Psalms 141:1

1 God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears - it's my voice you're hearing!

Psalms 141:1 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 141:1

Lord, I cry unto thee
With great earnestness, importunity, and fervency, being in distress; and knowing vain was the help of man, and that none could deliver him but the Lord, and therefore continued crying unto him for help F23; make haste unto me;
which shows he was in a desperate condition; that he could not help himself, nor could any creature, only the Lord; and he was at a distance from him, as it seemed to him, and he delayed assistance; and therefore desires he would immediately draw nigh and be a present help in his time of need, and work speedy deliverance for him, his case requiring haste; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee;
a request the psalmist frequently makes, not contenting himself with prayer, without desiring and looking for an answer to it.


FOOTNOTES:

F23 "Auxilium vocat, et duros conclamat agrestes", Virgil.

Psalms 141:1 In-Context

1 God, come close. Come quickly! Open your ears - it's my voice you're hearing!
2 Treat my prayer as sweet incense rising; my raised hands are my evening prayers.
3 Post a guard at my mouth, God, set a watch at the door of my lips.
4 Don't let me so much as dream of evil or thoughtlessly fall into bad company. And these people who only do wrong - don't let them lure me with their sweet talk!
5 May the Just One set me straight, may the Kind One correct me, Don't let sin anoint my head. I'm praying hard against their evil ways!
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.