Comfort from the Word – Day 43

₁How much longer will you forget me, LORD? For ever?

How much longer will you hide yourself from me?

₂How long must I endure trouble?

How long will sorrow fill my heart day and night?

How long will my enemies triumph over me?

₃Look at me, O LORD my God, and answer me.

Restore my strength; don't let me die.

₄Don't let my enemies say, “We have defeated him.”

Don't let them gloat over my downfall.

₅I rely on your constant love;

I will be glad, because you will rescue me.

₆I will sing to you, O LORD,

because you have been good to me.

₁From the depths of my despair I call to you, LORD.

₂Hear my cry, O Lord;

listen to my call for help!

₃If you kept a record of our sins,

who could escape being condemned?

₄But you forgive us,

so that we should stand in awe of you.

₅I wait eagerly for the LORD's help,

and in his word I trust.

₆I wait for the Lord

more eagerly than watchmen wait for the dawn —

than watchmen wait for the dawn.

₇Israel, trust in the LORD,

because his love is constant

and he is always willing to save.

₈He will save his people Israel

from all their sins.

₁O LORD, my defender, I call to you.

Listen to my cry!

If you do not answer me,

I will be among those who go down to the world of the dead.

₂Hear me when I cry to you for help,

when I lift my hands towards your holy Temple.

₆Give praise to the LORD;

he has heard my cry for help.

₇The LORD protects and defends me;

I trust in him.

He gives me help and makes me glad;

I praise him with joyful songs.

₈The LORD protects his people;

he defends and saves his chosen king.

₁My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

I have cried desperately for help,

but still it does not come.

₂During the day I call to you, my God,

but you do not answer;

I call at night,

but get no rest.

₃But you are enthroned as the Holy One,

the one whom Israel praises.

₄Our ancestors put their trust in you;

they trusted you, and you saved them.

₅They called to you and escaped from danger;

they trusted you and were not disappointed.

₆But I am no longer a human being; I am a worm,

despised and scorned by everyone!

₇All who see me jeer at me;

they stick out their tongues and shake their heads.

₈“You relied on the LORD,” they say.

“Why doesn't he save you?

If the LORD likes you,

why doesn't he help you?”

₉It was you who brought me safely through birth,

and when I was a baby, you kept me safe.

₁₀I have relied on you since the day I was born,

and you have always been my God.

₁₁Do not stay away from me!

Trouble is near,

and there is no one to help.

₁₂Many enemies surround me like bulls;

they are all round me,

like fierce bulls from the land of Bashan.

₁₃They open their mouths like lions,

roaring and tearing at me.

₁₄My strength is gone,

gone like water spilt on the ground.

All my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like melted wax.

₁₅My throat is as dry as dust,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

You have left me for dead in the dust.

₁₆An evil gang is round me;

like a pack of dogs they close in on me;

they tear at my hands and feet.

₁₇All my bones can be seen.

My enemies look at me and stare.

₁₈They gamble for my clothes

and divide them among themselves.

₁₉O LORD, don't stay away from me!

Come quickly to my rescue!

₂₀Save me from the sword;

save my life from these dogs.

₂₁Rescue me from these lions;

I am helpless before these wild bulls.

₂₂I will tell my people what you have done;

I will praise you in their assembly:

₂₃“Praise him, you servants of the LORD!

Honour him, you descendants of Jacob!

Worship him, you people of Israel!

₂₄He does not neglect the poor or ignore their suffering;

he does not turn away from them,

but answers when they call for help.”

₂₅In the full assembly I will praise you for what you have done;

in the presence of those who worship you

I will offer the sacrifices I promised.

₂₆The poor will eat as much as they want;

those who come to the LORD will praise him.

May they prosper for ever!

₂₇All nations will remember the LORD.

From every part of the world they will turn to him;

all races will worship him.

₂₈The LORD is king,

and he rules the nations.

₂₉All proud people will bow down to him;

all mortals will bow down before him.

₃₀Future generations will serve him;

they will speak of the Lord to the coming generation.

₃₁People not yet born will be told:

“The Lord saved his people.”

₁LORD God, my saviour, I cry out all day,

and at night I come before you.

₂Hear my prayer;

listen to my cry for help!

₃So many troubles have fallen on me

that I am close to death.

₄I am like all others who are about to die;

all my strength is gone.

₅I am abandoned among the dead;

I am like the slain lying in their graves,

those you have forgotten completely,

who are beyond your help.

₆You have thrown me into the depths of the tomb,

into the darkest and deepest pit.

₇Your anger lies heavy on me,

and I am crushed beneath its waves.

₈You have caused my friends to abandon me;

you have made me repulsive to them.

I am closed in and cannot escape;

₉my eyes are weak from suffering.

LORD, every day I call to you

and lift my hands to you in prayer.

₁₀Do you perform miracles for the dead?

Do they rise up and praise you?

₁₁Is your constant love spoken of in the grave

or your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

₁₂Are your miracles seen in that place of darkness

or your goodness in the land of the forgotten?

₁₃LORD, I call to you for help;

every morning I pray to you.

₁₄Why do you reject me, LORD?

Why do you turn away from me?

₁₅Ever since I was young, I have suffered and been near death;

I am worn out from the burden of your punishments.

₁₆Your furious anger crushes me;

your terrible attacks destroy me.

₁₇All day long they surround me like a flood;

they close in on me from every side.

₁₈You have made even my closest friends abandon me,

and darkness is my only companion.

₁I cry aloud to God;

I cry aloud, and he hears me.

₂In times of trouble I pray to the Lord;

all night long I lift my hands in prayer,

but I cannot find comfort.

₃When I think of God, I sigh;

when I meditate, I feel discouraged.

₄He keeps me awake all night;

I am so worried that I cannot speak.

₅I think of days gone by

and remember years of long ago.

₆I spend the night in deep thought;

I meditate, and this is what I ask myself:

₇“Will the Lord always reject us?

Will he never again be pleased with us?

₈Has he stopped loving us?

Does his promise no longer stand?

₉Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has anger taken the place of his compassion?”

₁₀Then I said, “What hurts me most is this —

that God is no longer powerful.”

₁₁I will remember your great deeds, LORD;

I will recall the wonders you did in the past.

₁₂I will think about all that you have done;

I will meditate on all your mighty acts.

₁₃Everything you do, O God, is holy.

No god is as great as you.

₁₄You are the God who works miracles;

you showed your might among the nations.

₁₅By your power you saved your people,

the descendants of Jacob and of Joseph.

₁₆When the waters saw you, O God, they were afraid,

and the depths of the sea trembled.

₁₇The clouds poured down rain;

thunder crashed from the sky,

and lightning flashed in all directions.

₁₈The crash of your thunder rolled out,

and flashes of lightning lit up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

₁₉You walked through the waves;

you crossed the deep sea,

but your footprints could not be seen.

₂₀You led your people like a shepherd,

with Moses and Aaron in charge.