Soaring on Wings Like Eagles

Image source

This past fortnight, I have had a taste of walking by the Spirit, not by the flesh... and it felt marvellous. Looking back, it seems like I have been flying when I am usually trudging along in the mud with my eyes and head down.  Yes, I have experienced the thrill and the joy of spending the early morning hour with my Lord, and doing his work.

Do you want to know how this has happened? Here is my story.

God planted the desire in my heart years ago to wake early and be with him.  However, there has always been reasons (valid and not-so-valid) why I have not, including a lifetime habit of late nights and sleeping as long as I could, a body that takes a while to fully wake, young children who instantly wake (and often get out of bed) when they hear me rise, a small house with very few options for solitude in the morning (apart from my bed!), time pressure to get to school, and a history of struggle in waking early which discouraged me from trying and failing yet again.

So I was stewing over my miserable predicament a couple of weeks ago, when it occurred to me to ask my husband for help. You know, take advantage of his male urge to fix things.  And guess what?  Surprise! He had a solution for me!!  He suggested that I wake early, take a 5 minute walk down the street and back to wake up, then spend the rest of my time on our porch outside in the sunshine with God. 

I tried it, and it worked. Using an alarm clock and being outside in the sunshine help immensely. Seeing my husband briefly before he leaves for work helps too.  Knowing that God will draw near to me when I draw near to him is the greatest motivation of all.  Having time to be involved in his work through prayer is the icing on the cake.

The children still wake when they hear me, but I am now resigned to that.  If the alternative is that I miss my time with God, then I will deal with the consequences of their early waking.  I have hope that they will become accustomed to my new habit, and may in time sleep through it; but for now, they are learning the habit of morning quietness, and it is possible that they are learning something good by being aware of my devotion time.

What prevents you from meeting daily with God? What inspires and encourages you to make solitude with God a priority?