SECRET WEAPON

Directions for this psalm include background music by pipes. What a great way to start the day, praying to the accompaniment of soft worshipful music played on flutes or suchlike. It may have seemed counter-intuitive for David to do this at a time when his life was under threat and his enemies were spreading malicious lies about him but drawing near to God in the morning was his secret weapon. I find it hard, when the to-do list is long and I have spent the night worrying about the coming day, to rise and be still in prayer. David’s practice of laying his requests before God and then waiting expectantly before him, is a real challenge. What was he waiting for? He clearly expected an answer. Do we?

The concept of waiting before God in quiet expectation is not unique to this psalm. It occurs again in the songs of ascent, where busy pilgrims pause on their journey to fulfill their morning watch before the Lord, despite a deep sense of unworthiness.2 The prophet Habakkuk pictures himself doing so even when on guard duty, facing the threat of possible enemy attack.3

Prayer should never be a duty, but rather a rendezvous with a lover. Like a spy using a dead drop in enemy territory, we can come into the secret place and lay our letter down, setting out the enemy’s disposition, and pick up a love letter from home. Perhaps we need to reintroduce an element of romance and intimacy into our times of prayer. We need to hear the call of the lover through the lattice once again and respond to the invitation, ‘Arise … my beautiful one, come with me.’4

‘Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.’5 Bring your concerns to God now and lay them before him, waiting expectantly.