Psalm 54:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.

NIV: Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.

NASB: Hear my prayer, God; Listen to the words of my mouth.

CSB: God, hear my prayer; listen to the words from my mouth.

NLT: Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea.

KJV: Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.

NKJV: Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth.

This is part of David's plea for rescue (Psalm 54:1). When hiding from the evil king, Saul, David was betrayed by local people in the region of Ziph (1 Samuel 23:19–20). David prayed for the Lord to save him, evoking the character and promises of God by referring to His "name."

Prayer is a vitally important resource. The apostle Paul commands believers at Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God in their battle against the Devil. He portrays the Devil as scheming against them. The Devil employs rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). In addition to putting on the whole armor of God, Christians ought to pray "at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication" (Ephesians 6:18). When soldiers battle an enemy, they need to be in constant communication with their superior officers. Similarly, Christian soldiers must not battle the Devil and his cohorts without staying in communication with the Lord, their Commander-in-Chief. David understood the critical need to stay in touch with God through prayer. He urged God to hear his prayer for help.

Psalm 54:1–3 is part of David's prayer for rescue. He was pursued by the king, Saul, and betrayed by the people of Ziph (1 Samuel 23:19–20). David asks for the Lord's help against godless people who want to kill him. This will be followed by David's confident expression of trust in God.

David prays for God's rescue and vindication. Heartless, godless men are working to have him killed (1 Samuel 23:19–20). However, David is certain that God is his helper and will keep him alive. He believes God will bring vengeance on those enemies, ending their lives while sparing David. David is so confident in the Lord's rescue that he promises to present a freewill offering when he returns to the sanctuary. David's trust in God is based, in part, on the ways the Lord had helped him in the past.

Psalm 54 is one of the psalms written by David when he was a fugitive from King Saul. David describes his dependence on the Lord to help him in a crisis. The crisis involved the Ziphites' betraying David by telling Saul where he was (1 Samuel 23:19–20; 26:1–2). God rewarded David's confidence and refusal to take revenge (1 Samuel 24:4–8) by sparing his life.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.