My Prayer Routine: Beginning and Ending the Day with God
Daily Prayer
How worship music, Scripture, and quiet time with God have shaped my mornings for more than forty years.
Beginning the Day with Worship
Morning routines are crucial to our daily wellbeing. Personally, for more than forty years I have adored worship music, so my mornings almost always begin there.
I start the day with my headphones and some worship music. Many years ago I also discovered an app called Dwell. It is the Bible on audio, and for me it is perfect, especially being ADHD, because I can listen.
My morning routine is very simple. I wake up, gargle with salt water, drink a glass of water, and then often get back into bed for a little while. That is when I dwell in the presence of the Lord.
I listen to worship songs, particularly songs that make declarations about who God is. In many ways it feels like prayer set to music. Then I listen to Scripture on the Dwell app. Hearing the Word spoken is incredibly wonderful and powerful.
Seeing God in Creation
The Lord has already told us who He is. It is very clear to see if we take the time to look. Even if someone had never read the Bible, they could see evidence of Him in the world around them, in the sunrise and sunset, in the trees, the animals, the birds, our food, and even the human body. If you have eyes to see, you can recognise the work of a divine Creator.
That divine Creator is the One I want to reach out to before I reach out to anything else in my day.
He has told us who He is, and He has told us what He has done. This is recorded not only in the Bible, but also in history. I once heard something many years ago that has never left me:
There is more evidence that Jesus Christ rose from the dead than that Julius Caesar ever lived on earth, and yet nobody doubts that Julius Caesar ruled and reigned on the earth.
My Personal Journey of Faith
The reason I sing, the reason I pray, and the reason my heart is fully given to Him is because I believe Him. I have seen His transformative power in my own life.
Before the Lord came into my life I was deeply broken. I had experienced abuse, I struggled with eating disorders, and I lived with ADHD that for many years was thought to be bipolar disorder. Growing up I often felt invalid because I didn’t feel normal.
But when I found the Lord, He began putting me back together again with His beautiful heart of love.
That is why I love the Word of God. There are so many beautiful promises of love within it. I often wish people understood just how beautiful the Word of God really is.
Small Steps in Prayer
My prayer routine did not develop overnight. It has grown slowly over time. I simply took small steps. We cannot expect too much too soon. Small steps, small bites, small chunks.
Sometimes I would meditate on just one Scripture if that was all I could absorb. That is also why worship songs have been so important to me. When I sing them, I am declaring who God is. In many ways, worship becomes prayer through music.
So my routine usually begins with worship music, followed by listening to the Word on the Dwell app. Alongside Scripture, the app also includes daily devotions. Two that I especially love are Morning Dwell and Evening Dwell.
These are almost like guided meditations on Scripture. You can simply put your headphones on and listen.
In the evening, the gentle voices speak Scripture and encourage you to relax, settle into your bed, and give the day to the Lord.
I end my day with peace, and I start my day with peace.
A Simple Way to Begin and End the Day
Over the years I have come to realise that prayer does not always have to be complicated or long. Sometimes it is simply beginning the day by turning our hearts toward the One who made us. Worship music, listening to the Word, and quietly resting in His presence have become small but powerful anchors in my life.
These simple routines have helped shape my days with peace, and they remind me each morning that before anything else, I belong to Him.
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
— Psalm 5:3
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.
— Psalm 143:8
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