IN THE MORNING
“Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning, I bring my request to you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3 NLT).
What a beautiful morning it has been. The temperature is pleasant, the birds are chirping, and I’m on my front porch talking with Jesus.
My heart is full, and there’s so much I could say. Truthfully, I want to say most of it to Jesus. But I’ve made a commitment to pour some of what He pours into me back out to you. And so, I want to break down Psalm 5:3 for you.
“Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD.”
God can hear your thoughts, but there's something about saying them out loud. That’s a good reason to get up early and go outside. You don’t disturb your family, and in addition, you aren’t self-conscious when you are alone. You can express your thoughts out loud, without reserve. When you can literally hear what you are saying, it reinforces it. When God hears you say it, it is music to His ears. And finally, Satan can’t read your mind, but he can listen to what you express out loud. You want him to clearly know where you stand. When you talk to God out loud in the morning, you are giving notice to the devil that he can go somewhere else today. Your heart and your mind are not open to his lies.
“Each morning I bring my requests to You.”
Consider the frequency and consistency of your prayers. It is so ridiculous to pray for help after the fact. I don’t care if you are a morning person or an evening person. In the morning, your day has not yet started. In the evening, it is finished. If you want direction and provision for the day, you have to ask for it before it’s over. Thank him and review in the evening. But ask him and listen for instructions in the morning. Please don’t do it periodically. Do it “each morning.” Do it when you feel like it, when you don’t feel like it, and until you feel like it. No progress is made on anything in life that is done periodically.
“And wait expectantly.”
If you mean what you pray, you will expect everything that happens during the day to relate to that prayer. You will proactively look and listen for an answer in every circumstance and in every interaction you have throughout the day. Don’t ever pray and forget about it. What kind of faith is that? Pray and then wait expectantly.
If you speak, God will listen. If you listen, God will speak. It has been said, "Don’t pray until God hears you. Pray until you hear God."
