Wake up, turn on coffee, get out devotional, check e-mail, make lunches for school, girls wake up, get breakfast made, dress girls, put away devotional with plans to read later in the day, take girls to school, and start the business that we call everyday life…

Isn’t this how so many of us start our day? With great ambitions for reading our devotional and having prayer time with the Lord? But other things creep in and put that time off, even by just minutes (i.e., checking e-mail, making lunches, etc.) And really they are crowding out that special time the Lord wants with us to start off our day with His Word in the forefront of our minds! “My voice you shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You and I will look up” (Psalm 5:3).

Being a mom of young ones, I am often woken up by the cry or little nudge of them crawling into my bed early in the morning. Then when the alarm goes off, we jump up, already thinking two steps ahead of all the things on the list to get done that particular day—or maybe even left over from the day before because of unforeseen circumstances. Well, at a time like this, when you hit the ground running without consulting the Lord first, who can keep track of all the things needed for the day or tasks to be done in order?

Oh, I’m sure there are a few of you really talented time-management women who think they have it under control, but really, who is in control? Not us! The Lord is always in control, and when we relinquish our lists and tasks to Him, they will always go much smoother than we could have done ourselves! The Bible says that your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths (see Proverbs 5:21).

I am not a “morning person,” and I do admit that I turn the coffee machine on before getting out my devotional, but I set my alarm earlier than I would plan to wake up and give the Lord the first of my morning. “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase” (Proverbs 3:9). Now this is talking about our tithing and giving our firsts to the Lord, but if this is true, why not mirror this principle with our time? Wake up and give your first time in the morning to the Lord. Spend your early morning time, before the rest of the house awakes, in prayer and meditation of His Word. Read your Bible and devotional so that you may gain the right perspective for your day.

With all of our daily business in this world, we need to carve out a time to be still in His Word and listen to what He will speak to us. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7 NIV). The Lord teaches us through His Word, and as a Christ-loving mom, I am always looking for His ways to raise up my children. Examples are found daily in His inspired words.

Now, the morning is not the only time you should meditate in His Word. I also love the time just before I fall asleep to meditate on what He has done for me that day or taught me, or to thank Him for all He has given me. And I find snippets in my day to open my Bible app on my phone and praise Him. But the most important time we will have in his Word is that time devoted to His Word. So I implore you to make that time in the morning, to have your quiet in the Lord’s presence, and see how He will use that time for your benefit.