1Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
2From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is
higher than I.
3For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
4I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of
Your wings.
Selah
5For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage
of those who fear Your name.
6You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
7He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy and truth,
which may preserve him!
8So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may daily perform my
vows.
Commentary
Vs.
1 “Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.”
In times of our despair there is but One to turn to, our God whom David turns to, asking our God to attend to his prayer.
Vs. 2 “From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is
higher than I.”
Whether at home or abroad, whether in a church sanctuary, or out in the world somewhere, there is no place where we cannot cry out to our God. And this we should always do when our heart is overwhelmed, when we cannot see anyway forward, or anyway beyond our current despair, please Lord lead us to the rock, Your place, which is higher than I. Thus, God’s understanding is requested to enlighten and broaden ours, which always brings us confidence and quiet consolation by trusting Him.
Vs. 3 “For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.”
How quickly we can move from despair to assurance when we recall God’s faithfulness towards us. Yes, the many times He sheltered us, the many times He protected us, the many times He saved us from..., Just think then of your life and how He has made a way to bring you here, incredible!
Vs. 4 “I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah”
This then is the confidence of everyone who believes in and belongs to the Lord, for forever we are secured with Him and by Him (John 10:27-30; Eph. 1:13-14). Therefore, I will trust in the shelter of Your wings, in Your overshadowing Presence which is with me wherever I go and whatever state I am in. Thus David draws an analogy from the baby chick which takes refuge under the shelter of its mothers’ wings, as it waddles and walks through this life, and this life’s predators.
Vs. 5 “For You, O God, have heard my vows;
You have given me the heritage
of those who fear Your name.”
David now recalls that He had vowed to God, has committed himself to him, to be his servant forever, thus God in receiving him has given him the heritage of those who fear His Name, that is He not only chose David for Himself, but He has secured David and his legacy with Himself (see 2 Samuel 7:1-28).
Vs. 6-8 6You will prolong the king’s life,
His years as many generations.
7He shall abide before God forever.
Oh, prepare mercy and truth,
which may preserve him!
8So I will sing praise to Your name forever,
That I may daily perform my
vows.
Though David began this prayer in despair, he now concludes it in exaltation! For he knows that it God will secure his life, that He has spoken of prolonging not only his life, but his legacy for many generations to come. Thus David knows that he shall abide before God forever (which can also be said of our Lord and Savior Himself). Therefore, David asks that God prepare mercy and truth which may preserve him/Him. For without God’s mercy and truth no one could be with Him (consider John 1:17). Therefore, in verse eight David sees both eternity “I will praise You forever” and the here and now. For he now needs God’s mercy and truth (like we all do) to daily perform his vows to Him.
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.
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