Early Morning Devotion

Definition and Meaning

Early morning devotion is a spiritual practice in which an individual, early in the day before its activities begin, reads a passage of the Bible, reflects deeply on its meaning (meditation), and then turns to prayer. It is distinct from the early morning prayer meeting, at which church members gather at a time set by the church to hear a sermon and pray together. Early morning devotion is practiced alone, wherever one may be, whether at home or at work, and has no fixed order or leader. In Korean churches the term is sometimes used almost interchangeably with QT (short for "Quiet Time"). However, whereas QT refers to personal devotion in general, regardless of the time of day, early morning devotion emphasizes the early morning hour.

Biblical and Historical Background

Those who practice early morning devotion commonly cite the following passages as its basis:

• Mark 1:35: records that Jesus, "rising up a great while before day," went out to a solitary place and prayed.
• Psalms 5:3 and Psalm 119:147: confessions of praying to God in the morning, before the dawning of the day, and hoping in His word.
• Psalm 1:2 and Joshua 1:8: call for meditating on the law (the word of God) day and night. The Hebrew word translated "meditate" in these verses is understood to carry also the sense of reciting or murmuring aloud.

In church history, the monastic tradition observed prayer at fixed hours throughout the day, and early morning prayer held an important place among them. After the Reformation, the Puritan and Pietist traditions within Protestantism emphasized personal Bible reading and prayer. John Wesley is likewise known to have risen in the early hours to pray and read the Scriptures.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, early morning devotion took root alongside the tradition of the early morning prayer meeting, which is said to have been initiated by Kil Sun-joo and others. Many church members remain in the sanctuary after the early morning prayer meeting to continue their personal devotions or, on days when they cannot attend the meeting, meditate alone at home. Monthly devotional booklets issued by Christian publishers and mission organizations, smartphone apps, and devotional text messages sent by churches are widely used. The practice is often combined with reading through the Bible, hand-copying the Bible, and pledged prayer. Some churches encourage members to practice personal devotion during special early morning prayer meeting periods.

Emphases differ by denomination. In Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, and Full Gospel churches, where the culture of the early morning prayer meeting is strong, early morning devotion is often understood in connection with it. The Anglican Church of Korea has a tradition of using set prayers and appointed Scripture readings, such as the Morning Prayer contained in its prayer book, for personal devotion. Some churches and denominations are wary of understanding meditation as a practice of emptying the mind apart from the biblical text. For this reason, the relationship between such devotion and contemplative prayer has been a subject of debate. As the number of church members who work shifts or whose daily circumstances vary has grown, there is also a tendency to emphasize the idea of "offering the first hour of the day" rather than any particular time of day.