1 LORD, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea!
2 Don't turn away from me in my time of
distress. Bend down to listen, and answer
me quickly when I call to You.
3 For my days disappear like smoke, and my bones burn like red-hot coals.
4 My heart is sick, withered like grass, and I
have lost my appetite.
5 Because of my groaning, I am reduced to
skin and bones.
6 I am like an owl in the desert, like a little owl
in a far-off wilderness.
7 I lie awake, lonely as a solitary bird on the
roof.
8 My enemies taunt me day after day. They
mock and curse me.
9 I eat ashes for food. My tears run down into
my drink
10 because of Your anger and wrath. For You
have picked me up and thrown me out.
11 My life passes as swiftly as the evening
shadows. I am withering away like grass.
(This is the first section of a longer Psalm. The second section is tomorrow.)
In the first eleven verses the psalmist is making an urgent plea to the One who can help him. Have you ever felt like you were losing it, so heartsick that you didn't feel like eating? Have you felt lonely, humiliated, left in the dust, rejected? If so, you are not alone, most of us feel that way on occasion.
In Hebrews 4:16 we are encouraged to "...come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
From the psalmists we learn to be honest with our feelings, and even more importantly to take it to the One who will not reject our plea.
Loving Father, I sometimes despair like the psalmist, feeling lonely and rejected. Accept me the way that I am, but love me enough not to leave me this way. Help me to find comfort, hope and faith in Your goodness and mercy toward me in Christ Jesus.
Amen
