A Prayer of Desire and Dependence
Matthew Henry, D. D. Psalm 27:7-14 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also on me, and answer me.… David here expresses — I. HIS DESIRE TOWARDS GOD. If he cannot now go up to the house of the Lord, yet, wherever he is, he can find a way to the throne of grace by prayer. 1. He humbly bespeaks, because he firmly believes he shall have, a gracious audience (ver 7). 2. He takes hold of the kind invitation God had given him to this duty (ver. 8). (1) The true nature of religious worship. Seeking the face of God. The opening of His hand will satisfy the desire of other living things (Psalm 145:16), but it is only the shining of His face that will satisfy the desire of a living soul (Psalm 4:6, 7). (2) The kind invitation of a gracious God to this duty. He calls us by the whispers of His Spirit, to and with our spirits, to seek His face; calls us by His Word, by the stated returns of opportunities for His worship, and by special providences, merciful and afflictive. (3) The ready compliance of a gracious soul with this invitation. A gracious heart readily echoes to the call of a gracious God, being made willing in the day of His power. 3. He is very particular in his requests. (1) For the favour of God, that he might not be shut out from that. (2) For the continuance of His presence with him. (3) For the benefit of a Divine conduct (ver. 11). (4) For the benefit of a Divine protection (ver. 12). II. HIS DEPENDENCE UPON GOD. 1. That He would help and succour him, when all other helps and succours failed him (ver.. 10). God is a surer and better friend than our earthly parents are or can be. 2. That in due time he should see the displays of His goodness (ver. 18). Even the best saints are subject to faint when their troubles become grievous and tedious. Their spirits are overwhelmed, and their flesh and heart fail; but their faith is a sovereign cordial. They that walk by faith in the goodness of the Lord, shall in due time walk in the sight of that goodness. 3. That in the meantime he should be strengthened to bear up under his burden (ver. 14). Whether he said it to himself or to his friends, it comes all to one. "He shall strengthen thy heart," shall sustain the spirit, and then the spirit shall sustain the infirmity. In that strength — (1) Keep close to God, and to your duty. (2) Keep up your spirits in the midst of the greatest danger and difficulties. (Matthew Henry, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. WEB: Hear, Yahweh, when I cry with my voice. Have mercy also on me, and answer me.