God Promises to Hear Your Prayers

Psalms 5:1-3 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. 2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 3 In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
 
IN one way or another, we’ve all had to report to one who had authority over us. Perhaps it was reporting the results of an assignment to a teacher. You may have reported the progress of your work to a supervisor at your job. If you serve the Lord’s church, you have reported to others who work with you and to the church. An efficient, organized report honors others. You are prepared to speak what one must know, to listen to their response and to do as they may further direct you.
   This is David’s prayer pattern. He purposefully seeks solace in his distress. He can pray with confidence because prayer is his daily, orderly approach – his report – to God. In the morning you hear my voice is David thanking God he listens to him each day. Davod is confident the One who has authority over his life will help hm.
   He also describes a particular method to his prayer: In the morning I lay my requests before you. To lay requests in prayer was to follow the Levitical law of worship. This required the priests to carefully arrange the sacrifices on the altar. Leviticus 1:8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar.  It also symbolized properly arranging firewood for the sacrifice, placing the loaves of the Bread of  the Presence on the table in the tabernacle and setting a table before guests.
   Even more, the Bible reveals God works in a specific order. His details in the law for daily living and for worship is God’s loving revelation to tell us there is a specific way to worship him. Even in Jesus’ ministry, we can read and watch in our mind’s eye the particular process the gospels record Jesus’ revelations to the world. God has created a world of remarkable orderly detail. We honor him when we come before him with planned, specific prayers.
   Second, David waits in expectation for God’s answer. The King James Version says, In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. David confidently looks up with his heart and mind’s eye to await God’s answer.
   David understood prayer to be a purposeful conversation with God that produced results. He knew this because that had been his experience with God. His daily, planned “report” to the LORD impacted his life. He did not pray when he felt the need. David prayed because he needed prayer to know God.
   Purposeful prayer was Jesus’ pattern, too. As the Son, he reported daily to the Father. At times he heard, “You are my Son whom I love.” One time he heard only the Father’s silence when he pleaded in Gethsemane, “Take this cup from me.”  (Mark 14:36) When we listen with expectation, we will sometimes hear God tell us to go where we do not want to go.
   Prepare for your prayers. Know what you want to say to God. Listen with expectation. Be faithful to follow his approval, correction and encouragement. The LORD of Hosts is listening to you to direct you to a more faithful relationship with him.