Another not-so-famous Bible Verse

   Let’s think about Psalm 5:3.  It’s my favorite verse in the Bible, said no one ever.  Few, if any sermons have been preached on it and most of you have no idea what it says.  Me either, until a few days ago. 

    If you grew up in church,  you will probably attribute this verse to David.  After all,  he wrote most of the Psalms.  Knowing what we know about him,  we can formulate a pretty good idea about it’s subject matter.  It took me years to understand that EVERY SINGLE WORD in the Bible has a message for me!  Even the chronologies, ( a post for another day).   God shows us a little gem,  obscure,  that you’ve skimmed over in your One Year Bible several times.  Psalm 5:3  is one of those!

  Think on it a minute,  Psalm 5:3  (International Standard version)  “Lord, in the morning you will hear my voice,  in the morning I will pray to you and I will watch for your answer.”

    I’m not a morning person so I hate to promise the  Lord will “hear my voice in the morning”  but I can commit to  Lord, “ you will hear my voice”  when I wake up.

However,  the word that jumped  from the page at me was  WATCH.  I read the verse in 21 other translations (thru BibleHub )  and then looked at it in the Greek and finally read 3 commentaries.   “Watch for your answer”     A  few posts ago I talked about Micah 7:7 which also suggested that we “Watch”  for the answers to prayer. 

    Watch   look up,  look out,  look forward!  I’m convicted again about my expectancy of answers to my prayer.  I certainly want God to answer my prayer,  I have no doubt he hears my prayer but how expectant am I?  

  One  of the commentators likens  this expectancy to leaning forward,  looking out into the distance and scanning the horizon for the answer.  Maybe even grabbing the binoculars.     

    No one stands in the doorway, glancing up and down the street randomly wondering or hoping their grand kids will show up.  However,  when they’ve texted that they are right around the corner,   I  get up,  stand in the doorway and eagerly wait for the headlights to pull into the driveway.  Watching the end of the street for the car to make the turn.   What if?   What if I adopted that stance while waiting for the answer to prayer.   

      As I prayed over the needs of me and mine this morning,  I wondered how I would act and speak today if I was expecting the answers.  

Just   THINKIN’  about  that,       How about you?  

If Only, If I'd Known

     In John 4,  we read the story of the Woman at the Well and her encounter with Jesus.  A familiar story to be sure and one that focuses on Jesus as the living water.  This morning I got to THINKIN’ about the first three words of  verse 10  and I looked at them thoughtfully.  “If you knew" .   If you knew.  If only I’d known,  how many times have I said that?   In regards to big and little things,  if only I’d known. .  the road was closed,  I could have gone a different way.   If only I’d known we were on the last drop of ketchup.  If only I had not ignored that hearburn,  If only I'd known he was going to get sick,   If only,  if only.   I often hear people lament,  If I’d known then what I know now.  Be honest,  you’ve said it or felt it. 

    So here we are, at the well,  dry and thirsty and more than a little down and out.  And this man, Jesus,  the Son of God is sitting there patiently waiting for a particular woman to show up. Maybe a woman like us.   And as we trudge up,  carrying the load,  He asks for something. 

     How many times?  How often have I climbed out of bed in the morning like I’m going uphill,  carrying the weight of the day’s tasks, responsibilities and troubles,  stumbled into the kitchen for coffee.  Only to find an email,  text or get a phone call from someone who wants something. These days more likely,  someone with a need that I couldn't begin to fill.  I’m  tired before the day begins,  overwhelmed by the to-do list and the desperate needs of friends and family.  Jesus says,  stop,  acknowledge me,  spend some time with me.  When I don’t,  the day rambles on,  uphill, usually with more and more baggage weighing in on my heart, mind and body.  Until I finally collapse in a chair in frustration.  If I knew,  I wouldn’t start my day this way.  IF I knew,  I would drink at His well of strength, blessing and wisdom.  IF I KNEW, 

    I DO KNOW!    I KNOW I am adopted, loved, blessed, favored, chosen.   I know this Jesus, intimately, not like I want to,  but pretty well.  I do know.  I know that this Jesus is just waiting for me to call upon Him,  just waiting for me to turn to him.  The Word says that He immediately pays attention to the call of His child.  He doesn’t “turn’  to me,  his eyes are already on me,  waiting for me to turn to Him.   "If you knew"  Jesus says to the woman at the well,  to me,  to you.  "If you knew",  I do know and so do you.   

    Thinkin’ about it.