Some Serious Praying

O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I will never pray to anyone but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5: 1-3 NLT

What words to use with praying: groaning, cry for help, will never pray to anyone but you, listen to my voice, I bring my requests and wait expectantly.

This is some serious praying! This isn't just about asking for a blessing or direction. The psalmist sounds like there is a specific need to bring to God's attention. The request is so dire that the one praying is groaning, calling aloud to God, and asking again each morning with the same expectation of being heard.

Many psalms are believed to have been written by King David. Certainly David had his share of prayer requests from being hounded by his liege, to facing the punishment for adultery, to his sons murdering one another and trying to take over his throne. This psalm would probably fit very well within the context of several dramas that was David's life.

But the gift of the psalms is that they also speak to situations of others.

What dire straits have you found yourself in lately? Have you ever prayed like these verse of Psalm 5? Do your prayers contain groaning or cries for help? How can this psalm help you in your own times of distress?

God, each day we bring our requests to you and wait expectantly. Hear our cries for help and our groaning. We never pray to anyone but you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2011 Amelia G. Sims