When Shall My Song Rise to Thee?

Are you a morning person? Does your soul swell in singing with the great hymn, "Early in the morning my song shall rise to Thee"?  If that is you, God bless you. That IS NOT me. I spent years living with a sense of

guilt because so many super saints were declaring the spirituality of rising :a great while before day" just like Jesus did. I always leaned to the fact that while all others went off, Jesus stayed in prayer into the night.

First of all, I stand firmly convinced that it does matter what time of day you set aside to meet with the Lord. I see no Biblical mandate for a certain time of day. For me, I believe it is more important that you give God your heart and attention. For some, that will not be at 5:30 am. Whether because of personality or life circumstances, arising early is just not an option. I mean, would God rather see me give Him undivided attention at 3 pm or give Him a sleepy, sluggish attempt at 6 am?

Second, I do not think that we need to separate our time with God to just one set time of day. Yes, that is an important discipline, but we must also be ready to walk with Him and pray without ceasing all throughout the day.

Sometimes we allow ourselves to be governed by the legalistic standards set by others. But it is crucial that we be directed by the Word of God in our relationship with Jesus. Legalistic standards can have the form of godliness - I mean, who can go against the words from such a hymn as "Holy, Holy, Holy"? Let the Spirit of God lead you according to the Word of God. Until you find a verse commanding that New Testament believers pray at a certain time of day, let the Lord direct you in setting your time with Him. Maybe that will be 5 am. Maybe that will be 4 pm. Maybe 10 pm. What matters is whether you are spending time with Jesus.