Psalm 70:1-5
Make Haste, O God
1For the choirmaster. Of David. To bring remembrance. Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Hurry, O LORD, to help me!
2May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.
3May those who say, “Aha, aha!” retreat because of their shame.
4May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, “Let God be magnified!”
5But I am poor and needy; hurry to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.
Berean Standard Bible
The entire psalm is an urgent request: make haste, O God, to save me; hurry to help me. David's enemies seek his life and delight in his harm. He does not have the emotional space for a long explanation. The prayer is short because danger has narrowed his attention.
He asks that those who mock him be turned back and that everyone who seeks God rejoice. The contrast is not between people who have no problems and people who do. It is between those who seek destruction and those who love God's salvation.
David ends by saying he is poor and needy, yet the LORD thinks of him. God is his help and deliverer; He must not delay. Urgency and faith stand in the same five verses.
Questions
1 What does David ask first?
AnswerHe asks God to hurry to save him and help him.
2 What do the enemies want?
AnswerThey want David's life and delight in the harm and shame he is facing.
3 Who should rejoice?
AnswerEveryone who seeks God and loves His salvation should rejoice in Him.
4 How does David describe himself?
AnswerHe describes himself as poor and needy while trusting that God thinks of him.
What This Means for Us
Not every prayer needs to be expansive. In an emergency, a faithful prayer may be only “Help.” God is not measuring eloquence before offering attention.
The final confidence is personal: God thinks of the needy. That should make us quick to notice people whose urgent requests are easy for comfortable people to postpone.
Prayer
Make haste, O God, to help people in immediate danger. Hear short and frightened prayers, turn back those who seek harm, and make us responsive to urgent need. Amen.