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).

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