2. We must look up after our prayers.
C. We Must Look Up
1. We must look up in our prayers, as those who speak to one above us—infinitely above us—the high and holy One who inhabits eternity. We must look up as those who expect every good and perfect gift to come from above, from the Father of lights. In prayer, we must look up as those who desire to enter into the holiest and to draw near with a true heart. With an eye of faith, we must look beyond the world and everything in it. We must look beyond the things of time. For what is this world, and all things here below, to one who has learned to place the right value on spiritual blessings in heavenly places through Jesus Christ?
The spirit of a person at death goes upward (Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? - Ecclesiastes 3:21), for it returns to God who gave it. Therefore, as mindful of its origin, it must look upwards in every prayer—towards its God, towards its eternal home—as one whose affections are set on things above, where it has laid up its treasure.
Let us, then, in prayer, lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens (Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens - Lamentations 3:41. In ancient times, it was customary in some churches for the minister to exhort the congregation to pray by saying, Sursum Corda (Lift up your hearts). Let us likewise say, Unto thee, O Lord, do we lift up our souls.
2. We must look up after our prayers.
a. With an eye of satisfaction and
pleasure.
Looking up is a sign of cheerfulness, just as looking down is a sign of melancholy. We must look up as those who, having referred ourselves to God in prayer, are at ease and well-pleased, trusting entirely in His wisdom and goodness, and patiently waiting for the outcome. When Hannah had prayed, she looked up and was no longer downcast: She went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad (1 Samuel 1:18. Prayer brings peace to the heart of a faithful Christian; and after we have prayed, we should look up as those who, by God's grace, have found this peace.
b. With an eye of observation.
We must look to see what answers God gives to our prayers. We must look up as one who, having shot an arrow, watches to see how close it comes to the target. We should look within ourselves and observe the state of our hearts after prayer—how well they are aligned with God's will and how ready they are to accept and adapt to it. We should also look around us to see how God's providence is working in our circumstances. If our prayers are answered, we should return with thanksgiving; if not, we should identify and remove any hindrances and continue to wait on Him.
We must take our position on the watchtower, as it were, to see what God will say to us (I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me - Habakkuk 2:1) and be prepared to listen to His voice (I will hear what God the Lord will speak - Psalm 85:8). We should expect that God will give us an answer of peace, resolving not to return to folly. This is how we
maintain communion with God, confident that whenever we lift up our hearts to Him, He will lift up the light of His countenance upon us. Sometimes the answer comes swiftly: While they are yet speaking, I will hear (Isaiah 65:24)—faster than any earthly post can deliver a response. But if the answer is delayed, we must patiently wait after we have prayed.
Let us learn to direct our prayers in this way, and to look up after them. Let us draw near to God in every act of devotion, making it a matter of the heart—otherwise, we achieve nothing. Let us not remain in the outer court of worship when we are both commanded and encouraged to enter within the veil.
II. For the second point, the particular time appointed in the text for this good work is the morning. The Psalmist seems to emphasise this: in the morning, and again, in the morning. Not that we should pray in the morning only, but that we should begin with it. Let the morning be one of the appointed hours of prayer. Under the law, we find that every morning a lamb was offered in sacrifice (The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning - Exodus 29:39), and every morning the priest burned incense (And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning - Exodus 30:7). The singers also stood every morning to give thanks to the Lord (And to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord - 1 Chronicles 23:30). Similarly, in Ezekiel's temple, it was ordained that offerings would be made every morning (Thou shalt prepare a burnt offering unto the Lord every morning - Ezekiel 46:13-15). These practices clearly signify that spiritual sacrifices should be offered by God's people every morning, as consistently as the morning comes. Every Christian should pray in private, and every head of a household should pray with their family, morning by morning—and for good reason.
A. The morning is the first part of the day,
and it is fitting that He who is first should
have the first and be served first.
The heathen themselves recognised this principle, saying, A Jove Principium (literally, "Begin with God"). Whatever we do, we should begin with God. The world had its beginning from Him, as did we, and so it is right that whatever we begin, we include Him in it. From the moment reason begins to dawn in the soul, our days should be devoted to God and spent in His service. From the womb of the morning, thou hast the dew of thy youth (Psalm 110:3). The firstfruits were always to belong to the Lord, as were the firstlings of the flock. Through morning and evening prayer, we give glory to Him who is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. He must be at the beginning and the end of our day, the beginning and the end of our night, for He is the beginning and the end—the first cause and the ultimate purpose.
