I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place.

Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.

But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies' sake.

A very interesting set of verses in this set. Look at the overall pattern defined in these three paragraphs. They begin with a declaration of fealty by David in which he acknowledges that the LORD is fully acquainted with his circumstances and supports King David accordingly. Look at that last sentence, no worrying for David about walking a tight rope.

Now we get to the goodies in this package in 1, 2, 3 order. “How great is Your goodness”, “Blessed be the LORD,” “Oh, love the LORD.” What a pattern for us to adopt as the basis of our prayers of thanksgiving and praise. If I cannot cast this prayer in my own words, LORD, let me recite them to You in recognition of Your glory and holiness.

Reading

Morning Psalm 143, Noon Psalm 119:105-112, Evening Psalm 82