1 O Lord, God of my salvation,
I cry out to you by day.
I come to you at night.
2 Now hear my prayer;
listen to my cry.
3 For my life is full of troubles,
and death draws near.
4 I am as good as dead,
like a strong man with no strength left.
5 They have left me among the dead,
and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
cut off from your care.
6 You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
into the darkest depths.
7 Your anger weighs me down;
with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude
8 You have driven my friends away
by making me repulsive to them.
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
9 My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
I lift my hands to you for mercy.
10 Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
Do the dead rise up and praise you? NLT
Read verses 1-10.
When has the writer cried out?
What has the writer cried out?
Look specifically at verses 5-7. Can you identify with these words? What is it like to have feelings like these towards God?
Look specifically at verses 8-10. Describe the writer's frustration and exhaustion.
::::: APPLICATION CHALLENGE :::::
Find a statement of hope in this psalm of despair.
::::: EQUIPPING CHALLENGE :::::
Are you surprised to find this level of raw honesty in the Bible? If someone you knew were in a time of deep despair like this, how could you use this psalm to minister to them?