First Light, also known as Nautical Dawn in the science world, is the time before sunrise when the sky begins to brighten. I see it as a the very first glimpse of light that just begins to break through the night announcing my Lord and my God has come to meet with me. And He always comes.
I have been meeting my Lord at First Light since the Fall of 2023. One evening Eric asked me to join him on a hike the next morning so we could see First Light together. Eric arises at 4:30 am and can hike like a mountain goat, so I had to clarify exactly what this entailed. We would arrive at our destination while it was still dark so when we climbed to the top of the hill, we would be there waiting for First Light. I somewhat reluctantly said, “okay, I’m in.”
There was a nice chill to the morning and the hill was manageable, so far so good. We settled in to the spot Eric thought would be the most climactic. And we watched and waited. Waiting is part of the experience, but so is watching. Because you don’t know the exact moment it’s coming, and if you are not watching expectantly, you will miss it. I was afraid to blink.
Then it happened. The sky broke forth with the tiniest glimmer of light, and it was if our Lord and God came just for us to bid us Good Morning! We stayed for the sunrise, which was also glorious. Then we finished our hike and went to The Sunflour Bakery for breakfast. But it was First Light that kept me captivated. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
My First Light Prayer
I started waking 30 minutes before sunrise every morning, grabbing my coffee, sitting in my glider, watching and waiting for First Light. And every morning God would greet me. This went on for months as I prayed,
Dear Heavenly Father and Gracious Lord,
Thank you for coming. I am captivated by You as I bask in how truly awesome it is that You break through the dark places to meet with me. And now please help me by Your Spirit to sit still long enough to listen to what You lay on my heart for what You have for me this day. It is good and it is enough because it comes from You. And as such, I trust You will give me the strength and discernment needed to carry out Your plans for me, even if it would not have been my first choice. Please forgive my failings as I seem to struggle daily. I pray Your character is what shines through and everyone will see I met with You First this morning. I love You Lord, with my whole heart.
I pray this in the holy and precious Name of Jesus, Amen.
Praying a Psalm added stability
Then the dreaded time change came and threatened to sabotage my efforts. There have been some mornings I roll over with one eye barely open, squinting at First Light, saying, “good morning Lord. I am coming, but I need a minute.” He is still very gracious, but it’s not the same as sitting with expectant anticipation for Him to meet me as He breaks through the dark and whispers to me with His light.
In the meantime, Eric suggested we read a Psalm a day starting January 1st and use it to guide our prayers. I was in. I had been fumbling somewhat through what to pray next and often got distracted. I would start and stop and my mind would veer somewhere else, and then I would start again. We both had read Donald Whitney’s book, Praying the Bible, so I knew this would help direct my prayers.
Praying a Psalm every morning at First Light radically changed my prayer life. I would start basically the same every morning, but that lasted about 5 minutes. And then I was thinking, okay now what? As I turned the Psalm into a prayer, the Lord brought much to mind to pray for, mostly people. Then I started organizing lists of those I pray for according to the day of the week and entered them in my phone calendar. Now, I pray the same basic opening, pray the Psalm of the day, then pray for each individual on the list, and finish by texting individuals to let them know I prayed for them.
Now I am part of the miracle
This all takes about an hour. So it’s good I get up before First Light! Slowly, God has shown me over time how He uses humility to do miracles, small and big, in the lives of people I love. It requires them to be humble to voice the request and me to be humble to bring it before our Father, recognizing He has the power and unleashes it by His Spirit when we ask according to His will. I am but a small part in the big plan, but nothing is sweeter. And it makes me want to do it all over again tomorrow! I have even started praying for myself! Trusting God is able and willing, I ask for the desires of my heart with a view that His answer is in context of all eternity. I am waiting with expectant anticipation to see what comes next.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Luther cited God’s command to pray and God’s promise to hear prayer as well as human need. Prayer is not a good work done for the purpose of earning merit before God but real conversation with God. He was known to spend the first hour of his day in prayer, but sometimes, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” The more we have to do, the more we need Him. Glad you enjoy first light!
Luther cited God’s command to pray and God’s promise to hear prayer as well as human need. Prayer is not a good work done for the purpose of earning merit before God but real conversation with God. He was known to spend the first hour of his day in prayer, but sometimes, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” The more we have to do, the more we need Him. Glad you enjoy first light!
Thank you Dear and thank you for introducing me to First Light!