Psalm 65:2
O You who listen to prayer, all people will come to You.
O You who listen to prayer
This phrase acknowledges God as the attentive listener to the prayers of His people. The Hebrew root for "listen" is "שָׁמַע" (shama), which implies not just hearing but also understanding and responding. In the ancient Near Eastern context, gods were often seen as distant and unapproachable, but the God of Israel is depicted as intimately involved with His creation, attentive to the cries of His people. This highlights the personal relationship believers can have with God, who is not only sovereign but also compassionate and responsive.

all people will come to You
The phrase "all people" (Hebrew: "כָּל־בָּשָׂר" - kol basar) signifies the universality of God's reach and the inclusivity of His grace. In the historical context of Israel, this was a profound statement, as it extended the hope of salvation beyond the Jewish people to all humanity. The prophetic vision here anticipates the New Testament revelation where the gospel is preached to all nations. The act of "coming" to God implies a movement towards Him, a seeking of His presence, and an acknowledgment of His sovereignty. This reflects the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan for redemption, where every knee will bow and every tongue confess His lordship, as echoed in Philippians 2:10-11. The invitation is open to all, emphasizing God's desire for a relationship with every individual, transcending cultural, ethnic, and social barriers.

Persons / Places / Events
1. God (Yahweh)
The central figure in this verse, God is depicted as the one who listens to prayer. This highlights His omnipresence and omniscience, emphasizing His role as a personal and attentive deity.

2. All Men (Humanity)
This refers to all people, indicating the universal nature of prayer and the accessibility of God to everyone who seeks Him.

3. Prayer
The act of communicating with God, which is central to the relationship between humanity and the divine. It is both a privilege and a responsibility for believers.

4. Zion (implied context)
While not directly mentioned in this verse, the broader context of Psalm 65 includes references to Zion, symbolizing God's dwelling place and the center of worship.

5. David (implied author)
Traditionally attributed to King David, this psalm reflects his understanding of God's character and His relationship with His people.
Teaching Points
God's Attentiveness to Prayer
God is not distant or indifferent; He actively listens to the prayers of His people. This should encourage believers to approach Him with confidence and trust.

The Universality of Prayer
Prayer is not limited to a select few; it is a gift available to all humanity. This inclusivity should inspire believers to pray for others and invite them into a relationship with God.

The Call to Come to God
The verse emphasizes that all people will come to God, either in prayer or ultimately in judgment. This serves as a reminder of the importance of seeking God now and encouraging others to do the same.

The Role of Prayer in Worship
Prayer is an integral part of worship, reflecting a heart that seeks God and acknowledges His sovereignty. Believers should prioritize prayer in their personal and communal worship.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding that God listens to prayer impact your personal prayer life?

2. In what ways can you encourage others to come to God in prayer, considering the universal invitation in Psalm 65:2?

3. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's attentiveness to your prayers. How did this shape your faith?

4. How can the assurance that God listens to prayer influence your approach to difficult situations or decisions?

5. What other scriptures can you find that emphasize the importance of prayer, and how do they complement the message of Psalm 65:2?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Philippians 4:6-7
This passage encourages believers to present their requests to God through prayer and supplication, promising peace in return. It connects with Psalm 65:2 by affirming God's attentiveness to prayer.

1 Timothy 2:1-4
Paul urges believers to pray for all people, highlighting the universal call to prayer and God's desire for all to come to Him, resonating with the inclusivity of Psalm 65:2.

Matthew 7:7-8
Jesus teaches about asking, seeking, and knocking, promising that those who do so will receive, find, and have doors opened to them. This underscores the assurance that God listens to prayer.
Encouragements to PrayerDaniel Moore, M. A.Psalm 65:2
God's Hearing of PrayerPsalm 65:2
On PrayerH. Blair, D. D.Psalm 65:2
The Answerableness and the Inevitableness of PrayerHomilistPsalm 65:2
The Prayer-Hearing GodW. Jay.Psalm 65:2
A Harvest HymnJ. Stalker, D. D.Psalm 65:1-13
God as He Appears in Human HistoryHomilistPsalm 65:1-13
Harvest ThanksgivingW. Forsyth Psalm 65:1-13
Praises and Vows Accepted in ZionPsalm 65:1-13
Reasons for Praising GodC. Short Psalm 65:1-13
Zion's Praise Ready for Her LordPsalm 65:1-13
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Flesh, Hearer, Hearest, O, Prayer
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 65:1-5

     8609   prayer, as praise and thanksgiving

Library
Sin Overcoming and Overcome
'Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, Thou shalt purge them away.'--PSALM. lxv. 3. There is an intended contrast in these two clauses more pointed and emphatic in the original than in our Bible, between man's impotence and God's power in the face of the fact of sin. The words of the first clause might be translated, with perhaps a little increase of vividness, 'iniquities are too strong for me'; and the 'Thou' of the next clause is emphatically expressed in the original, 'as
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Praises and Vows Accepted in Zion
In fulfillment of this ancient type, we also "have an altar whereof they have no right to eat that serve the tabernacle." Into our spiritual worship, no observers of materialistic ritualism may intrude; they have no right to eat at our spiritual altar, and there is no other at which they can eat and live for ever. There is but one altar Jesus Christ our Lord. All other altars are impostures and idolatrous inventions. Whether of stone, or wood, or brass, they are the toys with which those amuse themselves
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Daily Bread.
(Harvest Thanksgiving.) PSALM lxv. 9. "Thou preparest them corn." "Come, ye thankful people, come," and let us thank God for another harvest. Once more the Father, the Feeder, has given bread to strengthen man's heart, and we turn from the corn stored in the garner, to God's own garner the Church, where He has stored up food for our souls. And first of all, my brothers, let us be honest with ourselves. Are we quite sure that we are thankful to God for the harvest? We have decorated God's House
H. J. Wilmot-Buxton—The Life of Duty, a Year's Plain Sermons, v. 2

Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving
"Dr. A. J. Gordon describes the impression made upon his mind by intercourse with Joseph Rabinowitz, whom Dr. Delitzsch considered the most remarkable Jewish convert since Saul of Tarsus: We shall not soon forget the radiance that would come into his face as he expounded the Messianic psalms at our morning or evening worship, and how, as here and there he caught a glimpse of the suffering or glorified Christ, he would suddenly lift his hands and his eyes to heaven in a burst of adoration, exclaiming
Edward M. Bounds—The Essentials of Prayer

Aron, Brother of Moses, 486, 487.
Abba, same as Father, [3]381; St. Paul uses both words, [4]532. Abel, [5]31, [6]252, [7]268, [8]450. Abimelech, [9]72, [10]197. Abraham, seed of, faithful Christians also, [11]148, [12]149, [13]627; servant's hand under his thigh, [14]149, [15]334; poor in midst of riches, [16]410. Absalom, David's son, [17]4, [18]5; type of Judas the traitor, [19]4, [20]20. Absolution granted by the Church, [21]500. Abyss, or deep, of God's judgments, [22]88; of man's heart, [23]136. Accuser, the devil the great,
St. Augustine—Exposition on the Book of Psalms

"O Thou, that Hearest Prayer!" --Ps. Lxv. 2
"O Thou, that hearest Prayer!"--Ps. lxv. 2. Thou, God, art a consuming fire, Yet mortals may find grace, From toil and tumult to retire, And meet Thee face to face. Though "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord!" Seraph to seraph sings, And angel-choirs, with one accord, Worship, with veiling wings;-- Though earth Thy footstool, heaven Thy throne, Thy way amidst the sea, Thy path deep floods, Thy steps unknown, Thy counsels mystery:-- Yet wilt Thou look on him who lies A suppliant at Thy feet; And hearken to
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

Question of the Active Life
I. Do all Acts of the Moral Virtues come under the Active Life? II. Does Prudence pertain to the Active Life? III. Does Teaching belong to the Active or to the Contemplative Life? IV. Does the Active Life continue after this Life? I Do all Acts of the Moral Virtues come under the Active Life? S. Isidore says[407]: "In the active life all the vices are first of all to be removed by the practice of good works, so that in the contemplative life a man may, with now purified mental gaze, pass to the
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

But in Order that we Fall not Away from Continence...
10. But in order that we fall not away from Continence, we ought to watch specially against those snares of the suggestions of the devil, that we presume not of our own strength. For, "Cursed is every one that setteth his hope in man." [1838] And who is he, but man? We cannot therefore truly say that he setteth not his hope in man, who setteth it in himself. For this also, to "live after man," what is it but to "live after the flesh?" Whoso therefore is tempted by such a suggestion, let him hear,
St. Augustine—On Continence

If, Therefore, You had not as yet Vowed unto God Widowed Continence...
23. If, therefore, you had not as yet vowed unto God widowed continence, we would assuredly exhort you to vow it; but, in that you have already vowed it, we exhort you to persevere. And yet I see that I must so speak as to lead those also who had as yet thought of marriage to love it and to seize on it. Therefore let us give ear unto the Apostle, "She who is unmarried," saith he, "is careful about the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit; but she who is married is careful about
St. Augustine—On the Good of Widowhood.

Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Malachy's Pity for his Deceased Sister. He Restores the Monastery of Bangor. His First Miracles.
11. (6). Meanwhile Malachy's sister, whom we mentioned before,[271] died: and we must not pass over the visions which he saw about her. For the saint indeed abhorred her carnal life, and with such intensity that he vowed he would never see her alive in the flesh. But now that her flesh was destroyed his vow was also destroyed, and he began to see in spirit her whom in the body he would not see. One night he heard in a dream the voice of one saying to him that his sister was standing outside in the
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

Religion Pleasant to the Religious.
"O taste and see how gracious the Lord is; blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."--Psalm xxxiv. 8. You see by these words what love Almighty God has towards us, and what claims He has upon our love. He is the Most High, and All-Holy. He inhabiteth eternity: we are but worms compared with Him. He would not be less happy though He had never created us; He would not be less happy though we were all blotted out again from creation. But He is the God of love; He brought us all into existence,
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

The Sovereignty of God in Operation
"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be the glory for ever. Amen" (Romans 11:36). Has God foreordained everything that comes to pass? Has He decreed that what is, was to have been? In the final analysis this is only another way of asking, Is God now governing the world and everyone and everything in it? If God is governing the world then is He governing it according to a definite purpose, or aimlessly and at random? If He is governing it according to some purpose, then
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

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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