“In the morning when I rise … give me Jesus.” (1)
One of the best habits you can develop is to start your day with God.
You might be wondering why this is so important. Does it really make a difference? Here are some excellent reasons.
- Inner peace
- Sense of direction
- Closeness to God
- Purpose for living
- Physical and emotional wellbeing
- Improved interpersonal relationships, to name a few
Start your day with God – the physical benefits
The main ways that your can start your day with God is through prayer, Bible reading, and thinking about God.
It is no surprise that modern medicine verifies what the Bible has been telling us all along.
Science has found the following about prayer and meditation: (2)
- Calms the nervous system
- Makes a person less reactive to negative emotions and less angry
- Reduction in anxiety
- Increase in a positive mood
- Better tolerance to pain
- A sense that a “weight is lifted from you”
- Increase in marital harmony (when both start their days with God
- Fewer feelings of isolation
Bible Verses about “start your day with God“
“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.” Psalm 5:3 NKJV
“But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.” Psalm 59:16 ESV
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.” Psalm 143:8 ESV
In these four Scripture passages, we see the writer beginning his day on a positive note. He has
- Gratitude for all God has done for him
- Confidence in God’s ability to be there for him
- Committing his day to God and asking for direction
- Praise and worship of God
- Purpose for living
Starting our morning off with God sets the tone for the entire day. It helps us be more positive no matter what happens.
How to start your day with God
Don’t get hung up on the mechanics of starting your day with God. It can be as simple or as detailed as you need it to be.
Everyone’s schedules and seasons in life are different. Those who are retired can spend a lot of time with God in the morning.
But the majority of people have jobs, school, or children to care for so let’s take a look at some less demanding ways to start your day with God.
Quick ways to start your day with God
So you woke up late and need to get to a meeting? That’s not a problem. You can still start your day with God.
- Thank God that He allowed you to wake up as you are getting out of bed.
- Ask God to refresh your mind about what you need to present at the meeting as you are brushing your teeth.
- Thank God that you have another opportunity to shine His love in a world that desperately needs Him.
Or maybe you have small children and your sleep is often interrupted. Maybe you have forgotten what it is like to awaken in the morning refreshed.
- Thank God that He understands this season that you are in.
- Ask God to give you strength in those early morning hours as you wait on Him (Isaiah 40:31)
- Pray or recite Scripture while you are feeding or bathing kids.
- Sing or hum a song that focuses your mind on God.
These are just two examples of when it is hard to start your day with God unless you have a plan in place.
For those who have regular mornings, here are quick ways to start your day with God.
- Talk to God briefly as you are getting out of bed
- Read a short passage of Scripture from the many Topical Bible Reading plans that are available.
- Listen to Scripture on a Bible app as you are getting ready in the morning.
- Listen to Christian music while you are getting dressed, brushing your teeth, and driving to work.
- Tuck a Scripture card into your purse, briefcase, or lunch to meditate on later in the day. Place it on your dashboard as you are picking up coffee on your way to work.
When you have more time to start your day with God
- For those who like to color, there are many free Bible verse coloring pages as well as coloring collections that you can purchase. Coloring helps focus your mind on God and His words.
- Do a Bible Study – there are many methods, but here are the basics: SOAP, Topical, and Indutive. This tutorial will help if you have never done a Bible study.
- Write a Scripture on a card to help you memorize it.
- Write in a journal what you learned from your Bible reading.
- God for a walk and pray for the people or businesses you see along the way
Reminders to start your day with God
There really is no excuse for not starting our day with God.
If we are alive and breathing, we can talk to God the moment we awaken. It simply is a matter of making a habit of it. So start today. You will be glad you did.
But as science has shown, habits take anywhere from 18 days to 2 months to form. So plan ahead. Here are some ideas to get you started. Use some or all of them as needed.
- Place a sticky note on your alarm that says, “Start your day with God”.
- Make a special alarm for your phone that says, “Start your day with God.”
- Put a sign on the floor next to your bed that says, “Start your day with God.”
- Place a sticky note on your bathroom mirror that says, “In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.”
- Have a Scripture on the inside of the door of your house that has a Scripture verse about starting your morning with God.
- Have a note on your car dashboard that says, “Did you start your day with God?”
- Set the radio in your car to Christian music
If you have other ideas on how to form the habit of starting your day with God, please do share them in the comments. You will be helping others.
You might also like to read:
- Bible Reading For Beginners
- 36 Free Topical Bible Reading Plans
- Seriously – Who Has Time To Pray Without Ceasing?
References:
- Give me Jesus, (written and recorded by Fernando Ortega)
- Association For Psychological Science
- Open Bible – Scripture verses about “morning” and start your day with God.
- Thanks to Bible Gateway for easy navigation of the Scriptures in different translations.