A Morning Prayer to Start Your Day with God
I wrote this morning prayer a few years ago, when I needed to learn how to pray to God to start my day with the right heart and attitude as a wife and mother. (Free daily prayer printable below)
After becoming a stay at home mom, I felt very convicted about how I started my days. No rush to get to work, I would usually roll over, grab my phone, and check Facebook.
Blessedly, I had the luxury most mornings to gradually open my eyes, covered in snuggles with my little.
But starting my day without a morning prayer, I found myself worrying about this, stressing about that, completely letting the world into our home before I even put my feet on the floor.
The world’s anger, fear, ignorance, intolerance, vulgarity – I was letting it in before putting on my armor!
Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, …
Why had I let social media and it’s bitterness and ire become the focus of my morning routine?
As if that were more important than checking in with God.
It was affecting my attitude and home. Something had to change.
How to pray to God to start your day?
First, set aside time before your morning needs to begin.
I started a new morning routine of praying myself awake. I set my alarm a few minutes before I actually need to be up.
And the second I’m awake, I pray. I love how it quiets my heart and sets my eyes on Him. It starts my day even better than coffee. 😉
Free Morning Prayer Printable – Pray Awake printable at the end.
Checking in with Facebook and Twitter before you're checking in with Him? Learn how to pray to God to start your day - PRAY AWAKE with me. #Prayer #ChristianWoman Click To TweetSecondly, the best way how to pray is to start with gratitude. Thank Him for another day, thank Him for your home and life. When we start with a grateful heart, we also start by reminding ourselves of how much God has already given to us.
The power of prayer can change my heart and attitude for the day.
Making a conscious decision to pray every morning was the first step in learning how to pray.
Deciding to pray each morning was a commitment to changing my habits, to setting aside the world and focusing on God first.
God promises us that when we spend time seeking His face, we will be transformed into His image.
One degree at a time, I am changed by spending time with God. Isn’t that a lovely promise.
Having a prayer prompt is another way to pray to Jesus
Having something that sparks your prayers can help you get started each morning. You might use a prayer a day calendar (I use one to pray for my daughter)
But for my first prayer each day, I really wanted something sweet and simple for my daily prayer printable that would set my eyes on Him and set a tone of service and ministry in my home.
Pray Awake is a sweet, simple prayer to set my eyes on Him & a tone of ministry in my home. #Prayer #ChristianWoman #Faith Click To TweetPRAY AWAKE kept coming to mind every morning, and those two words grew into an acronym of a prayer.
I really wanted this morning prayer to start with PRAY, but couldn’t find the right words. Then, in the face of some discouragement, I prayed for God to wake me the next morning & the words “Please Remind me I Am Yours” were on my lips.
So many battles I fight are calmed when I remember I am His. My confidence in who I am doesn’t come from my waistline or cream in a jar, but is in the beautiful, useful vessel God is creating me to be.
I want all my ways to reflect God in my life, from how I handle the laundry to how I handle stress, to how I sing one more song at bedtime or answer a petulant child from a place of His peace not her chaos.
Dear Lord, Please Remind me, I am Yours. May . . .
- All my ways acknowledge you
- Welcoming Your agenda for my day
- Accomplishing Your tasks for my life,
- Knowing You more, growing in You
- Empowered to live in obedience to You.
Learning how to pray humbly is also important.
God’s word teaches us to bring our prayer requests to God in humility (or supplication) and He will give us a peace that is beyond what we can understand.
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Learning to pray with humility means recognizing God’s will for my life and living to glorify Him is my greatest goal.
I wrote the rest of my morning prayer with that focus.
Welcoming God’s agenda for my day was a mental shift for me.
I had to let myself embrace looking for God’s purpose in my daily life. What lessons was He laying before me that I was missing by stubbornly focusing on my own plans?
My heart has to choose to lay down my selfishness everyday. I had to learn that each day of my life belongs to Him.
Surrendering my will for the day made a huge change in how I approached parenting and homemaking. I started looking for the lessons God had for me in the detours of my day.
The moments that didn’t go as I planned might be exactly what He planned to strengthen and mature my faith.
I had spent too much energy getting frustrated when my daughter’s desires or disobedience interfered with my goals, letting life’s redirection stress me out, instead of listening to His quiet calling to follow His agenda and learning to be a peaceful parent.
Bible verses are another way to pray.
Praying Bible verses is especially powerful. We connect to the Word of God, writing it on our hearts.
Spending more time in His word has shown me how important it is because that is how we KNOW God, understand His character, and grow a relationship based on real faith and trust.
The last line really grabs my heart – Empowered to live in obedience. People think being meek and obedient equals weakness, but being obedient has taken more strength than I ever imagined.
Prayer connects us to God’s Holy Spirit.
Showing love instead of anger when God says forgive, watching the world reject you and Him, standing strong in the middle of chaos, having conviction in things unseen while the world mocks: These things take a supernatural empowerment, a strength I only have through Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Starting the day with prayer has changed me. I parent more calmly, I tackle my day instead of the people between me and my coffee maker, LOL.
I run to Him first and that has made all the difference.
Starting each day with a morning prayer will change your mornings, too!
Grab your free daily prayer printable here:
- For best results when printing, make sure you select SCALE to Fit so your picture prints within in the printable margins of your 8.5×11 paper. It should come out as perfectly ready for an 8×10 frame.
43 Comments
Adunni
Thank you for this great insight! God bless
Susan Evans
Spending time in silence before the Lord in the morning is vital to being filled with His presence.
Jennifer
It is! I love my quiet times in the morning.
Erin
Wow. The Holy Spirit grabbed me and convicted me when you said, “The world’s anger, fear, ignorance, intolerance, vulgarity – I was letting it in before putting on my armor!”
