Prayer in the Bible

Continued genealogies of Judah and Simeon, including the prayer of Jabez who asks God to enlarge his territory and keep him from harm. God grants his request. Simeon's descendants expand their territory.

David wants to build God a temple, but God tells Nathan to relay the Davidic covenant: God will build David a house — an eternal dynasty. David responds with a humble prayer of amazement and gratitude.

David leads by example with a massive personal offering for the temple, and the leaders and people give generously and joyfully. David offers a magnificent prayer of praise, acknowledging that everything comes from God. Solomon is anointed king, and David dies.

John declares that whoever is born of God overcomes the world, and the victory is our faith. He gives assurance of eternal life: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life. He closes urging confidence in prayer according to God's will and a warning to keep from idols.

God appears to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon and offers him anything. Solomon asks for wisdom to govern well. God is pleased and grants him unmatched wisdom plus riches and honor. Solomon's wisdom is demonstrated when he resolves a dispute between two mothers claiming the same baby.

Solomon dedicates the temple with a magnificent prayer. The glory of the Lord fills the temple as a cloud. Solomon prays for God to hear prayers directed toward this house — from foreigners, in battle, during famine, and in exile.

Elijah confronts 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in a dramatic contest. When Baal fails to answer, Elijah prays and God sends fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, the altar, and the water. The people cry: The Lord, He is God! Elijah then prays and the drought-ending rain comes.

Hannah, barren and deeply distressed, prays fervently at the tabernacle in Shiloh for a son. She vows to dedicate him to God. God answers her prayer, and she gives birth to Samuel, whose name means heard by God.

Hannah offers a prophetic song of praise after dedicating Samuel to the Lord. Meanwhile, Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas are corrupt priests who abuse their position. A prophet warns Eli that judgment is coming on his household.

Samuel calls Israel to repentance, and they put away their foreign gods. At Mizpah, God thunders against the Philistines and gives Israel victory. Samuel sets up a stone called Ebenezer, saying thus far the Lord has helped us.

Samuel delivers his farewell address as judge, challenging Israel to testify against his integrity. He recounts God's faithfulness, warns against disobedience, and calls thunder and rain as a sign. He promises to continue praying for them.

Paul sent Timothy to strengthen the Thessalonians during persecution and is overjoyed at Timothy's report of their steadfast faith and love. He prays earnestly to see them again and for their love to increase and overflow toward one another and everyone.

Paul teaches that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, urging believers to be alert and sober. He calls them to encourage the disheartened, help the weak, and be patient. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances—for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Paul urges prayers for all people, including kings and those in authority, so that believers may live peaceful and godly lives. He declares there is one God and one mediator between God and man—the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.

Solomon goes to Gibeon to worship and God appears to him in a dream, offering anything he desires. Solomon asks for wisdom and knowledge to govern God's people. Pleased, God grants him unparalleled wisdom along with wealth and honor.

Solomon kneels before the entire assembly and prays an extensive dedication prayer. He asks God to hear prayers directed toward the temple — in times of sin, drought, famine, plague, war, and exile — and to forgive those who repent.

Fire falls from heaven and consumes the sacrifices, and God's glory fills the temple. God appears to Solomon at night with the famous promise: if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, I will heal their land.

Asa enjoys peace and prosperity because he seeks God. When a million-man Ethiopian army attacks, Asa prays: Lord, there is no one besides You to help. God defeats the Ethiopians, and Asa plunders their cities.

A vast enemy coalition attacks Judah. Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast and prays: We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You. God says the battle is His. Judah sends singers ahead of the army, and God sets ambushes against the enemies, who destroy each other.

Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah. Hezekiah strengthens Jerusalem's defenses and encourages the people: With us is the Lord our God. After Sennacherib's mocking letters, Hezekiah and Isaiah pray, and God sends an angel who destroys the Assyrian army. Hezekiah's illness, recovery, and pride are briefly mentioned.

