A Prayer for Protection

5¹ O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. ² Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. ³ Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord . Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. ⁴ O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked. ⁵ Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil. ⁶ You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.

⁷ Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. ⁸ Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow. ⁹ My enemies cannot speak a truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with flattery. ¹⁰ O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in their own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they have rebelled against you. ¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. ¹² For you bless the godly, O Lord ; you surround them with your shield of love.

The Prayer of a Suffering Penitent

38¹ O Lord, don't rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage! ² Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. ³ Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins. ⁴ My guilt overwhelms me- it is a burden too heavy to bear. ⁵ My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins. ⁶ I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief. ⁷ A raging fever burns within me, and my health is broken. ⁸ I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart. ⁹ You know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh. ¹⁰ My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind. ¹¹ My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance.

¹² Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me. Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me. All day long they plan their treachery. ¹³ But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent before them as one who cannot speak. ¹⁴ I choose to hear nothing, and I make no reply. ¹⁵ For I am waiting for you, O Lord . You must answer for me, O Lord my God. ¹⁶ I prayed, "Don't let my enemies gloat over me or rejoice at my downfall." ¹⁷ I am on the verge of collapse, facing constant pain. ¹⁸ But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done. ¹⁹ I have many aggressive enemies; they hate me without reason. ²⁰ They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good. ²¹ Do not abandon me, O Lord . Do not stand at a distance, my God. ²² Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior.

A Prayer for Healing

41¹ Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. ² The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. ³ The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health. ⁴ "O Lord," I prayed, "have mercy on me. Heal me, for I have sinned against you."

⁵ But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. "How soon will he die and be forgotten?" they ask. ⁶ They visit me as if they were my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, and when they leave, they spread it everywhere. ⁷ All who hate me whisper about me, imagining the worst. ⁸ "He has some fatal disease," they say. "He will never get out of that bed!" ⁹ Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me. ¹⁰ Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back! ¹¹ I know you are pleased with me, for you have not let my enemies triumph over me. ¹² You have preserved my life because I am innocent; you have brought me into your presence forever. ¹³ Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and amen!

Thirsting for God

42¹ As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. ² I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? ³ Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, "Where is this God of yours?" ⁴ My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration! ⁵ Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again- my Savior and

⁶ my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you- even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar. ⁷ I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me. ⁸ But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. ⁹ "O God my rock," I cry, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?" ¹⁰ Their taunts break my bones. They scoff, "Where is this God of yours?" ¹¹ Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again- my Savior and my God!