One such historical figure was William Wilberforce (1759–
1833), English philanthropist and abolitionist, who was
devoted to long, quiet hours alone with God. E. M. Bounds
shared a letter that Wilberforce wrote to his son:
Let me implore you not to be seduced into neglecting, curtailing, or
hurrying over your morning prayers. Of all things, guard against
neglecting God in the prayer closet. There is nothing more fatal to
the power of religion. More solitude and earlier hours—prayer three
times a day, at least. How much better might I serve if I cultivated a
closer communion with God! 9These words were written by a powerful political leader who
was committed to God in all ways. As one whose days and
nights were spent valiantly fighting to abolish slavery in
England, Wilberforce’s words reveal the source of his
relentless ability to fight against evil in his culture: the morning
hour.
I believe the morning hour alone with God is still the
foundation of strength and power for any man or woman who
is compelled to take up a just and noble cause.
God talks to you at any time of any day. But in the morning,
as Isaiah the prophet discovered, “The Sovereign Lord has
given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains
the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear
to listen like one being taught” (50:4).