Paul opens by praising God as the Father of compassion and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort others. He describes his severe suffering in Asia and explains why he delayed his visit to Corinth—not from fickleness but from care.

Paul recounts being caught up to the third heaven—paradise—hearing inexpressible words. To keep him humble, he was given a thorn in the flesh. Three times he pleaded for its removal, but God replied: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Paul therefore boasts gladly in his weaknesses.

Elisha performs multiple miracles: multiplying a widow's oil to pay debts, promising a son to a Shunammite woman, raising that son from death, purifying poisoned stew, and feeding 100 men with 20 loaves.

Elisha makes an axe head float, reveals Aramean battle plans to Israel's king, and is surrounded by an enemy army. He prays for his servant's eyes to be opened, revealing mountains full of angelic horses and chariots of fire. Elisha leads the blinded Arameans into Samaria and feeds them.

Hezekiah prays desperately in the temple after Sennacherib's threats. Isaiah delivers God's answer: Sennacherib will not enter Jerusalem. That night, the angel of the Lord strikes down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Sennacherib retreats and is later murdered by his own sons.

Hezekiah falls deathly ill, and Isaiah tells him to set his affairs in order. Hezekiah prays, and God adds 15 years to his life, confirming it with the shadow retreating ten steps. Hezekiah foolishly shows Babylonian envoys all his treasures, and Isaiah foretells the Babylonian exile.

David wants to build God a temple, but God instead promises to build David a house — an eternal dynasty. This Davidic covenant promises that David's throne will be established forever, pointing to the Messiah.

Paul asks for prayer that the gospel may spread rapidly. He warns against idleness, commanding that anyone unwilling to work should not eat. He models diligent labor and instructs the community to gently correct the disorderly without treating them as enemies.

Jesus commissions His disciples to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth and ascends to heaven. The disciples pray together in the upper room, and Matthias is chosen to replace Judas, restoring the twelve apostles.

Peter and John are arrested for preaching about Jesus. Peter, filled with the Spirit, boldly declares that salvation is found in no one else—there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. The believers pray for boldness, and the church shares possessions generously.

Peter receives a vision of unclean animals and the command to not call anything impure that God has made clean. He is sent to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and the Holy Spirit falls on the Gentiles, demonstrating that God shows no favoritism—the gospel is for all people.

Herod arrests and executes James, then imprisons Peter. The church prays earnestly, and an angel miraculously frees Peter from prison in the night. Peter goes to Mary's house where believers are praying. Herod is struck down by an angel for accepting divine praise.

Three visions of judgment — locusts, fire, and a plumb line. God relents from the first two but not the third: Israel is crooked by the plumb line of justice. The priest Amaziah expels Amos, who responds: I was no prophet — just a shepherd and fig farmer. But God called me.

Paul gives thanks for the Colossians' faith and prays that they be filled with spiritual wisdom. He presents the cosmic Christ hymn: Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, in whom all things hold together. He is the head of the church, and through Him God reconciled all things.

Paul urges persistent prayer and wise conduct toward outsiders. He sends greetings from his companions including Luke and Mark, and gives instructions to share the letter with the Laodicean church. He closes with a personal note written in his own hand.

Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a great statue: gold head (Babylon), silver chest (Medo-Persia), bronze belly (Greece), iron legs (Rome), and feet of iron and clay. A stone cut without hands shatters the statue and fills the earth — God's eternal kingdom that replaces all human empires.

Daniel's enemies manipulate Darius into signing a decree forbidding prayer to anyone but the king. Daniel continues praying openly three times daily and is thrown into the lions' den. God sends an angel to shut the lions' mouths. Darius declares Daniel's God is the living God.

Daniel prays one of Scripture's greatest confessional prayers. Gabriel reveals the prophecy of Seventy Weeks — 490 years until the Anointed One comes and is cut off. This is the most precise messianic timeline in the Bible, pointing directly to Christ's coming.

After three weeks of fasting, Daniel sees a terrifying angelic being. The angel reveals that a spiritual prince of Persia delayed him for 21 days until Michael helped. This chapter uniquely pulls back the curtain on spiritual warfare behind world events.

Moses recounts the defeat of King Og of Bashan, a giant whose iron bed was thirteen feet long. The Transjordan territory is distributed to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. Moses pleads with God to let him enter the Promised Land, but God firmly refuses, telling him to look from Mount Pisgah instead.

Moses clarifies that Israel is not receiving the land because of their righteousness — they are a stubborn people. He recounts the golden calf incident in detail, reminding them how close God came to destroying the nation and how Moses interceded for forty days and nights to avert their destruction.

Paul reveals the mystery hidden for ages: that Gentiles are fellow heirs with Israel in Christ. He prays one of Scripture's most powerful prayers—that they may know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, being filled with the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

Paul instructs children to honor parents and fathers not to exasperate children. He addresses slaves and masters with mutual respect. He closes with the armor of God: belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit—the word of God.

God sends three more plagues upon Egypt: frogs cover the land, gnats infest all people and animals, and swarms of flies fill the country. Pharaoh repeatedly promises to let Israel go but hardens his heart each time the plague is removed. God begins to distinguish between Egypt and Goshen where Israel lives.

The people quarrel with Moses at Rephidim because there is no water. God tells Moses to strike the rock at Horeb and water flows out. The Amalekites attack Israel, and as long as Moses holds up his hands, Israel prevails; Aaron and Hur support his arms until Joshua wins the battle.

While Moses is on the mountain, the people grow impatient and persuade Aaron to make a golden calf, declaring it their god who brought them out of Egypt. God's anger burns and Moses intercedes, then descends and shatters the stone tablets. Moses calls the Levites to execute judgment, and about 3,000 people die.

God threatens to withdraw His personal presence from Israel because of their stubbornness. Moses pleads with God and sets up a tent of meeting outside the camp where God speaks with him face to face. Moses asks to see God's glory, and God agrees to let His goodness pass by while shielding Moses in the cleft of a rock.

Ezra is horrified to discover that many returnees, including priests and Levites, have married foreign women from the surrounding peoples. He tears his garments and falls on his face in a passionate prayer of confession and repentance on behalf of the people.

Three visitors appear to Abraham at Mamre and reaffirm that Sarah will have a son within a year. Sarah laughs in disbelief. Abraham then intercedes with God for the city of Sodom, negotiating from fifty righteous people down to ten.

Abraham moves to Gerar and again claims Sarah is his sister. King Abimelech takes Sarah, but God warns him in a dream. Abimelech restores Sarah to Abraham and rebukes him for the deception, and Abraham prays for Abimelech's household to be healed.

Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac from his relatives in Mesopotamia. The servant prays for God's guidance and meets Rebekah at a well. Rebekah agrees to return and marry Isaac, demonstrating God's faithful providence.

Jacob sends messengers ahead to Esau and learns his brother is coming with 400 men, filling him with fear. He divides his camp, prays earnestly, and sends gifts ahead. That night Jacob wrestles with a mysterious figure until dawn and is renamed Israel, meaning one who strives with God.

Habakkuk boldly questions God: Why do you tolerate injustice in Judah? God's shocking answer: He is raising up the Babylonians to punish them. Habakkuk protests again — how can a holy God use a more wicked nation to judge a less wicked one?

Habakkuk's magnificent prayer-psalm: God marches from Teman in cosmic power — mountains shatter, the deep roars, sun and moon stand still. Then the stunning confession: Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes, no olives, no cattle — yet I will rejoice in the Lord. Pure faith despite circumstances.

Jesus is designated by God as a high priest in the order of Melchizedek—not the Levitical order. During His earthly life, He offered prayers with loud cries and tears. Though He was a Son, He learned obedience through suffering. The author rebukes readers for spiritual immaturity, still needing milk instead of solid food.

Hezekiah prays desperately before God, spreading the threatening letter in the temple. Isaiah prophesies Assyria's defeat. That night, the angel of the Lord strikes 185,000 Assyrian soldiers — a dramatic divine deliverance.

