A Morning Prayer

Date: Monday, January 5, 2026

Readings: Genesis 7 | Psalm 5

In Genesis 7, the heavens open and the great flood overcomes the earth. This isn’t a nursery rhyme story with cute animals in a floating zoo; it’s a terrifying display of divine judgment and the absolute fragility of human life. The flood represents the undoing of creation as the waters that were separated in Genesis 1 are now crashing back together. But notice the detail: ‘The Lord shut him in.’ In the middle of the cataclysm, there is a place of safety, provided and sealed by God Himself. Salvation isn’t about escaping the storm; it’s about being secure inside the Ark of God's protection while the storm rages around us.

Psalm 5 brings this into our daily reality. It’s a morning prayer. ‘O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.’ The Psalmist is surrounded by ‘bloodthirsty and deceitful men,’ yet he trusts in the abundance of God’s steadfast love. Just as Noah was preserved through the water, the Psalmist seeks refuge in the house of God. It’s about posture. In the face of fear, uncertainty, and doubt, where do you look?

Living an authentic faith means being honest about the floods in our lives, the consequences of sin, the pressures of a culture inconsistent with our own sense of righteousness, and the internal storms. We don’t pretend they aren’t there. Instead, we prepare ourselves as a living sacrifice in the morning, and we watch. We recognize that we are ‘shut in’ by God’s grace. If the flood is rising, don’t just tread water. Look to the One who shuts the door and provides the refuge. Your morning prayer is the bridge between the chaos of the world and the safety of the Sanctuary.

Devotional Prompts:

• What storms are currently making you feel vulnerable or afraid?
• What does it mean to you that ‘the Lord shut him in’? How do you experience God’s protection in the middle of judgment?
• How would your day change if you spent the first few minutes ‘preparing a sacrifice and watching’ for God as in Psalm 5?
• Are you relying on your own swimming skills to survive, or are you resting in the Ark of Christ’s righteousness?

Prayer: God of the Morning, I lift my voice to You before the day begins. In the midst of the rising tides and the noise of the world, be my refuge and my shield. Thank You for keeping me safe in Your love. Amen.