And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. – Mark 1:35, King James Version (KJV)

For most of my Christian life I’ve heard preachers and Sunday School teachers claim that the best time of day to spend time with God in prayer, in Bible reading, and in Bible meditation is first thing in the morning. This is not to say that other times are not good as well; Daniel spent time with the Lord in the morning, at midday, and in the evening. But, as the preachers and Sunday School teachers I’ve listened to have claimed, the time of day when we can achieve maximum impact during our time with God is early in the morning. After years of fighting this concept – mainly because I am not a morning person – I have finally decided that I agree. This is why.

Christ, of course, is to be our example in everything. Christ prayed throughout the day, but in Mark 1:35 (KJV) we learn that, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he [Jesus] went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” If Christ chose to start His day with a conversation with His Father, then it’s probably a good idea for us to do the same.

Anecdotally, I’ve learned from experience that my days go much, much better when I’ve started off my day by spending time with the Lord. When I start my day by conversing with the Lord, reading His Word, and meditating on His precepts, my spirit is much more at peace, my mindset is much more holy, and I’m much less upset by the irritating things that happen during the day. On the days when I start my day without first conversing with the Lord, I’m much more irritable, and when bad things happen, I’m a lot less likely to handle them well. I think the reason for the difference can be illustrated this way.

In Exodus 16:21, when God introduced manna to the Israelites in the wilderness, He put this condition on His people: gather it in the morning before the sun waxes hot. Once the sun waxes hot, the manna will melt away, meaning that any Israelites who failed to gather God’s gift first thing in the morning would go hungry that day. If we consume God’s gifts – like fellowship with the Lord – early in the morning, His gifts will sustain us throughout the day. If we fail to enjoy those gifts early in our day, then the heat of the day – with all of its cares and pressures – will starve our spirits of Christ’s heart peace by filling our hearts with temporal worries. Once the temporal worries have filled our hearts and minds, it makes it harder for God’s heart peace to break through.

If a house is built on a firm foundation, it will stand. If a house is built on a rickety foundation, it will fall. Likewise, if we build our day on a foundation of fellowship with Christ, we will stand that day for Him. If we build our day on a foundation of worldly cares, we will be devoted to the cares of this world, crowding out God from our hearts and minds.

Do I think people are wrong or sinning by not starting their days out fellowshipping with God? No! I just think that they, like me, miss out on having the best day possible because they have failed to build their day on the firmest foundation possible.

How do you start your day?