A Morning Psalm
Dear Friend,
Today, I want us to look at Psalm 5 which is known as a Morning Psalm and what it can teach us about seeking God at the start of the day.
In the very first verses, David, the psalmist cries out to God:
Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray. (v1-2 ESV)
Is that the first thing you and I do when we wake in the morning? Do our thoughts turn to God? David speaks these words with confidence. He also knows exactly who to turn to. He doesn’t turn inward, looking to his own ability to deal with what the day may hold, he doesn’t first seek advice from those in his court. He goes directly to God, his King, for help and guidance. Who better is there to present our requests, our concerns, our needs to, than our God and our King?
Now read v1 as it is phrased in the Voice Translation:
Bend Your ear to me and listen to my words, O Eternal One;
hear the deep cry of my heart.
“Bend your ear and listen” – what a wonderful image that gives us. The Almighty God who cares about us so deeply, bends his ear that he might really listen to us. Giving us his full attention. You might want to just stop for a few moments and meditate on that before reading on.
“Hear the deep cry of my heart” How wonderful that we have the ear of God, that we can pour out our heart’s deepest cry to him. Whatever it may be, we don’t need to pretend or hide it from God. It may not be something we feel able to share with anyone else, but we can take it to God as David did.
In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will prepare [a prayer and a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart]. (v3 AMP)
Let us, like David, make it our habit to meet with God each morning. He says to God, “You will hear my voice”. I see this word, “will” in two ways:
- God will hear because I will speak and converse with him each morning.
- David also has confidence in God, that God will hear him because God is a God who listens.
I also like the last sentence in v3 where David says he will “watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart.]”
I confess, more often than not, I will bring my concerns to God, but then rush on with my day, rather than watching and waiting to hear from God. I am challenged by David’s words to stay and sit in God’s presence. To give God time to speak to my heart. To practice the spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude so that there is space for God to speak.
We live in a world where life is busy and everyone, more often than not, is in a hurry. We accept the lie that to be productive and efficient we always need to be on the go. But the truth is that when we deliberately practice being with God before we do anything, being still, alone and quiet with him, we will live our best lives.
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. (v8 ESV)
David, with humility, asks God to lead him. He asks God to make clear the way that he is to take and to direct him. This is what I want for myself. Not just to ask God for direction in the major decisions I need to make, but also to ask God each day, to lead me through this very day, to direct me through every moment.
To Think About:
- Will you make it your practice to come before God at the start of your day?
- Will you go to God, with your heart’s deepest cry?
- Will you wait expectantly to hear God’s voice? Will you incorporate time into your day so you can be alone with God and hear from him? Will you practice solitude and silence?
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