How to Take the Yawn Out of Your Devotions Daily devotions should be a delight! But what if you can't stay awake long enough to be delighted? By Trina Paulsen

There is no question about it: I am not a morning person. For years I tried to convince myself that I was because I thought that I needed to be. It seemed that the morning people were the accomplishers. After all, they all get up by seven at the latest—even on Saturdays—so that “the day will not be wasted.”

It seemed that morning people had the advantage spiritually too. Many times growing up, I woke up in the early morning hours and heard my mom, my primary role model at the time, praying. (Of course, being an unconfirmed night person, I just went back to sleep!) All of my pastors have been morning people. Even my boss is a morning person!

It’s Biblical too, isn’t it? Think about it: David, the man after God’s own heart, was a morning person. You don’t think so? Check out Psalm 63:1, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee.” Jesus was a morning person too; Mark 1:35 says, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” The Bible is full of people who prayed early in the morning.

So, there I was, trying so hard to convince myself that I was a morning person yet having so much trouble dealing with mornings! For a long time I would say that I didn’t know if I was a morning person or a night person—maybe I was just a tired person! Then one day working a summer job as a teenager, my supervisor proclaimed that I was most definitely not a morning person. A little taken aback, I asked her how she knew. “Well you don’t start talking until about 10 a.m.” she replied. So, that was that; I was officially a night person.

Being a Christian and a "Night Person"

Once I got over the denial stage, I was able to realize that night people, too, can be successful Christians. One of our ministers testifies of coming in late at night and finding his mother praying for him to be saved. The Bible supports this too. Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was at night. In fact, how do we really know that Jesus was a morning person and not simply a night person who made a point of conversing with His Father every morning? The same may be true of David, for he also wrote of meditating on the Lord “in the night watches” (Psalm 63:6).

Clearly, the Lord wants to hear our prayers no matter what time of the day or night we pray them. Yet, there is a great importance to beginning each day with prayer and Scripture. In doing so, we place the day in the Lord’s hands and can then have confidence that He will take care of whatever comes our way or give us the grace to bear it. Our pastor once said, “A day will take care of itself if we look into the Word of the Lord and drop to our knees even for a short time when we arise.”

However, taking even a few moments to read the Word of God and to pray for His will and protection throughout the day can be a tall order for someone who sleepwalks for the first hour or two of each morning. How is a night person to go about having morning devotions without it becoming like another snooze on the alarm clock—a few minutes of extra sleep? I’ve found that a little creativity can go a long way in this area.

Sunrise Scripture Reading

I admit it. Reading the Bible early in the morning is difficult for me. I can force myself to keep my eyes open long enough to read several verses or even a chapter or so, but if you ask me what I just read, I probably couldn’t tell you. So, I made an investment and purchased an audio Bible. For morning Bible reading, I now listen to a chapter rather than try to read it myself.

How is that any better? Well, the key is that I set my CD player on track repeat and leave it playing for most of the time I am getting ready in the morning. Since Alexander Scourby can usually read a chapter in five minutes or less, I end up listening to the same chapter several times, and if I don’t get it the first time, eventually something sinks in.

Of course, I still have to discipline myself to pay attention. Everyone knows it is possible to hear someone speak without really listening to what they are saying. I’ve realized that I notice different things when listening to the Bible than I do when I read it myself. And a side benefit to the repetition that I hadn’t counted on is that by the last time I may have some verses quasi-memorized.

An audio Bible works for me, but if listening to the Bible doesn’t work for you, try reading it out loud. Or read only a few verses in the morning and a longer passage at noon or in the evening. Take an afternoon to create a list of passages or invest in a Bible that is already split into small passages such as the One Minute Bible. Having a system for what you will read, so that you’re not reading wherever the Bible falls open every morning, will help it to sink in.

No-Nap Prayer Time

The other half of the morning devotions challenge is the prayer time. How can the night person avoid falling right back to sleep when having morning prayer time? There are two things that greatly help me—praying out loud and keeping my eyes open. I know, we are all taught as children that we should pray with our hands folded and our eyes closed. The idea is that this eliminates visual and tangible distractions. Unfortunately for me, however, this is also a good method for relaxing myself so that I can go to sleep! So, I now get on my knees and bow my head but look at something unimportant like the couch or the floor. After all, unless a bug walks by, how distracting can carpet be?!

The car is also a great place to pray—and it’s important to keep your eyes open there too! I currently have about a three-minute commute, but while attending college it was more substantial, and during terms when I took 8 a.m. classes (a nightmare for a night person), sitting in traffic made that quite a bit longer. The Lord and I had good chats during those times. In fact, I truly believe that it was those commute conversations that kept me saved through college.

If you don’t have much of a commute, there are other options. Some people pray while taking their morning shower, eating breakfast, or walking on the treadmill. If you have difficulty finding a way to make morning prayer time manageable for a substantial amount of time, keep it short and plan for a longer period later in the day; maybe a child’s nap time for a busy mom, right after school for an alert student, or lunch hour for a corporate executive.

One minister received the experience of sanctification while praying in his car between college classes. The father of one of our pastors worked close to the church and spent his lunch hour praying in the furnace room for the salvation of his children. I am blessed to have access to our office chapel at lunch time, which has become a significant part of my prayer time on most days.

Whatever time of the morning or night, it is critical that we make daily devotions a priority in our lives. To all of you morning people, go ahead and wake up at five! We appreciate the time you spend with the Lord, and He will be happy to meet you—He doesn’t sleep anyway. But for all the night people out there struggling with morning devotions, get creative! Find a way to have at least a few quality moments with the Lord as you start your day and some time in your “more alert hours” to have an in-depth conversation with Him. He is never too tired to talk with you!

Trina Paulsen is on the editorial staff at the Apostolic Faith headquarters office in Portland, Oregon.