Two weeks have passed since I began the Firstfruits Challenge. When I began this challenge to wake up every morning and spend my first ten minutes with God, I didn’t even know what that looked like. Should I pray? Should I read Scripture? Which book of the Bible should I choose?
I decided to open up the book of Psalms and start reading. Some days I would read a chapter and then meditate on the words. Other days I would read a few verses and then spend time in prayer. Most days it was difficult to get up and get going, but I always felt good about the day after spending the first few minutes with God.
Overall, what I’m learning through this experience is that I feel grounded. After my quiet time with God, I stand on solid footing for the day ahead. When trials and difficult situations pop up, I am better equipped to handle them knowing that I’ve started my day with the One who gives me strength to handle each situation.
My daughter and I love to tackle the rock climbing wall at our local community center. It’s an amazing experience to climb the wall and feel the satisfaction of ringing the bell at the top. In order to ring the bell, we have to watch our footing and grab on to the solid rocks. If we didn’t have these rocks to use for leverage, we would never be able to scale that wall.
It’s the same way with our relationship with God. We need the firm foundation of His Word to use as footing while we scale the wall called “life.”
When I started this challenge, I expected my life to be turned upside down. I thought something radical might happen. Instead, I found stability. I found the firm footing on which I could start my day. I found that God is a God of consistency and strength.
There was one day when I did have a “light bulb moment.” This particular morning I was especially tired after a night of restless sleep. I decided I “deserved” to pray about my lack of sleep before I read the Bible. It was after I presented my request to God that I opened my Bible to Psalm 5 and read verses 1-3. Here’s what they said …
“Give ear to my words, O LORD,
consider my sighing.
Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.”
I was so excited that the Lord would hear my voice and listen to my requests in the morning! I was crying out to Him for help and I could wait with expectation. I felt like God was telling me it was okay to lay my requests before Him because He wants to help me. These verses showed me that He is a God of compassion. I’d be crazy not to spend the first minutes of my day with a God like that!
The Firstfruits Challenge continues. I figure if Someone wants to spend time with me in the morning, I’d better take advantage of it. I can use all the stable footing I can get!
If you want to know more, read Psalm 5.
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