I’m kind of disappointed in myself for not seeing this considering how much I’ve taught on putting on the armor and how much I’ve taught on where we place our minds.
Thank you for the reminder!
Jennifer
Glad God used this to remind you. We all need reminders.
Andrea
So important that we start our day off with prayer!
Jennifer
It changes everything.
Dawn Owens
Thanks so much for the post and the encouragement. I try to spend my mornings with the Lord but sometimes I am dragging my feet to get there and, just like you, there are too many other distractions that get in my way. This is a great reminder of where my focus needs to be.
Jennifer
This sits on my nightstand so I see it before I even get out of bed.
Beckie
I love this! It’s so easy-peasy. Thanks for the printable.
God bless!
Beckie
https://beckielindsey16.com/
Jennifer
I hope you enjoy it! I keep mine on my nightstand!
Lauren C. Moye
This is a great concept and a beautiful acronym! I’m not a big fan of setting “must-dos” when it comes to my faith in God. So much of it is legalistic. I once was told by a well-known pastor, “Don’t eat breakfast before you feed your soul in the Word?” Really? Because I’m going to be able to focus on and enjoy my worship on the mornings I wake up ravenous.
Anyways, after that mini-rant, I love this post. It’s practical, not legalistic. It’s about starting your day off /right/. And what could be more right than praying?
Jennifer
Yes, I don’t like making God part of my to-do list. I want to want to make Him my first priority. Although I have been learning about making my body submit as part of fasting and prayer.
Stephanie
Couldn’t agree more! Awhile ago, God convicted me about turning to social media, emails, etc before Him when the day starts also. I have to have my personal Bible study with Him before I log on to anything also. Great post!
Jennifer
Thank you! I really like starting my day with this prayer. Starts my focus on God.
brianna
I love this. I do this too. I also pray myself to sleep most nights. It has really improved my days and nights. 🙂
Jennifer
The more I pray, the more I realize how much I need to pray.
Ai
This is so encouraging! Morning battles, for me, often begin the second my feet hit the floor, and those can often determine how the rest of the day goes. Thank you for sharing the things that God has shown you. I love the acronyms … So fitting!
Jennifer
Thanks! Been really beneficial for me. Hope you enjoy it as well.
Rachel - À LA MODEST
What a fantastic reminder! This morning I did something petty but have been actually wanting since our daughter was born. I cried because I wanted TO SLEEP IN with my husband so badly instead of getting up at 5am for our baby and not going back down to sleep. It’s crazy when our emotions control us as moms. By the time I put our baby down for her first nap of the day, my hubby is usually up and about. I was sobbing. I should just let God lead the way and not have expectations. I must start the day with God.
Jennifer
Oh, how babies change things! This winter, I found myself sick and desperately wanted a good old-fashioned sick day, not cooking, cleaning, homeschooling. I just wanted to be sick and do nothing. It was so hard to pray for the strength to do the things I needed to in order to care for my daughter instead of being selfish. But in the end, I was glad I had enough strength, not a lot, but enough. God gave me what I needed instead of what I wanted. But you also need rest sometimes, I hope you get to sleep in again soon!
Dana Stowell Hoebeke
Completely agree, Jesus first! I try to have the first thing cross my lips be thank you Jesus for another day. If I don’t ask Him to “fill my cup” before the start of the day I will go around clanking my empty cup expecting others to fill it for me. This leaves a very unfilled, empty cup, because no one can fill me like Jesus does! 🙂
Jennifer
Exactly!!! 💖
Rhiannon S
I absolutely love this prayer! I want to do my best to memorize it and start my day with it. Sadly, I am bad about starting on Facebook as well. My excuse has been that the screen causes my brain to become more alert and then in is easier to wake up, but Holy Spirit can wake us much better than a screen. Thank you for the reminder and the re-focus!
Jennifer
Click the link at the bottom and print it out! You can keep it by your bedside!
De Bolton
I have a “routine” I don’t really like to call it that because it’s second nature now and soemthing ai need to do. Like some people and their coffee but I still love this printable. Great post.
Jennifer
Thank you. I didn’t have a set morning routine and this helps focus my prayers while I’m waking up.
Clare Speer
I love this and love your prayer…. starting our day with quiet time and in prayer…. I try to and also read the word and pray before my day begins… but I often fall short. Lovely prayer!
Jennifer
Thank you. God wrote it on my heart.
Florence Ukpabi
Beautiful, thanks for this. Will share too x
Jennifer
Glad you like it! Thank you.
andrea
started actually praying FIRST thing today when i woke up – it makes a HUGE difference
Jennifer
It really does!!
Marissa
Love this break down of pray and awake – it makes all the difference, running to Him 😉
Jennifer
Thank you!
Alonda
God convicted me of the same thing a few months ago, weeks ago, and again a day or so ago. I love the concept of PRAY AWAKE! It’s simple enough and just that act of putting God first I’m sure will make a big difference in the day.
Jennifer
It does help me so much. I hope it helps you too
Sheila Rogers
I have also been convicted lately because I, too, do the same thing in the morning. Roll over, grab my glasses and check my phone! What a great refocusing tool! Thanks.
Jennifer
And it really does change my heart first thing – which is necessary before coffee!
Healing Mama
I really can relate to this post. I TRY to start off most of my days with reading my Bible and prayer. Sometimes I get off track and I notice a BIG difference in my life when I don’t start the day off with God. I really love this printable, it’s beautiful.
Jennifer
It is hard to stick to a routine but this helps me start here every morning!
Shannon
Great blog. I try to pray and read my bible before I go to work in the morning. Love you my sister and friend in Christ. God bless you
Jennifer
God bless you! Thank you for visiting.