O God, please hear me and help me
Let these prayers be my incense and sacrifice
Pleasing to You
Guard my thoughts and words
Guard my heart and actions
Give me patience and understanding
Give me generosity and wisdom
Do not let me turn from You
Do not let me become preoccupied
With my problems or my achievements
Let Your Word guide and correct me
Never let my own worst tendencies win
I pray, I pray, I pray always, please
Shatter my terrible Ds
Break apart my discouragement and doubt
Let me turn – metanoia – again and again to You
Be my refuge, my defense
Keep me from my own traps and snares
Ensnare my worst, that my best may escape
To live freely in and with You. Amen

Here I am, again, God, crying to You for help
Complaining, reviewing all my troubles and failings
Because where else can I go but to You
On my own, I fall into my own traps, again and again
I cannot find the help I need
In any philosophies or psychologies
I cannot think or work my way out of distress
So I come to You, again, counting on You
Please help me for once again I feel trampled on
Brought low by my own failings
Those failings that are too strong for me
Those failings that imprison me
Without You, I have no hope
So please help me and I promise to be grateful
I hope to live within Your righteousness. Amen

Would You please listen and answer me, God
I am trying to believe in Your faithfulness
That only in You is righteousness
I hope You are not judging me
Because right now I feel like I would not fare well
I’m tired, I’m sick and tired, and I’m angry
Here I am in darkness and doubt again
Feeling crushed, feeling pursued by my own failings
And feeling unheard
I have this appalling feeling that there is no one to hear me
I remember those times when I am sure of You
When I don’t doubt Your reality
When I find peace and pleasure just in praying
In writing these psalms, in preparing Sunday School
In reading about You
But right now, all I feel is dried up and parched, again
I try to find You, but all I find is emptiness
Come on, God, I am tired of being polite
I am tired of being here again and again
I am tired of worrying again about Your existence
Tired of wondering if I am a fool
I can’t find You, I can’t hear You
Can’t believe in Your steadfast love
I want to trust You, trust in You
But if You hide from me, how can I
How can I even pray for You to save me
When I can’t even feel Your existence
Come on, God, come on, show up
If You are my God, then be my God
Act like it, show me how to be Yours
Lead me in Your goodness
Save me, save me, save me
Get rid of these troubling thoughts and feelings
If Your love for me is steadfast
Then why won’t You end my struggles
Why won’t You let me live quietly
Quietly and surely as Your own. Amen

Blessed be God, the bedrock of my peace
God who supports my best efforts
God who delivers me from my worst failings
God who alone gives my spirit refuge
And subdues my terrible Ds
O God, how can eternal You notice ephemeral me
Can You really care for me when I am just a dust mote
Taking shape briefly and then blown away
And yet, I dare to call upon Your help
Burn away my mountains of doubt
Pierce my darkness
Rescue me from drowning in my failings
Save me from my own deceits and pride
Then this dust mote will sing with Your grace
Though I have no talent, still I will hum and vibrate
With Your forgiveness, Your unfailing love
As You rescued David, as You were with Ruth
Claiming her for Your own
So You rescued and are with me
Save me from my own deceits and pride
May the thoughts that are born in my mind
Reflect Your truth and Your grace
May my actions towards others
Reflect Your love and Your support
Fill my life with Your goodness
Increase Your presence in my consciousness
Help me to share in creating Your peace
Do not let me wander far from You
Because only with You is my true happiness
Only with You is my assured peace. Amen

I praise You, my Sovereign God, and bless Your name forever
Every day, every day, I want to bless You and praise You
I want to live within sureness of Your unsearchable greatness
I come back to these psalms to remind myself of You
To live again within Your majesty, Your wonder, Your mighty acts
So that I can proclaim again, to myself, the wonder of You
Of Your abundant goodness, Your enduring righteousness
You are gracious and merciful to me, slow to anger
Abounding in steadfast love
Good to me, to all of me, and compassionate because You made me
I want my life to be one of thanksgiving to You, O God
I want my life to speak, without words, of Your glory and power
Of Your love, Your splendor, Your salvation
I want to live always within Your truth, throughout my life
I want to believe in Your faithfulness, Your grace, Your reality
I need You to keep me from falling, from being bowed and broken
I need You to keep me close and to feed my spirit
I need You to open Your hand and give me what my spirit needs
I need to believe that
You are always just and kind
You are always near when I call
You hear me, answer me, save me
You watch over me, love me, protect me
I want to praise You, God, to give thanks for Lady Wisdom, always. Amen