Reading through the psalms gives me the sense that there are many "voices of prayer." Sometimes the psalmists cry out to the Lord from the miry pit. At other times the night watchman offers a quiet but confident praise prayer to the God whose glory resonates in the heavens.The voice of Psalm 5 seems to be that of earnest appeal, which grows out of pressing needs. Perhaps this is why I am often drawn back to this psalm — our psalm for Monday morning. Here are the words of this psalm with the prompters which I have written in my Bible:
vs. 1-3 — An Appeal...
O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
vs. 4-6 — An Acknowledgment...
O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
You will destroy those who tell lies.
The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.
vs. 7-10 — An Assertion...
Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.
My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.
O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
vs. 11-12 — An Affirmation
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love.
O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
vs. 4-6 — An Acknowledgment...
O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
You will destroy those who tell lies.
The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.
vs. 7-10 — An Assertion...
Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.
My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.
O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
vs. 11-12 — An Affirmation
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love.
__________________________
May our lives be blessed through the reading this psalm and...
- Appealing to the Lord to hear and answer our cries for help
- Acknowledging our need to humble ourselves before the Lord
- Asserting that God's mercy allows us to enter into His presence
- Affirming that God favors and blesses those who take refuge in Him.
Bill Williams
a spiritual oasis
Please visit The Prayer List and pray with us.
Praising the Lord, who knows it all,
ReplyDeleteAmen,
wishes,
devika
I am taking refuge in Him with you this morning Bill..
ReplyDeleteBill this is such a wonderful passage and prayer. It will preach.... I see a four point sermon in the making.
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining the prayer team.