You’ve heard it said, “The early bird gets the worm.” Really?

If the bird wasn’t as early, would it still eat? Yes. Would it still get a fat, juicy worm? Probably, it just might take longer since other birds would be hunting by then and there would be less to choose from, not to mention the day becomes hotter so the sensitive worms take cover underground.

If the not-so-early bird didn’t get a worm, then perhaps it would eat a small bug, though they’re not quite as tasty or as easy to eat, let alone feed to a baby bird. No birds will go hungry as long as they are out busy catching their food, no matter what time of day it is.

So, what does this really mean?
To me, it hit home when I didn’t take a few minutes to have an early morning devotional time of prayer and praise.
I felt bad for jumping into my day and not putting Him first, but I knew that later in the morning I would find the time to read and pray.
As I contemplated this, I recalled the phrase about the early bird getting the worm.
Then I understood.

If I want the choicest spiritual food from the Word and time with the Lord, I have to take it first thing. If I wait, then yes, I would still find what I need and it will give me strength, but it wouldn’t be quite as satisfying, or fill me up as soon.

It is those first moments of the day that display how your appetite is and what you want most.

I am not saying that its wrong to have a devotional time later! What I am saying is for MY benefit, my day has to at least start off with a moment of recognition by giving thanks to the One who gave me another day, provided more breath for my lungs, and gave me the opportunity to do more of life better.

Its not that the Lord needs me to pray first thing, its that I need to do that, because it starts my day off thinking about ‘these” things, heavenly minded things, and thanking the Lord, while expressing my love for Him to Him. It is so much more for my benefit that for his.

“In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”
Psalm 5:3

“But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress.”
Psalm 59:16

We can take this a bit further, and compare our offerings of praise, prayer and thanksgiving to the sacrificial offerings the Lord required of his people.

“The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight;”
Exodus 29:39

So whenever you offer your sacrifice of praise to the Lord, consider the early birds and the sought-after worms. You just might get the Lord’s ear to turn to you first thing in the morning when you start with giving Him glory and credit, reading a bit (a big bite) of His Word. You will find that as a result, you will be fully satisfied too.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love on the morning, and your faithfulness by night,”
Psalm 92:1-2

Food for thought: Humans get hungry when we don’t eat. The only thing that satisfies that hunger is food. The same goes for our spiritual appetite.
If you’re not hungry to grow in your faith, then you won’t read or grow further. Ask the Lord to put a fire in your spirit, a hunger to know Him more, and He will do it!
If you are hungry and thirsty for more, study the Word of God, compare Scriptures, and be sure to take notes to mull over and snack on later.

Fun facts: The Robin’s main food is the earthworm. This is because they crave protein, and the worms are pretty easy to catchy sight. A baby robin will eat around 14 feet of worms in the first 2 weeks of its life in the nest. Both parents feed the young bird, with the mom making up to 100 trips per day to the nest.

Photo by: Kari Wiseman – Mother, where’s my food?