Awaken The Dawn

First Things First Taking time for prayer has had the very same effect on my day which has caused me to adopt this principle: I will get better mileage for my day if I will start with prayer. Some people find it more advantageous to pray at some other time of day, and this is certainly commendable.I dis- cussed this with our church elders (husbands and wives), and found that not everyone experienced the morning to be as easy and profitable for prayer as I have. One thing is certain: for a consistent prayer life, a conscientious and efficient management of time will be required, and find- ing any time at all for prayer will be a matter of setting priorities. Actually, we all have the right amount of time to do what God wants us to do, and we all have the same amount of time in a twenty-four-hour day. “One’s use and manage- ment of time depends upon one’s system of values.” says Paul Billheimer. “Whatever one deems of greatest impor- tance will have priority.” 3 I am simply saying that if a per- son truly wants to put first things first, why not consider making prayer the very first thing on the agenda? This approach has worked wonders for me! (2) Your prayer will become more dynamic. Start your day with God on your mind. What a beginning! Only, come open and expectant. Before the Lord, appear as a servant faces his master: fresh, eager, and ambitious to do what is bidden. I know what you’re thinking. My description is not exact- ly typical of the average person getting up in the morn- ing. I do know that feeling. In the beginning, I thought I was going to kill myself—missing so much sleep! Then it dawned on me: go to bed earlier; adjust television habits;

11