MY DAILY GPS - Why Morning Prayer is Important

How do you travel to unfamiliar locations? Some people use a GPS like Garmin and others use a map search engine like Google maps. If you are old-school, you refer to an atlas. It would be silly to get in your car and start driving without clear directions to your new destination. This would leave you wandering aimlessly with little chance of arriving where you intended.

If you are a parent of a young child, Dora the Explorer's familiar question sings in your head, "Who do we ask when we don't know which way to go?" That's right, the map!

Each day is unchartered territory unless you are stuck in the movie Ground Hog Day. Without clear direction, our days often lack focus leaving us wandering aimlessly unable to be fully productive. I recently felt this way when the afternoon rolled around and I had gotten little accomplished - me and my children had eaten breakfast, gotten dressed and I checked my email. Some days, it's acceptable to be foot loose and fancy free, but this was not one of those days. I had a list to cross off, deadlines to meet, and no time to waste.

As I stood outside watching my kids play, I asked myself, "How did the day get away from me?" Then I realized, I had started my day without consulting my map - God.
Psalm 5:3 says:
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Seeking God upon waking helps my day run more smooth, makes me more productive, and gives me peace that God is in control and what doesn't get accomplished, wasn't meant to be. If you aren't a morning person (like me), make your prayer simple and sweet. Longer conversations with God and reading the Bible can wait until we are fully awake.

If you have a habit of starting your day without God, this week I encourage you to surrender your day as soon as you roll out of bed when your feet hit the ground, while you are brushing your teeth, or during your shower. Thank God for your new day, praise Him for who He is and what He does, then wait in expectation until you arrive at the end of your day to count your blessings.
God Bless,
Theresa