Oh Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted. You will strengthen their heart. You will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
– Psalm 10:17–18
What a powerful picture of one of the multitudes of reasons for which we praise God here in Psalm 10:17–18. We praise God for his might, his power, his sovereignty, his omniscience. His all knowing, for his holiness. There’s no one like him. We can list attribute after attribute after attribute and all the different ways he displays those attributes.
We have so many reasons to praise God, and at the end of Psalm 10:17, we see this reason. The one who is sovereign with all power, who is Holy above all, who is omniscient and omnipotent, he hears the desire of the afflicted. Are you afflicted? Are you hurting? He hears your cry. He strengthens your heart. And he inclines his ear to do justice. He’s not just a God of justice distant from us. He’s a God who hears our cries for justice and he inclines his ear to us. He hears our cries and he does it.
Psalm 10:17–18 Teaches Us That Our God Hears Those in Affliction
He does justice for the fatherless and the oppressed. What a picture that the sovereign all mighty, all powerful, all Holy God of the universe inclines his ear to the fatherless and the oppressed. So that verse 18 says a man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. In other words, because God hears the desires of the afflicted, strengthens their heart, inclines his ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, we can know that evil and injustice in this world will not have the last word. And this all drives us to pray.
To praise God, God, we praise you for hearing the desire of the afflicted. And I pray for those who are struggling right now in many different ways. As they’re calling out to you, crying out to you, we praise you that their words do not fall on deaf ears. That our words don’t fall on deaf ears with you, the almighty, all sovereign, all Holy God of the universe.
You hear us and you strengthen our hearts. God, I pray. We pray together that you would strengthen our hearts, amidst suffering and injustice in this world and God we pray on behalf of the fatherless and the oppressed around us around the world, driven to pray for my child who were in the process of adopting. God, I pray that you would make a way for us to go to him. God, I pray for many other children like him.
Prayer For the Fatherless
And I pray for the fatherless. We pray for millions of orphans around the world, that they would know that you are the father of the fatherless, that you love them. You would strengthen their hearts. You would incline your ear to them, we pray. We pray the same for all who are oppressed, all who are held down in any and every way by injustice. God, we pray that you would strengthen their hearts and hear their cries and work on their behalf like Psalm 10:17–18 describes.
God, we pray for your justice to reign. And God, we pray for your justice to reign, we pray for injustice to end. God, we pray that you would help us as your people to do justice, to do justice for the fatherless and the oppressed, to love mercy. And God, we look forward to the day when injustice will be no more, evil will be no more.
There Will Be A Day With No More Evil
Oppression will be no more. God, bring that day about, we pray. Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. May your kingdom come. Lord Jesus come, bring your kingdom, new heaven and a new earth here. Until that day, help us to hold fast to you. When we are afflicted and an intercession for those who are afflicted, knowing that you strengthen our hearts, knowing that you incline your ear toward us and you incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed. We love you Lord. We praise you. In your power, your sovereignty, for your mercy in all of these ways. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
