Psalm 90:14 NLT

Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.

I’ve written previously of how some mornings I open my eyes to be immediately consumed with a sense of foreboding. As I have spoken with others, I’ve come to realise that I am not alone in this. My own approach is to remain in bed and use those first wakeful minutes to focus on God. I usually turn to the Jesus Prayer and centre myself. Slowly the sense of foreboding moves from the forefront to the back of my mind. This is a positive step, for when I fail to address it my whole day can be lived beneath its shadow.

Here the psalmist appeals to God to be his satisfaction each morning. Learning to become attentive to and aware of God in each moment of each day is the goal of every disciple. That awareness directs my steps along God’s paths of righteousness and assists my attempts to avoid the pitfalls of failing God and in so doing, failing myself. Yet, developing an acute awareness is a challenge. Starting the day, before even setting one foot out of bed, with God is an excellent preparation for living a God-aware life. There is so much distraction with our daily responsibilities as well as the turmoil of our inner thoughts and emotions. The first action for many people each day is to look at their smartphone!

Learning to tune into God can only ever be beneficial. This is what Jesus describes as seeking first God’s kingdom (Matthew 6:33). The challenge is to move away from allowing the pressures of life dictate both mood and behaviour. It is choosing to seize the initiative and determining how I will show up in my world and imposing God’s rule within my time/space experience.

QUESTION: How does your average day begin?

PRAYER: I want to turn to you and feed off your love and grace before stepping into my day. Help me find a routine to become God-aware from my first thought.