A Heartfelt Plea
Opening Prayer
Dear God, I call on You today, confident that You hear me. Speak to me now as I wait before You.
Read PSALM 70
1 Hasten, O God, to save me;
come quickly, Lord, to help me.
2 May those who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
3 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
turn back because of their shame.
4 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Lord, do not delay.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
God is our deliverer. Sometimes we need patience to wait for his deliverance.
This psalm starts and finishes with pleas for God’s intervention to help the psalmist against threats from unspecified enemies. His reputation, livelihood, well-being and life itself are on the line. This is a psalm of contrasts, virtually identical to the prayer in Psalm 40:13–17. The psalmist contrasts those who “seek my life” (2) with those who “seek you” (i.e., God; 4). Verse 4 speaks warmly of his response to God’s saving help using terms like “rejoice,” “be glad in you” and “long for your saving help” and encourages a response of praise.
Whatever the psalmist is going through, he trusts God as his help and deliverer. Sometimes the way we live our lives is in sharp contrast to the way the psalmist lived. We too are constantly faced with a choice about how we will respond to pressures, uncertainties and troubles in our lives. Notice that the psalmist doesn’t thank God for his problems, rather he pleads to be rescued. He does thank God, however, for who he is, his helper and deliverer. Take time to ponder the link between knowing God, trusting God and praising God.
The first verse is applicable to all circumstances. It has been prayed down through the centuries more than any other from the psalms. For example, the sixth-century monastic code of Benedict required that it be prayed daily at least seven times. Earlier still, it was a popular prayer among Egyptian monks. “It contains an invocation of God in any crisis… a consciousness of one’s own frailty, the assurance of being heard, and confidence in a protection that is always present and at hand” (Patrick Henry Reardon).
Apply
Write verse 1 onto a card and put it somewhere where you’ll often notice it. Use it as a prayer several times a day, whether or not you’re feeling troubled.
Closing prayer
Lord, often I desperately pray for a change of circumstances, when what I need is contentment and a love for Your will. Forgive me, and teach me to trust You completely.
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