Study 6 "Morning Call"

Psalm 5.1-3

Morning call brings to mind the bugle blast of reveille and the aroma of café au lait and hot beignets. You had to have been in the Army to appreciate reveille, and knowing where Metarie, LA, is required to know about New Orleans style coffee and french doughnuts. A morning call is also a prayer.

Has life so-overwhelmed you that God’s past deliverances faded from your memory leaving only the emptiness of fear? Each challenge in life seems to be more grueling than past ones, forcing us to face anew our fears in light of our faith.

Reading the opening lines of Psalm 5 can lead to the conclusion David was in such a state of doubt. God had delivered him in the past; where was he now?

Looking at the Hebrew text of this psalm opens up some interesting possibilities. Each of David’s calls to God, "give ear," "hearken," and "hear," are stated as commands. Yet, David was not issuing an order to God, he was confidently asserting his trust in God’s faithfulness.

David’s thjree calls are quite compelling. First, "give ear." The word simply means "to listen." "Lend an ear" is an English idiom and conveys the sense of David’s plea quite well. He wanted God to turn his head so his ear would be towards David. He wanted God’s undivided attention so that he would consciously consider all David had to say.

"Hearken" is a different sort of word. In this case, the sense of the term is "to discern, distinguish, understand." One is reminded of Romans 8.26-27. There, Paul asserted that by his Spirit, God knows even what a believer is unable to verbalize. The Spirit "intercedes," serves as the go-between, for the Christian as he calls out to the Father in prayer. Even when he is unable to articulate his concerns, the believer can know God "understands" what his heart-felt cares are. So, David wanted the Lord to look inside his heart and understand both what he was saying and why.

Next, David confessed his trust God would "hear" his voice. Actually, David declared, "Be attentive!" Again, David was neither commanding nor demanding (such a presumption was beyond David). He was confidently asserting his trust God was paying attention to him.

What, though, did David want God to hear? First, he wanted God to listen to his words. David had something to say, indeed, was saying something to God out of the conviction God would hear. David, as this psalm shows, was not mulling over his condition as he was driving down the road, or as he oversaw some construction project. He was giving God his undivided attention. He knew God was doing the same for him.

Second, David was expressing his deep "imaginings" by his words. I do not believe David’s imaginings were "meditations" (as KJV). I think he meant his anxieties. All of us, at times, imagine our worst fears. When some part of our world is slowly crumbling, seeing the whole thing crashing down suddenly and catastrophically is just a fearful thought away. Maybe David was imagining the worst for himself. Even so, he wanted God to see his fears. Hiding our anxiety from God makes no sense. We will never face our fears if we deny them.

David also knew God would hear, or be attentive, to his cry for help. For some reason, David sensed a threat to his safety and well-being. He did, in this assault, what he had always done: David looked up and called out to God.

David prayed in the early hours of the day. He knew God would hear his voice in the morning. As David met with God, he uttered words that flowed from his imagined fears, and issued in a cry for help. Yet, David prayed because he knew God would turn his ear, understand, and be attentive.

This psalm closes with the affirmation that rejoicing, blessing, and favor would envelope those who put their trust in God. Even before the answer to David’s prayer arrived, peace embraced him.