St. Albert the Great: Commentary on Psalm 5: Seven Elements Necessary for Prayer to be Heard

For to thee will I pray:

He shows that he should be heard, because his prayer has all the elements necessary for a prayer to be heard, and these are seven, which he takes up one after the other: (1) right intention, (2) solicitude: "In the morning you will hear," (3) constancy: "In the morning I will stand," (4) purity of conscience: "But as for me, in the multitude," (5) unity and concord: "I will go into," (7) reverence: "I will adore."

So he says, I am asking you to attend to my prayer, and you should do so, because I pray to you, O Lord, by directing my intention to no one else but you.

There can be no prayer unless the intention is directed to God. But there is variety in prayer, which is the feeling of the mind turning to God, when, to avoid lassitude, it breaks into audible voice.

O Lord, in the morning thou shalt hear my voice.

This is the second requirement. A right intention is not enough, but solicitude is also necessary in looking for an opportunity to pray. I will pray eagerly, because in the morning you will hear, that is, grant what I ask.

In the morning I will stand before thee

This is the third element, which is constancy in prayer. So he says: There will be opportunity to pray, but also constancy and stability. I will not pray just for the moment or the hour, but will stand there in the morning, erect, attentive  and persevering.

and will see: because thou art not a God that willest iniquity.

This is the fourth element, which is purity of conscience. He shows that he will get this indirectly by praying. For by the fact that he says he will know God, and that he does not like evil things but hates them, he is implying when he prays that he has been purified from these evils. It is as if he said: I know that you hate evil people and do not grant them their requests. So it remains that when I want to pray I will try not to be like them. Two things are said here: (1) First that he knows that God does not love iniquity. (2) But because universal knowledge is weak, he specifies this by saying secondly that "the wicked will not live near you".

But as for me in the multitude of thy mercy,

This is the fifth element demanded of one who prays, and that is confidence. He says, in other words, My prayer will have the right intention, diligence, constancy, purity of conscience and firm confidence. Why? Because I will hope in the multitude of your mercy. He does not merely say that he hopes in God's mercy, but in the multitude of his mercy, to show that the Lord's mercy is great.

I will come into thy house;

This is the sixth element, namely, unity and concord. Without this God does not hear a prayer.

I will worship towards thy holy temple, in thy fear.

This is the seventh and last element, namely, reverence in praying. In other words he says, I will be in concord and will worship, that is, I will pray to you, coming to your holy temple, which is a more suitable place for me to pray than any other place. I will do so in your fear, which is the fear of reverence and honor.