Prayer During Contemplation - Psalms 54-56

Psalms 55:1-3 (ESV)

TO THE CHOIRMASTER: WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. A MASKIL OF DAVID.

Give ear to my prayer, O God,

and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!

Attend to me, and answer me;

I am restless in my complaint and I moan,

because of the noise of the enemy,

because of the oppression of the wicked.

For they drop trouble upon me,

and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

When David is in trouble he writes a Maskil.  A Maskil is poem of contemplation about something.   Those who write probably understand that in the midst of a struggle you write something about it.   Those who do not write do not get that.  Bakers, in the shadow of death, might bake.   Carpenters under the cloud of despair might build.   Warriors might fight.   We all express our Maskil (contemplations) differently.  But no matter how we express it, the object of our contemplation in the midst of the attack from the outside world ought to be the same as Davids.  He cried out to God.   He cried out in the midst of his darkness:

1. God, give ear to my prayer.  When we are alone and feel attacked what we really want is someone who will listen to us and be there for us.  
2. God, don’t hide yourself.  There is nothing worse in the times of trouble than to find out the one person you thought you could count on was not there.  God is not like that.  David is not fearing God will hide himself (as we can see through the rest of his Maskil).  He is just acknowledging to God the deep need he has for God right now. 
3. God, attend to me and answer me.  David is not satisfied that God hears him.  David wants God to do something for him.   This is not a praise Maskil.  This is a praise and request Maskil.  
4. God, I am restless and I moan.  David is not afraid to tell God about how his emotions were manifesting.   We all express our emotions differently.  In his case, David is uttering complaints and moaning. He is not embarrassed by this, but acknowledges it to God. 
5. God, my enemy is making noise, oppressive, drops trouble on me and holds a grudge against me.  There might not be any worse feeling than to know that someone is treating you this way with no real reason.   David wants God to know why his spirit is expressing himself this way.  This person is hurting him.  This situation is hurting him.  

Here is what David will say later about this person who is hurting him:

Psalms 55:12-13 (ESV)

For it is not an enemy who taunts me—

then I could bear it;

it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—

then I could hide from him.

But it is you, a man, my equal,

my companion, my familiar friend.

David is expressing his hurt via this poem to ask God to help him in a time that is the worse:  A friend has turned on him.  The glory of God’s care, is that in these times when others hurt us, God is our ever present source to help us.   

Psalms 55:20-23 (ESV)

My companion stretched out his hand against his friends;

he violated his covenant.

His speech was smooth as butter,

yet war was in his heart;

his words were softer than oil,

yet they were drawn swords.

Cast your burden on the LORD,

and he will sustain you;

he will never permit

the righteous to be moved.

But you, O God, will cast them down

into the pit of destruction;

men of blood and treachery

shall not live out half their days.

But I will trust in you.