Prayer from Psalm 40

Lord, we are surrounded by many troubles— too many to count! Our sins have caught up with us, and we can no longer see; they are more than the hairs on our heads, and we have lost our courage. Save us, Lord! Help us now! May those who are against us be completely defeated and confused. May those who are happy because of our troubles be turned back and disgraced. May those who make fun of us be dismayed by their defeat.

Lord we wait patiently for Your help. You see the condition of our cities, state and nation. We needs Your help. We come to You with repentant hearts, crying out for change. You have always listened to us and heard our cry. You have pulled each of us out of a dangerous pit, out of the deadly quicksand, time and time again. We are weak and poor, O Lord, but You have not forgotten us. You are our savior and our God— hurry to our aid!”

You do not want sacrifices and offerings; You desire our obedience. You have given us ears to hear You, and so we answer, “Here we are; Your instructions for us are in Your Word. How we love to do Your will, our God! We keep Your teaching in our hearts.”

Lord, we are happy as our trust is in You. We do not turn to idols or join those who worship false gods. You have done many things for us, O Lord our God; there is no one like You! You have made many wonderful plans for us. We could never speak of them all— their number is so great!

In the assembly of all Your people, Lord, we tell the good news that You saved us. You know that we will never stop telling it. We have not kept the news of salvation to ourself; we have always spoken of Your faithfulness and help. In the assembly of all Your people we have not kept silent about Your loyalty and constant love. Lord, we know You will never stop being merciful to us. Your love and loyalty will always keep us safe.

You set each of us safely on a rock and made us secure. You taught us to sing a new song, a song of praise to You, our God. We thank You for the many who have seen and heard our testimony of You and that they will take warning and will put their trust in You Lord. May all who come to You be glad and joyful. May all who are thankful for your salvation always say, “How great is the Lord!”

Adapted from Psalm‬ ‭40‬