Sighing But Expectant

OPENING PRAYER:

Sovereign Lord, how truly magnificent you are! I praise you for your majesty, power, goodness, and grace.

READ: PSALM 5

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

1 Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. 2 Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. 4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. 5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; 6 you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest. 7 But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple.

8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me. 9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. 10 Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. 11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Footnotes

[a] Psalm 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1-12 is numbered 5:2-13.

REFLECT:

Meditate for a few moments on Psalm 5:7. Think about God’s mercy to you and how you show reverence.

What is on your mind first thing in the morning? For David it seems to be prayer (v 3). It reveals much about his relationship with God. He is keenly aware of the greatness of the God he approaches and that he enters his presence only through mercy (see v 7 for ‘reverence’ and ‘mercy’). Starting the day with ‘Our Father, who art in heaven…’, the prayer Jesus taught his followers (Matthew 6:9-13), has helped countless Christians through the ages do the exact same thing, acknowledge the greatness of God. The psalmist’s posture is quite unlike the arrogant stance of the wicked (vs 4,5).

It is God’s character that molds our prayers. We meet a holy God who hates evil (v 5). We are called to the same antipathy to evil, to be perfect like our Father (Matthew 5:48). He is righteous and we long to walk that same path (v 8). We may struggle to express ourselves quite like David in talking about evil and its agents. That may reflect our sometimes complacent acceptance of a world gone awry. For David, every evil act is rebellion against God (v 10). So, he rages against it and calls for its overthrow. He also prays for God’s people, that their protection and peace would witness to their Lord (v 11).

APPLY:

Will our prayers be any different after reading this Psalm? What does it teach us about how we pray in the light of the God we know?

CLOSING PRAYER:

All-powerful Lord, I ask for your protection against the forces that seek to destroy me spiritually. Keep me safe I pray.

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