“She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.” (Proverbs 31:15)

If you grew up where I did and went to school where I went, you might have grown up to dislike the mention of the word “early-rising.”

I personally associated waking up early as a punishment of sorts. I associated it with negative experiences of boarding school where we indeed woke up while it was still dark and had cold showers while viewing the dark star-lit sky in the roofless bathroom shelters. O how I missed home, associating it with sleeping in at least until a “decent” hour!

We even promised ourselves that once we left school, we would sleep all we wanted.

Fast forward a number of years later, I found myself in a working environment with minimal if any, supervision. I could work from home if I wanted. I was basically in charge of my program. I was working in a Christian organization at the time.

You see, it’s one thing to rise up early because there’s a set expectation. You’re under a different authority. It’s quite another when you are literally under no authority except that of God, your husband perhaps, and your conscience.

I had always woken up early, at least most of my days. Partly, like I mentioned earlier, because I worked in a Christian organization. I was also walking with younger girls on campus as part of my calling as expressed in my work under the organization. I needed to model the faith before them too. I knew the scriptures, such as the one we are exploring, and tried to live them out.

We would later leave the organization a number of years later. God led us to form a Christian organization.

As you would have it, I was now totally in charge of my program.

Not until the season I described earlier, then this latter one, did I take time to really deepen my conviction as to why I wake up early. I have written part of my own reflections from the Bible in the last blog post I wrote here.

These reflections came especially because this latter season has been characterized by lots of writing as well as Bible study as I seek to write authentically and biblically about a variety of topics including this one.

I trust that as you read this post, and you’d like a simple scriptural basis for rising up early in the morning, you would go back and read the previous post first.

Let’s now get to the reasons why you need to rise up early.

(And by the way, in case you’d like more insight into the Proverbs 31 chapter, you can buy our book based on this passage right here on Amazon.)

1. You Have Uninterrupted Time of Fellowship With the Lord

As a child of God, you need to be growing in your fellowship and communion with him. We know that from the scriptures. Peter tells us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2Pet. 3:18) Eternal life is knowing God and his Son Jesus Christ. (Jn.17:3)

Setting side time in order to fellowship with God is critical. When we’ve set aside this time, we get to commune with him in his Word and in prayer.

Because we live in a fallen world, and because the devil fights our every action towards knowing God, we want to use our God given wisdom to get rid of distractions so that we can have uninterrupted fellowship with God.

Waking up early before majority of the people are up, might just help you get rid of over 80% of distractions as was the case with our Lord Jesus Christ in Mark 1:35-37 while he was here on earth.

Think of a mother with small children, or even a homeschooling mother with a busy household, or a working mother who might have her days tied with activity after activity once children are up, or she’s at the office working away the hours.

Why not take the cue from the scriptures and wake up just a little earlier? It might make a huge difference in your relationship with God.

For one who considered herself a night person, waking up early in the morning has done wonders for me.

I have since realized that a mindset change, in my orientation, armed with a scriptural basis, has helped me orient myself to waking up early; especially knowing that my children, and those around me are not necessarily in the know of the fact that I’m a night person.

The same expectation they have on others of a different orientation is the same expectation they’ll have on me.

The world will not run in a way to accommodate my orientation as it were.

I therefore chose to follow the scriptures, beginning with Proverbs 31:15 as I studied it, and began to rise up a little earlier.

My relationship with God in his Word and in prayer continues to grow. I’m thankful to God for this.

Setting your time with God early in the morning has the added advantage of being consistent as we will see in the next point because that hour is often rarely interrupted unless it’s an emergency.

If you’d like to know how to have an effective quiet Time with God, you could check out this blog post here.

2. This Facilitates Consistency

Consistency is a virtue we looked at in this post here. Consistency is what eventually facilitates growth and transformation in character.

When I learn to rise up early, the possibility of maintaining consistency is quite high. Distractions are a lot less, like we have observed.

The possibility therefore of keeping at a discipline and or practice is almost always guaranteed with early rising.

This keeping at a discipline or practice that facilitates my godliness is the conducive environment you are creating around you to grow in character. Consistency then becomes possible, especially with an early rising discipline.

Almost always, by the time my children are up, I usually have had my personal devotion with the Lord. I will usually have memorized my scriptures, devoured the pages of a book I’m reading that season, and planned my day, outlining the various activities I hope to do that day.

This sets me in a good mood to handle my household in a sober more gracious way if you ask me. Definitely I’m not perfect. There are several occasions I have lost my cool in my life. Overall, I can tell you; those occasions are becoming fewer and fewer. From the testimony of the members of my household, I know that this is true.

This I can say has been facilitated by consistency-built overtime as I endeavor to rise up early each morning.

3. You Get to Utilize the Morning Hours When you are Still Fresh

Even for one who considered herself a night person, I have found morning hours some of my most fruitful and productive hours of my day.

I realized that as a night person, after an engaging day, I was just about ready to sleep. I could however engage actively to very late hours of the night sometimes, when it came to physical activity such as house work.

