For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing.

2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell.

5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.

6 You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors.

7 But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple.

8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies-- make straight your way before me.

9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.

10 Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

There are times when one can only react with stunned amazement when we hear about stories of survival amidst dire circumstances. How do the survivors make it through when all of life seems to turn against them?

In a wonderfully told story of survival in the Nazi concentration camps, the movie Life is Beautiful recounts how a father shields his son from the terrors surrounding them. The father makes the whole experience a game, helping his young son pretend that the harshness of the camp experience is a contest. Each morning the game begins anew, and tenuous hope is sustained by maintaining the charade. In the end, the father succeeds in his quest to see his son safely through, yet he pays the ultimate price himself. From the inspiration of this movie, one question has great bearing on our text, "Can false hope be real hope, or is there a better way?"

This wonderful psalm that we are meditating on today is a prayer full of desire, anxiety, indignation and hope. It springs forth with passion and eager expectation at the beginning of the day, Ps 5:3: "In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." It's voice and setting is so instructive to us, calling us to come to the true source of our hope at the beginning of our day. When opposition surrounds us, our reflex should mirror that of the psalmist: we ought to cry out in prayer. The fascinating element of this cry of the psalmist is his cry for righteousness. He is not pleading so much for deliverance as he is for the ability to walk in a manner pleasing to God despite every opposing force. That kind of prayer begs a response from us. If your prayers in the midst of trouble and challenge are anything like mine, they do not often start with a plea for righteousness.

Get alone, get on your knees and cry out to the Lord for righteousness and a clear sense of where He is leading you today. Practice this pattern each day this week. Discipline yourself each morning to come before the Lord in prayer before your mind fills with worries and concerns of your day.