Some days are better than others.
Everyone knows that, right? Some days are good, and other days are not-so-good. But there is an easy and effective way to make every day a success. All it takes is a simple morning ritual.
You probably already have morning rituals—you hit the “snooze” button on your alarm on a daily basis. You brush your teeth. Comb your hair. Make your bed. Brew a pot of coffee, perhaps.
But there’s just one daily ritual that can ensure a successful day, no matter what else may come your way: a prayer of surrender.
Many people throughout history have made a habit of morning prayer. The psalmist David intoned, “In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3, NIV). The prophet Daniel opened his windows and prayed every morning facing Jerusalem. Jesus was known to rise before the sun to find some quietude. Martin Luther started each day with the same prayer. Likewise, Therese of Lisieux. George Washington wrote a prayer for each morning in his journal. And the list goes on.
It doesn’t take much. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., often prayed only a sentence or two but his prayers were as powerful and effective than if he had spoken longer.
What you pray is up to you, but taking a few moments every morning to surrender to God and invite His control—rather than exerting our own, which tends to add frustration without producing the desired results—can set your course for the day. It can guarantee that whatever comes your way is greeted with alacrity and responded to with what I like to call “sanctified flexibility.”
Here’s one example of a daily prayer of surrender:
Lord God, my Sovereign, I offer You this day and all that will come to me in it. I surrender to You and ask You to sanctify every moment, every breath I take, every decision I make and all I think, say, or do. Let the words of my mouth, the work of my hands, and every meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, whatever may come, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Try it. Or pray in your own words. And, as you begin every day with such a prayer, watch how God works in and around you to honor your daily surrender.