Upon further reflection, I realized that because of the busy day schedule, I wouldn’t be as clear minded and ready to engage my mind especially, at night, unless the activity was physical.

I switched to rising up early in the morning, a practice that has paid off dividends in terms of what I consider mind related activity such as reading and writing.

I also realized that all I needed to do was lay my head on my pillow, as much as my body was screaming to stay awake! I would be a sleep in 15 minutes or less.

I hence began ordering my day differently to ensure I was going to sleep at a decent hour that I knew would allow me at least 6 to 7 hours of good sleep; or at least rest of my body.

I pray when you try, you too will have more productivity and fruitfulness each day.

4. God Sharpens the Understanding and Expression of Your Calling, Vision and Purpose

The more you rise up early, and the more consistent you get in your personal devotion or Quiet Time with God, the more God will clarify his will each day. The more you do His will, the clearer your calling gets.

God leads and guides us day by day. It’s not always his way to lead us by showing us the big picture ahead. Even if he does, it’s not often sufficient for us to conclude that everything is now clear concerning our vision in life.

I believe he does this so that we can learn to trust him and to depend on him.

I’ve found that the more I have sought to rise up early and to do what God wants me to do, the more I have been able to clarify his call on my life.

Viewing my daily activity and inclination in light of God’s Word as I take it in day by day, has helped me sharpen my calling and know how to express it in a given season.

For instance, with my schedule working at home and homeschooling my children, I’m doing lots of writing, discipling young women on the online space and doing a lot of calls to minister to women personally as opposed to a past season when I would go to where the people are for evangelism and discipleship.

5. This Facilitates Greater Fruitfulness and Wise Use of Time

Whether you consider yourself a night person or not, I’m not certain I can point to someone who would be opposed to sleeping in just a little longer.

When you have made the extra effort to rise up early, you will want to use those early morning hours wisely. You don’t want to waste even a single second of that precious time.

That’s what I found when I began rising up early. After some form of movement, which mostly included getting up, putting on something warm, even preparing a little hot drink for myself, I found that I was unconsciously setting myself up to begin the day with strength, clarity and direction.

I combined this with noting down the things I wanted to do right from when I woke up to the evening. I would later realize that this was part of a best practice of developing a morning routine for greater fruitfulness and productivity.

Just realizing for instance that I’d spend time with God in devotion, written a chapter of a book I was writing before going to prepare for breakfast felt like such a huge accomplishment.

There were those days I would struggle to accomplish these goals. On the whole though, at least looking back on that season, and a completed book based on proverbs 31 to show for it, published and reaching the hands of others, I knew this rising up early was not in vain.

Usually, when you’ve began your day on a high note, it might just follow that the rest of your day will be fruitful and productive.

6. You’re Setting a Good Example to the Younger Generation (and to your children if you are a parent)

Many of us are looking for role models whether we are aware of it or not. We want a person that we can emulate; who is leading the kind of life we are aspiring to lead.

Paul tells the believers at Corinth, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1Cor.11:1)

We are surrounded by women, especially younger women, and for a mother, your own children, who are watching your every move. Whether you like it or not, they are copying what and how you act, say words and carry yourself around.

When I began writing my book, believe it or not, my 7-year-old at the time, began writing her book. when I began making beads, she followed suit. She’s becoming an accomplished baker hopefully because she sees me bake.

My daughters wake up early, (of course not as early as I do!) particularly on school days for obvious reasons. When I go to their room to ensure they are awake, we may not have lots of arguments around waking up because they know I do it. they’ve seen the benefit of that. They hear me talk about the value of rising up early.

By the grace of God, I’ve walked with younger women and shared my life with regard to rising up early. They get convicted towards embracing this discipline because I do it and they see results toward this.

7. Rising up Early is Scriptural

I already talked about the scriptural basis for rising up early in the previous blog post I linked to earlier, but you can also find it here.

Rising up early is scriptural. There are many scriptural references and inferences to this. I’ve mentioned some in the previous post I’ve just linked above.

There are a number of scriptures associating laziness and poverty with loving sleep in the Proverbs.

The Proverbs 31:15 verse we are reflecting on in this post and the previous one clearly reveals to us that this woman rises up while it is still dark. Her day is fruitful and productive. One can see she is accomplishing a lot for the kingdom of God just reading the entire chapter.

Yes, she is a prototype. This however is an aspect of her life that we can emulate as we look to God to be fruitful, productive and to accomplish much for God’s kingdom as women.

I pray these 7 reasons why you need to rise up early will be helpful as you continue to look to God to be the virtuous godly woman, he wants you to be!

Recommended:

Why Rising up Early is Biblical: Tracking the Proverbs 31 Woman Series

7 Rhythms and Routines of the Noble Woman: Tracking the Proverbs 31 Woman Series

The Most Misunderstood Verse in Proverbs 31: Tracking the Proverbs 31 Woman Series

Are there Cracks in your Spiritual Foundation? 4 Reasons Why your Spiritual Foundation is Weak

6 Components of our Spiritual Foundation

5 Ways to Know that your Spiritual Foundation is Weak

How to Pray for your Husband in the Will of God