We are excited to be starting a new series of reflections on the Psalms. Each day we will upload a new reflection to the website. We hope and pray that you will find them helpful and that they bring hope during this season. Click on these buttons to read the text of the psalm or listen to a recording of it. You can also listen to the reflection using the audio player below.
Read Psalm 5 Listen to Psalm 5
Podcast (cnc-daily-psalms): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17 — 912.6KB)
I’ve hugely enjoyed meeting with the rest of the church community each morning for ‘Pyjama Prayers’. In many ways it feels like we are returning to the practices of the early church who, we read in Acts, gathered daily for prayer. We are creating a discipline as Psalm 5 suggests of ‘pleading our case before the Lord in the morning.’.
After the psalmist pleads their case before God they watch and wait to see what God does- which willingly or not we also have to do at present. The second half of the Psalm creates a contrast between the psalmist and their oppressors – the psalmist through the ‘the abundance of god’s steadfast love’ has access to the house of God and his protection.
I love that image of God’s love being both abundant and steadfast. It is steady enough to weather any instability and plentiful enough to hold all people. When life can feel scarce and unsteady the challenge is to press into the reality of who God is and allow ourselves to be held by that.
Why not try as a prayer exercise repeating verse 7 slowly a few times?
But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down towards your holy temple.