Take time to Behold the Lord in the Morning: Don’t Seek a Feeling but simply Touch Him!

We must cooperate with God’s desire by practicing to give Him a free way to spread Himself into every part of our being. (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1963, Vol. 1)

How wonderful it is to give our dear Lord the first place in all things! God desires to have the preeminence, but He does not force us. In Revelation, we see that He is very patient, standing at the door knocking, waiting.

In the parable of the prodigal son in Luke He is the father eagerly awaiting His son’s return, and at His first seeing His son at a distance, He runs to Him. This is our Lord’s heart towards us. He wants our cooperation. We must open. We must come to Him, and then He will meet or need and we will meet His need.

Each day we have a wonderful opportunity. From the moment we wake up, we begin to prepare for our day. Sometimes there is dread within us due to some situation or task we know we will encounter. Sometimes we hardly slept the night before and wake up excited because of a pleasant situation or task that awaits us. At other times we wake up groggy knowing that there is nothing new to look forward to.

So every morning our Lord is waiting, hoping, and desiring to have intimate and personal fellowship with us. The essence of God’s person is love. This love in relation to us is not general or broad, but specific and romantic. This lovely Person has known us before the foundation of the world and had chosen us in Christ Jesus to be holy and without blemish before Him in love!

I anticipated the dawn and cried out; I hoped in Your words. (Psalm 119:147)

Every night we can anticipate the dawn and every morning we can wake up excited to meet with our dear Lover who is new and fresh every morning!

My experience in my morning times with the Lord has been a constant work in progress. Initially I thought it should be like a bolt of lightning. When I heard the testimonies of the saints and read in the ministry about a secret, intimate time with God in the morning that carries us through the day, I had grand and – confessedly – religious expectations.

Our mind loves to construct abnormal and abstract imaginations that are not practical or experienceable.

When Abraham heard of God’s promise of a son, his mind automatically went to work. The result was something abnormal and fleshy, and out of this effort to interpret God’s promise Ishmael came forth representing the line from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

However, God’s way was the normal way, according to life. He was to bear a son of his wife according to the Lord’s promise.

We should not come to the Lord in the mornings with anything other than a desire to touch Him. Do not seek a feeling, do not try to carry out a concept you have constructed. Rather, open to Him, apply the blood, and enjoy Him. Use the word and the hymns as your prayer and sing to Him. Open your mouth and release your spirit!

Many times I have come from a morning time with the Lord and felt as though not much has happened. The day before I was full of joy, with a song, singing on my way to work. But this day it is different. I am not singing on my way to work. So I begin to analyze, what did I do wrong? Before long I was discouraged…

However, each time this has happened the Lord has shown me that the time was not wasted. When I run into problems with my co-workers or my boss, Christ comes out. I have a strength to take captive each thought, to temper my words, and to love each person I contact.

I get out of my analyzing mind and praise the Lord. Even when I mess up there is the light to see my shortcoming and repent to correct and continue to enjoy. This strength is from my morning time with the Lord.

Each day there is a supply of grace. The Lord goes before us and, as the Potter, He knows what is needed for the clay which He has formed. Our God is a sovereign God. If you water your grass too much it will die, but if you reserve the water for the times the grass is truly in need, then it will grow in a normal way.

God is not something we can turn on and off with a switch. We have invited Him to live within us and He is living and operating within. When we practice giving Him a free way in us each morning, He has the means to dispense Himself to us and grow according to His timing.

He is always life and peace to us, but He is not always filling us in extraordinary ways. If we take time to behold Him then He will have freedom to do what He wills.

Sharing by, Nathan W. (Denton, Texas, USA), from his enjoyment and experience of Christ in the morning revival time with Him.