Psalm 5:1-12

For the choir director; for flute accompaniment.
A Psalm of David.

Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my groaning.

[2] Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to Thee do I pray.

[3] In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch.

[4] For Thou art not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with Thee.

[5] The boastful shall not stand before Thine eyes;
Thou dost hate all who do iniquity.

[6] Thou dost destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

[7] But as for me, by Thine abundant lovingkindness I will enter Thy house,
At Thy holy temple I will bow in reverence for Thee.

[8] O Lord, lead me in Thy righteousness because of my foes;
Make Thy way straight before me.

[9] There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself;
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.

[10] Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against Thee.

[11] But let all who take refuge in Thee be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And mayest Thou shelter them,
That those who love Thy name may exult in Thee.

[12] For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O Lord,
Thou dost surround him with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 5 - Psalm 5:1-12

Open It

* 1. Why do you think personal crises motivate people to pray more?
2. When has an emergency or personal problem caused you to pray?

Explore It

3. What were the psalm writer’s main requests? (5:1-12)
4. How is the psalm writer’s main request repeated throughout the poem? (5:1-12)
5. When and how did David pray? (5:2-3)
6. How are wicked people limited? (5:4-5)
7. To what characteristics of God did the psalm writer appeal? (5:4-12)
8. How did David describe wicked people? (5:5)
* 9. What attitude did David have in presenting his request to the Lord? (5:7)
10. How did David describe his enemies? (5:9-10)
11. How did David trust God to judge the wicked, rather than seeking revenge himself? (5:10)
* 12. How did David deal with the offenses against him? (5:9-10)
13. What did David ask God to do? (5:10-12)
14. Whom did David include in his prayer? (5:11)
15. Whom does the Lord protect and bless? (5:11-12)
* 16. What attitude should believers have and why? (5:11-12)
17. How did David use the image of a shield to describe what God does for the righteous? (5:12)
18. What does God do for the righteous? (5:12)

Get It

19. What many reasons do people have for praying?
20. What usually motivates people to pray?
21. In light of this passage, what attitude should we have when we pray?
22. How do you need to change your attitude toward prayer?
* 23. How are faith and prayer connected?
24. When has your faith been challenged or stretched?
25. What distracts you from praying?
* 26. What steps can you take to keep up a consistent habit of prayer?
27. What does this passage teach us about arrogance?
28. How can we guard against the sin of arrogance?
29. What have you learned about the character of God from this psalm?

Apply It

* 30. What is one step you can take in the next week to improve your prayer habits?
31. How could you publicly praise God for His protection over you?

AFFIRMATIONS

TODAY I AM:

Praying to the lord and watching for His answers.
Not sinning
Loved by the LORD
Preserved by God because of speaking the truth
Having a straight path before me
Glad in the LORD
Singing for joy
Surrounded with God’s favor as a shield