Psalm 5:3, “Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait patiently.”
The morning is the best time to pour out one’s heart to God, before our minds get bombarded with jumbled problems, as David prayed in Ps. 5:3. He did so to receive the strength and joy he needed to make it through the day against many adversaries. David had enemies who were lying against him and asked God to declare them guilty and to be caught in their own traps (Ps. 5:10). His prayer time was focused on God and being in God’s presence and he was confident God’s love would defend, console, and shield him (Ps. 5:11-12).
Each new day is a gift from God and means He has a purpose for your life. I have found I need to ask for God’s direction, will, and blessing for my day before it starts. If I don’t I miss out. “Give us this day our daily bread,” Jesus taught (NKJV) in Matt. 6:11, to pray for God to provide what we need and sustain us for the day. Backing up to verse 10, Jesus taught to also pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We are not to pray in general terms. We need to pray specifically for our needs, no matter how big or small they may be, trusting in Him to provide. That is how specific answers to prayers are seen. Sometimes, as the day rolls out new problems, all we can do is to pray and say, “God, give me this day and your provision in it. Your will be done.”
I so identify with a quote I came across that Paul Tripp had said he prays every morning, even before getting out of bed, “God, I am a man in desperate need of help today. I pray that you would send your helpers my way. Lord, give me the humility to receive the help when it comes.” He doesn’t just passively hope for the best, which is what many modern-day philosophers teach. It takes displaying Christ’s character in every aspect of our life, which needs to begin every morning.
Every great man or woman of God that I have admired always started their morning with spending time with the Lord – that was their morning routine. That is the time when, in reading and meditating upon God’s Word, He will transform us in casting out foolishness, making our way plain for us to follow (Ps. 5:6), in convicting us of any rebellious, sinful thoughts we have been harboring, prompting confession, repentance, and forgiveness. It requires talking and listening to God, and our ongoing need for His grace. The Holy Spirit will energize this needed discipline, for every believer’s effort, as Philippians 2:13, promises, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
Each morning, ask God to fill you with His joy. Talk to Him honestly and wait expectantly for His guidance, leading you in the right path He has for you.
Listen to Phil Wickham – Homesick For Heaven (Official Lyric Video).