A Morning Prayer

If Psalm 4 was a prayer for the night, Psalm 5 is a prayer for the morning (verse 3). David (or some anonymous person after him, whose prayers were incorporated later into a book that carried his name) was surrounded by evil people. Look at how he handled himself.

He had a profound knowledge of God. God is not only all-powerful, but his King. He may have been a king himself, but he recognized that he, too, was the subject of a far greater King. This King had ultimate power over everyone, including his arrogant enemies.

This King loved him. Because of his loyal love (verse 7), the King welcomed him into his presence.

The King would take action to defend him. As a result, he did not need to take up arms and fight back in his own defence. If it was indeed David who wrote this, he had lived up to his own words when he met Saul in a cave and refused to kill the man who was out for his life (1 Samuel 24:1-15).

He knew that evil is contagious, and so he prayed not only for his safety but also that God would keep him from infection (verse 8).

All this he prayed in the morning, and waited expectantly for God to answer. We may not be surrounded by people who are out to kill us, but we are surrounded by other sorts of evil. We can thank our King for his power, his love, his commitment to us, his help in trouble, his out-and-out goodness.

What a model morning prayer!

Respond in Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, my King, thank you for your victory over all evil when you died on the cross. I praise you that you are alive today and working in me and all Christians to overcome the evil that surrounds us. I look to you expectantly today. Amen.

Annabel Robinson

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®).