Expectant Prayer
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
Psalm 5:3
From his days as a giant slayer to the season when he commanded Saul’s armies to the time he became ruler of Israel in his own right, David was a warrior. Some Bible commentators, in fact, refer to him as “the warrior king.”
But David was more than a military warrior. He was a prayer warrior. Indeed, it could well be concluded that the reason why he succeeded so much in the former was that he was committed so much to the latter.
Psalm 5:3 offers some great insights into this. The verse begins, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice…” Knowing that God’s mercies were new every morning, David faithfully sought them at the beginning of each day.
“I lay my requests before you.” Notice that there’s no description of the size of these requests. David understood that nothing was too big to bring before the Lord, and he also understood that nothing was too small to bring before the Lord.
Finally, the text says that David waited “expectantly” for the Lord to respond to his requests. His prayer wasn’t one of quiet surrender to the status quo, it was one of bold challenge of the status quo. That is to say, he truly believed that God was ready, willing, and able to act in answer to his prayers – big and small.
Tragically, David’s example isn’t reflected in the prayers of all too many. Indeed, one of our greatest spiritual shortcomings is low expectations.
We don’t expect much from God, so we don’t ask for much from God. And, as a result, we don’t receive much from God.
One of our greatest spiritual shortcomings is low expectations. We don’t expect much from God, so we don’t ask for much from God. As a result, we don’t receive much from God.
The Watchmen
Expectant prayer is far from passive. In fact, it’s quite active. The Apostle Paul underscores this in his letter to the Colossians.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2)
If you want to embrace expectant prayer, you’ve got to “devote” yourself to making the ask, be “watchful” for where to focus that ask, and be “thankful” in advance that God has heard your ask.
If you want to embrace expectant prayer, you’ve got to “devote” yourself to making the ask, be “watchful” for where to focus that ask and be “thankful” in advance that God has heard your ask. (Col.4:2)
Interestingly, that word watchful is a throwback to the Old Testament watchmen whose job it was to sit on the city wall, scan the horizon, and look for both threats and opportunities. They were the first ones to see an attacking army or traveling traders.
People who live in expectant prayer mode are watchmen. They see further than others see. They see things before others see them. And they see things other people don’t see.
Then they take appropriate action by rolling up their spiritual sleeves and engaging in determined and directed intercession.
Friends, there are two ways you can live your life. The first is reactive mode – where you simply surrender to the challenges that threaten you and submit to the circumstances that limit you.
The other is proactive mode – where you live as a watchman, scan the horizon, and then cry out to God expecting Him to respond.
While living in expectant prayer is important at all times, it’s especially important in these challenging days. Now is not the time to be quietly passive in our prayers. It’s the time to be actively aggressive in our prayers.
However, it goes beyond that. Embracing expectant prayer as one who is watchful opens up all kinds of possibilities.
It spells the difference between seeing coincidences and discovering providences. It has a way of helping us recognize that what we might label obstacles are really opportunities. And recognizing that what we might term human accidents are, in reality, divine appointments.
But all of this hinges on prayer – and whether we will leverage it.
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
Walter Wink put it well:
“History belongs to the intercessors – to those who believe and pray the future into being. History does not belong to who we think it belongs to. It does not belong to the humanly powerful or the wealthy or the rulers or the armies or the corporations or the global media empires. History belongs to those who intercede before God.”
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to simply read about this moment in history. I want to help make this moment in history.
I don’t want to simply read about this moment in history. I want to help make this moment in history.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to follow the example of David. May I boldly lay my requests before you and may I then wait expectantly. You are the God who delights in answering the prayers of His children. And I will watch carefully for how You will do so.
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