Sympathetic way to start out a Monday- with prayers of Lament!
One study showed a growing phenomenon among Americans of being sad about going back to work/school on Monday!
October
7 – Psalms of Lament
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
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.
Psalm 13
is a cry of individual for help from the Lord when facing unnamed troubles.
Four times the Psalmist cries out, "How
long?" The Psalm expresses great anguish and heart-breaking pain
and pleas for deliverance from the Lord.
The entire Psalm shows an individual moving from mourning to rejoicing
and highlights how prayer transforms bad situations.
Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Guard my life, for I am faithful to you; save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.
Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.
You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.
When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.
Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.
All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.
Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me—
they have no regard for you.
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you just as my mother did.
Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
Psalm 86
is a cry for help against enemies. This is the only
psalm attributed to David in the third book of Psalms and it is labeled “A
Prayer of David.” This prayer could be
prayed by many people in many circumstances.
It is a psalm of prayer for protection (verses 1-5), praise for God’s power
(verses 6-13), and petition for His strength (verses 14-17).
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in His word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with Him is full redemption.
He Himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
Psalm 130
is a psalm about waiting and hope. The Psalmist waits for God to act even as
they know God will redeem them for they have sought His forgiveness and favor.
The Psalm is labeled a Song of Ascents and may be part of the liturgy recited
or sung during pilgrimages to Jerusalem. In deep sorrow the psalmist cries to
God (verses1-2) and asks for mercy (verses3-4). Transformed by his prayer
psalmist's trust becomes a model for others and is able to instruct them
(verses 5-8). In the Jewish tradition this Psalm is part of the liturgy for the High
Holidays and sung
responsively before the open Torah
ark during the morning
services from Rosh Hashanah until Yom
Kippur. It is also among
those psalms traditionally recited by Jews a prayer for the sick. In some synagogues, it is said on every weekday. This Psalm is known as
"De Profundis” in the Roman Catholic tradition and is
one of its seven penitential psalms.
Several literary works including ones by Alfred Tennyson and Christina
Rossetti bear the title"De
Profundis” as well as a ballet. Psalm
130 is frequently set to music as part of the Requiem in many classical
compositions including those by Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Rutter.
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