Psalm 5:1

Psalm 5:1

Psalm 5:1 “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing.”

[Praise you, LORD Yahweh, for you are the prayer-hearing God: you listen to my sighs, and are  glad to hear about my being burdened, my unrest, my fears, my disappointments, my tiredness. You hear my thoughts and understand them fully. You know my needs and have prepared provision for me, for you are loving and faithful: “The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving towards all he has made” (Psa. 145:13b).]

“Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.”

[You, Lord God, are the One we must come to first; prayer is our greatest recourse, our first step, our wonderfully great privilege, the most we can do.

You are my King—the Ruler of all, Lord of my life, Commander-in-Chief of the hosts of heaven, Protector and Sovereign One–able and willing to listen and hear and answer. “The Lord is near to those who call upon him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them” (Psa. 145:18-19).

And you are my God–that is, my final authority, the decider of what is right and wrong. You call us every day to play out a repetition of the Garden of Eden: will we choose to obey you, or to rebel? Will we choose to believe you or to listen to the siren call of the world, the flesh and the devil? Will we choose to make you the One to decide what is good and what is evil in our lives or do it ourselves? Will we just respond to what is around us, or will we be proactive early on in following your lead?

Think what would have happened if Adam had spoken up right away in that conversation between Eve and Satan, telling Satan to talk to him, not Eve, telling Eve to stop listening, leading Eve away from that temptation, forbidding her to take the fruit, pointing out the fallacies and inaccuracies that Satan was subtly inserting into her mind.

If Adam had kept God as his final authority, he would not have fallen; that was a very real possibility and is one that I also have now. Each day I will choose many times: will God be my final authority, deciding for me what is right and wrong, or will I usurp His right and lead myself down the path of the first Adam? I can actually make the right choice right now, ahead of time, before any temptation comes.

When I follow you, my King and my God, then I will give you glory. I will honor you before the hosts of heaven, exalt you before the hordes of hell, lift you up before the hearts of men. May I do that, Lord: with your grace and guidance may I give you honor and praise, glory and exaltation in the choices I make. Help me to surrender to you every day, especially today, in every moment, so you may be lifted up in the glory you deserve.]

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