Here are some suggestions for prayer and meditation on Psalm 5:
v 1-3 – Do you have struggles that weigh heavily on your heart? Are you burdened by concerns that seem to go unresolved? A lament is a prayer that asks God to answer and to intervene in the brokenness of our lives. Express your deepest concerns to God in prayer. Don’t be afraid to voice your regrets, your fears, your disappointments, even with God. Pray and “wait expectantly” (v 3) for God to answer.
v 4-7 – While God is holy, and hates wickedness, he still provides a way for us to “come into his house” (v 7). Consider your position before God. We deserve nothing, yet God gives us everything! Let that thought inspire you to praise God – in prayer, in a song, with your attitude through the day.
v 8-10 – Have you been wronged? attacked? accused? David understood what it meant to have enemies, but he left it in God’s hands to deal with them. Notice that it is an acceptable way to pray, to ask God to deal justly with those who practice injustice.
Rather than acting to clear himself, David trusted that God would vindicate him. Have you turned your persecutor (past or present) over to the Lord in prayer? Do you need to be free of a past negative relationship? There are times when our honest prayer is that we need God to deal with that person. Our God can be trusted to be just in every situation.
v 11-12 – Thank God for his protection over your life. You can rejoice that he is the God who spreads his protection over you, and covers you with his favour like a shield. Ask God to make you aware of how his love is protecting you.