The alarm blares. I (Christy) reach over to switch it off. Immediately, I’m drawn to pick up my phone…check my email…get on social media. Sometimes I look at the weather app to see if I’ll need to gear up for rain or the news to see the latest in the Middle East. There’s an endless supply of information at my fingertips. But lately, I’ve noticed how scrolling first thing in the morning derails my entire day.
Mornings are my favorite time of day, but if I’m not careful, my phone can steal away the hours – and my peace. In its wake is left anxiety, stress, and a mind going in a million directions.
Before Your Feet Hit The Floor
What’s the answer? Long ago, a friend described her morning practice of dedicating her day to God. Before the chaos of getting ready for the day, shuttling kids to school, and powering through monumental traffic, she disciplined herself to whisper a prayer before her feet hit the floor. The phone was no longer a temptation for her. Instead, she couldn’t wait to open the Word and hear God speak to her. The phone was still there. She just stopped reaching for it first.
Deeply ingrained habits are hard to break. But here are a few ways to take your mornings back.
Make Some Things Harder
Plug your phone in another room (or at least on the other side of the room). Remove the physical temptation to scroll when you turn off your alarm.
Set focus times on your phone. This allows you to shut down certain apps for periods of time and makes it difficult to access the tempting apps. The more times you have to click to get to an app, the less often you will access that app.
Make Other Things Easier
Prepare for your devotional time the night before. Put your Bible, pens, journals, and devotional materials right by your bed and make them easy to access. Pick out the passage to read and write out a memory verse to meditate on as you go to sleep.
If you need caffeine first (like me) prep the coffee pot the night before, too. Set out your favorite cup and clean off your favorite spot to sit.
Anticipation is its own discipline. When you look forward to something, you protect it.
Tomorrow morning, the alarm will blare again. You’ll reach for your phone — force of habit, muscle memory, sheer reflex. But what if, just once, you set it down? What if the first voice you heard wasn’t a news alert or a friend’s Instagram story, but the quiet of God’s presence waiting for you?
Peace isn’t something you stumble into. It’s something you choose — before your feet hit the floor.
On this week’s episode of Well Worn Pages, Lori and I talk more about Scripture and Prayer. We’d love for you to join us.
Do you know someone who starts her day drowning in her phone instead of in the Word? Send her this episode. It might be the nudge she needs.
Join Lori’s Scripture Memory Challenge!
One verse. One week.
Join us each month for a 7-Day Challenge to study and internalize God’s Word. Spend 7 days immersed in one verse of scripture through daily emails structured using the STORY Bible study method including prayers, study resources, and encouragement to practice God’s truths in your daily life. Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your scripture meditation skills and connect with other believers who are passionate about God’s Word.
May 2026 Challenge: 7 Days in Psalm 119:18
Episode Summary
Christy and Lori dig into chapters 5 and 6 of Desiring God — Scripture as the kindling of Christian hedonism and prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie. The conversation covers why the Word comes before everything else in the morning, how meditation naturally leads to prayer, and why a weak prayer life might actually signal something deeper about our relationship with Jesus.
Key Takeaways
* Your joy in God is not a steady flame. It wavers with real life — and that’s normal. Scripture is the kindling that keeps it burning when the enemy tries to blow it out.
* You can’t wield what you don’t wear. The sword of the Spirit is only effective if you’re in the Word daily — not just when you need it.
* God is glorified by doing through Christ what we can’t do for ourselves. Answered prayer comes as a result of a close relationship with Christ. Then God is glorified when we rely on Him completely.
* If you don’t protect the morning, anxiety wins. The phone, the to-do list, the grocery list in your head — Satan doesn’t need to stage a dramatic attack. Distraction is enough.
* Prayer is a walkie-talkie for warfare, not a wish list. We’ve turned direct communication with God into a civilian intercom — calling for more comfort instead of empowerment for mission.
* You have a part to play — and it’s simply asking. We come empty-handed, but we don’t come silent. James says it plainly: you have not because you ask not.
* It starts smaller than you think. One man. Six people. A million converts two years later. Faithful, planned, consistent prayer moves things only God can move.
Scripture references in Episode 7:
* Psalm 119:97
* Deuteronomy 32:47
* Ephesians 6:17
* John 4
* John 16:24
* James 4:2-3
Coming Soon!
A new Bible study from Lori Behrens…
Transform your relationship with God as you walk line-by-line through Psalm 119.
Find joy and peace alongside King David in the pages of Joyful: Learning to Delight in God’s Word. A six-week study in Psalm 119, From the Pen of a King Bible Study Series.
When anxiety keeps you awake at 2 AM and dark thoughts swarm your mind, it can feel like God is absent. But this post explores a profound biblical truth: the darkest moments of our lives are often when God speaks most clearly and offers his greatest promises. From Abram counting stars to Paul singing in prison, Scripture reveals that nighttime suffering is not abandonment but invitation.
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