Make me hear of Your faithful love in the morning,
for I trust in You.
Teach me how I should walk,
for I offer my soul up to You.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Eternal One,
for You are my shelter from them.
10 Teach me how to do Your will,
for You are my God.
Allow Your good Spirit to guide me
on level ground, to guide me along Your path.
11 For the sake of Your name and the good of Your reputation,
preserve me, O Eternal One.
In Your righteousness, save my life from burden and misery.
12 In Your loyal love, silence my enemies for good;
destroy all those who take pleasure in my suffering,
for I am Your faithful servant! -Psalm 143:8-12 VOICE
It’s in those first sacred moments between the alarm clock’s announcement of a new day and the moment when our feet touch the floor, that we have a remarkable, but often missed opportunity to change our lives.
I am a terrible morning person. I’d be ecstatic if days didn’t start until after 9:00 am. But because the world doesn’t function that way, I’ve had to find a way to do mornings better than my natural inclination.
Thankfully, I discovered something that helped change not only my mornings, but my life, for the better. It’s tucked away in those first sacred moments of the day right before my feet hit the floor. Don’t worry, it isn’t something that demands much time or training. Truthfully, it’s so simple, we overlook its power.
A morning prayer to start your day.
When we use those first few moments of the day to pray, we walk into our day conquering negativity and disappointment. Prayer starts our day in gratitude and infuses our hearts with hope and bravery.
There isn’t one right way to pray. What matters is tuning into Jesus, giving Him our first, and deepening our relationship with Him. However, if you are the kind of person who craves some structure and guidance, I am honored to share with you my personal strategy.
Most frequently, I use the ACTS Model of prayer. It resonated with me years ago and is now ingrained to the point of habit. (For more information, I share the ACTS Prayer Model HERE on my website) I also always pray using Scripture because God tells us in Ephesians 6 that His Word is the sword of the Spirit. By praying God’s Word, we wield the most powerful weapon we have!
Psalm 143 is a hope-filled Word from the Lord. It fuels our spirits with bravery and prepares us for our day. The Bible is filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of verses we can turn into our morning prayers. This example is only a starting point for you.
A Morning Prayer of Psalm 143 (In ACTS format)
Dear Jesus,
You are the God who creates each new morning. With them, You create new beginnings and You extend grace and forgiveness to me day after day. With each rising sun, You give me new hope. Thank You for Your faithful love that I can trust.
Please, Lord, show me the way I should go today. Guide me when I am unsure and give me eyes to see the beauty within the moments of the day. Please protect and rescue me today from any danger.
Father, help me know Your will and give me strength to always follow You — to live to please You. You are a righteous God and You alone can save me from any trouble I may face today. I trust you, Father. And I am Your faithful servant.
I am strong in You and because of Your great love, I can face each moment with bravery.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
In Your Life
God calls all His children to spend time with Him at the start of each day. However, Scripture does not define that time. It may look different for each of us. Based upon our season of life, it may mean an hour in deep study. It might mean a 2-minute heartfelt prayer before feeding a crying baby. Or, it might mean something somewhere in between.
If you are ready to make a commitment to prayer each morning, God will meet you in those moments and multiply them exponentially.
We Recommend
Sweet sister, may your spirit be filled with bravery and hope. May you grow closer to the Father each day. And may you use those first precious moments of each day as an offering to the Lord.
If you want to strengthen your prayer muscle, we have many prayer resources here at Empowered Women Faith Club, as well as on my blog at LoriSchumaker.com. Understanding the Lord’s Prayer is an example that digs below the surface of the Lord’s Prayer to help us journal through and understand why Jesus taught us to pray in this way. It is one of many free prayer resources available.
Let’s Connect
Join me at LoriSchumaker.com or on your favorite social media channel. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter
As a wife, adoptive and biological mom, teacher, writer, speaker, and coach, Lori’s heart is to encourage others to meet the challenges of life with the hope of Christ. Wherever you find yourself today, you can find the encouragement you need through her work at www.LoriSchumaker.com. In her award-winning book, Surrendered Hearts, she weaves lessons on letting go, trusting, and living surrendered to God through the telling of her family’s adoption story. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Amazon
Read Lori’s articles HERE.
Learn more: LoriSchumaker.com
Lori,
Thank you for reminding us of how powerful starting our day in prayer really is.