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

Hmm, interesting scripture! I’m talking about this Proverbs 31 prototype of a woman, who rises while it is still dark, against a backdrop of a certain philosophy; a philosophy that has categorized us into two broad categories- The early birds (morning larks) and the night owls.

Behind this viewpoint is the belief that we are born with an inclination to operate at our best either early morning or late in the evening.

I will hence need to discover my inclination; whether early morning as the early bird, or late night as the night owl, for greater productivity.

While I think some of the information given to us from this viewpoint can help us operate at our best, I always find it safe to keep to what Scripture says.

I am doing this especially because of my conviction, and perhaps yours too if you belong to Jesus Christ, that scripture should undergird our faith and practice, and this is because we have chosen to follow the Lord Jesus and to live for Him. Jesus is the Word of God.

Because we are tracking the Proverbs 31 woman, understanding that she is the bar God has set for us in seeking to be the godly women he wants us to be, I must ask: Why would the Lord let this little verse grace this chapter, just as it is? What is God communicating to us through the words of this verse?

I operate with the principle that scripture interprets scripture. Before I build a principle around a scripture, I must ask: What does the rest of the Bible have to say about this particular scripture?

I must however make a disclaimer here. To the best of my knowledge, nowhere in the Bible are we expressly given specifications as to the time to wake up.

Well, isn’t this also the case with many biblical principles? We are given instructions as to how to live. The Lord then leads us individually or personally as to the specifics.

For instance, we are clear about God’s will for us to dress decently. God will not go to the details of whether or not I am to wear skirts or dresses and the length of the same. He will help me use my discretion and conscience, in light of his Word, and to a large extent how my dressing will impact those around me.

So, keep this in mind as we continue to reflect on this verse in Proverbs 31.

(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.

I want to limit my reflection on the topic at hand to 3 different verses or passages that seem to point to this early rising practice.

The first scripture that first caught my attention as I battled with early rising was Isaiah 50:4:

“The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.”

The prophet Isaiah has just spoken to God’s people concerning their sin and rebellion toward the Lord. right in the middle of his discourse, he pens down these words.

He gives us a peek into his life, drawing our attention to how the Sovereign Lord uses him by giving him his (God’s) word for his people.

We might argue that this was an isolated incident capturing one prophet’s experience with the Lord. If we however did this, then we would forfeit many lessons we would learn from countless men and women of God mentioned in the Bible. Our reason? Isolated incidences that were simply about them with no bearing on us.

The Bible was written for our instruction. (2Tim.4:16-17) Every story, incident, narrative, and teaching will have a bearing on us; either to follow the example of the individual in question, or not; and obey its teaching.

Being in the New Testament dispensation, we also get to understand that the church is a priesthood of believers. What might have applied to a prophet will apply to us, now that you and I are not waiting for a prophet to give us a word from the Lord, or to give us instruction for living. We are relating with God directly through His Son Jesus, by His Spirit, through his Word, the Bible.

Having said this, let me say that Isaiah is giving us a clue as to how he gets to know what to say to God’s people: God has given him an instructed tongue. He gets to know the word to sustain the weary.

He tells us how he gets to know this: God wakens him morning by morning. God wakens his ear to listen like one being taught.

Several years ago, as I reflected on this passage in the light of Proverbs 31:15, it seemed a clear affirmation to me as to why I needed to rise early.

I needed to rise early to listen to God. I needed to listen so that I would know what to say to others. I needed the Lord to direct my path so that my life, and particularly my words would be a blessing to others.

Figuratively, the fact that Isaiah was woken up by God himself holds a valuable lesson for me. It might just mean that God will give me the wisdom to use an alarm and set it, to be up morning by morning to hear from him. It might just mean God will use a friend as an accountability partner to help me rise morning by morning, as we keep each other accountable in our walk with God.

The proverbs 31 queen mother didn’t need to expound on that fact. Other scriptures, such as this one, give us the reason why the woman she speaks of rose up early.

The second verse I’m focusing on is Psalm 5:3:

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

David pens down the words of these verses in the context of a psalm that captures one of his earnest prayers to God.

We get to know from the wording that this seems to have been his regular or even daily practice.

He doesn’t say, “this morning you hear my voice…” It wasn’t that particular morning. It seems to capture how his mornings were in relation to his prayer to God. He rose in the morning and prayed.

Again, looking at this verse in the backdrop of the Proverbs 31 verse we are pondering on, we again see reference to the morning and to perhaps what this woman would do before turning to her activities for the day.

This next passage was perhaps the one that came the closest for me, to Proverbs 31:15.

This is the passage:

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” (Mark 1:35 – 38)

On this particular occasion, we not only get to know that Jesus woke up early to pray, but the writer of Mark also makes a point of helping us identify some of the distractions that Jesus encountered; people, especially.

It is also worth noting that he went off to a solitary place. Was this indicative too of His desire to rid himself of as much distraction as possible? Was rising up early in itself a safeguard against the distractions that would characterize His life with people being around him all day?

We are no different from Jesus in his human nature when he lived on earth. We too are surrounded by distractions; right from the people around us, to many other distractions that might be unique to our various contexts.

Rising up early is one way that will help you get rid of a huge percentage of distractions; After all, who will look for you at 3, 4, 5, or even 6 am unless it was an emergency?

Keep in mind that, at least for the Christian, and if we are following in the footsteps of Jesus, most of our time is public time.

Thankfully, in our time and generation, we have mobile phones. Rarely will anyone appear at your door without at least calling and letting you know they are on the way.

Think of Jesus’ time. You can imagine Jesus going off to a solitary place alone to pray during the day. Before he utters “heavenly Father…” Peter is right there, seeking his attention as he did in the verse we are exploring!

As much as this scenario I’m describing is simply an illustration, haven’t you and I had this happen to us? For instance, as a mother, when you wake up with your children and try to have some “Quiet Time” with the Lord, you’d have a story to tell as to how effective that would be!

Imagine as a student trying to read the Bible in a noisy dorm or hostel. Talk of distraction 101!

Keep in mind that I am not referring to those instances when Jesus would pray during the day with and at times in the presence of his disciples. I am referring to those instances he sought communion and fellowship with his heavenly Father personally.

Now, as we draw to a close, consider this comparison: The Proverbs 31 woman rose up while it was still dark. (Vs 15) Jesus woke up while it was still dark. (Mark 1:35)

Are you, like me, fascinated by this striking similarity of the description of when both our Lord Jesus Christ and the Proverbs 31 woman are described to have woken up?

Are you, like me, pausing to reflect on the fact that the model given to us through the life of the Proverbs 31 woman, found its fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ, our perfect example, who exemplifies the godly life for every woman?

Keep in mind though that I’m not sharing this to take any of us reading this on a guilt ride. I am in no way saying that waking up early is the standard for godliness.

I am merely sharing my observation and interpretation of the scripture about this topic and how it relates to my life as I seek to train myself to be godly, doing it in the light of the scriptures.

As to how you intend to take what I am sharing, I want to believe that as you walk with God, He will show you how to obey him in your context.

My prayer is that your lifestyle, as it relates to this topic today, will reflect biblical thinking and hence biblical living as you adjust your life to the biblical standard, as God leads you towards becoming the woman of noble character that he wants you to be!

Why Waking up Early is Biblical: Tracking the Proverbs 31 Woman Series 18

“The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.”

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

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