Early in the morning, with our Lord - 25th day in the lent

We are spending time with our Lord either individually or as a group. We always feel joy and comfort in His presence. In addition,seeking the Lord early in the morning individually before interrupting with the world is very precious and quality time.
  
'..those who seek me diligently find me' Prov 8:17 b

The blessings of seeking the Lord, first in the morning: 
  1. Our Lord's care for us:

• 'What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning..' Job 7:17,18
• '..casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.' 1Peter 5:7
• ' Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Matth 11:28
• Sometimes we may feel lonely and no one to care and understand us. But our Father cares for us all the time. As He cares for us, let us share all our anxieties to him early then we feel relaxed and comforted for that day.

2. Our Lord's steadfast love for us:

• 'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.' Lamen 3:22,23
• 'Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.' Psa 143:8
• 'Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.'     Psa 90:14
• '..everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.' Eccle 3:13 
• Psalms 136 mentions about the steadfast love in the whole chapter.
• Paul has mentioned grace in finishing of each letters.
• Our Bible has last verse as 'The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen ' Rev 22:21

3. Our Lord's help for us:

• 'God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;God will help her when morning dawns.'      Psalm 46:5
• Many times we are looking for help from the human beings and getting tired.But our help comes from the Lord who is the maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1

4. Our Lord hears our prayers:

• 'O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.' Psalm 5:3
• He looks into our hearts.

People who seeked the Lord in the morning, from the Bible
Jesus Christ

• 'And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.' Mark 1:35
• '..all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple' Luke 21:38
• Eventhough Jesus is the Lord, He showed us to pray early in the morning.

Moses

• The Lord said to Moses," ..Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.Moses  rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him. Exo 34:2,3
• Moses obeyed the Lord.He saw the Lord and heard His words.
• Let us prepare ourselves to spend time with God early in the morning.
• As the Lord asked Moses not to graze flocks nearby,let us not be diverted with our surroundings like phonecalls, internet devices, work in the kitchen...
• Thus the apt time for individual prayer is to pray early morning before we go into the world for work. We can talk to the Lord and we can understand His heart's burden and concern.

David

• 'O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you..' Psal 63:1
• Even though David was a king, He sought the Lord early in the morning. He loved to dwell in the presence of the Lord more than any other worldly pleasures.
• ' Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre!I will awake the dawn!' Psa 57:8
• 'But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.' Psa 59:16
• 'About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened.' Acts 16:25,26
• Let us also seek the Lord early in the morning
• Let us sing and praise His name.
• We will be strengthened and feel our burdens lighter. Also the Lord will use us to carry others burden and make us a blessings to many for His glory.
• 'In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,and his children will have a refuge' Pro 14:26

Memory verse:
 Deuteronomy 33:29
'Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph!'

Shared by sis.Hepzibah Ravindran

3-18-2015