And the World Is Still: Finding God in the Quiet of Morning

I will be straight with you: I am a squirrel chaser. Distractions find me like I am wearing a sign. So if I am going to have a real, focused conversation with God, I have learned I cannot wait until the world wakes up.

I get up at 5:30 most mornings. The house is quiet. The world is quiet. It is just me and God and an honest conversation before the day has a chance to pull me seventeen directions.

When I am done, I pour a cup of coffee and I watch the sun come up. That moment — the light breaking slowly over everything — still takes my breath away. Every single time. It never gets ordinary. I think that is God's way of reminding me that new mercies are not just a Scripture. They are a sunrise.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning." — Lamentations 3:22–23

I am not telling you that 5:30 is the magic number. Your quiet time might be 9 p.m. when the kids are finally asleep, or a stolen hour at lunch. The time matters less than the intention: to give God your best attention, not your leftover minutes.

If you have been feeling like your prayer life is scattered — like you are grabbing moments instead of making them — try claiming one quiet window this week. Just one. See what happens in that silence.

He has been waiting there for you.

What time of day do you give God your best attention — not your leftover minutes? If your prayer life has felt scattered, I invite you to begin with one quiet window this week. No pressure. No perfect formula. Just a real conversation with God.

In my book, A God Chat: The Art of Praying Without Ceasing, I share a six-day prayer rhythm, including a full journal template, that grew out of this early morning practice. There is room for you in it.