Abraham's Early Mornings
Eddie Parrish
Over the years I have become more of a “morning person” than I used to be. Time was that I loathed early alarms. These days, for whatever reason, I’ll sometimes wake up before the alarm goes off. But what’s true of some days is not true of all. If I know the day holds some challenge or unpleasantness, getting up becomes much more difficult and pulling the covers over my head much more tempting.
That’s one thing, among many, that makes the faith of Abraham so amazing to me. There are three times in his life that the Bible says he arose early in the morning – and he knew on all three of those days that what he had to do would tear his heart out.
The first is Genesis 19:27 where Moses tells us that Abraham “went early in the morning” to a special location where he would survey the destroyed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah – two cities he wanted desperately for God to spare. The second is Genesis 21:14. There Abraham “rose early in the morning” and with great sadness kicked Hagar and Ishmael out of his house to appease Sarah. The third is Genesis 22:3 when Abraham “rose early in the morning” to take Isaac to Mount Moriah with the intention of sacrificing him per God’s instructions.
No doubt, Abraham arose early to some beautiful mornings and pleasant activities. But his only early mornings specifically mentioned in the Bible are the three above. How brutal they must have been! How tempting it must have been for him to keep rolling over and sleeping just a little longer, putting off the inevitable. But instead of hiding under the covers, he rose up early and met the challenges of the day.
Life brings with it many unpleasant days. But with the dawning of each new day, the mercies of God break out afresh (Lam. 3:21-24). With his help we can throw off the covers, confidently rise from our beds, and face what each day brings, drawing strength from the words of Paul, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8).