1. THE FIRST THING I desire to say today is the Prophet sought THE LORD early. If there is one line that can be truthfully inscribed on how the Prophet sought THE LORD, the words would be that he sought THE LORD early. The Prophet did not put off. He did not postpone. He sought THE LORD swiftly. It was the first response of his soul. Yet I would not have you to take my word for it. I would remind you of the Scripture. In I Kings 19.2, the queen sent word to the Prophet that in the space of a day she would put him to death for his adherence to the Christian Faith. Look what the Prophet did. He did not yield. He did not recant. He did not bow to the queen in this thing. I Kings 19.3 says: “When he saw that, he arose, and went for his life.” And where, I ask, did the Prophet go? He went to the vicinity of Mount Sinai. There, he sought THE LORD. He found THE LORD. THE LORD told him what he should do. I would have you to see through these Facts that the Prophet sought THE LORD early. As soon as the queen made her threat, just so soon did the Prophet make his way to THE LORD. From whence I draw this Instruction. THE LORD is best sought when He is sought early. In the Text, when hard times came on the Prophet, he sought THE LORD early. The rest of the Chapter shows what a helpful, useful, and comfortable practice this turned out to be. And when it comes to us, in spiritual affairs, it is not good to delay. THE LORD is best sought when He is sought early. The Blessing will come sooner. In the Scripture, THE LORD Himself says it is His Will that He be sought early. Therefore this is the smartest path. Psalm 63.1 says: “O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee.” Psalm 78.34 speaks this compliment that “they returned and enquired early after God.”

II. The second thing I would say to you today is the sweetest time in which to come to THE LORD is in the Morning. Perhaps someone will ask: “How do you get here from there?” I'll tell you how. I get to the sweetest time in which to come to THE LORD is in the Morning from the Fact that the Prophet sought THE LORD early. First: Think about what the Word “early” means. Psalm 63.1 says: “O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee.” When the Psalmist wrote these Words, the Hebrew Word he chose for the Word “early” means “at dawn.” The idea is that the Psalmist would seek THE LORD at dawn in the sense that he would be early in this Duty. And when this Word is duly considered, the corresponding habit will be to come to THE LORD in the Morning. In Genesis 19.27, it is said that Abraham “gat up early in the morning.” And what was he doing so early in the Morning? The Verse speaks that he went to Prayer and reflected on the Works of GOD. In Genesis 28.18, Jacob “rose up early in the morning.” And what did he do? He prayed. In Exodus 19.16, THE LORD gave the Ten Commandments “in the morning.” In Psalm 5.3, the Psalmist gives us his Rule. He said: “My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee.” Then when JESUS came into the world, Mark 1.35 says He rose up “in the morning” “a great while before day,” “departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

Before I conclude today's Sermon, I would give an encouragement to pray in the Morning. About a year ago, as I was preparing for one of your Sermons, I was greatly inspired to speak to you the things I have just spoken. But in that particular Sermon, there was no room for these things. Therefore I wrote them down. I thought that today would be a more suitable time to relate these things.

Question. How may the soul be encouraged to pray in the Morning? The most effectual encouragements are Scriptural encouragements. Scriptural encouragements come to the soul with power. They touch the soul with a Divine hand. There are two Scriptural encouragements I would give you. Ecclesiastes 4.9 says: “Two are better than one.” 1. The First Scriptural Encouragement I would give you to pray in the Morning is I Samuel 9.26. In the Verse, there is the Phrase “the spring of the day.” There is no doubt what part of the day is being spoken of. The Verse begins with: “And they arose early.” Which expressly refers to the Morning. And when the Word “spring” is attached to the Morning, the Hebrew Word for “spring” is “to ascend.” So that the idea is “the ascent of the day.” That is to say, in the Morning, the day is ascending. The Morning is the time when the day is ascending. It is ascending up to THE LORD. He will write the day's events in His Books. It is ascending to us. For the day is new. It has not been used yet. At this important time, just as THE LORD gives the Gift of the Day, before the Gift is fully experienced, it is an ideal time to take time with GOD.

2. The Second Scriptural Encouragement I would give you to pray in the Morning is Psalm 110.3. The Phrase is: “The beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning.” First: There is the last part of the Verse that reads “the womb of the morning.” Which spells it out that there is a sense in which the Morning has a “womb.” You can deposit things in the Morning and then see them grow, mature, and come to shape as the Day goes on. This is what many people commonly do in a simple way. In the Morning, they ask their Friends, their Families, or their Bosses: “What will we do today?” From that point, plans are laid in “the womb of the morning.” Throughout the Day, the plans come to pass. And so it ought to be in the spiritual. In the Morning, you can bring your requests to THE LORD at the first of the day. Thereafter, you can see these requests grow, mature, and take place. Which teaches that Morning Prayers are well-timed. Coming to THE LORD in the Morning is a favorable time to come to THE LORD. While the mind is fresh, the feelings are full, and hope about the day is bright. Before a word is said. Before a deed is done. The best way to use the pleasant circumstance of the Morning is to come to THE LORD in Prayer. And when you do, you place your Prayers “in the womb of the morning.” The Verse says that this is when “the beauties of holiness” are received. It is not by human strength. It is by asking THE LORD for the Gift of Holiness. For no man can be holy on his own. This is THE LORD'S Work. You must come to THE LORD “in the womb of the morning.” Amen.