Friday, May 29: Psalm 43- Words to pray when times are hard.

Who hasn’t prayed, ‘Save me God, vindicate me, come to my rescue. HELP me God.’

I feel safe in saying we all have at one point in our life. And this is precisely what the Psalmist prays. In fact a note in my Bible’s margin tells me that in Hebrew manuscripts this Psalm is a continuation of Psalm 42.

Whether this Psalm is the ending to one prayer or a stand alone prayer doesn’t matter to me. I have been there. I have needed God’s help and prayed such a prayer. I need God’s help regularly and often in life.

When I have perplexing decisions to make, I need God’s help.

I had an important paper to write recently, I needed God’s help to study, synthesize and write the paper

The other day a friend asked for prayer, turns out he had some real enemy footholds (Eph 4:27) in his life. I needed God’s help to know how to pray.

I have had people come at me with vindictive and hurt-filled untruths about me. I needed God’s help to know how to respond or not respond.

I can’t imagine not having the Lord to turn to in times of need. This Psalm gives me words to pray when times are hard.

The closing thought caused me to pause as I meditated this morning.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God (5).

Yes, that is it… in times of trouble I must speak to myself, even will myself to trust in God and to make my trust concrete by praising my Savior and my God.

I found my heart bursting into prayer/song…

For the Lord, our God, He is strong to save

From the arms of death, from the deepest grave,

And He gave us life in His perfect will,

And by His good grace, I will praise Him, still.

 

My prayer above comes from a Fernando Ortega song, I Will Praise Him Still, you can listen to it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEpcJv8HYr4. It is a wonderful modern day Psalm.