Focus

Prepare yourself to discern what is and what is not of God today. Still yourself so you can hear how God is calling you.

 

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Read

Psalm 5 (NRSV)

Give ear to my words, O LORD;
give heed to my sighing.
Listen to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.
The boastful will not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
You destroy those who speak lies;
the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house,
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in awe of you.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
For there is no truth in their mouths;
their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves;
they flatter with their tongues.
Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O LORD;
you cover them with favor as with a shield.

 

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Reflect

I am a morning person. On work days, I love to get into the office long before the official workday begins. On my days off, I get up early to make a big homemade breakfast for the family; it’s my favorite time to cook. On vacations, I might be a nightmare (sorry, guys!), because I am ready to go when everyone else is still relaxing in bed.

I have discovered that what I do in the morning has a huge impact on the rest of my day, so I guard that time carefully. In prayer and prayerful reflection, I offer my day to God—and listen in the quiet for God to adjust my priorities, my attitude, and my definition of “success” for the day. If nothing else, morning prayer helps me pay more attention to what God’s up to. On bad days, that’s especially helpful.

David understands how important this is: he’s having a pretty bad day himself, but he starts it with prayer. “In the morning,” David says, “you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.”

David prays, then waits to see what God will do.

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Pray

Lord, in the quiet of the morning, I offer you all my hopes for this day, all my fears, and all my worries, too. I give you my plans, my priorities, and my projects, and I trust that you will adjust them so that what you want from me is job #1. Lord of all, be Lord of my life today, too. Amen.

Go with God!