DAY 23 – THE SECRET OF THE MORNING
For most of us, the morning represent “our best.” It’s the time when, for the majority, our minds are clearest and most alert, it can also be the most “valuable” time in the sense that many demands want to grab our attention in the morning. “The morning” is referring to the “best” and “most valuable” time of your day. Daniel prayed morning, evening and mid-day. Both David and our lord Jesus, however, modelled an early morning secret life with God.
David described his secret place with these words: “O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn” (Psalm 108:1-2). David was steadfast in his heart about the priority of the secret place. He had a constancy of fervency; his zeal for seeking God was unabated and consistently hot. He performed his “daily vows” (Psalms 61:8) by steadfastly committing himself to seeking God in the early morning hours, the time when he would “awaken the dawn.”
Jesus also modeled a pattern of rising early to pray. “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He prayed.” (Mark 1:35). Even when his body craved more sleep, Jesus knew His true source of revitalization would not be on His back but on His face.
Jesus’ commitment to the secret place was profoundly prophesied by David in Psalms 110:3, “In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of your youth.” The secret place was Jesus’ “womb of the morning.” It was the place where life incubated, where creativity germinated, where inspiration gestated, where power percolated. Thus, Psalm 110:3 describes the threefold nature of Jesus’ secret place relationship with His father:
— INTIMACY: “In the beauties of holiness” indicate proximity of presence.
— IMPREGNATION: “From the womb of the morning morning” points to procreative power that produces life.
— INVIGORATION: “You have the dew of your youth” speaks of revitalization and renewal of strength.
Jesus experienced this dynamism in His secret life with God, and you can too! Give God the first fruits and last fruits of your day. He deserves our best!
