What is Hidden in Your Daily Routine?

I recently read a quote that riveted me.  The statement was so simple, yet so potent that I had to ponder on it for a few days in order to digest it.

“The secret to your destiny is hidden in your daily routine.”

I realize that on the surface this is not a profound statement, but as I dug into it, I found a deep reservoir of wealth. 

Have you ever taken time to really evaluate the daily activities of your life that make up your routine?  It all begins with getting out of bed in the morning.  Do you get up early enough every morning to have adequate time to spend in the Word and prayer before running off for the day?  Do you give yourself enough time to get ready so your morning is not a chaotic whirlwind?  These first hours set the tone for your entire day and they are the secret to a great day.  Are you using those hours with wisdom? 

“In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.”  Psalm 5:3

“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.”  Isaiah 50:4

“I rise before dawn and cry out for help; I have put my hope in Your Word.”  Psalm 119:147

There are a number of Scriptures that speak of seeking the Lord in the morning.  I’ve heard many, many people throughout my life say, “I’m just not a morning person.”  I believe we should all work to train our bodies to be “morning” people.  As you read through Scriptures, you will find that God always speaks of morning as being a blessing for mankind.  There are many spiritual parallels to the blessings of morning as well. 

Have you ever stepped outside early in the morning?  There is something wonderful about morning that is not experienced at any other time of day.  There is a peacefulness and a freshness over all of God’s creation.  The birds sound different, the air feels different, and there seems to be a sense of expectation.  God created morning to be this way to bless us.  No wonder the Bible says His mercies are new every morning.  I believe that if we would take hold of the blessing of morning and use it to prepare our inner man for the day, as well as taking charge of our souls and bodies first thing in the morning, we’d find those secrets to our destiny.  We’d have more of the Word of God and presence of God to adjust other areas of our daily routine in order to reach our God-given destiny.

Get a plan of action together for getting up early enough to receive God’s blessing of morning.  Write it down.  Tell your spouse your plan of action, if you’re married, or find some other form of accountability if you’re not.  Include in your plan how you are going to handle interruptions or distractions.  If you tend to get phone calls early in the morning, stop answering them.  Your time with the Lord and your time preparing yourself for your day are your morning priorities.  Others can wait a little longer.  If you have children, begin to train them to not interrupt your time with the Lord in the morning.  If Susanna Wesley could do it, so can you.  With a large number of children all around her, she would simply pull her apron over her head and they understood that they were to be quiet and not disturb her while she prayed.  In addition to training them to not disturb you, they can be trained from a young age to spend time each morning seeking the Lord as well.  Teach them how to develop this into their daily routine in order to find the secrets of their destiny while they’re still young.