Comfort from the Word – Day 26

₁I come to you, LORD, for protection;

never let me be defeated.

You are a righteous God;

save me, I pray!

₂Hear me! Save me now!

Be my refuge to protect me;

my defence to save me.

₃You are my refuge and defence;

guide me and lead me as you have promised.

₄Keep me safe from the trap that has been set for me;

shelter me from danger.

₅I place myself in your care.

You will save me, LORD;

you are a faithful God.

₁₅I am always in your care;

save me from my enemies,

from those who persecute me.

₁I waited patiently for the LORD's help;

then he listened to me and heard my cry.

₂He pulled me out of a dangerous pit,

out of the deadly quicksand.

He set me safely on a rock

and made me secure.

₃He taught me to sing a new song,

a song of praise to our God.

Many who see this will take warning

and will put their trust in the LORD.

₁₁In him I trust, and I will not be afraid.

What can a mere human being do to me?

₁₂O God, I will offer you what I have promised;

I will give you my offering of thanksgiving,

₁₃because you have rescued me from death

and kept me from defeat.

And so I walk in the presence of God,

in the light that shines on the living.

₁Listen to me, LORD, and answer me,

for I am helpless and weak.

₂Save me from death, because I am loyal to you;

save me, for I am your servant and I trust in you.

₃You are my God, so be merciful to me;

I pray to you all day long.

₄Make your servant glad, O Lord,

because my prayers go up to you.

₅You are good to us and forgiving,

full of constant love for all who pray to you.

₆Listen, LORD, to my prayer;

hear my cries for help.

₇I call to you in times of trouble,

because you answer my prayers.

₈There is no god like you, O Lord,

not one has done what you have done.

₉All the nations that you have created

will come and bow down to you;

they will praise your greatness.

₁₀You are mighty and do wonderful things;

you alone are God.

₁₁Teach me, LORD, what you want me to do,

and I will obey you faithfully;

teach me to serve you with complete devotion.

₁₂I will praise you with all my heart, O Lord my God;

I will proclaim your greatness for ever.

₁₃How great is your constant love for me!

You have saved me from the grave itself.

₁₄The proud are coming against me, O God;

a cruel gang is trying to kill me —

people who pay no attention to you.

₁₅But you, O Lord, are a merciful and loving God,

always patient, always kind and faithful.

₁₆Turn to me and have mercy on me;

strengthen me and save me,

because I serve you, just as my mother did.

₁₇Show me proof of your goodness, LORD;

those who hate me will be ashamed

when they see that you have given me comfort and help.

₁I praise you, LORD, because you have saved me

and kept my enemies from gloating over me.

₂I cried to you for help, O LORD my God,

and you healed me;

₃you kept me from the grave.

I was on my way to the depths below,

but you restored my life.

₄Sing praise to the LORD,

all his faithful people!

Remember what the Holy One has done,

and give him thanks!

₅His anger lasts only a moment,

his goodness for a lifetime.

Tears may flow in the night,

but joy comes in the morning.

₆I felt secure and said to myself,

“I will never be defeated.”

₇You were good to me, LORD;

you protected me like a mountain fortress.

But then you hid yourself from me,

and I was afraid.

₈I called to you, LORD;

I begged for your help:

₉“What will you gain from my death?

What profit from my going to the grave?

Are dead people able to praise you?

Can they proclaim your unfailing goodness?

₁₀Hear me, LORD, and be merciful!

Help me, LORD!”

₁₁You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance;

you have taken away my sorrow

and surrounded me with joy.

₁₂So I will not be silent;

I will sing praise to you.

LORD, you are my God,

I will give you thanks for ever.