Psalm 10

When I need you most

You’re never there.

When times of trouble strike

You stand far away.

Why do you leave, Lord?

Where do you go?

See the arrogance of the wicked,

See them pursue the poor.

Let them fall in their own traps!

If you are God,

Punish the wicked.

Don’t let them prosper.

They are greedy for gain,

They renounce your holy name.

“There is no God,” they say.

Yet their ways prosper.

They do not seek you,

Yet they never face judgment.

As he works his evil,

He mocks God almighty,

Saying “God has forgotten.

He has hidden his face,

He will never see me.”

Prove him wrong, Lord!

Arise, arise, oh Lord!

Lift up your hand,

Strike the wicked down.

Forget not the afflicted.

Don’t let the wicked mock,

Don’t let them thrive.

May the words of the wicked

Be proven wrong:

Show that you will judge,

Show that evil will pay.

You have not forgotten.

You have seen our story.

You help the fatherless.

You hold the helpless.

You do see what happens.

Who am I to command?

Who am I to judge you?

I know not what I say.

Lord, you will avenge.

You will make the wicked pay.

I will watch you break their arms.

You rule an eternal kingdom

In which the afflicted will prosper

And men of earth will wither.

You hear the desire of the afflicted.

You will strengthen their heart;

You will incline your ear

Psalm 9

Let me recall your great works

Let me remember what you have done.

You have routed the enemy,

You have cast them to the depths.

I will sing praises to your name.

My heart will give thanks to you.

For my enemies stumble in your presence,

And they turn back at the light of your face.

You are just, you are righteous,

All judgment you give is true.

You punish the wicked and cast them out.

They cannot stand guiltless before you.

I remember the day, the great battle.

My enemies swarmed like locust,

Charging your mighty fortress

In which I stood so helpless.

I had no courage, no strength.

My heart full of worry, I simply collapsed.

I fell into your arms as my enemy charged on.

You carried me through the battle.

You ruined the enemy and killed their king.

You made them perish and blotted out their name.

You established your throne upon justice

And there you will sit for eternity.

Your greatness will never fail, never fall

For you judge with righteousness,

In uprightness you judge the people.

Your kingdom is mighty, never-ending.

You strike the nations with terror.

You let them know they are only mortal.

The nations fall back into their own pits,

They fall by their own snares.

Oh Lord, you rule by justice.

In your presence, the nations are condemned.

None can stand before you in confidence.

Yet you do not ignore our cries of pain.

You are a stronghold, a refuge.

You don’t forsake those who seek you.

Your eye is ever on the needy and afflicted.

I sing your praises; I recall all you have done.

Psalm 8

Your name is majestic, beautiful.

Your name is filled with glory,

And that glory fills the universe.

That glory fills our hearts.

How majestic is your name in all the earth.

I see your lights set in the sky,

Brighter than a thousand fires,

Screaming your name to all the earth.

The moon glows clear as silver,

Softly shimmering in your glory.

What am I, Lord? What am I?

Who am I that you care for me—

Wretched, clumsy, stupid me—

That you care for my future?

What is man that you are mindful of him?

I have no beauty like the moon,

I have no light so bright as the stars.

Yet you crown me with glory

You call me blessed, you call me son.

You have put all things under our feet.

You work all things for our good.

Psalm 7

Embrace me, Lord. I am weak.

I cannot run though the devil chases me.

Unbar the gates and let me in, I plead.

Satan holds his steel against my neck.

I will not live without your breath.

My enemies, they hunt me down.

They seek to tear my soul apart.

What have I done, Lord?

Is there filth on my hands?         

If I have sinned, let them find me.

Awake for me; arise, oh Lord.

You care for me like none other.

So guard me from the fury of men.

See? My enemies encircle me.

Without you, I will crumble, I will fall.

Oh Father, God, you are my judge.

No man on earth can judge me rightly.

You will judge my righteousness—

Not mine, but yours within me.

When you search me, you’ll see your son.

You will end the reign of the wicked,

You will set your righteous ones on high.

Your son will sit upon the throne,

And the upright in heart will be saved.

My shield is with you—you who judge rightly.

God, you are so good, you cannot stand evil.

You feel indignation day after day

When men do not bow down and repent.

You ready your weapons for the wicked man

Before his lies bring the righteous down.

You are my protection, my stronghold.

I will ever sing of your holiness.

I will sing praises to your name, oh Lord.

Psalm 6

See me, Lord, I’m in the pit.

I have no room to move,

No light to look upon.

I am trapped in the dark.

See me, Lord, I’ve fallen down here.

Can you see me here?

Do you hear my voice?

I’ve lost it all—I have nothing left.

See me, Lord, I’m sitting here,

Surrounded with filth and grime.

My face is not my own,

Covered with dirt, distorted by fear.

Hear me, Lord—my piercing screams.

My own mind frightens me.

Every horror that this pit doesn't hold

Finds me when my eyes are closed.

Hear me, Lord. My bones ache from the fall.

Here I groan, here I languish.

I have no tears left to cry.

I am growing weak, my breath comes slowly.

Help me, Lord! I’m slipping away.

Don’t cast me away from you.

I need you, oh, I need you.

