“If we once become listless in duty, we shall become lifeless in it.”

Stephen Charnock

Psalm 5 – Prayer, Divine Dew

The whole of our days belong to the Lord. He holds the title of ownership over our every minute. The sun runs its course through the sky and measures off our hours under God’s watchcare. How then should we live? We cannot possibly dedicate every moment of our lives to private devotions and yet we dare not neglect this time either. Then which time of the day is best suited for our ‘quiet time’ with the Lord?

The Lord Jesus sought the face of his heavenly Father in the morning, “Very early in the morning…Jesus…went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35) David’s pattern of prayer is much the same, “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” (5:3) The morning hours are our freshest hours. God loves to hear from his children all through the day. Yet generally we are most focused and less cluttered mentally in the morning. Thus Spurgeon writes, “An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening. While the dew is on the grass, let grace drop upon the soul.” (Treasury of Spurgeon, p. 46)

One of the buttresses for David’s matinal prayer time was meditation. Before he sought the face of God he thought the thoughts of God, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!…When I awake I am still with you.” (Ps 139:17, 18) Meditation is simply thinking the thoughts of God after him. David stoked the fire of his devotion by concentrating on who God is and what he has done. This moment of meditation quieted his heart and deepened his prayer life.

Daniel is another tremendous person of prayer. “Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God.” (Dan 6:10) Such a mindful awareness of the Father provides the ground for which the dew of grace might fall. Set aside some time today to meditate on who God is and remember the words of George Swinnock, “When the Christian, like Daniel, has first opened the windows of his soul by contemplation, then he may kneel down to pray.” (TS, p. 50) 

Unto Him be glory,
Pastor Dale