“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 55:17 Mean?
David commits to praying three times daily: evening, morning, and noon. The order is significant — he starts with evening, reflecting the Jewish reckoning of days beginning at sunset. His prayer life starts when the day begins, continues through its center, and persists through its end.
The three-time-daily prayer practice became foundational in Jewish worship. Daniel famously maintained this practice even under threat of death (Daniel 6:10). The practice structures the entire day around communion with God — no moment is too far from the last prayer or the next one.
David doesn't just pray — he cries aloud. The Hebrew word hamah means to make a noise, to roar, to growl. This isn't quiet meditation; it's vocal, audible, urgent prayer. And the response is certain: "he shall hear my voice." The confidence isn't in the quality of the prayer but in the character of the hearer.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Could you commit to praying three times a day? What would that structure look like for you?
- 2.What's the difference between prayer as a practice and prayer as a spontaneous response?
- 3.Do you ever pray aloud — really aloud? What happens when you give your prayer a voice?
- 4.How does David's certainty that 'he shall hear' affect your confidence in approaching God?
Devotional
Evening. Morning. Noon. Three times a day, every day, David prays. He structures his entire life around conversation with God — beginning, middle, and end. No stretch of his day goes unsanctified by prayer.
The consistency is the point, not the intensity. David doesn't describe one epic prayer session; he describes three regular ones. The power is in the rhythm, not the drama. Evening: end the day with God. Morning: start the next one with Him. Noon: check in during the middle. The practice creates a life where God is never more than a few hours away from your conscious attention.
David also cries aloud. He's not whispering. He's roaring, groaning, making noise. This is prayer as full-body expression, prayer that uses your voice and your volume. Not every prayer needs to be quiet and internal. Some prayers need to be shouted — into the pillow, into the sky, into the room where nobody else is listening.
The final phrase is pure confidence: "he shall hear my voice." Not "he might hear" or "I hope he hears." He shall hear. David's certainty isn't based on the quality of his praying but on the reliability of God's listening. You don't have to pray well. You just have to pray.
What would it look like to structure your day around three touch points with God? Not long, complicated sessions — just evening, morning, and noon conversations with the One who shall hear your voice.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,.... That is, God had preserved his life, and…
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray - In another place Psa 119:164 the psalmist says that he engaged in acts…
In these verses,
I. David perseveres in his resolution to call upon God, being well assured that he should not seek him…
Evening, and morning, and at noon Eveningstands first because the day began at sunset. A reference to stated hours of…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture