“But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 69:13 Mean?
David is in deep distress — Psalm 69 describes sinking in mire, floodwaters at his throat, enemies without cause, and the loneliness of being a stranger to his own family (v. 8). But this verse is the pivot: "But as for me" — again the deliberate va'ani — "my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time." In the middle of the drowning, David prays, and he names the timing as acceptable.
The Hebrew eth ratson — "acceptable time" or "time of favor" — is significant. David isn't saying he's waiting for a convenient moment. He's claiming that this moment of despair is the acceptable time. The crisis itself is the appropriate occasion for prayer. Isaiah 49:8 will later use the same phrase, and Paul will quote it in 2 Corinthians 6:2: "now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation." The acceptable time isn't when conditions improve. It's now.
David appeals to two divine attributes: "the multitude of thy mercy" (rov chasdekha — the abundance of your covenant love) and "the truth of thy salvation" (emeth yish'ekha — the reliability of your rescuing). He's anchoring his prayer in God's proven character. The mercy is not small. It comes in multitude. The salvation is not uncertain. It comes in truth. Both are qualities of the God he's reaching for, not qualities of the situation he's in.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you been waiting for the 'right time' to pray — to be less messy, less emotional, more composed? What if now is the acceptable time?
- 2.How does it change your prayer life to know that the moment of crisis is the moment of favor, not an obstacle to it?
- 3.David anchors his prayer in the multitude of mercy and the truth of salvation. Which of those two do you need to lean into more right now?
- 4.What does 'but as for me' look like for you today — the deliberate pivot from chaos to prayer?
Devotional
"But as for me, my prayer is unto thee." There's that pivot again — the same va'ani from Psalm 55. The floods are rising. The enemies are circling. The mire is pulling him under. And David says: but as for me, I pray. Not as for me, I fight. Not as for me, I panic. I pray. In the middle of the worst of it, he turns his face toward God and opens his mouth.
The "acceptable time" is the part that should stop you. You might be waiting for the right moment to pray — waiting until you're less angry, less messy, less desperate, less emotional. David says the acceptable time is now. Not when you've composed yourself. Not when you've figured out the right words. Not when you feel spiritual enough to approach God properly. Now. In the mire. With floodwater at your throat. This is the time God accepts your prayer — not despite the mess, but in it.
Two anchors hold this prayer: the multitude of God's mercy and the truth of God's salvation. Multitude means there's more than enough — more mercy than your situation requires, more grace than your failure warrants. Truth means it's reliable — salvation isn't a hope, it's a fact about God's character that holds whether you feel it or not. When you pray from the middle of the flood, you're not praying into a void. You're praying into abundance and reliability. That's more than enough foundation for one honest cry.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord,.... Christ betook himself to prayer in these circumstances, and not to…
But as for me - In respect to my conduct and my feelings in these circumstances, and under this treatment. My prayer is…
David had been speaking before of the spiteful reproaches which his enemies cast upon him; here he adds, But, as for me,…
From the hardheartedness of men he turns to the mercy of God.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture