The moment I woke up...

You know the song, the catchy, classy Aretha Franklin song, 

 The moment I woke up,
before I put on my make up, 
I said a little prayer for you.
While combing my hair now, 
while wondering what dress to wear now.
I said a little prayer for you.

Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart
And I will love you
Forever, forever, we never will part
Oh, how I'll love you
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without you
Would only be heartbreak for me.

What a great song. 

But it got me wondering...

 What if we sang it, not in reference to another human, but to our Creator, Our Father in Heaven?  What if, when we woke up, our first waking thought was a prayer for Him, to thank Him, to praise Him?  And what if several times throughout the day, we thought of Him, and again prayed for HIm, again thanking  and praising Him?  And what if  we really meant the words, 

                      to live without You, would only be heartbreak for me?  

Would that change  anything in our lives?  Would it change us?  Would it help us look at our lives and ourselves differently?  Would we be a happier, more at peace, more victorious Christian?

Many years ago I was working on material for a ladies class on prayer*.  I had decided to focus on the 'Lord's prayer' found in Matthew 6: 9-13.  In Luke's account, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.  The first place Jesus directs them (and us) to is praise.  He said to them, 'When you pray, say, Father, Hallowed by Thy name'.  (Luke 11: 2a)   I thought that was very significant, so I began to think about and research the meaning of hallowed and of praising God.  I became more aware of examples of praise in our song books, and found out that many of the praise songs were written by people who had experienced severe hardship in their lives.  Fanny J. Crosby was blind, yet wrote hundreds of hymns, most being praise to God.  The writer of the beloved song, 'Amazing Grace' , John Newton, faced many difficult and even humiliating times.  As I looked at the stories in the Bible, I realized some of the greatest characters, David, Daniel, Hannah, Job, all praised God in the midst of overwhelming situations.   Hannah had prayed desperately for a child, making a vow to God, to dedicate him to the Lord.  When the time came to give the child to the priest Eli, the first thing she did was not cry and lament, but recognize and praise God.  1 Samuel 1: 26- 2: 2   And then there is Job.  When he was told of the loss of his fortune and all his children, he tore his clothes in grief, then fell to his knees in worship and praised God!  Job 1: 18-22   Was this perhaps the secret to his strength during his fiery ordeal?


While studying this topic to prepare to teach the class on prayer, God convicted me mightily about praising Him.  I made a decision to practice praising God all throughout my day, beginning with my first waking thought.  I quit listening to the radio on my morning commute and instead sang (in my head!), songs of praise to God, and used the time to pray, in particular praising and thanking Him.  This quickly became a habit.  This habit of genuinely praising God daily has enhanced my life in so many ways.  My prayer life and study time flourished.  I noticed a positive difference in my relationships with fellow Christians, neighbors, co-workers and family.  I hope they saw a difference in me.   I have learned that no matter what is going on in my life, when I praise God, I always feel better, at peace, relaxed, and joyful.  

The author Stormie Omartin says it best
" Nothing we do is more powerful or life changing than praising God.  Do you want a transformed life?  Do you want to be more like Jesus?  Then praise Him often. Praise Him in good times, praise Him in trials.  Make a decision to praise God no matter what the circumstances.  Praising God in the midst of trials means not sinking to the level of the problems, but rising to the level of the solution...God!"


Let's revisit our song, singing it with Him in mind. (with apologies to Aretha and Burt Bacharach)

The moment I woke up
before I put on my make up
I say a little prayer(of praise) for Him
While combing my hair now, 
and wondering what dress to wear now,
I say a little prayer for Him.


Forever, forever, He'll stay in my heart
And I will love Him
Forever, forever, we never will part
Oh, how I'll love Him
Together, together, that's how it must be
To live without Him
Would only be heartbreak for me.

Would only be heartbreak for me.





O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you O God are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.    Psalms 59: 17
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Author's note:  I will be putting the material on prayer, on line, in the Bible studies section of this site. It is titled, "Lord teach me to pray", and is 13 chapters or lessons long. I hope to add one chapter per week, in PDF format, downloadable and printable. If you ever have questions, or want to discuss somethings please e-mail me.