The 21-Day Prayer Challenge begins today!
I believe that your destiny is determined in the early daylight hours. How you start the day will determine what the rest of the day is like. That is why praying and reading Scripture in the morning is so important. It sets the tone. Like turning the dial on your radio, it’s the way you tune into God’s frequency. And that daily discipline will ultimately determine your destiny.
Nearly two decades ago I read a biography of the famous evangelist and Chicago pastor, D.L. Moody. Why did God use him so powerfully to change a city and impact his generation? I think it’s simple: he had a daily discipline of seeking God first thing in the morning. Moody was an amazing preacher, but he was an even better pray-er. In his own words, “I would rather be able to pray like David than to preach with the eloquence of Gabriel.” Moody said he felt guilty if he heard the blacksmiths hammering before he was praying. That imagery convicted me and challenged me when I was first starting out in ministry. I knew that prayer would determine my potential. And while we don’t have too many blacksmiths in DC these days, I love getting up before the nation’s capital is waking up.
David set the standard in Psalm 5:3:
In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning, I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
One of the reasons why many people don’t feel intimacy with God is because they don’t have a daily rhythm with God. They have a weekly rhythm. If all you have with God is a weekly touchpoint called church, you’ll lose touch with God. Would that work with your spouse or your kids? It doesn’t work in God’s family either. We need to establish a daily rhythm in order to have a daily relationship with God. The best way to do that is to begin the day in prayer.
Is it always easy? No. That’s why I love the determination in David’s voice: In the morning, O Lord, you will hear my voice. That’s what it takes doesn’t it? It’s hard to get up early, but that is what makes praying hard so hard. Setting your alarm is a stewardship issue! David was determined to circle his day in prayer. I don’t know if he prayed through his calendar orwrote down his requests in a prayer journal. But I know that he prayed with specificityand consistency. And that is what drawing prayer circles is all about.
This is the day the Lord has made! Circle it.
To sign up for the 21-Day Prayer Challenge, go here.
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