For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Parallel translations
- WEB For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach to him.
- BSB Therefore let all the godly pray to You while You may be found. Surely when great waters rise, they will not come near.
- NKJV For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him.
- NASB Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Certainly in a flood of great waters, they will not reach him.
- NLT Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Because God forgives, every godly person should pray to him while he may be found, confident of safety in the flood of trouble.
Overview
Having just celebrated the blessedness of forgiveness, David urges others to seek God in prayer while there is opportunity. The image of overflowing waters not reaching the one who hides in God pictures security amid life's overwhelming dangers. This anticipates the gospel call to come to God now through Christ, the one in whom believers are kept safe.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 23
- Isa 55:6Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
- Isa 43:2When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
- 2 Cor 6:2(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
- Prov 1:28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
- Ps 34:2–5My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
- Ps 4:3But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.
- Matt 7:24–27Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
- John 7:34Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.
- Ps 40:3And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
- Ps 42:7Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
- Ps 69:13–15But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
- Ps 144:7Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;
- Ps 124:4–5Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
- Titus 2:12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
- Gen 7:17–22And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
- Luke 19:42–44Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
- 2 Cor 1:4Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
- 2 Cor 7:9–10Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
- Isa 49:8Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
- Ps 51:12–13Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
- Ps 69:1–2Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
- Rev 12:15–16And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
- 1 Tim 1:16Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 32:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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