Trust

A Prayer of Faith in Troubled Times

Psalm 31

FOR THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC. A PSALM OF DAVID.

¹LORD, I trust in you;

let me never be disgraced.

Save me because you do what is right.

²Listen to me

and save me quickly.

Be my rock of protection,

a strong city to save me.

³You are my rock and my protection.

For the good of your name, lead me and guide me.

⁴Set me free from the trap they set for me,

because you are my protection.

⁵I give you my life.

Save me, LORD, God of truth.

⁶I hate those who worship false gods.

I trust only in the LORD.

⁷I will be glad and rejoice in your love,

because you saw my suffering;

you knew my troubles.

⁸You have not handed me over to my enemies

but have set me in a safe place.

⁹LORD, have mercy, because I am in misery.

My eyes are weak from so much crying,

and my whole being is tired from grief.

¹⁰My life is ending in sadness,

and my years are spent in crying.

My troubles are using up my strength,

and my bones are getting weaker.

¹¹Because of all my troubles, my enemies hate me,

and even my neighbors look down on me.

When my friends see me,

they are afraid and run.

¹²I am like a piece of a broken pot.

I am forgotten as if I were dead.

¹³I have heard many insults.

Terror is all around me.

They make plans against me

and want to kill me.

¹⁴LORD, I trust you.

I have said, “You are my God.”

¹⁵My life is in your hands.

Save me from my enemies

and from those who are chasing me.

¹⁶Show your kindness to me, your servant.

Save me because of your love.

¹⁷LORD, I called to you,

so do not let me be disgraced.

Let the wicked be disgraced

and lie silent in the grave.

¹⁸With pride and hatred

they speak against those who do right.

So silence their lying lips.

¹⁹How great is your goodness

that you have stored up for those who fear you,

that you have given to those who trust you.

You do this for all to see.

²⁰You protect them by your presence

from what people plan against them.

You shelter them from evil words.

²¹Praise the LORD.

His love to me was wonderful

when my city was attacked.

²²In my distress, I said,

“God cannot see me!”

But you heard my prayer

when I cried out to you for help.

²³Love the LORD, all you who belong to him.

The LORD protects those who truly believe,

but he punishes the proud as much as they have sinned.

²⁴All you who put your hope in the LORD

be strong and brave.

Title: The Holy Bible, New Century Version

Praise and Prayer for Help

Psalm 40

FOR THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC. A PSALM OF DAVID.

¹I waited patiently for the LORD.

He turned to me and heard my cry.

²He lifted me out of the pit of destruction,

out of the sticky mud.

He stood me on a rock

and made my feet steady.

³He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many people will see this and worship him.

Then they will trust the LORD.

⁴Happy is the person

who trusts the LORD,

who doesn’t turn to those who are proud

or to those who worship false gods.

⁵LORD my God, you have done many miracles.

Your plans for us are many.

If I tried to tell them all,

there would be too many to count.

⁶You do not want sacrifices and offerings.

But you have made a hole in my ear

to show that my body and life are yours.

You do not ask for burnt offerings

and sacrifices to take away sins.

⁷Then I said, “Look, I have come.

It is written about me in the book.

⁸My God, I want to do what you want.

Your teachings are in my heart.”

⁹I will tell about your goodness in the great meeting of your people.

LORD, you know my lips are not silent.

¹⁰I do not hide your goodness in my heart;

I speak about your loyalty and salvation.

I do not hide your love and truth

from the people in the great meeting.

¹¹LORD, do not hold back your mercy from me;

let your love and truth always protect me.

¹²Troubles have surrounded me;

there are too many to count.

My sins have caught me

so that I cannot see a way to escape.

I have more sins than hairs on my head,

and I have lost my courage.

¹³Please, LORD, save me.

Hurry, LORD, to help me.

¹⁴People are trying to kill me.

Shame them and disgrace them.

People want to hurt me.

Let them run away in disgrace.

¹⁵People are making fun of me.

Let them be shamed into silence.

¹⁶But let those who follow you

be happy and glad.

They love you for saving them.

May they always say, “Praise the LORD!”

¹⁷Lord, because I am poor and helpless,

please remember me.

You are my helper and savior.

My God, do not wait.

Title: The Holy Bible, New Century Version

Trusting God for Help

Psalm 56

FOR THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC. TO THE TUNE OF “THE DOVE IN THE
DISTANT OAK.” A MIKTAM OF DAVID WHEN THE PHILISTINES
CAPTURED HIM IN GATH.

¹God, be merciful to me because people are chasing me;

the battle has pressed me all day long.

²My enemies have chased me all day;

there are many proud people fighting me.

³When I am afraid,

I will trust you.

⁴I praise God for his word.

I trust God, so I am not afraid.

What can human beings do to me?

⁵All day long they twist my words;

all their evil plans are against me.

⁶They wait. They hide.

They watch my steps,

hoping to kill me.

⁷God, do not let them escape;

punish the foreign nations in your anger.

⁸You have recorded my troubles.

You have kept a list of my tears.

Aren’t they in your records?

⁹On the day I call for help, my enemies will be defeated.

I know that God is on my side.

¹⁰I praise God for his word to me;

I praise the LORD for his word.

¹¹I trust in God. I will not be afraid.

What can people do to me?

¹²God, I must keep my promises to you.

I will give you my offerings to thank you,

¹³because you have saved me from death.

You have kept me from being defeated.

So I will walk with God

in light among the living.