What does Psalm 5:1 mean?

David was a man of prayer. Hunted and hounded by Absalom's forces in the wilderness (2 Samuel 15:13¬–14), David pled with the Lord for relief. He urged the Lord to be attentive to his words and his groaning. He experienced inward pain.

Believers can identify with David. Although we are not fugitives, we sometimes encounter hardship, persecution, emotional pain, or physical pain (John 16:33). In our distress, like David, we earnestly beseech the Lord to hear our prayer (Romans 8:23). Thankfully, we have the assurance that He sympathizes with us. When our Lord ministered on earth, He was tempted and tried as we are, so He knows what we are experiencing in stressful times, and He invites us to approach His throne of grace confidently to "receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14–16).

Sometimes, the Lord does not remove our burden (2 Corinthians 12:7–10). Even then He always supplies sufficient grace for us to endure it victoriously (2 Corinthians 12:7–9; 1 Corinthians 10:13).