praying in the morning

I WANT TO SHARE THIS WITH U: PRAYING IN THE EARLY MORNING
“I love them that love me, and those that seek me early find me.” Proverbs 8:17 (KJV)

I - INTRODUCTION

The early morning is when the dew falls, moistening and fertilizing the earth as a refreshment for the dry ground. Seeds will receive water to bloom and be fruitful. It’s the beginning of a new day that’s still quiet. All are sleeping and it is calm. The birds begin to sing, announcing that the night has passed and the sun will soon shine.

II – PATH IN THE DESERT:

In the desert, the manna fell along with the dew in the early morning. Numbers 11:7-9.

The people were fed by this manna as they walked through the desert towards Canaan. God sent it to them every day in the early morning. The people had to gather the manna in the morning before the sun came up or else the manna would melt in the heat of the sun’s rays. Ex. 16:21.

Therefore they collected their daily portions early so that it would be preserved. The food they collected would be used over the course of that day. When the sun shone, the manna in the field melted. The sun speaks of the heat of our daily struggles and the work and fatigue that many times surrounds us. Because of this, we need a provision that allows us to remain in constant fellowship.

We encounter the Lord in the early morning (” those who seek me early find me”) and this is a promise made to us in the Word. The church walks in the desert, a dry land, on the way to the heavenly Jerusalem, but along the way there is refreshment, shade for the heat of the day, light during the night, and food to sustain the tired soul.

It was imperative that Israel sought the manna every day. They had to work with the food that they collected to prepare it to be eaten. Numbers 11:7-9.

The manna was like coriander seed and it was the color of bdellium [1], which is a crystal from a white rock.

The people collected the manna and ground it in hand mills or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes, and it had the taste of something made with honey or fresh oil. Exodus 16:31, Numbers 11:7.

The manna in the desert speaks of the Lord Jesus, the Bread of Life. He was crushed for us and by his stripes we are healed. His suffering and pain brought us peace. Jesus, the son of God and the lion of the tribe of Judah, became flesh and lived in our midst. Through his sacrifice we know the sweetness of his love (Judges 14:18), and the joy of the Holy Spirit. The cakes with the flavor of honey speak of the Lord Jesus and the fresh oil of the Holy Spirit. This is the food that we receive in the early morning. Just like the manna in the desert sustained the life of the people, Jesus, the Bread of Life, sustains our spiritual lives.

III - NEED

We feel the most need to seek God in the early morning when we are afflicted.

Psalm 78:34 - “Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.”

IV – AFFLICTION

Hosea 5:15 - “Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me. ”

V - SECRET

Seeking in the early morning has surprising results.

“It’s a secret of My work” – and the secret is the manna in the desert, the revelation, the presence of Jesus, the Bread that comes from the Father and is of the Holy Spirit (Hallelujah! Glory to God!)

Jesus, the manna in the desert, is the secret!

VI – BREAD THAT COMES FROM THE FATHER

The fruit of seeking in the early morning is food that is complete, nutritious, and sweet like honey. It gives us the joy of the Holy Spirit, the fresh oil. Its food for our souls and the fulfillment of a promise: ” those who seek me find me.” If we seek the Lord, we will find him, because his promises do not fail.

VII - PRACTICE

We seek heavenly bread in the early morning. It is our daily portion, personalized and exact. Each one collects what he can eat: nothing more, nothing less, only the exact measure. Collecting more speaks of anxiety, of seeking in anxiety when we are afflicted, without knowing the Lord’s rest. We need to remember that the mercies of the Lord are new every morning. Collecting less speaks of negligence and a lack of interest. The exact portion is the one that is sought with wisdom.

VIII – CONCLUSION – WHEN IS THE OBJECTIVE REACHED?

There came a time when the manna ceased. The people had reached the promised land of Canaan, the land of milk and honey. They were going to enjoy the fruits of the land. One day we will arrive at the heavenly Jerusalem, the promised land, where we will enjoy the presence of the Lord in its fullness. We will be in a different place: one of glory, in eternity.