On December 26, I decided to make it a priority to start every morning with a time of Bible study and prayer.
It has been SUCH a good thing. So good, in fact, that I have not missed a single day.
I have been using Beth Moore's 10 Week Prayer Devotional titled Whispers of Hope. I bought this book on a whim when I was finishing my Christmas shopping. I had never done a Beth Moore study, and the title made my heart leap. HOPE - truly choosing the Hope that is in Christ - has been one of the lessons God has been teaching me these last months, so it just felt right to start this year with a HOPE related devotional.
Sometimes our whims are God working!
For me, in this season of my life, this devotional has been just what I need. It contains a scripture to read, Ms. Moore's thoughts on that reading, and a directed prayer journal. All of the above have been so, so helpful.
While I have done similar devotions in the past, the directed prayer journal is new. I am loving it. It helps me to structure my prayers so they are more than simply a random rambling. It causes me to spend time praising God first thing in the morning. That has been an incredible thing. When my very first words directed toward my savior are words of praise, my heart is in a totally different place than if my prayer day starts with my list of needs and complaints and stresses.
After a praise paragraph, there is a place for a paragraph for confession. Followed by a paragraph for acknowledgement - or telling God that I fully realize that He is in control, He is worthy, He is my everything. . .
These first three paragraphs are prayer components that I commonly skip. I do not really intend to. . . it just happens. After all I am a busy momma, with 2 jobs, 5 + kids, and my time is limited - right? Wrong! In all reality, I am more self-centered than busy, and my skipping praise, confession, and acknowledgement only makes me more so. Beginning with these first three paragraphs helps me reframe my mind. It has made my heart more humble, more thankful, and more open to all the Lord has to say. Those paragraphs have been invaluable.
Next comes an area in which to pray for others, then an area in which to pray for myself, and finally an area that she calls "equipping." Equipping is a time to ask God to prepare me for all that is to come in the day ahead. It is a time to relinquish control, to ask to be filled with more of Him that I may serve Him well (not that I may get more of the tasks on my list completed.) It is all about turning the day over to Him.
Sigh.
The results in my heart have been amazing. I am more peaceful, more hopeful, more focused, more willing to dream and follow hard after Him.
My only dilemma is what comes next? I only have 23 mornings left in this devotional. That is not enough! Any suggestions on a follow-up? So much will change in my life during these next months. It will not be as easy to have some quiet time first thing in the morning with an unpredictable newborn to feed. I also know that once the snow melts, hitting the running trail will be tempting IF all is quiet around here in the pre-dawn hours. I am unsure how it will all work out - but I have learned that when I choose to put Jesus first, I never regret it.
