Something that has always fascinated me, and I think I am not alone in this, is why I wake up at 3 AM at times.
It is a time shrouded in an element of the occult, known as the witching hour or devil’s hour.
It is one of the most important periods in Christianity, a holy time for prayer and contemplation in order to cement that connection with god.
Such a time of peace is an almost perfect time for spirituality, an authentic call to authenticity; it is as if the silence at this hour invites one to be in prayer, reflection or to experience spirituality in depth.
It has been a special time for me for years – an hour in the early morning, a quiet respite from the day.
Like the universe, or God himself (for some, it might be the same, I guess), hidden behind the curtain of this reality, is whispering through me, trying to wake me up and asking me to elevate my consciousness.
It goes deeper than just a personal theory and is loaded with heritage.
The Bible speaks of “watches” of the night, and 12:00+ to 3:00 am is referred to as “the third watch,” where great spiritual activity provides itself.
A time when those who believed in God sought after divine revelations, fought in the spiritual realm and heard amazing secrets.
The early hours before daybreak, say 3 am, is the time when the veil separating the physical world and the spiritual world wears thin.
A belief grounded in biblical stories as well as in the ancient spiritual teachings of the East.
A time when God spoke to the prophets through dreams and visions. For me, waking up at this time of day feels like opening the door to clarity.
So, This Is What I Have Found About The Biblical Meanings Of Waking Up At 3AM:
A Call To Prayer
It is not uncommon to consider the 3 AM rise as a divine call to prayer!
This is a special hour without all of the distractions of the day to mentally commune deeply with the spiritual.
For me, this time of early morning feels like a holy hush – a time when all the world is put on out-of-office, and the soul can attentively meet with God.
I have an almost uncontrollable need to bow in prayer, seek direction, and intercede for others in this quiet moment.
A time to open my soul to God and cry out for His mercy, His word, and His way.
It is suffused, however, by a certain sense of peace and clarity, as if waking at that early hour is some sort of divine calling.
Accepting this calling has not only strengthened my faith, but has helped me to see clearly in some of the most stressful moments in life.
An example of this in scripture is found in Psalm 63:1, which states,
“O God, you are my God; early will I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Much of the verse is a great definition of seeking God through early morning prayer and other acts of quiet stillness
It Is About Divine Communication
To me, the early hours, especially at 3 AM, have always had a mysteriously sacred feel.
It is thought to mark a time when the veil between the physical world and the world of spirit becomes its thinnest.
But our quiet, nocturnal hours are special because, through the night until dawn, a man can participate in the mysteries of the heavens manifested on Earth.
Throughout the Bible, God spoke to the prophets through dreams and visions.
When I wake up at 3 AM, I take it as a sign to be open to the holy conversation.
It is when my mind is most uncluttered and the world is most quiet – the ideal place for an encounter with the divine.
My mind goes so often back to the story of Samuel, hearing for the first time, in the dead of the night, the voice of God.
In 1 Samuel 3:10, it says:
“The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.'”
This verse does a great job of summing up the idea of listening to God during these earliest hours.
It is a reminder for me that maybe waking up at 3 AM is not a mere coincidence but a moment where divine dialogue might just happen. I am a person who listens to his dreams carefully.
I still keep a journal next to my bed. I process my feelings, dreams, and intuitive senses on paper – sometimes, the writing seems odd at best – but later, I can reflect – asking myself, what are the motives or messages God might be trying to convey?
Occasionally, what comes back is literally actionable advice that clears up problems I was working on.
Sometimes they are clear as day, other times much. This has enhanced my spiritual journey, helping me have a clearer picture of the divine presence in my life.
After so much, I came to see waking at 3 AM less as an interruption and more as a calling to be in the presence of the Divine.
It seems almost sacrilegious not to comply, but rather to just listen, reflect and enter into a deep conversation with God. It has allowed me to see these early awakenings as opportunities for spiritual nourishment.
It Is About Seeking Guidance – Spiritual Meaning Of Waking Up At 3AM
3 am is your best time frame to ask for divine guidance.
You are working somewhere calm with few interruptions and the world outside is quiet in these small hours.
This opens complete space to meditate and, in deep reflection, call on God with a high level of intimacy.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
It feels like such a unique and direct invitation from God to wake up at this time and go to learn His wisdom, to get His direction.
Life is not always easy, and all those choices and crossroads may often be simply too much for human logic.
I experienced times with really important decisions where I felt unsure of what the right decision was to make. In those 3 AM wake-up calls I open it up to God and ask him for his direction.
I have been shocked by the number of aha moments and confirmations I have received during these times of stillness.
It could be as simple as peace about a decision or as a new perspective on an age-old problem, but the stillness allows me to hear what He has to say.
During these times, journaling has been an extremely important part of my daily practice.
I can write down my thoughts, prayers, and any insights I get so that later, I can look back upon them and see that the Lord is guiding me. The process helps us see patterns and to discern better the subtle communication of God.
A way of trusting in the Lord with all your heart and leaning not on your own understanding in all your ways, acknowledging God, and praying He will make straight your paths.
It Is About Repentance
There, in the quiet dark of the early morning, the perfect time for repentance, and the soul speaks truth to itself.
You come clean to yourself in those quiet hours, partaking in a ritualistic purification of sorts.
3 AM is when you are given the opportunity to confess your sins, to find the darkness within yourself, and to seek out repentance.
This habit has transformed into an important part of my spiritual journey and has caused me to reflect on my actions, identify where I need to change and ask God to change my heart.
Those are the times when Psalm 51:10 rings true to me:
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
This verse really describes my thoughts so nicely while reflecting on this early morning. It is a call out for repentance, a passionate cry unto God to purify my heart from sin and lead me on the right path.
At 3 AM, stillness makes it easier to recognize my own faults.
Deep thought without all the distractions from the day.
This is a time in which I look at my life, my decisions and what I claim to be important, and I reflect upon if I have been behaving in a way that retains integrity with my loved ones and values.
Though it is not easy, an open and honest self-assessment (led by the Holy Spirit) can make all that difference in the world. It’s an opportunity to accept something you did wrong and say I am sorry.
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I’m Bulgarea Candin Stefan and I have started Spiritual Whirlwinds to pass my learnings from my spiritual journey. Spiritualwhirlwinds.com provides a space of spiritual awakening with guided meditations, e-books, mantras, and pendulum readings.