The Second Cup...

"...early will I seek thee..." Psalm 63:1

Good morning, dear friends!

Photo: shixugang pixabay

It's that time of morning again.  I woke up, and sleepily trudged to the bathroom, then the kitchen, to start the coffee.  I sat down with my first cup that I drained rather quickly as I pried my eyes open and fought the persistent lap cat off my lap, trolling email and Facebook as my brain wakes up.  I have prayed for the many requests that popped up on my feed, and started to think about today and what needs to be accomplished for this day: laundry that has piled up, visits to make, and kids' schedules to incorporate into my day.

Now that all of that is finished, and I am a little more awake, it's time...to get serious.  This is the time that helps me to get focused on what is really important for today.  It's time to go to God's Word for that encouragement and refreshing that I need to REALLY begin my day.

And that time calls for...the second cup.

I am sure that I am not very different from many of you.  Most days I feel like I need to drink a cup of coffee to help me MAKE the coffee.  And since my coffee is decaf, it has absolutely NO effect on my ability to wake up...other than the fact that it does.  Just having that warm cup in my hands and slowly sipping its contents puts in mind this morning ritual that yes, another day is before me, and yes, my time is limited before the kids wake up, and yes, if I want to be able to glorify God with anything that I am able to accomplish today, I'd better get that second cup, and open my Bible and see God's message for me today.

So, with my second cup warming my hands and slowly waking me up from the outside in, I open my French Bible and begin to read.  And I find my heart warming up as well.

There is so much comfort and reassurance to be found in simple but necessary routines, isn't there?  I have always been somewhat of a creature of habit.  When as a young Christian I was encouraged to get in the habit of reading my Bible first thing in the morning, I didn't realize how that habit was going to transform my life.  There have been many times when I have faltered from that routine, but I'm thankful that throughout the years, God has impressed over and over the necessity of starting my day with Him.

Just this morning in my quiet time, I read three different passages that spoke to me about taking time with God, and putting Him first as I start my day.  Here are some truths that God spoke to me about these passages for today:

1.  First and foremost.  Psalm 63:1-2: "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: to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary."  Looking the word "early" up in my Strong's concordance this morning gave me a new appreciation of this word, which means "to dawn, or to be up early at any task with the implication of earnestness...to seek diligently."  Not only should learning about God be my priority for the day, but it should be my first priority, in time and intention.

2.  Deliberate.  Proverbs 8:17: "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me."  I was surprised when I read these familiar verses in my French Bible this morning, not to find the word early, only the word, "seek." I looked the word "seek" up in my concordance, and found out that "early" and "seek" are the same word in Hebrew, and both are translated in French as "look for, with the intent of finding."  After all, I don't go "seeking" something, unless I go for the intention of finding it!  God desires me to seek out His company, and the earlier I will do it, the better off my day will be for it.

3.  Continual.  Psalm 5:3: "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up."  Not only should my desire to spend time with God in the morning be my first, deliberate priority in the morning, it should also be a habit, and not in a bad way.  I should desire this first contact with God, in the same way that I desire to start and continue a conversation with a beloved friend.  Then and only then will my heart's desire be focused on God who deserves all my attention and praise for today.

What does today have in store for me?  I have no idea.  I know who created this day, who gave it to me as a gift from His hand, and that He has a plan for me today.  Just like that second cup of coffee is a necessary part of my waking up process, may God use this time in His Word to wake me up to all that He desires for me today.

That second cup of coffee is gone now, and my day is waiting for me.

Even though the hour is early, I have a direction for my feet now, and it's time to get going...