Early in the Morning...

"And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD..."
Genesis 19:27

"And Abraham rose up early in the morning..."
Genesis 21:14

"And Jacob rose up early in the morning..."
Genesis 28:18

"And early in the morning Laban rose up..."
Genesis 31:55

"And the LORD said unto Moses, "Rise up early in the morning ..."
Exodus 8:20

"and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up unto Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him..."
Exodus 34:4

"And Joshua rose early in the morning..."
Joshua 3:1

"And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning..."
1 Samuel 15:12

"And David rose up early in the morning..."
1 Samuel 17:20

"...Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning..."
Job 1:5

"And very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun..."
Mark 16:2

"And all the people came early in the morning to Him in the temple to hear Him...."
Luke 21:38

"And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down and taught them..."
John 8:2

"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."
Psalm 63:1

"With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness."
Isaiah 26:9



Notice a pattern...?

Woke up before the sun today and bounced into another day with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. I popped my back, stretched out, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and paused.

I wrote of watching out a window with a friend last Sunday morning and having a moment of contentment and peace, that came and went as he dozed.

This morning I watched the sunrise from that same place, this time without another person, and awoke to the fact that it is His heartbeat I should be listening for, His arms I should be leaning into, and His sunrise that greets each day.

God wants to move, speak and meet with me...early in the morning.

How many times, as my brain reboots and body comes awake, do I hurry through my activities in a hurried rush to start the day and re-engage with all the people and things I hold dear. What I move quickly towards is that which has my interest and focus. How often do I miss these meetings with Him? Those appointments He has set for me to simply wait and listen to His voice. How many times has He sat on the other side of a sunrise waiting for me, thinking...I do this for you, this glorious spectacle, everyday. Will he be here today? Will Daemon show up this morning?

Like Samuel said,"Speak Lord, for thy servant hears..."

So today, as I watch the sunrise over distant trees and land, the same sun that has greeted the morning for thousands of years over far and near places, I wait...

And listen.