A Morning Prayer to Start the Day — sacred illustration
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Morning

A Morning Prayer to Start the Day

Psalm 5:3

Psalm 5:3 comes from a morning prayer of David: at daybreak he lays his requests before the LORD and waits in expectation for Him to answer.

Lord, in the morning You hear my voice. Before this day begins, I lay my plea before You: the work ahead of me, the people I will meet, and the things that worry me. Lead me in Your righteousness, and make Your way straight before me. Let me take refuge in You and rejoice. Surround me and those I love with the shield of Your favor, and I will wait for You in expectation. Amen.

Psalm 5:3 comes from a morning prayer of David: at daybreak he lays his requests before the LORD and waits in expectation for Him to answer.

The Scripture

“In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; at daybreak I lay my plea before You and wait in expectation.”

— Psalm 5:3

Prayer points from Psalm 5:3

  1. Thank God that He hears your voice in the morning (v. 3).
  2. Lay out your plans and requests for today before Him (v. 3).
  3. Ask Him to lead you and make His way straight before you (v. 8).
  4. Pray by name for the people you will see today.
  5. Take refuge in Him, and ask for joy in the day ahead (v. 11).
  6. Ask Him to surround you and your family with the shield of His favor (v. 12).

About this verse

Psalm 5 is a psalm of David, and verse 3 shows that it is a morning prayer: “In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; at daybreak I lay my plea before You and wait in expectation.” David sets out his requests before God at the start of the day, and then he watches for God’s answer. He knows the day ahead holds trouble: there are liars and enemies around him. So he asks, “make straight Your way before me,” and he ends by trusting God to surround the righteous “with the shield of Your favor.” Praying first thing in the morning doesn’t make the day easy, but it puts God first in it, before the first email, the first worry or the first task. This prayer is for anyone who wants a short prayer to start the day: before work, before school, or over the first cup of coffee.

When to pray this prayer

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