In The Morning When I Rise by Pastor Steven

IN THE MORNING, AS I RISE

By Rev. Steven Lamb

For those of you actively listening to the sermon on Sunday mornings, you will remember I have been giving you different prayers or statements or meditations to utilize when you first wake up for the day.

What is it that you do when your eyes first open in the morning?

Hit the snooze button – again and again and again.

Grumble that it is morning.

Stumble from the bed and right into your morning routine.

Check the phone.

Check the news.

Check the weather.

Start the coffee.

Quickly eat breakfast.

Out the door.

All without thought and still half asleep.

One of my favorite hymns is “Give Me Jesus” – an old, African American Spiritual that has been adapted to more modern music. But the words and the attitude stay the same.

In the morning when I rise

In the morning when I rise

In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus

Give me Jesus

You can have all this world, but give me Jesus.

The heart of this song continues to talk about "when I am alone, give me Jesus." The song concludes with, "when I come to die, just give me Jesus." "You can have all this world, just give me Jesus."

On Sunday, March 12, I challenged those in worship to print out the words of Samuel and speak them out loud before you say or do anything else after you open your eyes in the morning.

2 Samuel 22:3

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent people you save me.

It’s all about gratitude. Put this text in your purse or billfold. Put this text on the mirror of your car. Place it where you will see it several times each day.

Your Jewish friends, neighbors, and family are raised from birth to say the מוֹדֶה אֲנִי – modeh ani. Every morning. Seven days a week. BEFORE they even sit up in bed for the first time of the day.

“I give thanks to You, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.”

When you state the words in English from the original Hebrew, you find it is puts the "me" first. The Hebrew words are actually saying, “(modeh) thank you, (ani) I.”

Although that is the structure of the Hebrew language, it is important to note I am actually giving gratitude and thanksgiving to Father BEFORE even mentioning myself. The English translation loses that understanding and places "me" before anything else.

The word modeh can also be translated as “admit” or “surrender.” What happens when you have that mindset in your first words and first thoughts for of the day.

Thank. By thanking Father, you are putting your emotional, physical, and spiritual self into an attitude of blessing. You realize your life is a gift and you should live it differently each moment of each day.

Admit. To admit something is to acknowledge something and in this case, you are acknowledging to Father your gratitude for the gift of life and the gift of the mission work for the day. Admit you have made mistakes in the past, but today is a new blessing for you to live as close to the Savior as possible.

Surrender. You and I need to recognize that there is something bigger than ourselves. WHAT?!? Yes, Father created you. Father loves you. Father protects you. Father guides you. Father sent His only Son to live and die for YOU. Surrender is an attitude of gratitude that says, “I am NOT taking for granted the day You have blessed me with.”

Now that you have thanked, admitted, and surrendered . . . only now can you bring yourself into focus because now you have placed the Rock of Salvation under your feet. Now you have something to stand on for the day. Now, you are ready to sit up and crawl out of bed.

I challenge you to write down the words to the modeh ani and reach for them every morning before you get out of bed. Do not write it as a text or note on your phone because the temptation is there to see other distraction before you give thanks. Write it in letters that are big enough for you to see with eyes that have not yet adjusted to being open.

With these words and this prayer on your lips and in your heart and mind, you can get out of bed and start that new day watching for where God will manifest Himself to you. God moments, we call them. And who doesn't want a day full of unexpected God moments.

I can’t wait to hear your stories of the new blessings you realize through this attitude of grattitude.

Pastor Steve

. . . . In the morning when I rise . . . Just Give Me JESUS!