"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
Part 4
Yesterday: Our Prayers are to Have Direction
“In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee.”
Jesus’ example of prayer in the Bible is clear, non-repetitive, and directed to God the Father.
Today: We Patiently Wait for God’s Answer
“And will look up.”
If we spend time with God each morning, the rest of the day, we can look up as we wait for His answer to our prayer. When David says, “and will look up,” he means –
“…and I will watch. The psalmist expectantly waits for Yahweh’s response….” (FSB)[1]
“So I will look to the LORD for help. I will wait for God to save me. My God will hear me” (Micah 7:7).
We, too, can be like the prophet Habakkuk, alert and waiting for God’s answer.
“I will stand like a guard and watch. I will wait to see what the LORD will say to me. I will wait and learn how he answers my questions” (Habakkuk 2:1, HSB).[2]
The Lexham English Bible ends our verse in this way,
“…In the morning I will set forth my case to you, and I will watch” (Psalm 5:3b, LEB).[3]
What a blessing it is to pray! I give my request to the Lord and then watch and wait patiently for His answer. He is never too early or too late with His reply. He is always right on time.
The old preacher, Adam Clarke, in speaking of prayer, makes this word picture from the sport of archery.
The archer, “…sees his mark; puts his arrow in his bow; directs his … [arrow] to the mark, … takes his aim; lets fly, and then looks up, to see if he [has] hit his mark. Prayers that have a right aim will have a prompt answer. He who sends up his petitions to God through Christ, from a warm, affectionate heart, may confidently lookup for an answer, for it will come”[4] (Clarke).
Quote:
God, our loving heavenly Father, is all-powerful and will answer His child’s prayer in one of three ways:[5]
1) Yes – you may have your request; here it is.
2) No – you may not have your request; you do not need this; it is not best for you.
3) Wait a while – you are not ready for this now; when the time is right, you will receive it.
Our God is all-wise, and He knows what we need before we ask Him. We trust Him with the answers to our prayers.
Thank you, LORD, for hearing and answering my prayer.
[1] The FSB, Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Ps 5:3). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. The emphasis is theirs.
[2] The HSB, Harvest Study Bible from Harvest Ministries, Guam.
[3] The LEB, Harris, W. H., III, Ritzema, E., Brannan, R., Mangum, D., Dunham, J., Reimer, J. A., & Wierenga, M. (Eds.). (2012). The Lexham English Bible (Ps 5:3). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
[4] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword. Psalm 5:3.
[5] I’m sorry that I do not have a source to give you to look up this information. These thoughts are what I have learned about prayer from many teachers and preachers throughout my life. Please enjoy these thoughts.