Psalm 61:2 - "Higher than I"

Sometimes it can be hard to find comfort in the Psalms when you feel overwhelmed but have no enemies to fear or to blame. This morning, I read 19 psalms before finding a verse that spoke to me. It was Psalm 61:2 "From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

O God, lead me to higher ground so I can see more clearly the path you have set before me. Help me to see the world around me, as you see it and view your Kingdom from a higher vantage point, for surely, like most mountaintop experiences, it will be good for my soul. Amen.

Psalm 42:5 - Paraphrased

In Psalm 42, we find this recurring refrain in both verses 5 & 11: "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God."

Or to paraphrase: "Get a grip, my inner child! Why all this gloom and doom? Why are you bringing me down? Put your hope back where it belongs - in God. In the meanwhile, I'll just keep hoping and praising until you figure it out so we can praise Him together."

Psalm 34:2-3 - An Invitation to the Afflicted

What a beautiful personalized invitation to the afflicted to join in the worship of God: "I will glory in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together." (Ps 34:2-3).

Psalm 22 - "Do not be far from me"

Following the agonizing cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" in the opening verse of Psalm 22, David goes on to make a repeated request of God in both verses 11 & 19: "Do not be far from me". For David the greatest comfort is God's presence. The experience of not being alone. So also the most terrifying feeling is that of forsakenness.

Psalm 19:12 - A Counsellor's Psalm

Here in Psalm 19:12, David makes a compelling case in support of the many and varied counselling and coaching professions out there: "But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults."

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Psalm 13:2 - The Prayer of a Melancholy Worshipper

The prayer of a melancholy worshipper from Psalm 13:2 - "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?" And like most psalms, the good news is to be found at the end of the psalm (Ps 13:5-6) - "But I trust in your unfailing love, my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praise for he HAS been good to me." [and he WILL be again].

Psalm 6:2 - A Melancholy Journey Through the Psalms

Right up there with "The Kyrie" and "The Jesus Prayer" is Psalm 6:2 "Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony."