Prayer Guide: Psalm 5

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The Refuge of the Righteous

For the choir director: with the flutes. A psalm of David.

1 Listen to my words, Lord;
consider my sighing.

2 Pay attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for I pray to you.

3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly.

4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot dwell with you.

5 The boastful cannot stand in your sight;
you hate all evildoers.

6 You destroy those who tell lies;
the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people.

7 But I enter your house
by the abundance of your faithful love;
I bow down toward your holy temple
in reverential awe of you.

8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness
because of my adversaries;
make your way straight before me.

9 For there is nothing reliable in what they say;
destruction is within them;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongues.

10 Punish them, God;
let them fall by their own schemes.
Drive them out because of their many crimes,
for they rebel against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them shout for joy forever.
May you shelter them,
and may those who love your name boast about you.

12 For you, Lord, bless the righteous one;
you surround him with favor like a shield.

REVERENCE

God’s praiseworthy attributes found in this text:

• The Lord listens to what we say– v. 1
• The Lord pays attention to our needs – v. 2
• The Lord hears each voice – v. 3
• The Lord does not delight in wickedness – v. 4
• The Lord humbles the boastful – v. 5
• The Lord detests lies and deceit – v. 6
• The Lord’s house is abundant in love – v. 7
• The Lord is Holy – v. 7
• The Lord is our righteousness – v. 8
• The Lord directs our paths – v. 8
• The Lord is the truth – v. 9
• The Lord judges those who rebel against His kingdom – v. 10
• The Lord is our refuge and strength – v. 11
• The Lord is worthy of praise – v. 11
• The Lord is our protector and shield against the enemy – v. 12

Possible prayer prompts:

• I praise You for being constant, the same yesterday, today, and forever
• I praise You for being a good Father that that pays attention, listens and hears the needs of your children
• I praise You for not being far away, but close enough to hear us whisper 
• I praise You because you are Holy and wickedness is not in you
• I praise You for you are the only One worthy of praise
• I praise You because you offer salvation to those who believe
• I praise You because you are working all things for your glory and my good
• I praise You because you are a refuge to those who need rest

RESPONSE

• Thank You for never being too far from me that you cannot hear my voice.
• Because You are holy, you do not delight in wickedness.
• You have the power to destroy all the lies that the enemy uses to distract us.
• You have already fought my battles and won the victory over sin and death for me.
• You are the only One who can save and provide salvation to all who receive.
• You rightly judge those who rebel against you.

REQUESTS

• God, help me to remember that You are near to the brokenhearted.
• Lord, when I am tempted to sin, let your spirit fill me with your truth.
• When I am in need, remind me that You are my protector and defender.
• Help me to remain humble and boast only in the cross.
• Allow me to find rest in Your loving embrace.
• I pray for (name) that You will use me to share Your loving grace with them today.
• Let me not forget that I, too, am a sinner in need of grace.
• I pray that those You place in authority over me will rule justly.
• I pray for those serving as missionaries in hostile environments will be encouraged by Your Holy Spirit.

READINESS

• Today, as I seek to live according to your will, remind me of who I am in you. I am a child of the Most-High God. Let me not wait until I think I can’t handle my situation before I offer it up to you. Let prayer be my first response and not my last. Help me in my fight against pride and boasting in my accomplishments. Allow me to experience pure joy in my pursuit of living a life worthy to which I have been called.