Hezekiah falls mortally ill and God adds fifteen years to his life after his tearful prayer. Hezekiah writes a psalm of thanksgiving, reflecting on his brush with death and God's faithfulness in restoring him.

God's salvation extends to foreigners and eunuchs who keep His covenant — no one is excluded. His house will be a house of prayer for all nations. But Israel's watchmen are blind and its shepherds lack understanding.

God will not rest until Zion's righteousness shines like a blazing torch. Jerusalem receives a new name and is no longer called forsaken. Watchmen on the walls give God no rest, praying continually until He establishes Jerusalem as the praise of the earth.

God comes from Edom with garments stained crimson, having trodden the winepress of judgment alone. The chapter shifts to a poignant prayer recalling God's faithfulness to Israel in the past while lamenting their present hardened state.

A passionate prayer for God to rend the heavens and come down. Israel confesses that all their righteous acts are like filthy rags. They plead with God as the potter who shaped them — do not be angry beyond measure, remember we are your people.

James diagnoses the root of conflict: desires that war within. He calls worldliness spiritual adultery and urges believers to submit to God and resist the devil, who will then flee. He warns against judging others and presuming on the future—life is a mist that appears briefly and vanishes.

James warns the rich about coming judgment and calls for patient endurance, using Job and the prophets as examples. He encourages the sick to call for elders to pray over them. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. He closes urging believers to turn back anyone who wanders from the truth.

Samson falls in love with Delilah, who is bribed by the Philistines to discover the source of his strength. After repeated attempts, he reveals his Nazirite hair secret. His hair is cut, his strength leaves, and the Philistines capture and blind him. At a temple celebration, his strength returns and he collapses the building, killing more Philistines in death than in life.

All Israel assembles and demands justice from Benjamin for the atrocity at Gibeah. When Benjamin refuses, civil war erupts. After two devastating defeats, Israel finally prevails on the third day, nearly wiping out the tribe of Benjamin.

During a severe drought, Jeremiah intercedes for the people, but God tells him to stop praying for them — their judgment is sealed. False prophets promise peace, but God disowns their message. Yet Jeremiah continues pleading, torn between duty and compassion.

Even Moses and Samuel couldn't intercede for this people. Jeremiah's personal anguish deepens — he wishes he'd never been born. Yet God's words were his joy and delight when he found them. God promises to make Jeremiah a fortified wall of bronze.

God sends Jeremiah to the potter's house. As the potter reshapes a marred vessel, so God can reshape nations. When the people plot against Jeremiah, he prays for judgment on his persecutors — one of his most raw, honest prayers.

Jeremiah writes to the exiles in Babylon: build houses, plant gardens, seek the welfare of the city, and pray for it. The massive promise: I know the plans I have for you — plans for welfare, not evil, to give you a future and a hope. After seventy years, God will restore them.

The survivors ask Jeremiah to pray for guidance: should they stay or flee to Egypt? After ten days, God's answer comes clearly — stay in the land and He will protect them. If they go to Egypt, the sword and famine they fear will follow them there.

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead after four days in the tomb, demonstrating His power over death. He declares: I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though they die, yet shall they live. This miracle becomes the catalyst for the plot to kill Jesus.

Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure, promising the Holy Spirit will guide them into all truth, convict the world of sin, and glorify Christ. He assures them that their grief will turn to joy, like a woman in labor. He declares: In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.

Jesus prays His high priestly prayer for Himself, His disciples, and all future believers. He prays for unity among believers, that they may be one as He and the Father are one. He asks the Father to protect them and sanctify them in truth.

Job addresses God directly, describing life as hard service and his nights as filled with restlessness. He questions why God watches him so closely and asks to be left alone in his misery.

Job pours out his complaint to God, questioning why God formed him only to destroy him. He asks God to remember that he was made from clay and pleads for a brief respite before death.

Job describes his present humiliation. Those he once helped now mock him. His body is wracked with pain and God seems to have become cruel. He cries out but receives no answer.

