Mornings With God: Finding Grace and Growth

How Mornings with God Can Transform Your Day

Have you ever noticed that the way you start your morning sets the tone for your entire day?

A good morning grounds you for the hours that follow, whatever they may hold—but so often, our first moments are shaped by chaos, anxiety, frustration, or fear…and that’s before we even get out of bed!

But what if the first moments of your day weren’t confusing or stressful—what if they were set aside for your soul?

In a recent episode of the Coffee and Bible Time Podcast, Ellen (Mentor Mama) sat down with author and pastor Tara Beth Leach to learn about how mornings with God can bring stability and solace, even in the midst of grief, depression, and busyness.

A Call to Rise

Tara’s story began in 2020 when her world was shaken by her father’s stage-four cancer diagnosis, her mother’s Alzheimer’s, and the loss of her childhood home. She and her family moved from sunny California to the suburbs of Chicago to care for her parents—right in the middle of a global pandemic.

Amid the grief and bitter cold of a Midwest winter, Tara says she woke each morning feeling “despondent and purposeless.” But one morning, she sensed God speaking clearly to her heart:

“Tara Beth, it’s time to take off those grave clothes. It’s time to rise with Me.”

So, she did. The next morning Tara got up, opened her Bible and whispered, “Here I am, Lord.” That decision to meet God before dawn became a turning point. What began as a small act of obedience soon became a rhythm that deeply transformed her spiritual and emotional health.

The GREAT Framework — Meeting God with Intention

As her early mornings took shape, Tara created a simple and accessible framework she calls GREAT—an acronym inspired by her own time with God: gratitude, reflection, exaltation, asking, and trusting.

Gratitude

Beginning by thanking God for even the smallest blessings centers our hearts on what is good in our lives—not what might be going wrong. This doesn’t have to be time-consuming or profound: it can be as simple as whispering a few thank you’s while you brew your first cup of coffee.

Reflection

Ask yourself, “Where did I see God yesterday? Where do I need Him today?” The Bible is full of passages commanding God’s people to remember the good work He has done (Psalm 77:11-20; Psalm 103:1-5; 1 Chronicles 16:8-13; Deuteronomy 4:9). By remembering what God has done in our past, we build confidence in the work He is doing in our present.

Exaltation

Spend some time in your morning routine worshiping and praising Jesus for who He is. Whether that’s playing worship music while dropping your kids off at school, writing down a Bible verse that speaks to God’s character, or taking a walk to soak in His presence through nature, praising God serves as a reminder that our life is in the hands of a God who is good, merciful, just…and who loves us.

Asking

As you prepare to enter the work of the day, bring your needs and desires before Him. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says to cast all your cares on Jesus, because He cares for you.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

By sharing your needs and desires with God, you are actually showing humility! And because of His love for you, His child, God will provide you with everything you need (Luke 11:11-13).

Trusting

All of these steps—gratitude, reflection, exaltation, and asking—ultimately guide you to the final one: trust. By thanking God, reflecting on all He has done for you, praising Him for His character, and giving Him your requests, you have already made all the action steps that build the foundation of confidence in Jesus. At this point, all there is left to do is step into the rest of your day in faith.

Your mornings with God can be practiced anywhere—during a morning walk, while nursing a baby, or even while driving to work. It doesn’t have to take 45 minutes. It doesn’t even have to happen every day.

Perfection should not be your standard; instead, replace that impossible ideal with consistency.

Giving God the First Fruits of the Day

Think of those first hours of the morning as the time when your mind is most receptive; like a sponge, or a blank canvas. What we choose to consume in those first moments—emails, scrolling, or Scripture—sets the tone for everything that follows.

“When we reach for our phones first thing,” Tara warns, “we’re allowing those things to shape our minds with the first fruits of the morning.”

Instead, she invites us to follow the example of Jesus, who “rose early while it was still dark and went to a solitary place to pray” (Mark 1:35).

In the morning hours when our minds are still a blank canvas, when our minds are refreshed and ready for the day, why not let God begin by setting our intentions and establishing our steps?

Tara Beth Leach

Even Jesus, who is fully divine, prioritized mornings with God to renew His strength and focus during His ministry on earth. If the Son of God needed to set aside His mornings to reset, how much more do we?

Grace Over Perfection

For those intimidated by the idea of waking up early, or afraid of failure, Tara’s message is freeing:

“This isn’t a legalistic ritual. You don’t have to start at 4:30 a.m. or go for an hour. Start small — five minutes of gratitude, a whispered prayer, or a few verses of Scripture.”

Tara Beth Leach

She emphasizes that every season of life looks different. For parents with young children, mornings with God might mean praying while nursing, or worshiping in the car. For others, it might mean getting up ten minutes earlier to journal, or meditating on the five points during cool-down at the gym.

Ultimately, Tara’s advice is simple:

• Stop saying, “I’m not a morning person.”
  Anyone can change—but not with that attitude! Try replacing that self-fulfilling prophecy with “I’m working on getting up earlier.”
• Set your intention the night before.
  Mornings with God aren’t about pushing through exhaustion. A good morning starts the night before; by getting to bed on time, putting away screens or other distractions, and setting out your Bible and coffee supplies for when you get up.
• Begin small and stay flexible.
  Going from getting up at 7 to getting up at 4 probably won’t be sustainable. Likewise, don’t try and change every part of your morning quiet time routine from the get-go; try starting by adding a practice on top of something you already do (like gratitude while making coffee).
• Let your morning devotions be a gift, not a burden.
  Make your mornings with God something you look forward to. If you’re not into journaling, try a worship playlist instead! If being in your house reminds you of chores, go for a short walk. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something you love.
  

“God isn’t disappointed in us when we miss a morning,” Tara says. “This is not about earning His favor — it’s about being transformed by His presence.”

Favorite Resources

Tara mentions several practices that helped her connect with God in the quiet:

• The Prayer of Examen and Lectio Divina for spiritual reflection.
• Worship music during morning walks.
• The YouVersion Bible App or Life Application Study Bible for Scripture reading.
• And of course, her own book inspired by this journey — The GREAT Morning Revolution: Daily Spiritual Practices for Meaningful Moments with God.

Final Encouragement

Whether you rise before dawn or start your morning quiet time from bed, remember that every sunrise is an invitation. As God’s Word beautifully reminds us, “His mercies are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23).

When we begin our days with God—offering Him our first thoughts, our first gratitude, our first prayers—we invite His peace to shape our hearts and His presence to guide our steps.

So tomorrow morning, before you reach for your phone, whisper a simple prayer:

“Here I am, Lord. Let’s begin this day together.”

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