Catholic Commentary on Psalm 70

"But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; Lord, do not delay." (Psalm 70:5)

Come Quickly

Psalm 70 is one of the briefest psalms in the Psalter, five verses, and it consists almost entirely of urgent petition. It is virtually identical to the closing verses of Psalm 40:13-17, appearing here in a shorter and more concentrated form. The urgency is expressed in the opening petition: Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, Lord, to help me. The double command, hasten and come quickly, reflects the experience of genuine crisis: the help that is needed is needed now, not eventually.

The enemies are real: those who seek to harm David, who desire to ruin him, who say "aha! aha!" at his stumbling. The prayer against them is not for their destruction but for their shame and confusion, specifically the shame of those who take pleasure in the suffering of the innocent. Then the contrast: may all who seek you rejoice and be glad; may those who long for your saving help always say, "The Lord is great!"

Poor and Needy

But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; Lord, do not delay. Poor and needy is the self-description of the person who has recognised their total dependence on God. Not the false humility of someone who secretly thinks they are managing fine, but the honest confession of someone who knows they are not. The Catechism describes this poverty of spirit as the first beatitude, the condition that opens the Kingdom: the person who knows they are poor in spirit is the one who can receive everything God offers (CCC 2546).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, the brevity of Psalm 70 is itself a teaching. Sometimes the most effective prayer is the shortest: come quickly. Hasten to help me. I am poor and needy. Lord, do not delay. You do not need to dress it up or explain it. Bring the raw need. God responds to poor and needy before he responds to articulate and composed.

Prayer

Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, Lord, to help me. I am poor and needy. You are my help and my deliverer. Do not delay. Lord, be great in my life and let those who seek you rejoice. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.