◄ Psalm 55:2 ►
Attend to me and answer me. I am restless in my complaint, and distraught
Study Bible
Attend to me and answer me.
This plea reflects the psalmist's urgent need for God's attention and intervention. In the context of ancient Israel, prayer was a vital means of communication with God, often seeking His guidance and deliverance. The psalmist's request for God to "attend" and "answer" underscores a deep reliance on divine responsiveness, a theme echoed throughout the Psalms (e.g., Psalm 4:1, Psalm 17:6). This phrase also highlights the personal relationship between the psalmist and God, emphasizing trust in God's willingness to listen and respond. The call for God to "answer" can be seen as a precursor to the New Testament assurance found in 1 John 5:14-15, where believers are encouraged that God hears and answers prayers according to His will.

I am restless in my complaint,
The psalmist's restlessness indicates a state of inner turmoil and anxiety. This reflects the human condition of distress when faced with overwhelming circumstances. The term "complaint" here is not merely a grievance but a heartfelt lament, a common feature in the Psalms where the psalmist pours out their soul before God (e.g., Psalm 142:2). This expression of restlessness can be connected to the broader biblical narrative of human suffering and the quest for divine justice and peace. It also foreshadows the New Testament's call to cast all anxieties on God, as seen in 1 Peter 5:7, emphasizing God's care for His people.

and distraught.
The word "distraught" conveys a sense of being overwhelmed and in despair. This emotional state is often depicted in the Psalms as a result of external threats or internal struggles. Historically, the psalmist may have been facing betrayal or persecution, common themes in Davidic psalms, which resonate with the experiences of many biblical figures, including Jesus Christ. The feeling of being "distraught" can be linked to Jesus' own anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:38), where He experienced deep sorrow and distress. This connection highlights the typology of Christ as the ultimate sufferer who identifies with human pain and offers hope through His redemptive work.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
Traditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 55, David is expressing his deep distress and seeking God's attention and intervention.

2. Jerusalem
While not explicitly mentioned in this verse, the context of David's life and many of his psalms often relate to his experiences in and around Jerusalem.

3. Enemies
The psalm reflects David's struggles with adversaries, which could include personal enemies or broader threats to his kingship.

4. God
The central figure to whom David directs his plea, seeking divine attention and response.

5. Prayer
The act of communicating with God, which is the primary action David is engaged in within this verse.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Honest Prayer
David's raw and honest expression of his feelings teaches us that we can bring our true emotions and struggles before God without fear.

God's Attentiveness
This verse reassures us that God is attentive to our cries and desires to respond to our needs, encouraging us to seek Him earnestly.

Dealing with Distress
Like David, we can find solace in turning to God during times of distress, trusting that He hears and will provide comfort and guidance.

The Power of Lament
Lamenting is a biblical way to process pain and seek God's intervention, reminding us that it's okay to express sorrow and seek help.

Faith in God's Response
Even when feeling restless and distraught, maintaining faith that God will answer is crucial for spiritual resilience.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does David's approach to prayer in Psalm 55:2 encourage you to communicate with God about your own struggles?

2. In what ways can you relate to David's feelings of restlessness and distress, and how can you apply his example in your life?

3. How do the additional scriptures (Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 11:28-30) enhance your understanding of God's response to our prayers?

4. What practical steps can you take to cultivate a habit of honest and open prayer, especially during challenging times?

5. How can you support others in your community who may be experiencing similar feelings of distress and restlessness, using insights from this study?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Philippians 4:6-7
This passage encourages believers to present their requests to God with thanksgiving, promising peace that guards hearts and minds, which connects to David's plea for God's attention and response.

1 Peter 5:7
This verse instructs believers to cast all their anxieties on God because He cares for them, echoing David's act of bringing his complaints and distress before the Lord.

Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest, paralleling David's expression of restlessness and need for divine intervention.
Sermons
The True and the False Way of Encountering the Difficulties of LifeC. Short Psalm 55:1-8
The Compassionable, the Commendable, and the Censurable in LifeHomilistPsalm 55:1-23
The Outcry of a Soul in DistressT. W. Chambers, D. D.Psalm 55:1-23
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Aloud, Attend, Complaint, Distracted, Distraught, Heed, Low, Meditation, Moan, Mourn, Noise, Overcome, Plaint, Prayer, Restless, Sorrow, Surely, Trouble, Wander
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 55:1-2

     8653   importunity, to God

Library
July 9. "Cast Thy Burden on the Lord" (Ps. Lv. 22).
"Cast thy burden on the Lord" (Ps. lv. 22). Dear friends, sometimes we bring a burden to God, and we have such a groaning over it, and we seem to think God has a dreadful time, too, but in reality it does not burden Him at all. God says: It is a light thing for Me to do this for you. Your load, though heavy for you, is not heavy for Him. Christ carries the whole on one shoulder, not two shoulders. The government of the world is upon His shoulder. He is not struggling and groaning with it. His mighty …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Out of the Deep of Fear and Anxiety.
My heart is disquieted within me. Tearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and an horrible dread hath overwhelmed me.--Ps. lv. 4. Thou hast proved and visited my heart in the night season--Ps. xvii. 3. Nevertheless though I am sometimes afraid, yet put I my trust in Thee.--Ps. lv. 3. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?--Ps. xxvii. 1. I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fear.--Ps. …
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep

The Arrest
Our study of the closing scenes of the life of our Lord begins at the point where He fell into the hands of the representatives of justice; and this took place at the gate of Gethsemane and at the midnight hour. On the eastern side of Jerusalem, the ground slopes downwards to the bed of the Brook Kedron; and on the further side of the stream rises the Mount of Olives. The side of the hill was laid out in gardens or orchards belonging to the inhabitants of the city; and Gethsemane was one of these. …
James Stalker—The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ

If Then to Sin, that Others May not Commit a Worse Sin...
21. If then to sin, that others may not commit a worse sin, either against us or against any, without doubt we ought not; it is to be considered in that which Lot did, whether it be an example which we ought to imitate, or rather one which we ought to avoid. For it seems meet to be more looked into and noted, that, when so horrible an evil from the most flagitious impiety of the Sodomites was impending over his guests, which he wished to ward off and was not able, to such a degree may even that just …
St. Augustine—Against Lying

Patrick, the Apostle of the Irish.
THIS remarkable man was prepared by very peculiar circumstances for his important work; and in his instance also it may be seen, how that infinite wisdom which guides the development of the kingdom of God amongst men, is able to bring great things out of what seems insignificant to the eyes of men. Patrick, called in his native tongue Succath, was born A. D. 372, in a village between the Scottish towns of Dumbarton and Glasgow, (then appended to England,) in the village of Bonaven, since named in …
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

Concerning Persecution
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10 We are now come to the last beatitude: Blessed are they which are persecuted . . '. Our Lord Christ would have us reckon the cost. Which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he have enough to finish it?' (Luke 14:28). Religion will cost us the tears of repentance and the blood of persecution. But we see here a great encouragement that may …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Resemblance Between the Old Testament and the New.
1. Introduction, showing the necessity of proving the similarity of both dispensations in opposition to Servetus and the Anabaptists. 2. This similarity in general. Both covenants truly one, though differently administered. Three things in which they entirely agree. 3. First general similarity, or agreement--viz. that the Old Testament, equally with the New, extended its promises beyond the present life, and held out a sure hope of immortality. Reason for this resemblance. Objection answered. 4. …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Covenant Duties.
It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Letter Xlv (Circa A. D. 1120) to a Youth Named Fulk, who Afterwards was Archdeacon of Langres
To a Youth Named Fulk, Who Afterwards Was Archdeacon of Langres He gravely warns Fulk, a Canon Regular, whom an uncle had by persuasions and promises drawn back to the world, to obey God and be faithful to Him rather than to his uncle. To the honourable young man Fulk, Brother Bernard, a sinner, wishes such joy in youth as in old age he will not regret. 1. I do not wonder at your surprise; I should wonder if you were not suprised [sic] that I should write to you, a countryman to a citizen, a monk …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Letter xix (A. D. 1127) to Suger, Abbot of S. Denis
To Suger, Abbot of S. Denis He praises Suger, who had unexpectedly renounced the pride and luxury of the world to give himself to the modest habits of the religious life. He blames severely the clerk who devotes himself rather to the service of princes than that of God. 1. A piece of good news has reached our district; it cannot fail to do great good to whomsoever it shall have come. For who that fear God, hearing what great things He has done for your soul, do not rejoice and wonder at the great …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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