Psalms 88:2

Let my prayer come before thee,.... Not before men, as hypocrites desire, but before the Lord; let it not be shut out, but be admitted; and let it come with acceptance, as it does when it ascends

Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; No JFB commentary on this verse.

Psalms 88:2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;Ver. 2. Let my prayer come before thee] He did not cast out brutish and wild complaints and moans in misery, as it is natural for people to do, but poured forth his soul into God’ s blessed bosom, and now prayeth an answer.

Verse 2. Let my prayer come before thee] It is weak and helpless, though fervent and sincere: take all hinderances out of its way, and let it have a free passage to thy throne. One of the finest thoughts in the Iliad of Homer concerns prayer; I shall transcribe a principal part of this incomparable passage-incomparable when we consider its origin: - ΚαιγαρτεΛιταιεισιΔιοςκουραιμεγαλοιο, Χωλαιτε, ῥυσσαιτε, παραβλωπεςτ' οφθαλμω· Αἱῥατεκαιμετοπισθ' Ατηςαλεγουσικιουσαι· Ἡδ' Ατησθεναρητεκαιαρτιπος·οὑνεκαπασας Πολλονὑπεκπροθεει, φθανειδετεπασανεπ' αιαν, Βλαπτους' ανθρωπους·αἱδ' εξακεονταιποισσω· Ὁςμεντ' αιδεσεταικουραςΔιος, ασσονιουσας, Τονδεμεγ' ωνησαν, καιτ' εκλυονευξαμενοιο. Ὁςδεκ' ανῃνηται, καιτεστερεωςαποειπῃ, Λισσονταιδ' αραταιγεΔιαΚρονιωνακιουσαι, ΤῳΑτηνἁμ' ἑπεσθαι, ἱναβλαφθειςαποτιση. Αλλ', Αχιλευ, πορεκαισυΔιοςκουρησινἑπεσθαι Τιμην, ῃτ' αλλωνπερεπιγναμπτειφρεναςεσθλων. Iliad., ix. 498-510. Prayers are Jove's daughters; wrinkled, lame, slant-eyed, Which, though far distant, yet with constant pace Follow offence. Offence, robust of limb, And treading firm the ground, outstrips them all, And over all the earth, before them runs Hurtful to man: they, following, heal the hurt. Received respectfully when they approach, They yield us aid, and listen when we pray. But if we slight, and with obdurate heart Resist them, to Saturnian Jove they cry. Against, us supplicating, that offence May cleave to us for vengeance of the wrong. Thou, therefore, O Achilles! honour yield To Jove's own daughters, vanquished as the brave Have ofttimes been, by honour paid to thee. COWPER. On this allegory the translator makes the following remarks: "Wrinkled, because the countenance of a man, driven to prayer by a consciousness of guilt, is sorrowful and dejected. Lame, because it is a remedy to which men recur late, and with reluctance. Slant-eyed, either because in that state of humiliation they fear to lift up their eyes to heaven, or are employed in taking a retrospect of their past misconduct. The whole allegory, considering when and where it was composed, forms a very striking passage." Prayer to God for mercy must have the qualifications marked above. Prayer comes from God. He desires to save us: this desire is impressed on our hearts by his Spirit, and reflected back to himself. Thus says the allegory, "Prayers are the daughters of Jupiter." But they are lame, as reflected light is much less intense and vivid than light direct. The desire of the heart is afraid to go into the presence of God, because the man knows, feels, that he has sinned against goodness and mercy. They are wrinkled-dried up and withered, with incessant longing: even the tears that refresh the soul are dried up and exhausted. They are slant-eyed; look aside through shame and confusion; dare not look God in the face. But transgression is strong, bold, impudent, and destructive: it treads with a firm step over the earth, bringing down curses on mankind. Prayer and repentance follow, but generally at a distance. The heart, being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin does not speedily relent. They, however, follow: and when, with humility and contrition, they approach the throne of grace, they are respectfully received. God acknowledges them as his offspring, and heals the wounds made by transgression.

2. come before thee] Enter into thy presence (R.V. from P.B.V.). Cp. Psalms 18:6; Psalms 79:11. my prayer … my cry] Cp. Psalms 17:1; Psalms 61:1. The word for ‘cry’ denotes a shrill piercing cry, frequently of joy, but sometimes, as here, of supplication, “expressive of emotional excitement such as an Eastern scruples not to use in prayer” (Cheyne).

Let my prayer come before thee - As if there were something which hindered it, or which had obstructed the way to the throne of grace; as if God repelled it from him, and turned away his ear, and would not hear.

2. Let my prayer come before thee—My prayer shall come before thee. The future tense and declarative form of the verb indicate faith and purpose in the suppliant to seek help only and continually in God.