Elihu argues that human righteousness or wickedness does not affect God, who is far above the clouds. He suggests that the oppressed cry out but do not truly seek God as their Maker.

Job repents in dust and ashes, saying he now sees God with his own eyes rather than by hearsay. God rebukes the three friends and vindicates Job. God restores Job's fortunes, giving him twice what he had before.

A devastating locust plague — wave after wave — strips the land bare. Joel calls the people to mourn, fast, and cry out to God. The priests should weep between the porch and altar. The day of the Lord is near, and even the animals groan.

From inside the fish, Jonah prays a psalm of thanksgiving — even from the depths of Sheol, God heard his cry. Salvation belongs to the Lord. After three days, the fish vomits Jonah onto dry land. Jesus cites this as a sign of His own death and resurrection.

A communal prayer for restoration. The people describe their humiliation: strangers occupy their homes, they work under cruel taskmasters, and joy has left their hearts. They plead: Restore us, O Lord — unless you have utterly rejected us. The book ends with an unanswered question, leaving hope and uncertainty in tension.

Jesus teaches the disciples to pray, giving a version of the Lord's Prayer. He teaches about persistent prayer and the Father's willingness to give the Holy Spirit. He confronts the Pharisees and lawyers, pronouncing woes on their hypocrisy and burdensome rules.

Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow to encourage continual prayer and the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector to warn against self-righteous prayer. He blesses children, encounters the rich ruler, and heals a blind beggar near Jericho.

Judas conspires to betray Jesus. At the Last Supper, Jesus institutes the new covenant in His blood. He predicts Peter's denial, prays on the Mount of Olives in such agony that His sweat becomes like drops of blood, is arrested, and Peter denies Him three times.

Continuing the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches about authentic spiritual practices—giving, praying, and fasting in secret rather than for show. He delivers the Lord's Prayer and commands followers to seek first the kingdom of God, trusting the Father for daily provision.

Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with teachings on judging others, the narrow gate, recognizing false prophets by their fruit, and the parable of wise and foolish builders. He emphasizes that hearing and doing His words is the foundation that endures.

Jesus is transfigured on a mountain before Peter, James, and John, His face shining like the sun and His clothes becoming brilliant white. Moses and Elijah appear, and the Father speaks from a cloud. Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy and teaches about faith as small as a mustard seed.

The events leading to Jesus' crucifixion unfold: the plot to kill Him, the anointing at Bethany, Judas's betrayal, the Last Supper where He institutes communion, the agony in Gethsemane, His arrest, and trial before the Sanhedrin. Peter denies knowing Him three times.

Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John, and heals a boy with an unclean spirit that the disciples could not cast out. He teaches about servanthood, warning that whoever wants to be first must be last and servant of all.

Jesus enters Jerusalem on a colt to shouts of Hosanna, cleanses the temple of merchants, and curses a barren fig tree. He teaches the disciples about the power of prayer with faith, promising that whoever believes and does not doubt can move mountains.

A woman anoints Jesus with costly perfume at Bethany. Judas agrees to betray Him. Jesus shares the Last Supper, institutes the new covenant, and prays in Gethsemane. He is arrested, tried before the Sanhedrin, and Peter denies Him three times.

Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in Persia, learns that Jerusalem's walls are still broken and its gates burned. Devastated, he weeps, fasts, and prays a powerful prayer of confession and petition, asking God to grant him favor with the king.

Nehemiah boldly asks King Artaxerxes for permission to rebuild Jerusalem's walls, and the king grants his request with letters and timber. Nehemiah secretly inspects the walls by night, then rallies the people: Let us rebuild! Opposition from Sanballat and Tobiah begins immediately.

Sanballat and Tobiah mock and threaten the builders. Nehemiah organizes armed guards and workers who build with one hand while holding a weapon in the other. He encourages the people: Don't be afraid. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome.

