Daily in the Psalms : Psalm 5 Today’s devotion is one of the most important you will ever read. Please consider it carefully and put these truths into action in your life: THE MORNING PRAYER Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Psalms 5:1-3 It Is A Personal Prayer - The Psalmist uses the words, “My words,” “My meditation,” “My cry,” My King,” and ”My God.” David was a king and most everything was done for him, but his prayer had to be personal. The Preacher, the parent, the politician, and every other person must make their prayer to God personal. No one else can approach the throne of grace for you. Every Christian must have a personal relationship with God and his communion with God must be personal. Sure we can pray for each other and help by taking our petitions for others to the throne. But we cannot pray in stead or in place of another. The Christian must always remember that God is personal, “MY GOD!” It Is A Profound And Personal Prayer - David’s prayer began with the words, “Give ear to my words.” The words we speak to God are very important. We are to be in an attitude of prayer all the day long, but nothing will take the place of our words to God in the morning. Prayer is more than just bowing our head. There needs to be some time of reverence and quietness, but God is waiting to hear words from our lips. The Bible says that out of the heart the mouth speaketh. What a privilege to pour out our heart to God! Our sense of need and urgency needs to be expressed to God. God is not interested in planned eloquence; broken and burning words will be much more effective. Praying out loud to God is profitable because it keeps our prayers from becoming repetitive and wondering. Silent prayer can be vague and shallow. God is our Father and He longs to hear our words as we speak to Him. There are those times when words do not come; David called it meditation. God does know the deeps thoughts of our soul. I believe this refers to the desperate sigh of the Christian. God is attracted to the moans of the Christian that bears a load beyond human words. Sometimes the weight of our burden results in half-uttered prayers that only God can interpret. When human language fails, God still understands. The David said his prayer turns into a cry. This is when our prayers rise to the next level. It does not mean that we have to scream to get the attention of God; it simply means God’s is aware of the intensity of our prayer. Many call this prevailing prayer. This is the time when all of our energy and all of our emotions are focused toward God. It Is A Resolute Prayer - “For unto Thee do I pray,” he was reaching out to God with a holy boldness. God is our King, but He is a kind and loving King, He will not deny us. Because He is the King, when He knows that we seek help from no other, He will give us His full attention. It Is An Obedient Prayer - David is setting his day and his life in order before the Lord. The Lord desires first place in our lives and prayer in the morning indicates that we are giving Him His rightful place. His Word tells us how to pray and when to pray. When things are in order, our prayers will be heard. There is no man that can pray enough to defy the Word and will of God. The answer will not come if there is sin and rebellion. David could look up to God and see that things were right between he and his God. The main intent of our prayer should be to conform us into His image, according to His plan and purpose. It Is An Expectant Prayer - David looked up expectantly for the things he prayed for. It is the picture of a child holding out his hands to a loving parent. As we pray we are to look to Heaven for an indication that God’s favor will be extended to us. Simply put, we are to look for the answer to our prayer! When a man places the trust of his heart and soul in the hands of God, he can look up, he ought to look up, knowing that God will not ignore or disappoint him. May we all draw near to God each morning. We do not know that the day will bring, but we can visit with the One who does know. When the see the rising of the sun in prayer, we can face the setting of the sun in praise. THE RELATIONSHIP OF GOD WITH THE WICKED For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. Psalms 5:4-6 He Has No Pleasure In Them - The followers of the false gods of this world take great pleasure in the most vile kinds of wickedness. It makes no difference what any religion may claim; wickedness is never acceptable to God. He Does Not Tolerate Them - The cry of the world today is “Tolerance.” The world has so relentlessly pressed this philosophy that many today believe we are to tolerate everything. We are even told that God is a God of tolerance. Nothing could be farther from the truth. God does not take pleasure in the wicked, He does not tolerate them, and He does not dwell with them. The modern Church has taken up the philosophy of tolerance for the sake of wealth, material gain, popularity or peace. They have denied the True and Living God in order to be accepted by the world. Those that take up that stand will not have God dwelling with them. This is not only true for the Church; it is true for our personal life. Christ will not dwell in the heart of one that welcomes wickedness. He Hates Them - As sure is there is nothing as wonderful and sweet as the love of God; there is nothing as fearful and horrible as the hate of God. God is perfect and His hate for the wicked is not a sinful hate, but a perfect hate. He hates sin worse than the Devil. He hates the Devil because of sin! God includes the bloody and deceitful in His hate. These are those that speak highly or lightly of sin. These are those that welcome or tolerate sin. We are to follow after God and hate the very presence of sin. The modern Church has taken its lead from the Catholic Church in that they have categorized sin, some bad and others not so bad. They do not have a burning hatred for wickedness. God help us to look upon all wickedness with full horror and understand that those that love God will hate evil Salvation is so much more than just being saved from Hell; it is a sweet relationship with the Lord. This relationship is filled with safety, mercy, supply and joy. May we all take a few moments today to think about our relationship with the Lord. Renew the closeness of your walk with Him. THE RELATIONSHIP OF GOD WITH THE SAINTS But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee. But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalms 5:7-12 He Is Their Shepherd - David pleads for God’s leadership as a shepherd leading his sheep. He desires that his way be made straight. He understands that as a sheep, his own way will lead him to trouble and destruction. Our Shepherd knows the way and we are to seek to walk in the exact path that He prescribes. Those that walk in strict obedience to God will have no need to fear the pit or the wolf. He Is Their Shield - Verses 9 & 10 tell of the great danger that David faced. He said that his enemies were wicked to the core. They might flatter with their tongue, but they were altogether corrupt. Many times our enemies speak words that will deceive, but we have God to help and protect us. I have seen some that were so skilled that they could speak directly against the doctrines of the Bible and still have Christians follow them. How sad that a person’s words can be fair and their practices and intentions can be evil. David has been hurt by these enemies in the past and now he knows that he must have the shield of God to protect him. He Is Their Song - What a blessed privilege it is to rejoice in the Lord. Singing, rejoicing, and shouting need to be part of the Christian worship. Our spirit ought to be joyful because we trust in the God of Heaven who never fails. So Glad To Be So Saved
Danny "Preacher" Bezet |