Simple Tricks To Help You Get Up For Your Quiet Time In The Morning
Okay, we’ve all been there. Every night, you swear that you’re going to wake up bright and early with the birds singing, open up your Bible, and have some sweet kumbaya time with Jesus.
You know that it’s crucial to have a quiet time. You know that it’s of the utmost importance to study the Bible. And you know for a fact that you need to up your prayer game.
So you declare that this time will be different. You will wake up. You will make God a priority. Hotheaded with fists pumped, you vow to be the girl who wakes up and spends time with Jesus.
But the a.m. rolls around and the alarm is screaming at you and, okay, maybe just this once you’ll hit snooze. You’ll definitely wake up on the next alarm. No biggie.
But those five minutes come way too fast, and you beg for five more.
And five more.
And five more.
You get the picture?
Hey, I’m not judging you. I’ve totally been there, too. It’s hard to wake up in the morning, especially if you’re not used to it.
I used to hate waking up in the morning. I literally had nine alarms set every morning, and I would wake up on the second to last (because the last one was only for emergencies). Side note: I’m proud to say I now have three [insert smug face here].
Anywho, as I mentioned in this post about my morning routine, God really started to challenge me to make Him a priority, so I decided to try to wake up a whole hour earlier to have my quiet time with Him. It was more like an experiment. I honestly didn’t think I could even do it, let alone keep it up.
Boy, let me tell you. It was one of the best decisions of my life.
I LOVE my mornings, and I LOVE waking up early and I LOVE spending time with God before I start my day…says the girl who used to loathe it.
And I’m positive that the same can be true for you if you’re intentional about it and do what works for you.
With that being said, here are a few things that have been game-changers for me.
(Also, you don’t have to have your quiet time in the morning. For years, I set aside 1.5 hours before I went to bed, and it worked fine. But since I started doing it in the morning, I will never go back. It completely changes my day, and I HIGHLY recommend you have yours in the morning, too.)
lay out everything you need the night before
This one is crucial. In the morning, my brain is foggy, and I need to get things done on autopilot. Having everything ready for me makes life 100x simpler and makes it so much easier to get out of bed. Seriously, making fewer decisions in the morning gives you more brain power to make the most important decision of all — waking up!
Things you might want to have ready:
Bible
Journal
Pens and highlighters
Concordance and commentary
Headphones
Coffee mug
Clothes to wear
drink water and turn on the light
As soon as your alarm goes off (or third alarm, in my case), reach over to your bedside table, and chug some water, baby! I’m telling you, this works every time. It will wake you up, rehydrate you, and get you moving. Also, immediately turn on the lights so that your brain will start waking up.
get yourself some coffee before you kill someone
If you’re a coffee person, go make yourself a cup. If you like tea, get some of that. Whatever.
I do this every now and then, and I love it. Sitting in the Word with a mug in my hand is bliss, and it makes me want to get up so that I can experience it.
get cozy
Make your space cozy! Grab some blankets and pillows and whatever else makes you comfortable. You want to make yourself look forward to spending time at God’s feet, and what better way to do that than making your Bible Study space the most comfortable place in the world? (Just make sure it’s not so comfortable that you fall asleep, haha!)
light a candle or start an essential oil diffuser
Again, I do this pretty often, and it really helps me. There’s something about using all of my senses in God’s presence that makes me feel, well, alive. And the prospect of feeling alive and experiencing that peace makes me crawl out of bed.
make a routine
If you have a set routine in the morning, you don’t have to make any decisions. You just go with the flow and let your brain click to autopilot mode. You’re also not scrambling around, trying to get a whole bunch of stuff done, and then either forget to have your quiet time or run out of time.
Make yourself a routine, and intentionally set aside time every day for your quiet time!
Also, while you’re at, make a Plan B routine in case you do end up hitting snooze (because it’s gonna happen every now and then!).
do something you love
Make yourself look forward to getting out of bed in the morning. You know when you were a kid and you sprung out of bed on Christmas in the wee, ungodly hours of the morning? Yeah, well, make everyday like Christmas.
Like coffee? Prepare your absolute favorite kind in your favorite mug.
Like to workout? Get some movement in before your quiet time.
Like to dance? Have a dance party as soon as your feet hit the floor.
Like to draw? Be creative with God’s Word, and draw it out.
Like nature? Go sit outside for your quiet time.
The options are endless, but the point is to do what works for you. What gets you fired up? What do you love? What will make you excited to get out of bed…most days?
DO THAT. God is the God of joy and laughter, and He wants you to enjoy your time with Him.
(P.S. Did you know that I teach you step-by-step how to study the Bible in depth AND make time with God a consistent and FUN part of your life, according to your schedule and your personality? Yep. It’s true. Check out the course here.)
make God a priority
We can utilize all the tips and tricks in the book, but when it comes down to it, only one thing will get you up and at it: making God a priority.
You see, when you decide in your heart that God is on the throne and that He comes before all else, including sleep, you will wake up. You will do whatever it takes, even sacrifice your nightlife to go to sleep earlier to be in His presence.
Can I ask you, friend, have you made God a priority? If not, I encourage you to go to God with that and ask Him how you can do that. Ask Him for help in setting aside time for Him and waking up to do it.
Your time with God is precious, and I firmly believe that it is the most important thing you will ever do with your life. Cherish it. Be intentional with it. And don’t ever, ever, ever, ever, ever take it for granted.