I’m a night owl. If I never desired contact with regular people I could happily live with my days and nights almost reversed. My mom used to catch me studying after midnight and say, “Honey, why don’t you get up at 5:30 with me and study when you are fresh?”

The only way I could study at 5:30 a.m. would be if I stayed up until 5:30 a.m. pulling an all-nighter –or I had the flu, and the word fresh would not dare enter the room.

Owls marry larks. We didn’t know that. The first year of marriage neither of us slept. In our 41st year he gets up at 5:30 a.m. and works when he’s fresh. I accuse him of giving up and going to bed before the day is over, but he just harumphs and toddles off and I put the kettle on for my next round. One of the reasons I think we have managed to stay together this long is that we have a rule. I will not take seriously (or emotionally) anything he says after 10 p.m. and he will tell me nothing of importance before 10 a.m. –unless it’s an emergency.

Morning people always talk about rising before dawn for prayer and Bible study or to meditate and prioritize their goals for the day.

“Jesus rose up before dawn,” they say, “We should follow his example.”

I tried that for a while, and then I realized I was giving the Lord the worst part of my day. My prayers were something like, “Um…yeah.. uh.. thank you for this day…. anda… um………………..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…oh, sorry,….for ….. for… something. There was somethingsomething…”

I was awful when I had early-rising babies. I could easily diaper the wrong end. When the kids were grown (or almost grown) and my workday didn’t start until afternoon so I didn’t have to get up early, I started watching late-night T.V.. Alas, David Letterman, although a witty conversationalist, never acknowledged my input, so I started talking to God. He’s a good listener.

Then he began to talk back (God, not David Letterman. I’m not that crazy.) Questions I asked him were answered -in dreams, or scripture passages that came to mind, in co-incidences like the same book being mentioned by three totally different sources in the same day, in pod-casts or blogs I stumbled upon, or in nature, or in songs that get stuck on repeat in my head until I stop and pay attention to them. I still felt guilty for being undisciplined and not “doing morning devotions” but that’s when I realized he wants a relationship with me and not with someone who punches a time clock out of duty and is glad when that’s done and can be crossed off the list. He doesn’t mind that I wake up slowly or that I’m at my peak when others collapse and fall into bed. He gets it, because he made me this way.

We rise and stand to do battle in the night, or sometimes just be, saying and doing nothing in particular. Now that sleep doesn’t come as easily as it used to, some of our best times together happen in the wee hours, even at 5:30 a.m. -and it’s all good.

Now may he grant you your heart’s desire
    and fulfill all your plans!
 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
    and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!