Psalm 5:3
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
How do you start your day? Perhaps you're woken by the
urgent demands of a small child, and your first conscious thought comes much later on! But some of us wake up to the sound of our own thoughts, and have control over what happens next. What can't you start the day without? A shower? Coffee?
The news? Checking your messages?
For David, his mornings aren't complete without speaking to
God. He begins his day by taking his requests to the only one who can really help. (You'll remember I said there were
5 kinds of prayer in this Psalm ... #1 was lament #2 is request)
It's not primarily about the time of day when he prays.
Rather, it's about priorities. Prayer takes first place on his To Do list. You might have to feed a baby or comfort a toddler in your first waking moments, but when you finally get to choose what to do with your attention, following David's example would mean choosing to pray. Perhaps your main Bible reading and prayer time comes later in the day – that’s fine! But starting our day by
speaking to God - however briefly - reminds us who has given us this day, and who we are living it for and with.
I remember reading once of a famous Christian (I have no
idea who!) who used to wake up and pray something like "Hello Lord, what shall we do together today?" I imagine that's a prayer David could have prayed, too. He had that same confidence that God was with him each day, and would be at work in it. And so he could start each day laying his requests before God, trusting that God was listening and would answer in whatever way was best. David could go into his day expectant, looking out for the answers to prayer he knew would come. Probably not always exactly what he asked for or expected, but always for his good.
Let's ask God to help us to be people who can live that same
expectant life, always on the lookout for answered prayers, because we have brought our requests to God and are trusting him to act in response.
