Dave's Diary

Yesterday Psalm 72 brought us to the end of what is known as “Book 2” of the Book of Psalms. That’s why it ended with the double affirmation: “Amen and Amen”. So today is another opportunity to remind you that in 2025 these daily posts consist simply of a Psalm-of-the-day (which I urge you to read or listen to for yourself) plus my personal attempt to pray that Psalm back to the Lord. I hope that by doing this I will add some small measure of value to your own devotional reading of the Psalm. At the same time I hope to hereby pass on to you my own love for that form of devotional reading known as “Praying the Word”.

Right, let’s get going with “Book 3”. This “Book” contains only 17 Psalms and is characterised by Psalms of lament interspersed with prayers for deliverance and prayers of praise. That  unusual combination makes perfect sense in the light of the first Psalm in this Book, Psalm 73. Here’s the prayer I’ve prayed on the basis of this Psalm…

O LORD, You are so good,
so kind to the pure in heart
and so merciful to the penitent.

LORD, forgive me
for the times I have
looked at the prosperity of the proud
and the well-being of the wicked,
and asked myself:

‘How is it
that the wicked seem
so free of pain and suffering,
so immune to the troubles that beset
the rest of us mere mortals?’

‘How is it
that they act with such impunity
and always seem so happy and healthy,
so confident and trouble-free?’

‘How is it
that there seems to be no justice
when they flaunt their wealth and violence
with such pride and arrogance
and constantly plot out their wicked schemes?’

Father, forgive me
for the times I have
looked at the prosperity of the proud
and the well-being of the wicked,
and interrogated You,
asking:

‘How is it
that You seem to ignore all this
and let them get away with it,
when they cruelly mock Your people,
spew immorality and blasphemy
whenever they open their mouths,
slandering You and
lording it over Your people?’

‘How is it
that You stay silent
while Your own people turn away from You
and side with the wicked
as if You don’t know what’s going on
and there is more to be gained in partnership with evil
than in faithfulness to You?’

Father, forgive me!
In my heart, evil began to fester.
I began to think ill of You
and to accuse You of wrongdoing,
as if You had failed me
or owed me something.
I so nearly abandoned You
in my frustration and confusion!
Father, forgive me!

Thank You, Thank You, my LORD!
The moment I turned to You
in prayer and worship,
humbling myself before You
and seeking Your face,
You brought everything back into perspective.
You reassured me that
Your justice will always prevail in the end.
You showed me
how empty and short-lived their so-called prosperity is
and how suddenly Your justice
will set all things to rights
and cause their evil to collapse on their own heads.

Thank You, LORD,
for never abandoning me
or letting go of my hand;
for patiently persisting with me
and gently guiding me home.

You, LORD,
are my Treasure and my Delight
You are everything I need on earth
and all I long for in heaven.
When I have You,
I have everything I could ever need.
You are my Strength when I am weak.
You are my very great Reward.
So I will seek You with all my heart.
I will put my trust in You,
and praise Your goodness forever.
Amen.