Take a moment to reflect on the words of David from Psalm 5:3 as you prepare your heart for worship.
O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
On this first day of the week, Christians are gathering all over the world in the presence of the God who hears. He is I AM. He has always been and will forever be. He is everywhere, never absent or distant, and he hears—not just the good and the happy, not exclusively the eloquent or even only what is spoken out loud. The LORD hears our groaning (5:1). He hears our cries and the prayers of our hearts (5:2). This morning, the LORD hears your voice.
That truth leads David to respond: “In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you.” Notice how personal those words are. “I prepare.” No one is doing the work for David. Indeed, it was David who resolved in 2 Samuel 24:24, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” Today, on this side of the cross, we’re not preparing burnt offerings as disciples of Jesus, but notice the encouragement for Christians in Hebrews 13:15-16:
Through [Christ] let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Like David, let’s prepare our hearts to offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. What an amazing opportunity! Let’s prepare our minds as we gather to examine ourselves in the sharing of the Lord’s Supper, remembering the sacrifice of our Savior and boldly proclaiming his triumph over death. What an undeserved blessing! Let’s prepare our spirits with postures of selflessness. No one can do that for us, but what an opportunity is ours to welcome those who are seeking! What a privilege to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ as sons and daughters of encouragement!
It won’t happen by accident. You know what it takes? Preparation. “In the morning I prepare…”
Like David, let’s prepare ourselves to serve our King this week. If we’ll pay attention, opportunities to “do good” are everywhere. Let’s not neglect them. We’re surrounded with opportunities to share what we have. Let’s not turn blind eyes and deaf ears to them this week. Why? “Such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” The God of David. The God who hears. Let’s acknowledge his name today and present our very selves as living sacrifices to him for the week ahead.
It won’t happen by accident. You know what it takes? Preparation.
“In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” It’s the best day of the week. Let’s wake up, focus, be eagerly attentive and enthusiastically engaged as we follow in the footsteps of Psalm 5:3. Let’s wholeheartedly bring our best and trust the God of wonders to take care of the rest.
Happy Lord’s day.