Timothy Byler, D.R.E.
I love the early morning hours of the day. I always have. As a younger man, I hated to get up in the morning - something that seems to be a bit of a juxtaposition of what I just said. But as a younger man, my venture into the early morning hours did not come from arising early. It came after a long night of being awake.
I had jobs that were on the night shift. Or, I would be in a studio until after three in the morning. After going full time into a traveling ministry, we often traveled through the night to reach out next destination. To the casual observer, that seemed ill-stewarded or even reckless but in reality, it was our best option. There was far less traffic on the interstate and the majority of those who were driving were professionals. Kids who were awake during the day nestled in and slept as we went cross country in Clifford, our big red van or our RV, which meant fewer stops at unfamiliar places.
Perhaps my favorite early morning transitions were those shared with my brother, Ronald. We would hang together through all hours of the night, driving, talking about life, God, girls, our future, or sometimes really nothing. Those drives would often become late night, early morning (and in hindsight perhaps somewhat ill-advised) adventures. We once made a spontaneous decision to go sightseeing in Washington D.C. at one thirty in the morning - a decision prompted by looking up and realizing that our random late night drive had led us to the beltway over the Potomac River. In short, we saw the Washington Monument and said, “Let’s have a look.”
My love for our nation’s capital was birthed that night. Seeing the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, the “Wall”, the Mall, the Capitol and the White House - all strategically lit in the night, and bereft of the traffic and the people that make up the hustle and bustle of the city, brought a quiet contemplation that had otherwise escaped me. Now when I see those things in the light of day, I am reminded of what was birthed in me that night. My perspective was forever changed.
In retrospect, my love and passion for so many things was ignited in those early morning hours. Back then, I didn’t rise from my bed to greet the morning. I chased it from behind, living through the night to look up and see the sun rising on the horizon.
Life transitioned and, well… I got older. With that transition came a shift in responsibilities and my late night escapades. Work would finish and shift into family time, then “Cindy time” after the kids went to bed. Our routine and the alarm would start the day with the sun already on the job.
Then something happened - perhaps a product of age. I found myself waking in the early morning pre-dawn hours. The house is quiet. I am the only one stirring. Even the dogs are still asleep. And, in those early hours, I am again met by the morning.
It proves still to be the the hour of inspiration - or at least, contemplation which often sets the stage for inspiration. For me it is the time between everything I have to think through, everything I have to do, and even everything I have to be, come together like the workings of a clock. It represents a gap when nothing has to occur - allowing that which is fluttering between mind and spirit to freewheel - and in the process, be perhaps the most available to what God wants to impart into the situation.
Many religions impose an early morning time of prayer and meditation. Many Christians embrace such practice in a religious discipline. And, there is a benefit in that but that is not the focus here.
Rather, there is a window in the early morning hours where things begin to awaken. Some plants and trees fold their leaves in the evening to open afresh with the dawn. There are birds and animals who call out in the night but nothing like the sounds of the creatures who greet the sun’s appearance. I have come to realize that it is the same for me - that perhaps God hardwired into us a daily, seasonal “clockworks” that once we locate and activate it, can open inside of us a freshness: a new creativity, a fresh perspective on things we are about to face, a new approach to a problem, a new passion to move forward with opportunity. More importantly, the early morning is a universal season of awakening. All things will awaken - the good and the bad. Once you learn how to navigate the morning…. once you learn how to let God invest into those freewheeling thoughts, that early morning awakening can order your day. The good will overtake all that isn’t good.
There are many verses in the Bible that attest to all of this. These two come to mind.
Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. - Psalms 143:8 NLT
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. - Psalms 5:3 NLT
David the Psalmist was onto something. He GOT IT! The early morning offers a gift of awareness and awakening. It is a place where peace and perspective can merge with purpose and plan. It is a place where God can meet you without distraction - and can cause you to daily be raised to walk in newness of life. Let the morning meet you.
T
But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. - Malachi 4:2 NLT
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