Psalm 5
A soft drift of particles plays in the lanes drawn by the morning’s first light, beaming past the curtains. Reaching into the home from the outside, the choir of songs welcomes the slow start to the morning. From inside the house, reaching outwards, are the day’s requests, groaned in prayer, towards the King and God. Like a scroll, the day’s work and troubles are prepared up front. It is at this start that the voice carries an open scroll, asking for guidance and intervention in the story about to unfold.
This psalm starts with David asking the Lord to hear his prayers. It is pleaded in an almost heavy way, as if David is not looking forward to facing the day. But even in the first few verses, we feel a progression. He gives his requests, voicing them before the Lord, and then he waits. He watches to see what the Lord will do. That in itself feels lighter than the request. It is a handing over of the load to God. We see this in 1 Peter 5:7, where we are told to cast all our troubles on Him, because He cares for us.
Then David draws a line between the wicked and those who come to God, and he anchors it in who God is. God does not delight in lies, godlessness and evil deeds. The wicked lie and cannot be trusted. But David does not answer this by calling himself good. He leans on the goodness of God and seeks it. James 1:17 tells us that every good thing comes from God, and that He does not change. So whatever goodness David has can only be borrowed from His.
It is safe to place the day in His hands, because He hates evil. This is why David calls on God to lead him into righteousness (Ps 5:8). David leans on the leading of the Lord into His goodness.
David ends the psalm by asking that those who love God’s name may rejoice, and by proclaiming that it is God who surrounds the righteous with favour, like a shield.
Here we can almost feel the relief: from a request that felt heavy to comfort and rest in the goodness of God. It is because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ that we are considered righteous by God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Christians have words for the very reasoning David approached God with. It was not his own righteousness, but God’s. It is because of this that we have favour with God, and now He receives all the honour and glory. This echoes the opening of the prayer in Matthew 6:9, which asks for the Father’s name to be made holy.
Imagine this: you feel the weight of the day settling around you, so you pour it out before the Lord. You remember who He is, and you lean on His goodness rather than your own. Then you realise that the favour you ask for is rooted in the very goodness you long for. This is the shield David speaks of: the favour of God, the answer to the request he started the day with.
So let us not just stare with dread at our days as we wake. Let us present ourselves before the Lord. Go before Him in the morning, just as you are. Do not worry about combing your hair, brushing your teeth or getting everything else in order. Appear with your problems and desires as they are. Present them, then look at the character of God and proclaim who He is. It is like opening the curtains, allowing the light to not just draw lines but stream into your room.
God is sovereign, and no problem is beyond Him. You can trust Him with your day. We don’t pretend the day will be easy, but we trust that the God who shields is present in it, and that even what feels painful happens under One whose character does not change. He gives His favour to those who love Him, because of who He is.
“For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favour as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12, ESV)