“Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” -Psalm 5:1–3
In this preliminary invocation of the morning Psalm, the beauty of the Hebrew poetry is apparent. Note the progressions.
“Groanings” is translated elsewhere as musings or contemplations. Next, it is the sound of his cry. And, finally, there is preparation (“sacrifice” is supplied by the translators but fits the context and the language pattern as used frequently in Old Testament Scriptures) and watchfulness.
Also: Give ear…O Lord. Give attention…my King and my God. In the morning you hear my voice…in the morning I prepare and watch.
But it is not merely the beauty of the language here that is stimulating; the depth and texture of David’s example in prayer is inspiring. He is transparent, humble, singular, affectionate, and attentive. This is the prayer of a man who knows, trusts, and loves God.
May David’s words inspire us to know, trust, and love God in this way.
This is beautiful. You have given new meaning to this passage. I love it.