Read
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
A Prayer in Time
1You, Lord God, bless everyone
who cares for the poor,
and you rescue those people
in times of trouble.
2You protect them
and keep them alive.
You make them happy here
in this land,
and you don't hand them over
to their enemies.
3You always heal them
and restore their strength
when they are sick.
4I prayed, “Have pity, Lord!
Heal me, though I have sinned
against you.”
5My vicious enemies ask me,
“When will you die
and be forgotten?”
6When visitors come,
all they ever bring
are worthless words,
and when they leave,
they spread gossip.
7My enemies whisper about me.
They think the worst,
8and they say,
“You have some fatal disease!
You'll never get well.”
9 My most trusted friend
has turned against me,
though he ate at my table.
10Have pity, Lord! Heal me,
so I can pay them back.
11Then my enemies
won't defeat me,
and I will know
that you really care.
12You have helped me
because I am innocent,
and you will always
be close to my side.
13 You, the Lord God of Israel,
will be praised forever!
Amen and amen.
Reflect
It’s hard when people are against you, especially those you count as friends. It’s harder still to think about doing good to others when you’re down, even sick. But God protects and blesses those who do this and in the end restores them (vv 1-3).
It may be you are feeling that there is not much hope. That you don’t deserve God’s blessing never mind his healing or relief from those who are coming against you. You may have a broken relationship where you have been betrayed by a person you loved. Or are you sick, physically, emotionally, even mentally over disappointments in your life; not just a letdown today or yesterday but something that has been constantly grinding away at you for years from which there has been no relief? David knew of this; and this psalm was one of the ones where he genuinely brings his misery out in the open before God.
The psalms were not meant to be nice prayers spoken by nice people in nice ways. David was sick here, he had been betrayed, and he knew people were out to get him when he was weak and vulnerable. But David was quick to call on God, “But you, O Lord, have mercy on me…” (v 10).
It was God he sought, for as always David was “… a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22).
Respond
Father God who heals, protects and restores, I need you. Give me relief. Rebuild my life and strengthen me as I make you, who are The Beginning, also The End of my every need, in Jesus’ name I ask.
James Paterson
James works as a visual artist. His current body of work is a series of metal wire sculptures called Prayer Machines which are whimsically ambiguous machine-like objects that give expression to mystery. “I love to share the gospel message, using art as a bridge, to encourage people in their relationship with Jesus.” He and Lynn have four young adult children. Publications Jim’s Grandiose Big Bible Picture Book (Bastian Books ,2007)