Wisdom has said: Those that seek me early shall find me (Proverbs 8:17)—early in life, early in the day. By doing so, we give God the priority He deserves over everything else. This shows our concern to please Him, to present ourselves approved to Him, and to seek Him diligently. The Bible often describes earnestness as doing something early: I will early destroy all the wicked of the land (Psalm 101:8). Those who are industrious rise early. David demonstrated the fervour of his devotion when he said, O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee (Psalm 63:1).
B. In the morning, we are refreshed,
renewed, and in the best condition.
After a night's rest, our spirits are revived, and it is as though we are living a new life. The exhaustion of the previous day is forgotten. While the God of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps, when He acts mightily on behalf of His people, He is described as waking like one out of sleep: Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine (Psalm 78:65). If we are ever at our best, it is in the morning. Thus, it has become a saying: Aurora Musis Amica ("The morning is a friend to the Muses"). If the morning is a friend to the muses, inspiring creativity, how much more should it be a friend to the graces, inspiring devotion? Just as He who is first should have the first, so He who is best should have the best. When we are at our most alert and capable, we should devote ourselves to what is most important.
Worshipping God is work that requires the best faculties of the soul, offered when they are at their best. Such work is worthy of our best efforts, and it yields the greatest return. David said, Let all that is within me bless his holy name (Psalm 103:1)—and even that is barely enough. If there is any gift within us by which God may be glorified, the morning is the most fitting time to stir it up: Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee (2 Timothy 1:6). When our spirits are refreshed and renewed, we should say with the Psalmist, Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early (Psalm 57:8,). Then let us rouse ourselves to take hold of God.
C. In the morning, we are most free from
company and business
In the morning, we typically have the best opportunity for solitude and quietness—unless, of course, we are among those sluggards who lie in bed, saying, "A little sleep, a little slumber," until the demands
of their daily work drag them up with the rebuke, "How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?" It is wise for those who have much to do in the world, and hardly a moment to themselves during the day, to set aside time in the morning, before the busyness of the day takes over, for the business of their faith. In doing so, they are wholly present for it and can give it their full attention.
As we should aim to worship God when we are least burdened by inner deadness and dullness, so also should we worship Him when we are least distracted by external interruptions and diversions. The apostle encourages us to attend upon the Lord without distraction (1 Corinthians 7:35). That is why one day in seven—the first day of the week, which is the morning of the week—has been set apart for holy work, as a day of rest from other labours. When Abraham went to worship God on the mountain, he left all distractions at the foot of the hill. Similarly, in the morning, let us draw near to God and tend to the matters of eternity before becoming entangled in the affairs of this life. Our Lord Jesus has given us an example of this. His days were filled with public ministry for God and the souls of people, so He rose early in the morning, a great while before day, and went to a solitary place to pray before anyone came to Him (Mark 1:35).
D. In the morning, we have received fresh
mercies from God, which we are called to
acknowledge with thankfulness and
praise.
God continually blesses us, daily loading us with His benefits. Every day we have reason to bless Him, for every day He blesses us— particularly in the morning. Therefore, just as He daily bestows upon us the fruits of His favour, which are said to be new every morning
(Lamentations 3:23)—not because they are different from the day before but because they remain undeserved and continually needed —so should we daily offer Him expressions of our gratitude. Our devotion, like the fire on the altar, must also be new every morning (Leviticus 6:12).
If we have enjoyed a good night, do we not have a reason to go to the throne of grace to give thanks? How many mercies come together to make a good night! Consider the blessings that we often take for granted but are denied to others. Many have no place to lay their heads. Even our Saviour said, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. Yet we have homes to live in—peaceful and secure, perhaps even grand homes. We have beds to sleep in—warm, comfortable, perhaps even luxurious ones. We are not forced to wander in deserts, mountains, dens, or caves of the earth, as some of God's greatest saints were, of whom the world was not worthy.
Even those with beds may not have the liberty to lie down in them, being kept awake by the illness of loved ones or fear of enemies. But we have lain down without fear—there have been no alarms of war or persecution. Many lie down but cannot sleep, tossing and turning until dawn because of physical pain or mental anguish. Wearisome nights are appointed to them, and their eyes are held waking. But we have lain down and slept peacefully, undisturbed. Our sleep has been sweet and refreshing—a blessed pause in the midst of our cares and toils. It is God who gives sleep, as He gives it to His beloved.
Some lie down to sleep and never rise again; they sleep the sleep of death, and their beds become their graves. But we have slept, awakened, and risen again, rested and refreshed. We shake ourselves and carry on as usual because the Lord hath sustained us (Psalm
3:5). Without His sustaining hand, we would have sunk under the weight of our own mortality as soon as we fell asleep.
