Starting your day with an expectation brings a certain level of excitement to your heart.

It’s a great way to start your day; ask me how I know. Because I’d love to tell you how my mornings just got a little holier in the process.

Be still my heart.

Oh how I woke with a start. No amount of chamomile tea would calm my anxious heart. Though my feet hadn’t even hit the floor, I was already defeated. What’s a girl to do?

Instead of a Rise & Shine kind of morning, have you ever woken up with a heavy heart unsure if you could face the day?

Too many times, before we’ve even had a chance to ‘get with God,’ the Enemy of our soul seems to have declared victory over our day. But this isn’t how it’s supposed to be. There is a better way, sweet friend.

At each and every sunrise you will hear my voice as I prepare my sacrifice of prayer to you. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on the altar and wait for your fire to fall upon my heart. Psalm 5:3 TPT

Waking up with Exciting Expectation instead of Alarming Anxiety

When it seems like you’ve got a date with dread and can’t get ahead, prayer is your mightiest weapon. Take five! If that’s all you’ve got, I promise you, five minutes is enough. Arm yourself for the day’s fiercest battles by letting your Battle Cry ring out in the heavenlies. Sometimes, I’m saying mine out loud with the sheets still over my head.

Psalm 5 is a declaration of our holy expectation even when the answer has yet to arrive.

Go ahead, take 5 and read Psalm 5 now. By far, my favorite translations for this Psalm are The Passion Translation or The Voice. I’ve included links to both right here for you to refer back to for the next three mornings. In particular, one commentary I read helped me better understand the importance of our emotions.

Psalm 5 is a cry for help and a plea for guidance by a person who suffered at the hands of an enemy. It talks about the morning as the time to pray and listen for God to answer. Like many laments, it begins with a cry but ends in confidence. ~Bible Gateway, The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

Like a Morning Watch on a high military tower, we can start our day off with holy expectation, knowing God will show up for us. Because praying as if the answer is already on its way changes the tone of our voice and the confidence in our heart. As a Victory Girl and the Daughter of the King, we can look out over our God-given territory with confidence, joy, and a sense of knowing we are exactly where God wants us to be.

What is holy expectation? My definition is as follows: holy expectation: the belief that God will show up for me in all circumstances with a surprise, a suddenly, or an answered prayer in His perfect timing for my good. -Amy Elaine Martinez, definer of wordsClick To Tweet

No more hiding under the sheets in dismay; the favor of the King wraps around us. We are covered under the “canopy of kindness and joy.” (Psalm 5:12 TPT) Finally, fear is banished. Defeat is destroyed. And, most importantly, God makes us victorious and brave enough to face whatever this day brings.

How can you start your day with holy expectation? Psalm 5 gives us the plan of action:

1. Position your heart in humility: vs 1
2. Pause your mind in meditation: vs 2
3. Prepare your sacrifice of prayer: vs. 3a
4. Pray with expectation knowing God will show up: vs 3b
5. Purge your soul of sin: vs 4-10
6. Praise God: vs 11-12

Fortunately, David went before us and has shown us the beauty of authenticity with God. We don’t have to run and hide because God accepts us just as we are. He doesn’t expect us to have it all together when we come to him. Yet, when we come clean with him, laying out all the pieces of our heart before him, there is a promise of favor and covering. Therefore, we come with a holy expectation that God will meet us there with peace, forgiveness, and passion. Yes, his purifying fire will fall on our hearts, giving us more than enough confidence to get back up again and face the day. This is how it’s supposed to be.

Ultimately, God made you to experience victory on the daily.

Girl, He designed you to be victorious. When defeat makes you want to duck back under the covers, make this declaration instead:

“I am a Victory Girl. I have everything I need in Christ to be victorious. Because of Christ in me, I am an overcomer. I will meet the day with holy expectation because I know God will show up for me. In every circumstance, at every bend, on the battlefield, and in the winner’s circle, God is with me. I am a daughter of the king. I am not moved by what I cannot see because God shows up for me. Though doubt and dread dare to defeat me, I declare, I am a Victory Girl.”

Morning Declaration: The Victory Girl

“The Victory Girl looks out over her God-given territory with a sense of belonging, a fullness of joy, & a new-found confidence in her authority, knowing she’s a daughter of the King.” from Becoming a Victory Girl by Amy Elaine Martinez

Morning Prayer of Expectancy

Prayer: God, remind me who I am when I forget. This is my declaration: Every morning, I will come before your throne of grace. You will hear my voice. Without hesitation, I give you my whole heart; you can have all of me, for all my days. I believe you actively hear my prayers and I know the answers are on the way. Thank you for the gift of holy expectation. You are on my side. You are my Provider, my Protector, my Papa. And, I’m your darling daughter. I love you and I praise you for all you have done and all that you will do. Amen.

TAKE FIVE: Psalm 5 Reflection Questions on HOLY EXPECTATION:

1. Where have you been wanting to run and hide from God lately?
2. What is one prayer in your life that remains unanswered?
3. Can you make a new declaration over your life today using God’s Word?

For the next week, make a daily declaration (with holy expectation) and see how God shows up for you. Throughout the day, be on the lookout for surprises, suddenlies, and answered prayers. And, jot them down so you don’t forget.

MORE IN THE PRAYER SERIES

Cultivating a Powerful Prayer Life in Ephesians

© Amy Elaine Martinez and AmyElaine.com, 2016-2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner are strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Amy Elaine Martinez and AmyElaine.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.