Psalm 5:3

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

What is your morning routine like? There are showers to take, lunches to make, breakfast to prepare, coffee or tea to guzzle, teeth to brush, clothes to put on, and so much more. And no, these items are in no particular order. But is there a spot in your morning routine for a prayer?

Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. Maybe there’s a morning devotion routine you have, but what about a prayer to God?

Psalm 5:3 tells us King David’s routine. He would pray. In the morning, he would lay his requests before the Lord and wait in eager expectation for God’s answer that day. He would give thanks that the Lord woke him up that day, giving him opportunities to glorify God’s name. He prayed because the Lord was eagerly waiting to hear from him. The Lord wanted to hear from his dear child David, just as he wants to hear from you.

Do you pray in the morning?

I would encourage you to make it part of your daily routine. Frame the day in the right context. Before picking up your phone to doom scroll and see what happened in the world, before checking your email, before anything, lay your requests before the Lord. And to help with that, here is a short morning prayer my 1st and 2nd grade teacher taught me. We would pray it together after our morning devotion. I still remember it to this day! I hope you find it valuable, a morning prayer written by Martin Luther.

In the morning when you get up, make the sign of the holy cross and say:

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.