Psalm of a Sinner Psalm of a Sinner For the People, After Psalm 22 –
1 O My God! My God! Why have I abandoned you?
Why do I fail to cry for help; why am I dwelling in my anguish?
2 My God, I ignore you by day and turn away your answers; at night I praise you not.
3 Yet you are the Holy One and Faithful beyond comprehension,
the Lord, God of Israel.
4 My ancestors trusted in you and you
rescued them.
5 They cried out to you and were saved; you never let them down.
6 But I am a weakling, choosing instead not to
listen for your voice in my darkness. All
who see me see my disloyalty; they scoff at my lack of virtue.
7 “You claim to be the Lord’s? He rescues you
and blesses you and still you have
abandoned him.”
8 Truly, my God, trouble is near, within and around me,
before me and behind me. Yet
you have kept me safe and blessed my life.
9 From my birth you have called me to you.
10 I answer and move toward you, but turn
away your endless offers of help.
11 Many deceivers attract me and their
invitations draw me away from you.
I am torn and crushed when they exploit my
foolishness.
12 My good deeds are lifeless and flow away
like sewage. Artificial goodness melts in the warmth of your love.
13 I collapse under the weight of my sin, and look forward to returning to the earth.
Like feral dogs, my enemies chase me away from
the safety of your arms.
14 I had no strength to lose because I gave it
all to them. You have never been far from
me, yet I reach not for your hand.
15 You enrich me with your graces, but I
gamble them away. Indeed a sword is turned against me, the dogs tear my flesh.
16 The Adversary is growling lion, destroying
my life because I persist in my ignorance. You save me hour by hour, and I acknowledge your help in public;
17 but my home is in the shadows, my life is
void of light. Blessed are they who rely on you, whose integrity is like your own.
18 They are not spurned by you nor do they
spurn each other. Their praises rise up as testimony against me.
19 Because I have not sought you, my praise
falls lifeless at my feet and seeps into
nameless obscurity.
20 All the ends of the earth have known
the saving power of your love; you rule in
every faithful heart,
21 in every life that welcomes you, you establish peace.
I have desecrated my vows to you.
22 I have abandoned your law and failed to give you homage.
My God! My God! Why have I abandoned you?
23 I entreat you to bless my descendants as your servants.
I resolve to worship you and return to you, to bow down before you for worship,
adoration, thanksgiving, and praise because of my love for you.
24 Let every generation learn of your generosity
through my disgrace which is pardoned
because of your endless mercy and everlasting salvation.
25 Even the unborn will proclaim the power of your amazing grace
and those who have perished from the earth
will shout for joy in the presence of the angels.
Psalm of a Sinner Psalm of a Sinner For the People, After Psalm 22 –
1 O My God! My God! Why have I abandoned you?
Why do I fail to cry for help; why am I dwelling in my anguish?
2 My God, I ignore you by day and turn away your answers; at night I praise you not.
3 Yet you are the Holy One and Faithful beyond comprehension,
the Lord, God of Israel.
4 My ancestors trusted in you and you
rescued them.
5 They cried out to you and were saved; you never let them down.
6 But I am a weakling, choosing instead not to
listen for your voice in my darkness. All
who see me see my disloyalty; they scoff at my lack of virtue.
7 “You claim to be the Lord’s? He rescues you
and blesses you and still you have
abandoned him.”
8 Truly, my God, trouble is near, within and around me,
before me and behind me. Yet
you have kept me safe and blessed my life.
9 From my birth you have called me to you.
10 I answer and move toward you, but turn
away your endless offers of help.
11 Many deceivers attract me and their
invitations draw me away from you.
I am torn and crushed when they exploit my
foolishness.
12 My good deeds are lifeless and flow away
like sewage. Artificial goodness melts in the warmth of your love.
13 I collapse under the weight of my sin, and look forward to returning to the earth.
Like feral dogs, my enemies chase me away from
the safety of your arms.
14 I had no strength to lose because I gave it
all to them. You have never been far from
me, yet I reach not for your hand.
15 You enrich me with your graces, but I
gamble them away. Indeed a sword is turned against me, the dogs tear my flesh.
16 The Adversary is growling lion, destroying
my life because I persist in my ignorance. You save me hour by hour, and I acknowledge your help in public;
17 but my home is in the shadows, my life is
void of light. Blessed are they who rely on you, whose integrity is like your own.
18 They are not spurned by you nor do they
spurn each other. Their praises rise up as testimony against me.
19 Because I have not sought you, my praise
falls lifeless at my feet and seeps into
nameless obscurity.
20 All the ends of the earth have known
the saving power of your love; you rule in
every faithful heart,
21 in every life that welcomes you, you establish peace.
I have desecrated my vows to you.
22 I have abandoned your law and failed to give you homage.
My God! My God! Why have I abandoned you?
23 I entreat you to bless my descendants as your servants.
I resolve to worship you and return to you, to bow down before you for worship,
adoration, thanksgiving, and praise because of my love for you.
24 Let every generation learn of your generosity
through my disgrace which is pardoned
because of your endless mercy and everlasting salvation.
25 Even the unborn will proclaim the power of your amazing grace
and those who have perished from the earth
will shout for joy in the presence of the angels.
