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Make Haste, O God
Psalms — Chapter 70 (BSB)
Chapter Overview
Psalm 70 is a brief but urgent cry for divine rescue, attributed to David and likely written during a time of personal danger and distress. Nearly identical to Psalm 40:13-17, this short psalm of only five verses stands on its own as a concentrated plea for God's swift intervention. David opens in verse 1 by calling on God to hurry and deliver him, setting an immediate tone of desperation and total dependence on the Lord. In verses 2-3, David prays that those who seek his destruction would be turned back in shame, while in verse 4 he pivots to intercede for all who seek God, asking that they would rejoice and be glad in Him. The psalm closes in verse 5 with David acknowledging his own poverty and need, declaring God to be his 'help and deliverer' and repeating his urgent plea for God not to delay. For the individual believer today, this psalm is a powerful reminder that honest, urgent prayer is not a sign of weak faith but of deep trust — it is the natural language of a soul that knows where help truly comes from.
Key Verses
Psalm 70:1 (BSB)
"Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Hurry, O LORD, to help me!"
David wastes no time — his very first words are a raw, urgent appeal for God to move quickly on his behalf. This opening verse gives you permission to bring your desperation directly to God without dressing it up in polished language. When life feels like it cannot wait, God welcomes the honest cry of a heart that has nowhere else to turn.
Psalm 70:2 (BSB)
"May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated."
Rather than taking matters into his own hands, David entrusts the outcome of his enemies to God, asking the Lord to act as his defender. This is a deeply practical expression of faith — releasing the people and circumstances that threaten you into God's sovereign hands. It is not a prayer of personal vengeance but a declaration that justice belongs to God alone.
Psalm 70:4 (BSB)
"May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, “Let God be magnified!”"
Even in the middle of personal crisis, David's heart expands to pray for all who seek the Lord, turning his private anguish into intercession for others. This verse shows that genuine faith never becomes so consumed with personal need that it loses sight of the broader family of God. When you are walking through difficulty, praying for others who love God can actually become an anchor for your own soul.
Psalm 70:5a (BSB)
"But I am poor and needy; hurry to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay."
David's confession of being 'poor and needy' is not self-pity — it is honest theology, an acknowledgment that apart from God he has nothing and can do nothing. This kind of spiritual poverty is actually the posture Jesus commended in the Sermon on the Mount, calling the poor in spirit blessed. When you stop pretending to have it all together and admit your need before God, you position yourself to receive His fullness.
Psalm 70:5b (BSB)
"But I am poor and needy; hurry to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay."
David ends where he began — calling urgently on God — but now he adds a declaration of identity: 'You are my help and my deliverer.' This closing phrase transforms the psalm from a cry of crisis into a statement of confident trust. Even when God's timing feels slow, naming Him as your deliverer is an act of faith that anchors you to His character rather than your circumstances.
Main Themes
- Urgent and honest prayer
- Total dependence on God as Deliverer
- Intercession born out of personal need
Discussion Questions
- Is there something in your life right now that you have been hesitant to bring before God with full urgency and honesty — and what would it look like to finally lay it at His feet?
- When you are in a season of struggle, does your heart still have room to pray for others who love God, or does your own need tend to crowd everything else out?
Personal Application
This week, write out one urgent, unfiltered prayer to God about something you have been carrying — use David's words in verse 1 as your starting point and let yourself be completely honest with Him about how desperate you feel.
At some point this week, pause in the middle of your own need and pray verse 4 out loud — interceding for other believers who are also seeking God right now, trusting that your prayers for others are never wasted.
Closing Prayer
Father, like David I come to You today poor and needy, with nothing to offer but an honest heart that knows You are my only help and deliverer. Make haste to meet me in the places where I am struggling and afraid, and remind me that my urgency in prayer is not a burden to You but an invitation You delight in answering. Teach me to trust Your timing even when I long for You to move quickly, and keep my heart soft enough to pray for others even in my own seasons of need. In Jesus name, Amen.