Praying with an open Bible enables us to pray in accordance to God’s will. It also keeps our minds and hearts focused as we pray. Godly men and women have prayed the Scriptures throughout church history.
Here are some observations to help you pray through Psalm 5:
- Person Addressed: the LORD, our King and God (5:1-2)
- Petition: Listen to my cry (note verse 7 that God will hear you, based in His grace)
- The Time of Prayer: In the morning (5:3). The Psalmist started his day with prayer, and this should be our practice. Let’s start our days in worship, acknowledging God’s sovereignty, crying out in dependence and in trust. This is not the only time we should pray. We should be in prayer continually (Psalm 55:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:17), but this is the start of a day of continual prayer.
- Confession/Repentance (5:4-6): This reminds us of our need to daily repent. God does not delight in evil, and He cannot dwell with it. This reminds us of 1 John 1:5-10 (please take time to read this). God is Light. He has no darkness. It is impossible to walk in darkness and partner with God. If we confess our sin (say the same thing God says about our sin), then He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse. Confess to Him and forsake sin day-to-day.
- We come to God by His grace (5:7): The Psalmist says he can enter God’s house through the abundance of God’s steadfast love. The word for “steadfast love” is chesed. It is God’s covenantal love. There is a definite association with this and grace in the New Testament. So, I come into God’s presence through the abundance of God’s grace. This reminds me of Ephesians 2:18. I have access to the Father through Jesus by the Holy Spirit. I can come to Him based on His love. I can come based on His kindness I don’t deserve, which He shows me in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Petition: Lead me in righteousness because of my enemies (5:8-10). In context, David had human enemies pursuing him. We may not have human enemies at this stage in our lives, but we all have a spiritual enemy. Satan is our adversary, and he is out to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8). Pray that God would lead us in righteousness for His name sake (Psalm 23:3) because of our enemy, the Devil. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). Pray God will bring him to his deserved end . Rejoice! God will answer that prayer in His time. Satan will be defeated (Revelation 20:9-10). Indeed, he has already been judged in Jesus’ death (Colossians 2:13-15).
Petition: Let those who take refuge in You rejoice (5:11a) – God, let those who find safety in You, those who have trusted in You for rescue, rejoice! May we find joy in the God of our salvation! (Luke 1:47)
Petition: Protect those who take refuge in You, so they may exult in you. And the answer to the petition comes in verse 12.
Answer (5:12): You bless the righteous! You cover the righteous with favor like a shield! God does protect us. God has covered His righteous ones with favor like a shield. The Lord’s grace has covered us, and we are safe. We are safe, because we are in the Righteous One, Jesus.
By His Grace, In His Service,
Bill Whittington
Notice: “Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.” https://www.crossway.org/permissions/
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