In the morning

Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my groaning.
Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to Thee do I pray.
In the morning, O Lord, thou wilt hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch.
Psalm 5:1-5

I sing this Psalm in my head; I cannot simply recite it.  It is one of those Psalms that is familiar and comforting; one that I fall back on, time and time again.

Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
I do, this morning, consider Him- His goodness, His sovereignty, His provision, His faithfulness, His providence.
My meditation, my thoughts, many and scattered- the day ahead, the week, the month.  Things undone, big and small.  Relationships that need tending.  What is ahead, and what is behind.

Harken unto the voice of my cry,
my King and my God.
My insufficiency.  My dependence.  My inability to go this road alone.  My sin.  My need for a Savior.

For unto Thee will I pray,
My voice Thou shalt hear in the morning.
More so in the quiet and still of morning than any other time.  Waking even without an alarm.  Stumbling down to the table and the Word.  Watching dawn break and darkness turn to shadows as daylight rises. Images slowly become clear, and visible, and real. 
Speak, O Lord, for Your servant is listening. 

O Lord, in the morning, will I direct my prayer
Unto Thee, and will look up.

(photo credit to BBC News.  I suppose it is from England, but it looks like a scene from Nebraska, I think...)