Psalm 5 (Listen)
5:1 Give ear to my words, O LORD;
consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in the fear of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD;
you cover him with favor as with a shield.
Devotional:
But I enter your house by the abundance of your faithful love; I bow down toward your holy temple in reverential awe of you (Psalm 5:7 CSB).
This verse reminds us that it is only through the abundance of God’s steadfast love that we are able to come into His presence. We may feel that we need to get our lives cleaned up in order to come to God, but “… God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners [while we were still a mess], Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The abundance of God’s steadfast love means that we can come into His presence as imperfect people. And that is good news — because we are all imperfect. The next time you walk into church or sit down at home to pray, marvel at God’s incredible love for you — and where that love brings you…into God’s own presence!
Pray it: Father, thank you for inviting me into your presence even though I am not worthy to draw near to you. Thank you for sending Christ while I was still a sinner and now letting me cry out to you because of your faithful love. Amen.
Share it: Share a verse or thought from this passage with someone today.