The Best 15 Minutes Of Your Day

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

Once, a woman complained to her friend about her son’s failure to write home from college. He was either too busy or unconcerned to write. The friend said, “I’ll show you how boys operate. I’ll get him to write home without even having to ask.” He wrote the boy a short letter stating how proud he was of him. He included $20 to spend anyway he liked but purposely forgot to include the money. In a matter of days, the friend received a letter thanking him for his concern. It also mentioned the money was missing.

All too often we communicate with those we say we love only for selfish reasons. The boy only wrote back to get the money, not to communicate out of love. He just wanted something out of the person, not the person. Talking to God only when you want something from Him is not a relationship. A lot of the times we seek God’s hand (what He can do for us) instead of his face (who He is). Psalm 27:8 says, “When you said, ‘Seek my face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek.’” Spending time with the Lord through studying His Scriptures and prayer is how we get to know Him.

Everyone’s day runs at a certain pace. At what pace is a typical day in your life like? Hectic? Out of control? Stable? Slow? The pace for your entire day is set during the first 15-20 minutes. Spending the first part of your day with the Lord is essential to setting the rest of your day up for success. We must invest the first moments of our day if we want a good return from it. Martin Luther was a man who valued quality time spent with the Lord. He said, “I am so busy now that if I did not spend two or three hours each day in prayer, I could not get through the day.” Many of us are overwhelmed by that amount of time spent on anything. Most are looking for 10-15 minutes extra, not 2-3 hours. Martin Luther knew the more pressure he was under, the more he needed to have time alone with God. Amount of time will come overtime. Ten minutes will grow into thirty before you know it but you have to start before it will grow. Nothing planted, nothing harvested.

Preparation is the key to success in anything. How you prepare for a test determines its result. How you prepare for a trip ensures its enjoyment. How you prepare for the day in front of you determines its outcome as well. When David prayed in Psalm 5:1-3, he fully expected God to act. We must spend time with God expecting Him to act. Giving Him the first part of your day expresses your faith in Him. We should not run to God like a kid with a Christmas list only. He is not a means to an end – He is the All-in-All! God does desire to know our dreams and passions, even our needs and wants, but He really just wants you. Jesus is waiting to talk to you and listen to you. He desires to spend time with you daily. What an amazing thought – we can have a daily appointment with the God of the universe.