"The Meeting Place"

"My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and look up." (Psalms 5:3) I know that there are some who will not receive what I am about to say, primarily because they do not think it matters much what time of the day that they pray. However, I think it has more to do with how they prefer to wake up in the morning, because some people like to stay in bed until right before it is time to leave, or until they feel like getting out of the bed. Regardless; there is a time and a place that is meant to be set aside for our fellowship with the God who directs our path, and I believe with all of my heart that it is to be in the morning. I have made it my general practice to get up at 4:00am every morning. As a matter of fact, as my phone goes off each and every morning at 4:00, the words PRAY are displayed across the screen, as the wake up melody is played. The reason that I have chosen this particular time of the morning, is because it is at this time of the morning that I am assured that there will be nothing to disturb my time alone with God; no one else will be up for several hours! Personally, I don't know how anyone can start their day without first getting alone with God, to not only start each day in His presence, but to seek His protection over the day! But you might be saying, But Rich, I do my devotions at night before I go to sleep; that just seems to work best for me. I know, I know; I have had countless discussions about this subject with many, and have even taught about it from the pulpit; but you have to understand something very important about what we are talking about here: A Prayer For Protection is placed before you begin your day!!! Night time prayers are also essential, and we have already looked at what they are for; that they are for taking inventory of the day, asking forgiveness for events, praying for those that we have meet, and asking God to help us do better tomorrow; but our morning prayers are for doing battle, suiting up in our armor, and seeking God's direction for the day!!! This is what David is saying here, that each morning his day will not only begin with prayer, but that he will be seeking God's direction in the day that is set before him. The term "and look up" which David concludes with, is a term that means 'watchmen', as to view out, or to look out; with the intended meaning being that of watchmen in a tower, who are looking out for that which is approaching; meaning future events or expectations of what is to be expected, or that which might be approaching. These are hardly the things that one would set out to do at the end of the day; that would be more for assessing the damage, thanking God that there wasn't any, or for putting in order the things of the day that has past. To be perfectly honest, I have tried the nighttime meeting place before, and have found that it just does not work! Nothing consistent ever gets established at night, because bedtime always varies from day to day, and depending where I am at, or who that I might be visiting with. But 4:00 in the morning; well, let's just say, that the only thing that gets in my way of my Meeting Place with God is the snooze button. What we are talking about here is a Meeting Place; which is a place within our day, every day, that we can meet with the Lord for fellowship with Him! This is not a place that is selected by location, but is a place determined by time; so if you work nights, then maybe your time should be set for the night, before you start your day; but, if you really want to set a specific Meeting Place that is established between you and the Lord, then the morning should be your choice. He almost always picks up where we left off!!! It is as if He waits for me to show up at our Meeting Place, every morning, and then He says, "Now where were we? ", as we begin our time together; I do not want to miss out on that, ever!!! For me, as well as it was for David, the place has been determined by time, not by location; because time is the only thing that is consistent; no matter where I might be located, or where I am at 4:00am, He is waiting there to meet with me!!! Thus, David too had determined to meet with God in the early morning, before the rising of the sun; no matter where he was, either in his house, or on the battlefield, the Meeting Place had been established, and was set to a specific time; for seeking God's protection in the day that was before him! We really need to get desperate to win the battle out on the battlefield; or we can stay in the camp and bandage up the wounded that have come back...(You think about that!)