Psalm 05

Turn with me to Psalm 5.

I mentioned last week that in Psalm 4 there were directions that it was to be accompanied by a stringed instrument. You’ll notice this psalm is to be accompanied by pipes. You’ll notice that this psalm was also written by David.

Psalm 5 For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.

Psalm 3 says it was written when David fled from his son Absalom. Some think Psalm 4 could have been written during that same time. There are no guesses for the background of most of the psalms and that’s true for this psalm as well.

The first three verses are an appeal to God to hear his prayer. Many psalms begin this way. For example, in Psalm 4 David prayed:

Psalm 4:1 Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

Let’s hear what David has to say to God in Psalm 5.

Psalm 5:1-2 Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

You may remember the story of the little boy who was acting up during the morning worship. His parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew but were losing the battle. Finally, the father picked the little boy up and walked sternly up the aisle on his way out. Just before reaching the safety of the foyer, the little boy called loudly to the congregation, “Pray for me! Pray for me!”

Do we believe in prayer? Or do we just believe in prayer in times of emergency only? As you well know, many people only pray when they are confronted with something extremely difficult or unmanageable in life.

Isn’t it interesting how praying can calm the spirit and soul of a person? Shouldn’t this tell us something about prayer? Shouldn’t this tell us that we need more time in God’s presence in order to calm us while living in this hectic world? Paul wrote:

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Why pray? Because in prayer we bow, we humble ourselves before God. We admit our need. We admit our helplessness. We admit we need him, his strength, his help, his blessing, his mercy, and grace. And we do. We do it every day.

David says, “Give ear to my words, O Lord.” Don’t we want God to hear us when we pray?

In this psalm, we see five items we need when praying.

First, we must ask early.

3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)

Does God hear your prayers every morning? I hope so. Mark tells us this about Jesus:

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)

John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, famous for writing The Pilgrim’s Progress. He wrote:

He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find him the rest of the day.

Is that true? If it is true, then we’d better start our days in prayer. I know I have discovered that my days go better with prayer. Bunyan also wrote:

You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.

Prayer enhances us and empowers us for life!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. (Ephesians 3:16)

C. S. Lewis wrote:

The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.

That other, larger, stronger, quieter life should be the Lord speaking to us as we seek him in prayer.

R. A. Torrey was an American evangelist, preacher, educator, and writer. Torrey wrote:

Oh, men and women, pray through; pray through! Do not just begin to pray and pray a little while and throw up your hands and quit; but pray and pray and pray until God bends the heavens and comes down.

What did Torrey mean? I think he meant that we must pray and keep on praying until we get an answer from God. That’s the idea of praying through to the end of a matter. Pray until you get an answer. I think we often give up too quickly when it comes to praying about things.

George Müller was a Christian evangelist and the director of the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol, England. He cared for 10,024 orphans in his life. Müller prayed about everything and expected each prayer to be answered. When asked how much time he spent in prayer, George Muller’s reply was:

I pray hours every day. But I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk and when I lie down and when I arise. And the answers are always coming.

We must ask early and often if we want God to answer our prayers.

Second, we must hate evil.

Psalm 5:4-6 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, Lord, detest.

If God hates evil then what should we do or how should we feel about it? Paul wrote to the Romans:

Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

There are so many stories of evil in the world. When you hear about children being killed in drive-by shootings you wonder how can we not hate evil. The idea is that we need to have the heart of God. We must love that which is good and hate that which is evil. Certainly, if we don’t shun evil, God will not answer our prayers. The psalmist wrote:

Psalm 66:18-19 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.

Third, seek mercy.

Psalm 5:7 But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple.

It is by God’s mercy that we come into his presence and will eventually be in his eternal presence. And it is by mercy that we should live. That means we should demonstrate mercy toward others. Jesus told his disciples:

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

If we don’t treat others right how can we expect God to treat us right and answer our prayers?

I knelt to pray when day was done,

And prayed, “O Lord bless every one,

Lift from every saddened heart the pain,

And let the sick be well again.”

And then I woke another day,

And carelessly went upon my way.

The whole day long I did not try

To wipe a tear from any eye.

I did not try to share the load

Of any brother on the road.

I did not even go to see

The sick man just next door to me.

Yet once again when day was done,

I prayed, “O Lord bless everyone.”

But as I prayed, into my ear

There came a voice that whispered clear,

“Pause, hypocrite, before you pray,

Whom have you tried to bless today?

God’s sweetest blessings always go,

By hands which serve Him below.”

And then I hid my face and cried,

“Forgive me, God, for I have lied.

Let me but live another day,

And I will live the way I pray!”

Fourth, live righteously.

Psalm 5:8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me.

Robert Leighton, a Scottish scholar, and preacher was “noted for his Christian piety, his humility and gentleness, and his devotion to his calling.” Leighton wrote:

An angelic life, spent between ascending in prayer to fetch blessings from above, and descending to scatter them among men.

In other words, we ask for blessings from God in order to scatter them here on earth. In part, that means when we pray we must also live right or righteously here on earth. As David prayed, Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness.

If we stay in daily contact with the Lord through prayer how can we not live right? When you live in the presence of God in prayer how can you live right or at least, want to live right?

We must pray to be right and to live right in this world. If we don’t live right we may not be a people of prayer.

And fifth, find refuge.

Psalm 5:9-12 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

George Washington Carver said:

My prayers seem to be more of an attitude than anything else. I indulge in no lip service, but ask the great God silently, daily, and often many times a day, to permit me to speak to him. I ask him to give me wisdom, understanding and bodily strength to do his will. Hence, I am asking and receiving all the time.

He was a smart man. Charles Hodge, a pioneer Presbyterian minister, said:

I think that in my childhood, I came nearer the apostolic injunction, ‘Pray without ceasing,’ than in any other period of my life. As far back as I can remember, I had the habit of thanking God for everything I received, and asking him for everything I wanted. If I lost a book or any of my playthings, I prayed that I might find it. I prayed walking along the streets, in school and out of school, whether playing or studying. I did not do this in obedience to any prescribed rule. It seemed natural. I thought of God as everywhere present, full of kindness and love, and would not be offended if children talked to Him.

It sounds to me that both of these men, George Washington Carver and Charles Hodge found a refuge in the Lord! And we must do the same! We do this by praying constantly and by being in constant touch with the Lord. If we believe God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble, why would we not want to be constantly talking to him and seeking His grace? As the author of Hebrews wrote:

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

If God is our refuge and strength, let us pray, asking for mercy and grace constantly. Why? Because we need him and them!

David prayed:

Give ear to my words, O LORD.

He will if we will. He will give ear to our words and our prayers if we seek him and ask of him.

Martin Luther said that whenever his puppy happened to be at the table that he looked for a morsel and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes. Luther said:

Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise he has no thought, wish or hope.

That is the way to pray. Focus or concentrate on the Lord. The only way to survive this world is to focus on the Lord. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.