“In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord;
in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You
and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].
Psalm 5:3 (Amplified Version)
This is such a powerful scripture. In the morning, God hears our voice! Praise God! He hears us! I know it is hard sometimes to roll out of bed an hour early. It is a “sacrifice”. David said, “in the morning I prepare a prayer, a sacrifice for you”. There is a price to pay for the Lord to hear us and for us to hear His voice. It is work and it’s not always easy giving up an hour of sleep, but the presence of God is worth it.
If you want to hear the voice of God, it is also important that you do not rush through your prayers. Just saying a few quick prayers is not going to get you real results. How many times have you thrown up all your prayers, desires and needs to the Lord and walked away wondering if He heard you? Or what about sleeping through your alarm so you just pray on your way to work, at the gym or while you are walking the dog? I am not saying you shouldn’t pray during those times, but you need to be still in order to hear His voice. Free yourself of all distractions while praying. Go into your prayer closet and shut the door. Allow yourself the opportunity to be totally fixed on HIm and enter into His presence. David said he would watch and wait for the Lord to speak to Him. I challenge you to spend more time watching, waiting and listening to the Holy Spirit. He will speak and He will empower you with strength, hope, wisdom and peace.
Maybe you have tried to go into prayer, but find your mind wondering. It takes time, effort and patience to quiet ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to speak and move on our hearts. If I am finding it difficult to keep my mind focused, I will put on a worship song and begin to sing unto the Lord. Other times I will just begin to pray about every thought that comes to my mind. You will be amazed that when you start to do that, the thoughts start leaving. “…Resist the devil and he will flee”. (James 4:7). Take every thought captive, and pray!
Over the next few weeks begin every day spending devoted time with the King of Kings. I promise you the sacrifice will be well worth it.
Until next time,
Stay Calm, and Be Empowered
