Prayer, Sacrifice and Expectations

Psalms 5:3 (ESV)
³ O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

David is confident that God hears his prayers.  He knows God is listening and he is confident that God will answer.  He prepares a sacrifices and watches for God’s answer.

Is this how I pray?  Do I pray with the confidence that God is listening?  Do I sacrifice to God each morning and then watch for His answers?

If you were to ask me, my intellectual answer will be that I know God hears my prayers.  However, I question how my faith matches that belief.  If I really had faith that the God of the universe is listening, praying without ceasing would be much easier.

How about that morning sacrifice? 

Romans 12:1 (ESV)
¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Each and every morning I should present myself again to God as a living sacrifice.  I need to give each day to him.

Of all the lessons in this verse, watching may be the toughest.  At least it is for me.  Maybe it is a faith issue again.  However, even if I believe God is listening, I often wonder if I really expect God to answer my prayers. 

It’s not that I don’t think God is active in this world or capable of directly answering my prayers.  It’s just that rather than expect an answer, I expect no answer.  It’s like if I expect no answer, I will never be disappointed.

David sacrifices and then watches.  Watching here denotes an expectation.  He’s prayed to God and watches in expectation for God to answer His prayers.

I wonder how often I miss God’s answers because I do not watch expectantly for His answer.