John Calvin Commentary Psalms 55:16

"As for me, I will call upon God; And Jehovah will save me." — Psalms 55:16 (ASV)

I will call upon God. In translating this verse, I have retained the future tense of the verb, as the Psalmist does not refer to something already done but rather encourages himself in the duty of prayer and in the exercise of hope and confidence. Though there was no apparent way of escape, and he stood on the brink of immediate destruction, he declares his resolution to continue in prayer and expresses his assurance that it would be successful.

In the verse that follows, he commits more particularly to showing perseverance in prayer. He does not content himself with saying that he will pray, for many do this in a perfunctory manner and soon become weary of the exercise; but he resolves to display both diligence and intensity. From the particular mention he makes of evening, morning, and noon, we are left to infer that these must have been the stated hours of prayer among the godly at that time.

Sacrifices were offered daily in the temple in the morning and evening, and by this, people were taught to engage privately in prayer in their own homes. At noon, it was also the practice to offer additional sacrifices.

Since we are naturally disinclined to the duty of prayer, there is a danger that we may become remiss and gradually omit it altogether unless we adhere to a certain rule. In appointing particular fixed hours for His worship, there can be no doubt that God considered the infirmity of our nature. The same principle should be applied to private as well as public acts of devotion, as seen in the passage before us and from the example of Daniel (Daniel 9:3).

Sacrifices are no longer to be observed in the Church. However, since the same disinclination on our part to this duty remains, along with an equal need for incentives to overcome it, we should still set specific hours for ourselves to observe in prayer.

He adds that he would cry aloud, to signify the intensity of his supplication under the grief and anxiety of mind he experienced. He suggests that no extremity of present trouble would prevent him from directing his complaint to God and cherishing a confident hope of deliverance.