Practically speaking, fellowship with God, like breathing, should be constant and not limited by time. If we breathe in the morning, we still need to breathe in the evening. Likewise, our fellowship with God cannot be limited to only one time. We must fellowship with God moment by moment. This is what the Bible refers to as “unceasingly” praying (1 Thes. 5:17). Praying unceasingly is a kind of spiritual breathing; it is uninterrupted and carried out at every time and in every place. There should not be a time or a place in which we stop fellowshipping with God. We should constantly exercise concerning this matter. Some unbelievers rebuke us, saying, “You are captured and bewitched by God. From morning to evening and from evening to morning, you simply cannot forget Him.” We should respond, “We are not only captivated by God; we are actually breathing Him.” When we stop breathing God, we cease to live. We should not be separated from God at any moment. There should always be inward fellowship between God and us. Even while we are angry, we should be fellowshipping with God; we should even fellowship with God when quarrelling with others. Some may say, “If we are in fellowship with God, we will not quarrel with others.” It seems as if this should be the situation because the best way to avoid quarrelling is to fellowship with God, but this is not always the case. We should learn to fellowship to such an extent that even when we quarrel and are upset with others, speaking angry words to them, we would still be able to fellowship with God. There should not be one moment that we are not in fellowship with God. Constant fellowship with God is the first point related to the time to fellowship with God.
Although we should be in constant fellowship with God, we still need to set aside some time each day for fellowship. A new believer especially should set aside time during which he can fellowship with God. Examples of this can be found in the Bible. Daniel 6:10 says that Daniel prayed before his God three times daily. Psalm 119:164 says that David praised God seven times a day. Psalm 55:17 says that he complained and moaned evening, morning, and noontime. He came before God three times a day. Acts 10:3 says that Cornelius prayed at the ninth hour of the day. He had a fixed time to fellowship with God. Even our Lord Jesus set aside a specific time to pray for needs that arose. During the two thousand years of church history, many spiritual men who were used by the Lord set aside a specific time every day to have deep fellowship with Him.
According to our experience, it is best to set aside a time in the morning, before the day dawns. This is the time when we are refreshed after a night of sleep; we have not had contact with any person or thing, and our outward environment and inner being are quieter. Therefore, it is the best and sweetest time to come before God to fellowship with Him.
It is also good to find another time in the evening to come before God. It would also be profitable to spend more time to fellowship at midmorning, noontime, or in the afternoon. If we cannot set aside three times a day, it would be good to set aside two times. If we cannot set aside two times, we should have at least one time. We should set aside a specific time every day to fellowship with God. If we have only one time, I would suggest that it be in the morning. If a Christian wants to learn to live before the Lord and have constant fellowship with Him, he needs to be one who touches God early in the morning. It is understandable if we cannot fellowship with God at midmorning, at noon, or in the afternoon and in the evening but it is not understandable if we cannot fellowship with Him early in the morning. Of course, it is more difficult for brothers who work night shifts, but they can sleep until noon and then fellowship with the Lord. Thus, their “early morning time” is in the afternoon. However, this is not as good as leading a normal life of sleeping at night and rising in the morning. Consequently, working night shifts creates difficulties. It is not easy for those who work night shifts to be good Christians. I hope the brothers and sisters will do their best not to work night shifts. Brother George Müller even said that it is not good to travel long distances at night, because it is not profitable for one’s spirit and body. I fully agree with him. Night is the time for sleeping; this is God’s arrangement. Traveling or working at night violates this natural law. Keeping a natural law is beneficial in every aspect.
We should learn to rise early in the morning. Those who want to rise early should learn the lesson of going to bed early. It is very interesting that the more fallen a person is, the more he likes to stay up late at night, and the more he loathes rising early. God ordained that man would go to bed when the sun goes down and rise when the sun comes up, yet the devil stimulates man to be active when the sun goes down and to sleep when the sun comes up. This can be seen in the bustling activities that occur late at night, such as gambling, drinking, movies, and dancing. When it is time for those who participate in these to rise in the morning, they are still asleep.
As believers, we should not be like this. We should work when the sun comes up, rest when the sun goes down, and rise early in the morning. In order to rise early, we must go to bed early. Any unwillingness to go to bed early comes from our fallen nature. Our fallen nature encourages us to stay awake, but the nature within a believer encourages him to go to bed early. Whenever we see a believer who always goes to bed late, we should be concerned because always going to bed late is an indication that one has no intention of rising early the next morning to draw near to God. Such a Christian will have problems. However, if a brother goes to bed early, we cannot say with confidence that he is spiritual. At the most we can be at least fifty percent assured that he is doing well. This is because going to bed early means that he is able to rise early, and if one can rise early to draw near to God, his Christian life is more or less on track. Therefore, under normal circumstances, we should not go to bed later than eleven o’clock. The best is to go to sleep around ten o’clock and rise up at six o’clock in the morning. This is the appropriate experience of many.
Immediately after we rise in the morning, we should fellowship with God. We should spend at least twenty minutes fellowshipping with Him every day. If we cannot afford to spend this much time, we should spend at least ten minutes, but this is quite poor. The best is to have at least half an hour to one hour every morning. Our coming before God in such a way to have a specific time to fellowship is profitable to our whole being. Not only our spirit will be strengthened, but even our physical life will be prolonged. Brother George Müller lived to be ninety-three years old. From his biography, we learn that he was not physically strong as a child. According to my impression from reading his biography, his longevity was very much related to his fellowship with God every morning. He would rise up very early every morning and read the Bible and pray while taking a walk outdoors. This was his morning watch. I believe this was most beneficial. Because he fellowshipped with God in such a way, he had joy and rest. Although there was much labor and work, not a single burden or anxiety could harass him; hence, he lived to such an advanced age.
Thus, drawing near to God in the morning and fellowshipping with Him not only causes our spirit to be fed and nourished but also causes our body to be healthy. At the same time, it renders much help to our mind, our train of thought, and our judgment. If we touch and absorb God every morning, we will have an intelligent mind, clear thinking, and sound judgment. Consequently, we will become those whose spirit, soul, and body are thriving and strong.
Therefore, we must learn to rise early and set aside a time to fellowship with God, to absorb Him. When we first start, it is not necessary to spend too much time; otherwise, it will become a burden that we will be unable to maintain. On average, it is sufficient to spend half an hour each day. It may also be necessary to make some resolution and determination and to find another brother or sister who has the heart to practice in order to remind and encourage one another.