Every hour I need you.

My breath stops.

Bring my heart to life.

Praise you, Lord— gracious, glorious!

After the stillness of death,

You breathe life into my soul.

I am made new in you.

You heard me, Lord, you listened.

You heard my prayer.

You wept with me these bitter tears.

Your heart ached with mine.

Then your hand came down into the pit.

You lifted me out.

You washed me with your love.

I’m covered with the smell of your breath.

Embrace me, Lord, and don’t let go.

Psalm 5

I groan, oh Lord; You listen.

You hear the sound of my cry.

Before the sun doth rise

In the morning, God, you listen.

From the wicked must I flee

For evil delights you not.

Before you the boastful rot

And liars you find guilty.

Because of your abundant love

I will enter your house so grand

And, in fear, I will lift my hands

To your holy temple above.

Lead me, lead me, oh Lord,

In the path of your righteousness,

In the way of your holiness.

Straighten my paths, oh Lord.

My enemies, they flatter me,

But destruction is in their inmost self.

No truth, only death, is in their mouth.

You, my God, they do not please.

Cast them out for their great sin.

They rebelled against your law.

Make them bear their guilt, oh God.

Make them condemn themselves of sin.

But those who take refuge in you,

May they rejoice forever.

You cover them with favor.

Let them sing for joy to you.

Psalm 4

Answer my call, oh Lord.

I need you. Yes, I need you.

I often may not heed you

But without you, I am nothing.

I need your grace, I need your loving.

Although I stop my ears to you

You answer me in my distress,

You cover me with righteousness.

Hear my cry yet again, I pray.

Ascend this throne and there please stay.

Take away myself and give me you.

May my anger be just and sinless.

May my sacrifices not be heartless.

Help me to trust in you, oh Lord.

Tie me to you with a strong, fast cord.

You are good, Lord, you are beautiful.

Let the light of your brilliant face

Shine upon me in this dark place.

You have given me joy beyond measure

And beyond the bounds of earthly pleasure.

In you, I am safe. In you, I find peace.

In peace, I can lie down and sleep.

In the darkness, my heart can leap.

For you alone protect me –

You make me dwell in safety.

You have put joy in my heart, oh Lord.

Psalm 3

Many are my foes, oh Lord. Many are my foes.

They tell me of my woes, oh Lord. They tell me of my woes.

They tell me that no man like me can stand

Under the weight of your just and mighty hand.

“There is no salvation for him,” they say. “No salvation for him.”

Oh Lord, but you – you, oh Lord – are a shield.

Your strength is great, oh Lord. Such power none can wield.

But with that strength, your strength, oh Lord,

You shield me from the evil horde.

“God is my fortress,” I declare. “My strong and mighty fortress.”

You are my glory too, oh Lord, and you raise my head.

Your beauty reaches beyond the sky’s vast spread.

Yet you, yes you, oh Lord, have loved me.

And me, yes me, oh Lord, you see.

“I will lift you up,” you vow. “I will lift your head.”

I cry to you, oh Lord. Aloud to you I cry in fear.

You answer from your dwelling place. You hear, oh Lord, you hear.

I sleep at night and wake at dawn.

It’s because of you I breathe and yawn.

“I will never leave,” you say. “Dear child, I won’t forsake thee.”

But Lord, oh Lord, evil men – my enemies – stand all around.

They surround me, Lord, and I can make no sound.

They set themselves against my life.

But you, yes you, oh Lord, protect me from all strife.

“Salvation belongs to the Lord,” I scream. “I am safe in Him.”

Arise, oh Lord, arise! Save me, oh God, save me!

It is in you and you alone that I am free.

For you, with your mighty hand, strike sin on the cheek,

And you break its teeth. You make the mighty meek.

“God’s blessing on his people,” the Psalmist writes. “Selah.”

Psalm 2

Lord, you laugh because you know that those who plot against you will fall. Their grand aspirations to cast away all restraints set by you will come to nothing. You laugh, Lord. You laugh, and when you speak to them, your voice makes them shake in fear. You declare to those who plot against you that your throne as already been established on earth and in heaven. Your son, your heir, will rule the nations. He shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like pottery. In his hand, the nations have no power. Be warned, nations: choose to serve the Lord. When you do, serve him with softness of heart. Kiss the Son lest he be angry. His wrath is quickly kindled, but those who take refuge in him will certainly find his forgiveness and mercy.

Psalm 1

Lord, you have blessed the one who does not seek counsel of wicked men. You bless him who does not live the life of a bully and brat. You bless those who delight in your infallible Word – those who think about your laws and promises day and night – unceasing, unfailing. My I turn away from wickedness and become a man that you bless. May I find my daily joy in and delight in the sweet words of your tongue. For the man you bless is rooted firmly near your streams of living water. He produces fruit of your Spirit. His leaf does not whither, for he is eternally nourished by the sweet truths of your Word. Everything he does prospers because he always does your will – and your will always comes to pass. Lord, you are pleased by the way of the righteous, but you let the plans of the wicked fail. The wicked will not be able to stand in the face of your judgment, nor will they understand the gatherings of the righteous, for we gather to worship you, and the only god they know is themselves.