In the Morning Hour

King David wrote and recorded many of his intimate and
personal conversations with God. In Psalm 5:3 he wrote, “In the
morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my
requests before you and wait in expectation.”

Why the morning? Any businessperson, educator,
corporate executive, or parent knows the secret of the morning
—it remains the most uninterrupted time of your day. Others
are sleeping. The technology hasn’t begun transmitting. Nor
have your companions, employees, or family members
awakened to make specific requests for your time. It’s quiet!
Andrew Murray, prolific writer on the secret to spending
time alone with God, dedicated his book The Inner Life to the
“morning watch.” He wrote,

Consider the morning watch now as the means to this great end: I

want to secure absolutely the presence of Christ for the entire day,

to do nothing that can interfere with it. I feel that my success for

the day will depend upon the clearness and the strength of faith that

seeks and finds and holds Him in the inner chamber.... Above

everything else, it is this fixed determination to secure Christ’s

presence that will overcome the temptation to be unfaithful or

superficial in the keeping of our pledge. It is this determination

which will make the morning watch itself a mighty means of grace

in strengthening character, and enabling us to say ‘No’ to every call

for self-indulgence.... The Christian who makes personal devotion

to Christ his watchword, will find in the morning hour that day by

day insight into his holy calling is renewed. 8

The “morning watch” was a significant habit for many of the
greatest Christian men and women from every century.