The calling of the birds reminds me of the proclamation of the good news of Jesus' resurrection. Every day I must be ready to proclaim the good news about Jesus. Therefore each day has to be consecrated to the Lord just as we consecrated our whole life at conversion and baptism. Morning prayer is a way of acknowledging that the day ahead does not belong to me, that I am to live for God, that what I do in the day is to be for His glory and praise. Morning prayer is a way of acknowledging our dependence upon our Father.
Morning prayer is like the tithe.
It is the giving of our first fruits as a symbol of our total dependence and consecration to the Lord. Just as when we eat we give thanks for the food we are about to receive, in morning prayer we give thanks for the day we are about to live. In morning prayer we confess and admit that we cannot live as we ought, we cannot face the temptations, the decisions, the physical and emotional demands of the day in our own strength. We admit we cannot manufacture the opportunities to be light or to bring Jesus to a person who is needy, and we ask the Lord of the day to create opportunities, and to open our eyes to see them. In the still of the morning we remain undistracted.