Month: May 2024

Psalm 5 – O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
² Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
³ Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

⁴ O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
⁵ Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
⁶ You will destroy those who tell lies.
The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.

⁷ Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
⁸ Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.

⁹ 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.
¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ 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.
¹² For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love. (NLT)

This psalm is titled: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute. It is traditionally believed to be a psalm of morning prayer.  In this psalm David comes to the Lord in the morning to receive the strength – and the joy – that he needs for the day.  In verse two he states: “for I pray to no one but you.”  This may sound strange to us, and we might ask, ‘to whom else would he pray?’  However, the Hebrew implies that David is focused solely on God during his prayer time.  A great lesson for us!  Quite often we try to squeeze in some prayer time, and we go to God with so much clutter on our minds that we never really focus on God.  Sometimes our prayers are hurried, and even legalistic – we pray only because we know we should.  Verse two should teach us to set aside prayer time so that when we pray, God alone has our attention. 

Verse three makes it clear that David would pray in the morning.  He would not wait until something ‘came up’ and he needed prayer.  He recognized that he needed prayer first thing!  Prayer at the start of our day sets the tone for the rest of the day.  It helps us maintain focus throughout the day.  David knew the power of prayer, for he wrote: “Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” David knew that God hears and answers prayer, and so he waited expectantly.

In verses four through ten, David gives a contrast between the godly and wicked. When we consider the godly and the ungodly, I believe that verse seven speaks volumes: “Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house.” Our confidence in approaching God has nothing to do with anything that we have accomplished, but is in the love and mercy of God – a love and mercy that never fails.  The godly have not earned more points than the ungodly, they have simply accepted God’s grace, and in turn seek to live a life pleasing to God.  When they know God’s unfailing love, they are eager to take refuge in the Lord, and they rejoice (verse 11).

Today, let us take the time to focus on God.  Let us focus on God early in our day, not waiting for trials to surround us.  Let us trust that God will hear and answer our prayers, and let us rejoice in the refuge God offers! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Psalm 20 – In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.
May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.
² May he send you help from his sanctuary
and strengthen you from Jerusalem.
³ May he remember all your gifts
and look favorably on your burnt offerings.

⁴ May he grant your heart’s desires
and make all your plans succeed.
⁵ May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory
and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.

⁶ Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.
He will answer him from his holy heaven
and rescue him by his great power.
⁷ Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,
but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.
⁸ Those nations will fall down and collapse,
but we will rise up and stand firm.

⁹ Give victory to our king, O Lord!
Answer our cry for help. (NLT)

The title of Psalm 20 is the same as a number of others: To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.  This psalm, however, is different in nature than the other psalms by the same title.  The difference in this psalm is that it is written in the first-person plural.  In other words, a group of people were offering up this prayer for King David. 

This would explain verse four: “May he/God grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed.”  If we were to take this verse out of context, one would be led to believe that God grants to everyone who asks whatever they desire.  Thanks be to God that God does not grant us whatever we desire, for how much have we desired that would not have been any benefit to our well being?  To place verse four into its proper context, let us note 1 Samuel 13:14, which speaks of David – “the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people.”  It is right to pray for our heart’s desire – when what we are after is also found in the Lord’s heart. 

Does God grant us whatever we desire?  Only when our hearts are aligned with God will God grant us our hearts desire.  The New Testament speaks of this: James 4:8 – Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world (NLT); and 1 John 5:21 – Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts (NLT).

Today, let us examine our hearts.  Let us not have our loyalties divided, but let us seek after the Lord’s heart. 

Posted by Ramón Torres