Monday, January 7, 2008

Morning

Is anyone other than me a morning person? I love the early morning time and I usually don't have any trouble getting myself up at 5:45 on weekdays. I even wake up early on Saturdays and I love getting up and having the house so quiet while I drink my coffee and read the Bible or read/write blogs. Don't misunderstand me, I haven't quite gotten myself disciplined enough that I am able to always read my Bible before going to work each morning. I am working on that; but I can write this post today because I had enough time this morning to actually read my Bible before having to leave for work. I really want to get to the point where I do it every morning before leaving the house, but it will take a lot of self-discipline on my part.

As I was opening my Bible to read in the book of Matthew, a verse I had underlined in red (in the Psalms) caught my attention. It said, "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." I like that it mentions praying to God in the morning. But I wonder.....after I present my requests to the Lord in prayer, do I really wait in expectation? What does it mean to wait in expectation? Some might say that it means to expect God to answer the prayer the way I want it to be answered. But I think it means that after I present my requests to God, that I know He has heard me and I trust Him with the outcome to be in His sovereign will. And because I know that He will do what is best for me, then I can wait in expectation of seeing God's will worked out in my life. That's totally my own interpretation. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this verse.

The Bible I use at home for my Bible study is one that I would recommend for anyone who wants to dig a little deeper as they read, or for someone who might need a little help with clarifying some of the verses. It's called the Life Application Bible, and mine is in the New International Version. It's really big and thick because there are a lot of footnotes that go with a lot of the verses. I don't take this one to church with me because it's pretty heavy for carrying, but it is perfect for home use when you really want to study the Bible.

**Please see my comment section**

But I cry to you for help, O Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you. Psalm 88:13

15 comments:

Kay Day said...

I completely agree with your interpretation of that verse.
(I can't spell)
And I am totally NOT a morning person!

Stylin said...

Hi Kathy,
Yesterday we discovered something in Bible Study,me and a friend (both)were using NIV and we realised that we did not have Matthew 18 vs 11 !
I am not a morning person too!!!

Kathy said...

Kay, oh good, that makes me feel better if someone agrees with me. I didn't know if I was off base or what. Thanks!

Frasypoo, oh my...I didn't know that but mine doesn't have it either. In fact, I googled "New International Version Matthew 18:11" and came up with a lot of websites that are totally against this version. There are other verses missing from the NIV also and it's something I really want to look into further. Thanks for telling me. I may need to find a different translation to read.

Kathy said...

I think everyone needs to maybe do some research about what translation of the Bible to use. I'm sure going to do that because of just finding out that some verses have been left out of the NIV and some other things are different.

Amel said...

Unfortunately I'm NOT a morning person at all, just like Kay and Frasy he he he...

I think I also agree on your interpretation, Kathy, because sometimes (or a lot of times) God doesn't answer it the way we want it to be answered. :-))))

sister sheri said...

Phillipians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Last year, I finally realized that this verse did NOT say that God would ANSWER our requests, but that He would give us "the peace of God" after presenting our requests. Isn't it great that God gives us the ability to wait expectantly? We just need to ask!

I agree that we need to be aware of the version of the Bible we are reading. We also must be aware of why certain versions have decided to include/exclude certain versions. They may also have done research that we have not done.

You're always so thought provoking, Kathy. Thanks!

Sandi said...

Kathy,
I have to say I am a morning person and I love it. But at night don't ask me to think and do much work my brain is going to sleep mode by then

bp said...

I'm not a morning person. Once I get going I'll be okay but I prefer not to get going too early!

I agree with you on that verse. It made me think of just leaving the requests at His feet, totally having faith that He'll answer it.

Pilgrim said...

Put me in the morning person category. I'm usually up between 3 and 4:30 AM every monrning. I know , it's nuts.

Finding time to read the Word is tough. I find it can become a habit though if I discipline myself a number of days in a row. It becomes routine until a distraction hits then I fall off the wagon and have to start all over again.

Nina said...

NOT a morning person, wish I was!
BTW, I replied to your latest comment on my blog.
I hope we're still friends!!

Liquid said...

And I agree too, Kathy with your interpritation. I feel it is about our faith in Him.

Nice to visit with you this morning. {{{{YAWN}}}}

:)

Stylin said...

Hi Kathy
I am planning to discuss this with our SS teacher!!!I am a King James Person anyway so I will probably go back!!!

Juliana said...

hmmm...for me i wake up around 7 o'clock everyday :D

Anonymous said...

Kathy,

I can hear your struggle with the dance of the empty nester!

We miss them, we miss our empty nest, me miss them. And so it goes.

It is a roller coaster of emotional management. I just posted an article about it on my blog. I hope you find it of interest.

With gratitude...

Sindi said...

Kat,
I too believe that it has to do with our faith, but with how much faith we have that He will grant us our requets. I also favor the KJV the best. I always believed in the saying that older is better:)