Psalm 13

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.

You can have a look at more Psalm Challenge entries by visiting City Daily Athens.

Psalm 11

In the LORD I take refuge.
   How then can you say to me:
   “Flee like a bird to your mountain.
For look, the wicked bend their bows;
   they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
   at the upright in heart.
When the foundations are being destroyed,
   what can the righteous do?”

The LORD is in his holy temple;
   the LORD is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
   his eyes examine them.
The LORD examines the righteous,
   but the wicked, those who love violence,
   he hates with a passion.

On the wicked he will rain
   fiery coals and burning sulfur;
   a scorching wind will be their lot.

 For the LORD is righteous,
   he loves justice;
   the upright will see his face.

The above photo was taken in Bethlehem in 2007, the year I lived in Jerusalem.  This beautiful sunset has captivated me ever since.  I see God's face in the natural formation of the clouds and the rays of the sun piercing the oncoming darkness.  I keep this photo in my kitchen and on my desk and gaze at it when I need refuge.   For more posts to Psalm Challenge go to City Athens Daily Photo.

Psalm 10

Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed.

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
   Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
² In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
   let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

³ For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,
   those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.
⁴ In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, ‘God will not seek it out’;
   all their thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’

⁵ Their ways prosper at all times;
   your judgements are on high, out of their sight;
   as for their foes, they scoff at them.
⁶ They think in their heart, ‘We shall not be moved;
   throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.’

⁷ Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
   under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.
⁸ They sit in ambush in the villages;
   in hiding-places they murder the innocent.

Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
⁹   they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert;
they lurk that they may seize the poor;
   they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.

¹⁰ They stoop, they crouch,
   and the helpless fall by their might.
¹¹ They think in their heart, ‘God has forgotten,
   he has hidden his face, he will never see it.’

¹² Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
   do not forget the oppressed.
¹³ Why do the wicked renounce God,
   and say in their hearts, ‘You will not call us to account’?

¹⁴ But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief,
   that you may take it into your hands;
the helpless commit themselves to you;
   you have been the helper of the orphan.

¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers;
   seek out their wickedness until you find none.
¹⁶ The Lord is king for ever and ever;
   the nations shall perish from his land.

¹⁷ O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;
   you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
¹⁸ to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
   so that those from earth may strike terror no more.^*


I've just joined City Athens Daily Photo Psalm Challenge.  Today's Psalm for reflection is Psalm 10.  Each Sunday there will be a posting for the next Psalm.  For other thoughtful reflections on Psalm 10 click the link above.