“In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”
~ Psalm 5:3

 

Hi James and Ellen,

In what ways do you communicate? You are communicating constantly in different ways. One way that you communicate is through vocalizing words in the dialect of the guy, gal or kid with whom you are speaking. Another way that you are communicating is through nonverbal messaging. You are communicating nonverbally when you are using your hands as you are talking, by how and where you are sitting or standing when you are talking, by the look that you have on your face as you are talking and listening and through your posturing when a decision is made that affects you. Your grandpaa is the Guatemala field missionary team’s Field Director. Your grandpaa knows that he communicates without saying a word all kinds of messages to another missionary guy or gal. Your grandpaa does not like it when he is interrupted while he is composing a personal letter or creating a document on his computer. Your grandpaa is okay with being the Field Director for the Guatemala field missionary team but . . . if you were a missionary on the Guatemala field missionary team – which is called CART (Central America Regional Team), how would you feel if you went to your grandpaa’s office to talk with your grandpaa but your grandpaa would not stop writing a personal letter or stop working on a document that he was formulating on his computer to talk with you? How would you feel – if you were one of the CART field team missionaries who your grandpaa is responsible for as the Guatemala field missionary team’s leader and you went to your grandpaa’s office to talk with your grandpaa and your grandpaa – as he talked with you, kept his desk between you and him and/or if your grandpaa – as he talked with you, kept his arms crossed over his chest and/or if your grandpaa – as he talked with you, kept a disinterested blank look on his face? Would you feel welcomed to be in your grandpaa’s office.

Why do you think that God gave you a tongue to vocalize words if how you communicate is done mostly nonverbally? God desires to have songs sung to Him that He can hear that have been written using words. David knew that God desires to have songs sung to Him using words. God hardwired David in a way that it was easy for David to write psalm songs that could be sung to God. Your grandpaa believes that David – even when he was a young kid, was very magnetic, dynamic and confident. Are your character traits similar to David’s character traits? Do you have kid friends whose character traits are similar to what David’s character traits were like? There were guys – like King Saul, who ended up really detesting David. King Saul became really jealous of David’s popularity in spite of David having killed Goliath the giant. King Saul ended up wanting David dead in spite of David having stood up to a giant problem that every other guy was too scared to deal with or to do anything about. Your grandpaa is sure that David really did not want to die but . . . your grandpaa is also sure that David was probably not scared of dying. Your grandpaa believes that David was more scared of being hurt by what another guy said about him than being hurt by another guy trying to kill him. David wrote psalm songs that asked God to deal with guys who were using words to try to destroy him. Psalm 5 is a psalm song that David wrote in which he asked God for His help against the guys who wanted to destroy him with malicious lies. Verse 3 says, “In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” Your grandpaa knows that he has to always be careful to not to nonverbally – and especially verbally, communicate a message to a guy or gal who is a missionary on the field missionary team that he is the Field Director that says that he is not happy for one reason or another with him or her. Your grandpaa knows from experience that he will be putting stress on maintaining a rapport with the guy or gal if he nonverbally – and especially verbally, communicates that he is not pleased for one reason or another with him or her. A hand can physically hurt another guy, gal or kid. A posture can psychologically disconcert another guy, gal or kid. A tongue can emotionally destroy another guy, gal or kid.

David made it a habit to talk every morning with God – which is what praying is. Do you think that God wants guys, gals and kids to take up His time every morning? Your grandpaa thinks so. David wrote this psalm song as a morning prayer. This psalm song may have been sung by David’s temple chorale during the daily morning sacrifice time. Flutes were played with this psalm song. When you are talking with your Father God, are you talking with your Father God in humble reverence – as David did, are you trusting in your Father God’s great mercy – as David did, and are you totally believing in your Father God’s righteousness – as David did? Has another kid ever used words to hurt you? If another kid has hurt you with words, how did you feel when the kid said what he or she said that hurt you? Do you think that it is okay to ask your Father God to punish a kid who had done you wrong? Your grandpaa is learning to be very careful how and what he says to a CART field team missionary guy or gal who is on the field missionary team that he is the Field Director that he does not hurt the CART field team missionary guy or gal with his words. Your grandpaa knows that if he wants to be encouraged, affirmed and empowered by words that are spoken by the guys and gals who are on the CART field missionary team that your grandpaa must first use words that will encourage, affirm and empower the guy or gal who he is talking with who is on the CART field missionary team. Are you using words to encourage, affirm and empower the kids who are your classmates? It all begins with God’s encouragements, affirmations and empowerments that are found throughout the Bible – God’s Living Word.

Psalm 5 (337)