Give Ear to My Word

I was reading through a booklet of devotions the other day and came across this verse:

 “In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

Psalm 5:3 (NIV)

 It is part of a Psalm that David wrote as he prepared to pray to God for protection from enemies.  While the devotion focused on the first part of the verse, it was the second part that got my attention: 

 “…in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

 Webster’s definition of expectation is as follows:  to anticipate the occurrence of the coming of; the act or state of looking forward or anticipating.

So, David was praying and looking forward to hearing back from God regarding answers to his prayers!  Do I pray with that same attitude…am I looking forward to hearing from God? Am I anticipating answers from him?  To be honest, not really.  I may pray boldly, but do I really believe that God will answer my prayers?  Why not?  If I lay my requests before someone, I expect an answer.  Why wouldn’t I not only expect an answer from God, but also look forward to it?  After all, He has only my best interests in mind.  His answers are always the best – maybe not always what I want – but the best for me.

 Just for fun, I checked out some other Bible translations of “wait in expectation” and found the following:  

“In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”  (NASB)

 “Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend.” (The Message)

“In the morning I will order my prayer unto thee, and will keep watch.”  (ASV)

“In the morning I will direct my voice to you and look up.” (NKJV)

“In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.”  (ESV)

Am I eagerly watching?  Am I watching at all?  And what about watching for fire to descend?  No, I’m not, but I should be.  God is listening to me and I need to be looking for and anticipating His answers!

Susan