Joel M Bradshaw

13But I, O LORD, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.–Psalm 88

This was a hard psalm and a hard situation. The sons of Korah prayed a depressing prayer full of pain and tears. But they prayed. They illustrated a wonderful principle that has helped me in my depression. Get up and spend time with God.

A couple of years ago, I decided I would journal using my church’s Bible reading plan. For a solid year, I would wake up, read the passage, and then write a social media post of my thoughts. It was like a daily commentary. I was challenged to make it into an actual blog and so here we are. Thank you for reading. I encourage you to follow this blog and have these come to your daily email.

My point is that I found something I wanted to not only wake up for, but wake up early for. My wife and I have two young children, so the get-to-school process can be very noisy. I needed to wake up early to get the devotional time in. I needed a quiet house. Being motivated and excited to wake up early easily takes out one of the legs of depression’s ‘stool’.

Now, it has to be earlier because I also have two small, older dogs that need a morning walk. So I walk them first. It’s good for me and good for them. Coffee will be brewed by the time we get back and then time for Bible.

I enjoy my mornings with a cup of coffee, my Bible, and this blog. The sons of Korah cried out to God in the morning. Mornings represent a new day, and renewed motivations and perspective. They are the perfect time to spend with God. Coffee and Bible, my friends.–JMB