Jesus never rushed into His day.
Neither should you.
A Morning That Changed Everything
The first light came slow, like a secret.
I was sitting on the old bench out by the cedar grove—same spot where Joy and I watch the deer drift across the ridge some evenings. Coffee in hand. Bible open. The lake was quiet, still tucked under its blanket of morning mist. And in that stillness, I felt it—that heavy, holy weight that settles in when God draws near but says nothing.
I didn’t pray right away. I just breathed. Watched. Listened.
It had been a hard week. Too many burdens I couldn’t fix. And that morning, I didn’t need a theological pep talk or another to-do list. I needed to collapse into something stronger than me.
So I gave Jesus my silence first.
Then I gave Him my heart.
Before the World Demands You, Let God Steady You
Most people wake up and run straight into the world. Notifications. Newsfeeds. Deadlines. Noise.
But Jesus didn’t.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark,
Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” —Mark 1:35
The Son of God started His day in silence and surrender. Not because He was weak—but because He knew He needed communion before confrontation.
You and I need the same.
So here’s a prayer I wrote that morning. It’s not polished. It’s not perfect. But it came from that bench in the Ozarks, with fog in the hollows and birds beginning to sing. Maybe it will help you lay your heart down, too.
🛐 A Pastor’s Sunrise Prayer
Dear Jesus,
This morning, I don’t bring accomplishments. I bring exhaustion.
Not victories—just a soul that limped out of bed, holding onto hope with shaky hands.
I’m not here to impress You. I’m here because I can’t make it without You.
You gave me breath. You gave me this moment. So before the coffee kicks in, before the phone starts buzzing, I kneel—here in spirit if not in body—and I give You what’s Yours: this day.
Take my plans and rewrite them. Take my fears and dismantle them.
Take my small faith and breathe on it.
I don’t want to be strong today.
I want to be carried.
I don’t want to figure everything out.
I want to follow.
I don’t need clarity.
I need Christ.
So lead me where my courage fails. Speak when I have no words.
Shine light where I can’t see the path. And if today holds pain, let it press me closer to Your side.
Protect me, Lord—
Not just from what I fear, but from what I desire that would destroy me.
Guard my heart from bitterness, my lips from sarcasm, my mind from spirals that loop endlessly in the dark.
Give me strength that doesn’t look like swagger,
but like quiet trust and hard obedience.
And when I’m tempted to fake it—remind me that grace isn’t for the polished. It’s for the desperate.
Forgive me—
For every careless word I’ve already spoken in my mind.
For the pride I carry like armor.
For the sins I minimize and the ones I justify.
I don’t want to decorate my guilt—I want to nail it to the cross.
Wash me, Lord.
Not because I deserve it—but because You died to offer it.
Today, use me—
Not in grand, impressive ways.
But in quiet, unnoticed ones.
Let me see the invisible. Hear the unheard.
Love the difficult. Forgive the undeserving.
Let me be kind when it’s inconvenient and joyful when it’s costly.
Wherever I walk today, let it leave the faint scent of heaven behind.
In Your name, and by Your mercy alone,
Amen.
🌄 Why This Kind of Prayer Matters
Morning prayer isn’t a checklist item.
It’s a lifeline.
It’s how you return to your true identity before the world tries to sell you a fake one. It’s how you remember who holds the pen before you start scripting the day. It’s how your feet find the Rock before the wind picks up.
This world will not hand you peace. You have to anchor yourself in it.
And the anchor is always Christ.
📖 Scriptures to Pray Through Your Morning
- Psalm 5:3 — “In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice…”
- Lamentations 3:22–23 — “Your mercies are new every morning…”
- Isaiah 50:4 — “He wakens me morning by morning…”
- Matthew 6:33 — “Seek first the Kingdom…”
Let Scripture shape your prayer. Let the Psalms be your language when your own words run dry.
📚 Morning Prayer Tools I Recommend (And Why)
These aren’t just links. These are books that shaped my life when I needed them most:
- E.M. Bounds on Prayer
You don’t read this book. You wake up because of it. Bounds writes with fire. Every page convicted me. Every chapter changed how I pray. - The Power of a Praying Life by Stormie Omartian
Gentle, accessible, and Christ-centered. If you’re new to prayer or feel overwhelmed, this is where I’d start. - Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Like drinking theology straight from a hymnbook. Each devotional is a shot of gospel clarity and awe. - Praying the Psalms by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Short. Sharp. Sacred. Bonhoeffer believed the Psalms taught us not just to speak to God—but with God.
✍️ Start Your Own Morning Prayer Journal
You don’t have to be a writer. You just have to be honest.
Write what you’re afraid of. What you’re thankful for. What you need God to do. What you saw Him do yesterday. Watch your faith deepen over time.
Here’s one I recommend:
👉 My Favorite Morning Prayer Journal
🤝 Need Prayer? Let’s Walk This Road Together.
You don’t have to carry it alone.
I’m a real pastor, not a bot or a brand. And I’d be honored to pray with you.
📩 Reach me at rich.w.bitterman@gmail.com
No spam. No form letters. Just prayer, from one weary soul to another.
🌅 Final Thought: Back to the Ridge
By the time I finished praying that morning, the mist had lifted. The bench creaked as I stood up. And the world was still quiet—but it wasn’t the same.
Because I wasn’t the same.
Not because I had all the answers, but because I remembered Who holds them.
So tomorrow, before the phone rings, before the tasks pile up—go find your bench. Wherever it is. However simple it looks.
Sit still.
And let God meet you there.
Here is a link to my prayer page.
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