Have we a pleasant morning? Is the light sweet to us—the light of the sun, the light of our eyes? Do these bring joy to our hearts? And should we not acknowledge our debt to Him who opens our eyes and brings forth the morning light upon us? Have we clothes to put on in the morning, garments to keep us warm (How thy garments are warm - Job 37:17)? Do we have a change of clothing—not only for necessity but also for adornment?
These blessings come from God. It is His wool and flax that cover our nakedness, and the morning, when we dress ourselves, is the appropriate time to thank Him for it. Yet I suspect we do not do this as consistently as we give thanks for our food when we sit at our tables, though we have just as much reason to do so. Are we healthy and at ease? Have we enjoyed such blessings for a long time? We should be thankful for the constant flow of mercies, just as much as for specific instances of them—especially when we consider how many others are sick and in pain, and how much we ourselves have deserved to suffer.
Perhaps we have experienced a special mercy, either personally or within our families—protection from fire or thieves, from dangers we were aware of, and countless more unseen. Perhaps we endured weeping for a night, but joy came in the morning, calling us to acknowledge God's goodness. Perhaps the destroying angel has passed through, and the arrow that flies by night, which brings desolation in the darkness, has entered others' homes, yet our houses have been spared. Thanks be to God for the blood of the covenant sprinkled on our doorposts, and for the ministry of His holy angels, through whom we have been preserved from the malice of the evil
angels. These rulers of the darkness of this world may creep forth like beasts of prey when God makes it dark. To the God of the angels belongs all the glory.
E. In the morning, we have fresh opportunities to reflect on God's
greatness and glory.
We should not only take note of the gifts of God's bounty that we personally benefit from—small and self-centred minds stop there— but also of the broader displays of His wisdom and power in the world. These bring honour to His name and contribute to the common good of creation. Psalm 19 appears to be a morning meditation, guiding us to see how the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. We are encouraged not only to appreciate the light and warmth we receive from the heavens but also to praise Him who stretched them out like a curtain, fixed their foundations, and established their laws, by which they continue to this day. They are all his servants. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge, proclaiming the eternal power and divine nature of the great Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
The regular and predictable succession of light and darkness, as established in the original creation and covenant, reminds us of God's promise to Noah: While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (Genesis 8:22). It also affirms God's covenant with day and night: If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season… (Jeremiah 33:20).
In the morning, look up and observe how the day-spring knows its place and time and holds them precisely. See how the morning light takes hold of the ends of the earth and transforms the air as clay to the seal—instantly receiving its impressions (Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days? - Job 38:12-14). I was particularly struck by the words of a faithful minister who, in thanking God for the mercies of the morning, said: How many thousand miles has the sun travelled during the night to bring the morning light to us poor, sinful creatures, who justly deserve to remain buried in the darkness!
Look up and behold the sun, as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, richly adorned and full of joy, rejoicing as a strong man to run a race. Consider how bright its beams are, how sweet its warmth, how powerful its influence. If there is no speech or language where the voice of these natural preachers is not heard, how tragic it would be if there were places where the voices of God's worshippers are not heard in response! Let their praise echo the testimony of the heavens, ascribing glory to Him who causes the morning and evening to rejoice. Whatever others may do, let Him hear our voices praising Him in the morning, as we direct our hearts and worship to Him.
F. In the morning, we should have fresh
thoughts of God and sweet meditations on His name, and these should be offered
up to Him in prayer.
Have we, like David, remembered God upon our beds and meditated on Him in the night watches? When we wake, can we say, as David did, We are still with God? If so, we have a wonderful reason to approach the throne of grace. With the words of our mouths, we can
offer up to God the meditations of our hearts, and this will be to Him a sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour. If our hearts have been inditing a good matter, let our tongues be as the pen of a ready writer to pour it out before God (Psalm 45:1).
We have the Word of God to engage with, and we should read a portion of it every morning. Through it, God speaks to us, and we are called to meditate on it day and night. When we do this, it will direct us to the throne of grace and give us countless good reasons to pray. If God, by His grace, directs His Word to our hearts in the morning, that will prompt us to direct our prayers to Him in response.
G. In the morning, we must also reflect on
the sinful and vain thoughts that may
have occupied our minds during the
night.
