“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8 ESV).
David, writing as a suffering servant of the LORD and speaking on behalf of God’s covenant people, prayed for renewed assurance of God’s steadfast love and clear direction for his life. Surrounded by enemies and pressed by troubles, he did not begin with strategy or self-confidence but with dependence on God’s character, specifically His love. David appealed to the LORD’s “chesed”—His covenant-keeping, loyal love—and rooted his request in trust rather than his own worthiness. He asked to hear of that love “in the morning,” expressing his daily dependence and need for encouragement. He also sought divine guidance, acknowledging that only God could reveal the right path. By lifting up his soul, David offered his whole life to God, modeling a posture of surrender for all who would follow the Lord.
This prayer is not only a personal cry; it is a pattern for our daily walk. We are invited to begin each day by acknowledging God’s steadfast love before facing the demands of life. We can ground our trust in Him before acting according to our own plans, feelings, or circumstances. We can seek God’s guidance for the steps we are to take, confessing that wisdom does not originate within us. We can lift up our soul, the seat of our will and desire, to the Father in humble surrender.
On this Christmas Eve morning, this prayer takes on even deeper meaning. David longed to hear of God’s steadfast love, but we celebrate that God did not merely speak His love—He sent it. John 3:16 declares that God so loved (“agapē”) the world that He gave His only Son. The “chesed” love promised in the Old Testament is the ‘agape” love revealed and embodied in Jesus Christ. Christmas is the moment when God’s love took on flesh. As we begin our days now, we do so with confidence, knowing God’s love has already been proven in Christ. This is how we learn, day after day, to hear His love at dawn, trusting Him to lead us where we should go.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You for Your steadfast love that never fails. As we begin our days, help us to trust You above all else, to seek Your guidance in every step, and to lift up our whole soul to You. Thank You for sending Your love to us in Your Son. Teach us to hear Your love at dawn and to walk in faith throughout the day. In Jesus’ name, amen.