VOICE - Psalm 5:1-3

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. - Psalm 5:1-3

An appeal to God to listen, a resolve to call out daily and a reminder to be vigilant.

First, the appeal: Look at all the auditory words here: give ear to my words, heed my sighing, listen to the sound of my cry, hear my voice and my pleading.  It is comforting to remember the words of 1 John 2:1: "We have an advocate with the Father," but it is just as important to know that we have a voice, and God hears us.  See Psalm 18:6: "In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.  From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears."

Next, the resolve: We should make it a habit to call on the Lord.  Here David speaks of his "morning" routine, but w
e can easily expand this.  See Daniel 6:10: "He continued to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him."  See Psalm 55:17: "Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan and he will hear my voice."  See again, Acts 2:42-46: "They devoted themselves to ....prayers... Day by day..."  And of course, remember the challenge of 1 Thessalonians 5:16: "Pray without ceasing."

Finally, the vigilance: Even as we use our voice, we should be open and vigilant to God's response.  This is the same reminder we are given at 1 Peter 5:7-8: "Discipline yourselves, keep alert."  Or as David days, "Watch."

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Those unable to grieve
   are a vacant wind;
Those unable to speak their love
   are as cold as hammered steel;
Those who are ungrateful
   are frightened of themselves;
And those who cannot remember God
   have grown older than the hills.

 Say the name, O wild rose,
   speak the unpronounceable;
Moisten your lips, move your tongue
   and praise the indescribable;
Utter the words of every spring
   waking the divine;
Open your mouth, O wild rose
   and reveal your hidden gold.

 --- a restatement from Sanai, El Hadiqa, 2011.

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The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. - Psalm 145:18

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Dear God, this is my voice in the morning, my call from where I'm at.  Thank you, even as you are my Advocate, for giving me this voice and hearing my prayers.

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