Psalm Seventeen: A Prayer of David

Psalm 17

Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;

    listen to my cry.

Hear my prayer—

    it does not rise from deceitful lips.

 

Let my vindication come from you;

    may your eyes see what is right.

Though you probe my heart,

    though you examine me at night and test me,

you will find that I have planned no evil;

    my mouth has not transgressed.

 

Though people tried to bribe me,

    I have kept myself from the ways of the violent

    through what your lips have commanded.

 

My steps have held to your paths;

    my feet have not stumbled.

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;

    turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

 

Show me the wonders of your great love,

    you who save by your right hand

    those who take refuge in you from their foes.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;

    hide me in the shadow of your wings

 

from the wicked who are out to destroy me,

    from my mortal enemies who surround me.

They close up their callous hearts,

    and their mouths speak with arrogance.

 

They have tracked me down, they now surround me,

    with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

 

They are like a lion hungry for prey,

    like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down;

    with your sword rescue me from the wicked.

 

By your hand save me from such people, Lord,

    from those of this world whose reward is in this life.

May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;

    may their children gorge themselves on it,

    and may there be leftovers for their little ones.

As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;

    when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness (NIV).

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This Psalm is written by David (hence the title) and it is his prayer in a time of crisis. I tried to do some digging to see if I could find out exactly what kind of crisis David was going through during the writing of this Psalm. But, everything that I found said that David went through so many crisis moments that it is difficult to pin point exactly which crisis moment he wrote this Psalm in. So, I read through the Psalm a few more times and found that I absolutely love the very last line of his prayer! He says, "When i awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness". Right now, with our world all crazy and hard, many of us are not waking up satisfied. We wake up anxious, worried, stressed, and disappointed. But, what would it look like if we woke up in the morning, grabbed our Bibles before we grabbed our phones and spent time with God? Would we find satisfaction in him? I am committing to reading Scripture first thing in the morning before I look at the news, social media, or text messages. I think this will shift my attitude and my heart. 

What stood out to you in this Psalm?

Will you commit to reading Scripture with me every morning? (If you are reading this in the morning, that counts)