Early starts for more time with God

ABOVE PHOTO BY ARI VITIKAINEN

My quiet times these past years have been extremely important in rediscovering intimacy with God, far better than anything experienced in the last 20 years. This has also positively impacted my relationships with my wife and boys, along with my relationships with children and staff at school.

This began about three years ago when I started waking very early each morning, anywhere between 3 am to 5 am.

At first it was quite annoying and tiring. However I soon realised that this new waking time gave me the luxury of totally uninterrupted time with the Lord, something I hadn’t had for a long time.

Slowly, a routine formed: first a coffee, then reading my Bible, filling out my prayer diary and finally, praying.

It’s been fascinating seeing how having hours instead of minutes to reflect on a Bible verse or chapter allows deeper self examination and awareness of biblical and world trends. Instead of feeling rushed or overwhelmed with daily schedules, I now have time: time to talk, pace the floor in prayer, argue with God or just call out about deep issues of home or work.

This new habit has also given me time to meditate and work through the structure and activities of a new venture with Wycliffe: establishing a retreat for stressed church workers and missionaries. We’ve felt this idea was absolutely God’s doing, but without the early morning times with God, much of this would never have been realised.

About the Author: James Ziersch, Special Education Teacher, Black Forest Academy (Germany). Find out more