Early Morning Prayer | A Practical Guide

Dear Christian,

I know you are not used to praying every morning. You've tried but it's hard. Let me give you a method. You will take it step by step as God leads.

Each morning you wake up.

Don't touch your phone.

Don't greet anyone.

Don't look at anyone's face — It is a good rule never to look into the face of a man in the morning till you have looked into the face of God.

Don't say a word without God hearing from you first. Always begin your daily words with God. Greet Him.

You might come up with;

“Good morning God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

It's fine. You're a new tenant.

And go your way.

I am not asking much.

Keep on it every morning. You might choose 4am every early morning.

Don't stop.

God thirsts to be thirsted after and nearness to Him brings likeness to Him. The more you see God the more of God will be seen in you every day.

Then, other days, add five minutes to say more words. Let the words come from your heart. A verse from Psalms will go a long way. In the prayers, add words like;

“Lord, thank you for today. Thank you for a beautiful day. Thank you for waking me up. Thank you for my family. Thank you for supplying the air I breathe. Thank you for “whatsover you can mention”

Continue that way.

Keep up to it. I want you to make sure that the Landlord Father, Landlord Son, and Landlord Spirit, are coming up to know you're now staying with them.

Nothing else but the habitual and predominant devotion and dedication of soul, and body, and life, and all that we have to God.

You will find out that you're getting dedicated to the rituals of your new environment.

It's gradual.

Then, add in more five minutes to make it fifteen, right? Don't complain. Don't rush it. It takes time to know the mind of God. Remember, we're still moving with a verse or two from Psalms.

At this stage.

Let words like; “Lord, take absolute control of today, direct and order my footsteps, have your way in my life, family, business, relationship. Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee, to be Thine forever. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt. Send me where Thou wilt, and work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever, Amen.”

You will find out that you're gradually coming up with words of prayers every morning, even from the verses. Yes! Yes!

We have a target, day by day, your words should sum up of three things :To see God more clearly, To love God more dearly, To follow God more nearly.

Nothing less than a living sacrifice is demanded. Not a loan, but a gift; not a compromise, but a sacrifice; not our poorest, but our best. Not a dead but a living offering. Each drop of our blood, each ounce of our energy, each throb of our heart, we must offer to God.

At this early hours of the morning. Be much alone with God please. Take time to get thoroughly acquainted. Talk everything over with Him. Pour out every thought, feeling, wish, plan, and doubt to Him.

There's a height of devotion I want you to attain. The height of devotion is reached when reverence and contemplation produce passionate worship, which in turn breaks forth in thanksgiving and praise in word and song. No one will even remind you to sing.. It will start flowing out freely from you.

Then add another five minutes, twenty minutes now, right? You will see you're getting to a month and have never missed a devotion with God. You're not spending time with God. You're investing it. As you invest, not like Pónzi scheme, you would gradually become an influencer to your roommate (if you have one.)

Here, add words like; “Lord, I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will; put me to doing, put me to súffering; let me be employed for You or laid aside for You, exalted for You or brought low for You; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.” — Don’t panic. The suffërings means that you will be among those sweeping the compound willingly.

We're getting there. At this point in your life. Your heart is ever lifted up to God at all times and in all places. In this you are never hindered, much less interrupted, by any person or thing. In retirement or company, in leisure, business, or conversation, your heart is ever with the Lord. Whether you lie down or rise up, God is in all your thoughts; you walk with God continually, having the loving eye of your mind still fixed upon Him.

You're enjoying God now, right?

It is in your time alone with the Lord now that you can surrender the burden and the anxiety of the load to Him (Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7). You can also find the perspective to be delivered from the truly nonessential things that often seem important. You can find new energy and ideas as you “commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established (Proverbs 16:3).

In the morning – this is the fittest time for intercourse with God. An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening. While the dew is on the grass, let grace drop upon your soul.

The truth here is that, the mark of a saint is not perfection, but consecration. A saint is not a man without faults, but a man who has given himself without reserve to God. God is sweet. If we don’t take the time to enjoy Him, we simply will not enjoy Him.

Have you ever noticed that the great saints of the Bible often met with God at daybreak to seek His leading? For example, Abraham got up very early to stand before the Lord (Gen. 19:27). Jacob woke up with the first light of the morning to worship God after having seen a vision of angels in the night (Gen. 28:18). Moses went early to meet the Lord at Sinai (Ex. 34:4). Joshua got an early start when he prepared to capture Jericho (Josh. 6:12). Gideon made his way at dawn to examine the fleece he had placed on the ground to discern Jehovah’s will (Jud. 6:38). And… Job left his bed at an early hour to offer sacrifices to the Lord in behalf of his children (Job 1:5).

Are we good to go?

Good morning!

© Emmanuel Noble Okereke