a beautiful picture of how God’s gentleness touches us.
Once awake David, as he did in Ps 57:7-11 and Ps 60: 5-12 (repetition of this psalm), began to give praises to God for his lovingkindness and his faithfulness. He is overwhelmed by the thought that God is so great that these two attributes extend beyond the sky. God is limitless as are his attributes; they span the universe that even we cannot see or fathom.
As you ponder who God is and think ahead, why not make a date with God for your time alone with him in the wee hours of the morning and let His breezes awaken you to His soft voice proclaiming His lovingkindness and faithfulness. What a marvelous tool to start our day!