“Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”
- Psalm 5:1-3 -

Directions for this psalm include background music by pipes. What a great way to start the day, praying to the accompaniment of soft worshipful music played on flutes or suchlike. It may have seemed counter-intuitive for David to do this at a time when his life was under threat and his enemies were spreading malicious lies about him but drawing near to God in the morning was his secret weapon. David’s practice of laying his requests before God and then waiting expectantly before him, is a real challenge. What was he waiting for? He clearly expected an answer. Do we?

Prayer should never be a duty, but rather a rendezvous with a lover. Like a spy using a dead drop in enemy territory, we can come into the secret place and lay our letter down, setting out the enemy’s disposition, and pick up a love letter from home. Perhaps we need to reintroduce an element of romance and intimacy into our times of prayer. We need to hear the call of the lover through the lattice once again and respond to the invitation, ‘Arise … my beautiful one, come with me.’

Prayer: ‘Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.’5 Bring your concerns to God now and lay them before him, waiting expectantly.

(from Encounter with God)

I titled my prayer journal book, 'A Rendezvous with God, my Lover.'