This is why it is necessary to come to God in prayer each morning to ask for His forgiveness. The Lord's Prayer seems particularly suited for the morning, as we are taught to pray for our daily bread this day. Yet even in the morning, we are also to pray, Father, forgive us our trespasses. Just as the busyness of the day exposes us to guilt through careless words and actions, so too do the quiet hours of the night make us vulnerable to sin through our corrupt imaginations and the wanderings of an unsanctified, ungoverned mind. It is true that the thought of foolishness is sin (Proverbs 24:9). Foolish thoughts are sinful thoughts—the first-born of the old nature, the beginnings of all sin.
How many vain thoughts lodge within us, no matter where we lay our heads? Their name is legion, for they are many. Who can
understand these errors? They are more than the hairs of our head. We read of those who work evil upon their beds because they devise it there, and when the morning is light, they practise it (Micah 2:1). How often, during the night, is the mind disquieted with anxious and distrustful thoughts? How often is it polluted by unchaste or lustful thoughts, intoxicated by proud and ambitious thoughts, or soured with malicious and vengeful thoughts? Even at best, our minds are often distracted from devout and pious meditations by countless irrelevant concerns. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, and these lie down with us and rise with us, for they flow naturally from the corrupt fountain we carry within us wherever we go. As Ecclesiastes warns, in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities (Ecclesiastes 5:2).
How can we dare to go about our day without first renewing our repentance for the sins we commit nightly as well as daily? Should we not confess to the One who knows the thoughts of our hearts— confessing their wanderings, their rebellion, and their constant inclination to backslide? Should we not cry out to Him about our wayward and disobedient hearts, seeking peace in the blood of Christ and asking Him to forgive even the sinful thoughts of our hearts?
We cannot safely enter the business of the day while still bearing the guilt of unrepented or unpardoned sin.
H. In the morning, we are preparing ourselves for the work of the day and are
therefore compelled to seek God in prayer for His presence and blessing.
We are invited and encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace —not only to ask for mercy to pardon what we have done wrong, but also to seek grace to help in every time of need. And when is it not a time of need for us? Therefore, what morning should pass without morning prayer? We read of the duty of every day required (Ezra 3:4), and in light of this, we should go to God every morning to pray for the gracious direction of His providence concerning us and the gracious work of His Spirit within us.
If we have families to care for and provide for, let us begin every morning by committing them to God in prayer. By placing them under the guidance and governance of His grace, we effectively place them under the care and protection of His providence. Holy Job rose early in the morning to offer burnt offerings on behalf of his children, and we should likewise rise early to offer prayers and supplications for them according to the number of them all (Job 1:5). In doing so, we bring God's blessing to rest on our households.
If we are preparing to engage in the business of our daily callings, let us first look to God for the wisdom and grace to manage these tasks well, with a heart that fears Him and abides in Him. Then, in faith, we can ask Him to bless and prosper our efforts, to strengthen us for the work, to sustain us through the weariness it may bring, to guide our plans, and to grant us joy in the fruits of our labours. If we are embarking on a journey, let us look to God for His presence to go with us, and let us be careful not to go anywhere that we cannot, in good faith, ask Him to accompany us.
If we anticipate opportunities to do good or to receive good, let us pray for God's help to make the most of them. Let us ask Him to give us the desire, wisdom, skill, and courage to use these opportunities wisely, so that they do not become a price in the hand of a fool—
wasted and unprofitable. Each day also brings its temptations; some we may foresee, but many more may take us by surprise. This is why we must earnestly ask God to ensure that we are not led into temptation, but rather protected against every one of them. Whatever company we may enter, let us pray for the wisdom to do good to others and avoid causing harm—and to gain good from them without being harmed ourselves.
We do not know what a day may bring. When we wake in the morning, we have little idea of what news we may hear or what events may unfold before nightfall. Therefore, we should seek God's grace to sustain us through both the duties and the difficulties we cannot foresee, as well as those we anticipate. We should pray for strength to meet the day's challenges, trusting that as the day is, so shall thy strength be. We will discover that sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (Matthew 6:34). Thus, it is foolish to worry about tomorrow's events, but wise to focus on today's duties. Let us pray that the supplies of God's grace will be sufficient for today's needs, equipping us fully for every good word and deed, and fortifying us against every evil one.
Let us resolve to think, speak, and act throughout the day in such a way that, come nightfall, we will have no regrets. Let us aim to avoid doing or saying anything for which we may later wish we could undo or unsay.
For Application
First, let this word remind us of our omissions, for omissions are sins and will come under judgment. How often has our morning worship been either neglected entirely or performed carelessly? Either the work has not been done at all, or it has been done