Monday July 22, 2019
Breakfast of Champions
There is something so beautiful and promising about morning. The dawn of a new day brings renewed hope, expectation, and newness. It allows for a fresh perspective and vision. And in those moments, God can do amazing things.
Consistently spending time with the Lord affects permanent change in our lives. That seems to be a lesson that David learned early. Many of his psalms reveal a heart that is not only “after God’s own heart,” but a heart that is drawn to the Lord at the break of day. David’s prayer in Psalm 5 reflects a desire and understanding that beginning the day with God is the true breakfast of champions. The word “morning” simply means “break of day.” But it comes from a root word that means “to plough, break forth; search.” Morning requires action…that’s a powerful truth!
“Mornings” in Scripture are filled with the Lord. The Psalms tell us that “shouts of joy” come in the morning (Ps.30:5). David proclaims that God’s help will be there when the morning dawns (Ps.46:5). Psalm 90 promises that we would be satisfied with His mercy and lovingkindness early in the morning (Ps.90:14). In fact, that is just what Jeremiah declares! (See WORD WISDOM for a deeper study of satisfied)
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lam.3:22-26)
The power of the morning was known to many of our biblical witnesses:
Abraham rose early to stand before God (Gen.19:27).
The sons of Korah remind us that “in the morning” the Lord hears our prayer (Ps.88:13)
The disciples entered the temple in the morning and began to teach about the Messiah (Acts 5:21)
Jesus taught “early in the morning” (Jn.8:2) and went to pray while it was still dark (Mk.1:35)
The Lord is available at any and all times and the wise believer will seek Him often whatever the hour of the day or night. And I am mindful that not all of us are “morning people.” Nevertheless, the spiritual principle resident in the scriptural examples reveals much…that part of the day when we are “at our best” is the time when we need to come into the Lord’s presence to praise and thank Him for His goodness to us, to ask forgiveness for any sin, which might disrupt our fellowship with Him, and to gain insight and strength in order to live in accordance with His will.
We do not understand the mystery of the morning…we only know the power of it. Perhaps it is because Jesus is the Light of the dawn.
I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star. (Rev.22:16)
As we rise to meet the challenge of a new day, we must first rise to meet the Lord. Find those precious moments when God can pour Himself into our lives before our lives pour themselves into our day.
