If you’re like me, you’d rather just sleep in every morning – especially after losing an hour through Daylight Savings Time. But what if, upon awakening, we remembered that the day was not created for us and whatever we want to do. There’s Someone Else in the picture. And what is His idea of why He has given us one more day?

Here are four reasons starting every morning with prayer will get you out of bed and improve your whole day:

1. Starting your day in prayer reminds you of your purpose.

The Westminster Confession says: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” You and I were created for relationship with the living God. That’s an amazing concept if you think about it. In fact, when I focus on that concept as soon as I wake up, it’s enough to get me out of bed in the first place as I realize that my Creator is waiting to enjoy the day with me. If it were the other way around, I’d probably wait until I felt like being with God. But He is always waiting for you and me. And who are we to let the God of the Universe wait?

When you go to Him in prayer, before you even get up, or as you’re getting up, or as soon as you get up, you are reminded that life is about the relationship with God, enjoying Him, serving Him, obeying Him, pleasing His heart. Psalm 16:11 says “In His presence is fullness of joy.” Be in His presence, through prayer, and experience the joy of being in His will, first thing in the morning.

2. Starting your day with prayer will increase your productivity.

I’m pretty sure the more time I spend praying in the morning the more I’ll get done throughout the day. To the contrary, when I tend to skip time with God in the morning, I feel like I’m chasing my tail and trying to catch up for the rest of the day. How is this so? Contrary to what you might think, investing in your relationship with God first thing in the morning will not hurt your productivity, your income, your business opportunities, or cause you to run behind all day. God is not the kind of God who will punish you or cause you to falter by prioritizing Him. To the contrary, God had a way of honoring our time and helping us be more productive in our day when we first honor Him. And by taking to Him first all that we have to do each day, we are also releasing it to His control, which removes from us the weight and burden of feeling we have to control all the day’s events. That release of stress helps me be more productive. It also helps me live less anxiously since I’m reminded I’m not in control of anything, after all.

God’s Word says “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT).  There is a tremendous amount of refreshment that comes from handing over to God – early in the day – all that concerns us and weighs us down. Then He fills us with His peace and the energy we need to be productive throughout the day.

3. Starting your day with prayer will decrease your anxiety.

God must have known we’d stress about things. Perhaps that’s why He told us in Philippians 4:6-7: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (NLT).

By starting your day in quiet reflection and prayer, you are opening the channels of communication with God throughout the day, which is a reminder that you are never alone. It’s also helping you focus on Him being in control, and not you. Starting your day with prayer also ushers peace into your morning and keeps chaos from crashing into your day. So trade your worries for peace when you start every morning with prayer and it will improve your whole day.

4. Starting your day with prayer helps you tune in to the Spirit’s voice all day.

As you open the channels of communication with God in the morning, through prayer, you will be placing yourself on the “receiving end” of what He wants to say to you throughout the day. Psalm 46:10 says “Be still, and know that I am God” (KJV). Listening for God’s still, quiet voice throughout the day tunes your ears to what He wants to say and keeps you in a “quiet mode” throughout the day. This will protect you from running the pace that makes you feel you’re running on empty. If you can quiet your heart first thing in the morning, and keep that quiet heart throughout the day, then you will have found a way to carry your “sanctuary” with you throughout your work and activities and stay in a restful, quiet mode.

By starting every morning with prayer you will get out of the habit of running harried and move into a slower mode of walking enjoyably through your day so you don’t find yourself running on empty at the end of the day.

For more encouragement on praying – and growing – during the chaotic times in life, see Cindi’s books, When Women Long for Rest, When You’re Running on Empty, and When God Sees Your Tears.