This psalm is virtually identical to 40:13-17.
The existence of psalm 70 reminds us that the Lord honours abbreviated prayers. Ideally our prayers should contain more than this. Most of the psalms do, but God honoured these words and included them here in this abbreviated form.
As J.M. Boice commented,
“We are not always in situations like this, of course. So, our prayers should usually be less hurried and cover far more ground, especially for the needs of other people. When we are in desperate need, however, there is nothing wrong with getting to the point and praying urgently for exactly what we need…” (587).
So, talk to God. Even if you do not have time for a fully ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) prayer, say whatever you can manage to say in pressured circumstances.
Although praise is not expressly given in this psalm, the psalm clearly praises God.Dependence is no substitute for intentionally worded praise, but it is a sincere and important form of praise.
When we act as if we can take care of ourselves, when we make our plans without reference to God (James 4:13-17), we dishonour the Lord. We must be open about our dependence on God if we are ever to convince our friends, neighbours, and children that we really do praise him.And we ought to be very shy of showing dependence on money, the government, and other worldly sources of security. To the extent we depend on them we discount our praise to God.
Awareness of God’s greatness is possible only in connection with awareness of our weakness. “But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay! (5; cf Dt 8:11-14; 2 Cor 12:9)
Many today want to bring God perfect ceremonies or perfect morality. We will do neither. Even if we could, it would be nothing to our credit. What God wants from us is not perfection but humility — an acknowledgment of our spiritual bankruptcy (40:17 & 70:5).
In exchange for our acknowledgment of need he will give deliverance. We give only praise, and perhaps the sincerest form of praise we give is to show our continued reliance on him.