Praying During Sorrow | Psalm 5:1–3
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD;
consider my
groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and
my God,
for to you
do I pray.
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my
voice;
in the
morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
The emotion of this psalm makes it a clear lament. Throughout, we read David’s heartache, mainly
brought on by the enemies of God. All
with heavy hearts would resonate with the pain here, and these three verses illustrate
the godly man’s prayer times amid cries and groaning.
First, seek the
Lord. David prays to the covenant-keeping
LORD, knowing that “my King and my God” will keep the promises of the covenant. As such, David sees no problem asking he asks
the Lord to “give ear,” to “consider,” and to “give attention.” As we reflect upon this in Christ, we can likewise
confidently come before the Lord in our times of need (Hb 4:16; 10:19, 35) as the
Holy Spirit considers our groaning and helps us in our weakness (Rm 8:26). Since God commands us request of Him (Phil
4:6), we must seek Him in prayer during times of need.
Second, be faithful
in prayer. David develops the pattern
of morning prayer. We should not shy
away from similar in prayer. It’s not
legalistic or ungodly to have a set time of prayer in itself—it ensures that we
have planned for the time, avoiding normal interruptions. Like setting a table,
or like the priest might arrange the sacrifice, we should order ourselves in
prayer.
Third, be confident
in the Lord’s control. What a
difficulty waiting is during
trials! Yet, we must remember Who God is and His sovereignty over our troubles—He’s
in control. There’s even a hint here
of eagerness; David prays believing that the Lord will work in some way. Micah 7:7 says, “But as for me, I will look
to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear
me.” James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a
righteous person has great power as it is working.” Whatever the outcome, He works it out for His
good purposes (Rm 8:28).
