DIRECTING OUR PRAYERS

"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." (Psalm 5:3, NASB)

David was a man toward whom God was particularly inclined. The Word refers to him as a man after God's own heart (1 Sam 13:14). What was it that endeared David to the Lord's heart? It was his sensitivity to the Lord–his tender heart. He preferred the Lord, and sought Him earnestly. When, through temptation, he sinned, he repented quickly, responding to Divine appeals. He was not content to merely read God's Word. He wanted to understand what he read. Therefore he prayed for understanding (Psa 119:34,73,125,144,169). He was not content to praise the Lord occasionally. He said He would praise the Lord "seven times a day" (Psa 119:164).

In this Psalm, David confessed God would hear him "in the morning"–at the very threshold of every new day. Elsewhere he said he would "sing aloud" of God's mercy "in the morning." The Lord was the focus of the "sweet Psalmist of Israel," morning, noon, and evening (Psa 55:17). Our text says that "in the morning" David would "direct" his prayer to God.

Think of directing your prayer to the Lord–that is what David said he would do. Other versions say, "I will order my prayer to Thee" (NASB), "I plead my case to You" (NRSV), and "I lay my request before You" (NIV). There are several things emphasized in these words.

* His prayer was not perfunctory, or in mere routine.
* The ONLY answer sought was one coming from God.
* Like a spiritual lawyer, he would set his case before the Lord, abandoning a haphazard spirit and loose language.
* He came before the Lord as one totally dependent upon Him, and rejoicing to have it so.

David laid his heart bare before the Lord. He also engaged his mind in his prayers. He pondered his association with the Lord, and how his prayers would impact the glory of God, as well as his own circumstance. His prayers were a first resort (in then morning), not a last one. They were preceded by preparation (direct my prayer), and not presented hastily. There was an element of anticipation in his prayers (I will look up), and not a spirit of futility or despair. Little wonder this patriarch was so precious in the eyes of the Lord.

There is no reason why these things cannot be said of you. You have greater advantages than were available to David. You have been joined to the Seed David was anticipating. May the Lord grant you grace to see prayer as something in which your total person can be engaged. May you be expert in ordering your cause before the Lord, directing your prayers to Him with all your heart and mind engaged in the process.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Jesus Christ for the privilege of pleading my cause before your throne. Give me grace to do so insightfully and effectively.

-- Monday: DONE AWAY --