Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from Psalm 143 verse 8, “Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust, ” (NRSVB). This psalm of David opens with a call on God, through prayer, to give ear to David’s earnest supplication. It is a dialogue between David’s prayers that he utters to God, with deep reverence, and God’s revelation to David of his constant care and loving-kindness. David comes in prayer to God early in the morning, before the problems of the day have overwhelmed him. He enters into a sacred space, the space where God opens his heart, mind and soul so that he can perceive God’s presence and his love. God’s love and his dwelling with those he loves will never change, he is the one who constantly delivers those who love him out of the miry clay. He is an ever present help and comfort in times of trouble, and a spring of joy, hope and inspiration for those who come to meet with Him.
David tells God that he needs his deliverance and help speedily for he is feeling faint and weak. He is experiencing days of gloom and his heart feels numb inside of him, but he knows that despite his forlorn estate, he is not alone. God will hide him so that his enemies will not hurt, nor destroy him. David thinks on all the previous situations where he came to God in his distress. He looks back on God’s deliverance throughout his life, and he marvels at God’s loving-kindness towards him. God has never disappointed him, but has always come to rescue him at the time when he was most distressed.
David takes heart and knows that he can rely on God for he has experienced God’s hand guiding and perfecting the paths he dwelled since he was a young man, tending his father’s sheep. David knows that the prayer conversations between him and God is a time where God teaches him, through the Holy Spirit. God prepares him to walk free from his trouble and distresses. in the face of his enemies, enjoying the blessing of God’s deliverance and protection. David looks forward to the time when he will feast with God in heaven at the table spread with heavenly nourishment.
Throughout David’s life and reign as a king, he worshipped God with prayers and songs and collected his prayers and taught it to the people of Israel and Judah. David came to God in his times of joy and in his times of sorrow, in his times of deep humility, praying for forgiveness, and in times of great calamities in Israel. David brought all matters to God in prayer and trusted that God would reveal to him how to live uprightly before God and all people he ruled. Scripture tells us that God loved David and chose him and had him anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the king of Israel. We read that when he was anointed the Spirit of God rushed upon David and David walked in the ways of the Lord. David, being merely human, also made mistakes, but he was never proud before God. He came to the Lord with tears and supplications and asked God to never let his Holy Spirit depart from Him. God heard David and gave him peace and joy in the latter part of his reign. Scripture tells us that David served God with an undivided heart. Mornings and evenings David came to the Lord and expressed his joy in coming into the presence of God. David employed musical instruments to enhance his worship and prayers to God and made music unto the Lord, praising God’s holy Name. God gave him songs in the night!
Before Jesus Christ went to Calvary, he took his disciples, they went out into the night, and they sang a hymn together, after they had a meal in the Upper Room. Then Jesus went to speak to his Father in private prayer. Jesus’ disciples witnessed Jesus’ constant life of prayer and communication with his Father right from the first encounters they had with their Lord. “In the morning, while it was still dark, he got up and went to a deserted place, and there he prayer,” we read in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 1 verse 35, (NRSVB). Our Lord Jesus gave us the example to meet our Father before we meet other people, early in the day, and to bring our concerns to him, for he cares about us and wants us to bring our burdens to him. Jesus taught his disciples to pray. We have received this gift of prayer from the Lord, let us follow his example and come to our Father, for he waits to strengthen us and to give us godly wisdom and discernment, so that we can become what we ought to become. For God plans and purposes for us to bring the words of his kingdom and of his love to those around us.
Father, we thank you that you have given us the gift of prayer, the gift of talking directly to you, knowing that you know what we need and that you answer us, even before we have uttered our petitions. Father, let your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, Amen.