How important is it to read your Bible in the morning? Can you wait until the evening to do your daily reading or devotions? Does it really matter the time of day?

I’ve always been taught, or at least thought, that it didn’t matter the time of day I spent time in the Word of God, as long as I was spending time with Him each day. But recently I’ve realized the significance of spending time with Him and in His Word each and every morning. While I do the bulk of my reading in the evenings typically, it is important to get some truth from God at the beginning of the day. Here is why!

Imagine beginning your day without anything in your stomach. Right about mid morning your stomach begins to make that all too familiar grumbling sound. You’re hungry. Your body is desiring something, but there’s nothing there to provide nourishment. Your body has already digested what you consumed the night prior. So you remain hungry until you’re fed.

Jesus Christ, at the beginning of His earthly ministry, was in the wilderness for forty days. During this time, He was tempted several times by Satan. In one instance, Jesus was hungry and Satan begins to tempt Him with food.

“Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was being led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had finished, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭LSB

So what does this have to do with reading our Bible and grabbing a hold of some truth from God’s Word early and before we begin our day?

Satan, the enemy, is clever. He knows when we are most vulnerable. He knows when to attack us, what to say, and how to discourage us. Jesus was hungry and Satan knew exactly what to say to tempt Him. But how does Jesus respond? How does He gain victory in this situation? By quoting Scripture. By claiming a truth written in God’s Word.

Just like when we begin our day without sustenance, and the body begins to crave food a couple hours later, the same is absolutely true spiritually. We must have something to feed the soul when we are craving truth or to defend us in the midst of spiritual attacks. Jesus was physically hungry but He was spiritually full.

What we read last night may not be fresh in our minds. We read, we digested, and we slept. But today is a new day. The busy morning of making calls, answering emails, sending texts, meetings, and interacting with people quickly make us forget the night before. We immediately come face to face with the problems of today. It is during this time that Satan begins to plan his attack, and be certain the attacks will come!

Begin early. Be fed.