Originally published on January 5, 2021
"Journey trough the Psalms" is a compilation of journal notes and meditations written by several members of our church. The content is intended as a complementary material as you read one psalm a day.
Psalm 5 - This Psalm is a morning prayer with requests for protection and provision. Morning prayers were an important part of ancient near Easter culture which boasted many Gods (polytheism) and a way for an adherent to faithfully acknowledge the deity he or she served - hence “my God and King” (2).
The habit of David bringing his requests every morning to Lord is underscored by verse 3. David saw the LORD not only as his God and King but his sustainer, protector, and defender. David’s heart was to be dependent and his prayer life reflects this. A strong prayer life is a sign of dependency. The dependent pray; the self sufficient and independent do not pray.
The Psalm begins with a cry for help and plea to listen (1-3). David moves to align himself with God in light of a dark and broken world (4-7). David’s request for righteousness and guidance reinforces David’s cry for help and His dependency on the LORD. David acknowledges that only God, not David even though King, can provide justice (9-10). David believes what he prays and places his faith in the LORD results in both joy and peace (11-12).
As we seek to grow in our prayer lives, it is important to know we have great freedom to make requests of God, to cry out to Him. We would do well to follow David’s example of seeking to anchor these requests in both God’s character and His promises.
Here is a pretty ballad of Psalm 5 (with chords :)).
