Psalm 40:1–42:11

I 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.

A Prayer in Time of Sickness

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Happy are those who think about the poor.

When trouble comes, the Lord will save them.

²The Lord will protect them and spare their life

and will bless them in the land.

He will not let their enemies take them.

³The Lord will give them strength when they are sick,

and he will make them well again.

⁴I said, “Lord, have mercy on me.

Heal me, because I have sinned against you.”

⁵My enemies are saying evil things about me.

They say, “When will he die and be forgotten?”

⁶Some people come to see me,

but they lie.

They just come to get bad news.

Then they go and gossip.

⁷All my enemies whisper about me

and think the worst about me.

⁸They say, “He has a terrible disease.

He will never get out of bed again.”

⁹My best and truest friend, who ate at my table,

has even turned against me.

¹⁰Lord, have mercy on me.

Give me strength so I can pay them back.

¹¹Because my enemies do not defeat me,

I know you are pleased with me.

¹²Because I am innocent, you support me

and will let me be with you forever.

¹³Praise the Lord, the God of Israel.

He has always been,

and he will always be.

Amen and amen.

Wishing to Be Near God

For the director of music. A maskil of the sons of Korah.

42As a deer thirsts for streams of water,

so I thirst for you, God.

²I thirst for the living God.

When can I go to meet with him?

³Day and night, my tears have been my food.

People are always saying,

“Where is your God?”

⁴When I remember these things,

I speak with a broken heart.

I used to walk with the crowd

and lead them to God’s Temple

with songs of praise.

⁵Why am I so sad?

Why am I so upset?

I should put my hope in God

and keep praising him,

my Savior and ⁶my God.

I am very sad.

So I remember you where the Jordan River begins,

near the peaks of Hermon and Mount Mizar.

⁷Troubles have come again and again, sounding like waterfalls.

Your waves are crashing all around me.

⁸The Lord shows his true love every day.

At night I have a song,

and I pray to my living God.

⁹I say to God, my Rock,

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why am I sad

and troubled by my enemies?”

¹⁰My enemies’ insults make me feel

as if my bones were broken.

They are always saying,

“Where is your God?”

¹¹Why am I so sad?

Why am I so upset?

I should put my hope in God

and keep praising him,

my Savior and my God.