The people gather for a day of fasting, confession, and worship. The Levites lead a long prayer recounting Israel's history from creation through the exodus, wilderness, conquest, and exile — acknowledging God's persistent faithfulness despite Israel's repeated unfaithfulness.

The people complain about hardships and then about the lack of meat, weeping for the food they had in Egypt. God's anger burns and Moses is overwhelmed, so God puts His Spirit on seventy elders to share the leadership burden. God sends quail in abundance, but strikes the greedy with a plague.

Miriam and Aaron criticise Moses for his Cushite wife and question whether God speaks only through Moses. God rebukes them, declaring Moses uniquely faithful and that He speaks with Moses face to face. Miriam is struck with a skin disease for seven days, and the camp waits for her restoration.

The people weep, rebel, and want to return to Egypt. God threatens to destroy them, but Moses intercedes. God pardons the people but decrees that the entire adult generation (except Caleb and Joshua) will die in the wilderness over forty years. Some Israelites then rashly attack and are defeated.

Israel defeats the Canaanite king of Arad. When the people grumble again, God sends venomous snakes that kill many. Moses makes a bronze serpent and sets it on a pole; anyone bitten who looks at it lives. Israel then conquers the Amorite kings Sihon and Og, taking their territories east of the Jordan.

Paul writes a personal letter to Philemon about his runaway slave Onesimus, who has become a believer and now a beloved brother. Paul appeals to Philemon to receive Onesimus back—not as a slave but as a brother in the Lord—and offers to cover any debts. This short letter demonstrates the gospel's power to transform social relationships.

Paul writes from prison with joy, confident that God who began a good work in the Philippians will carry it on to completion. He expresses his desire to depart and be with Christ but knows remaining is more necessary for their sake. For him, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Paul's letter climaxes with some of the Bible's most beloved promises. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer present your requests to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts. Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely—think on these things. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Proverbs on gentle speech, God's omniscience, and contentment. A gentle answer turns away wrath. The eyes of the Lord are everywhere. Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil. A cheerful heart is good medicine.

The words of Agur son of Jakeh. He confesses his ignorance before God and asks for neither poverty nor riches. Contains the famous "two things I ask" prayer and numerical proverbs about four things that are never satisfied and four that are stately in their stride.

A psalm of David fleeing Absalom. Despite enemies surrounding him, David declares God as his shield and sustainer. He sleeps peacefully because the Lord sustains him, demonstrating trust in desperate circumstances.

An evening prayer of confidence. David asks God for relief and rebukes those who pursue false gods. He declares that the joy God gives surpasses material abundance, and lies down in peace.

A morning prayer asking God to lead through enemies. David declares that God takes no pleasure in wickedness and asks to be guided in righteousness. The righteous find shelter and joy in God's protection.

A penitential psalm of deep distress. David cries out for mercy, exhausted by grief and illness. He asks how long his suffering will last and pleads with God to save him because of unfailing love.

David appeals to God as righteous judge to vindicate him against false accusations. He declares his innocence and asks God to arise in justice. The psalm warns that the wicked fall into their own traps.

A lament over the arrogance of the wicked who prey on the helpless while believing God does not see. The psalmist calls on God to arise and defend the orphan and oppressed, trusting that God hears their desire.

A cry for help in a world of flattery and lies. David asks God to protect the faithful when everyone speaks with deception. God's words, unlike human speech, are pure like silver refined seven times.

One of the shortest and most honest lament psalms. David asks "How long?" four times, wrestling with God's seeming forgetfulness. Yet he chooses to trust in unfailing love and ends with a song of praise.

David pleads for vindication, asking God to test his heart and find no wickedness. He asks for protection from deadly enemies and concludes with the hope of seeing God's face and being satisfied in his likeness.

The heavens declare God's glory, and the law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. David moves from creation's testimony to Scripture's power, and ends with a prayer to be kept from hidden faults and wilful sins.

A prayer for the king before battle. The people ask God to grant the king's heart desires and remember his offerings. They trust not in chariots and horses but in the name of the Lord their God.

A thanksgiving for the king's victory. God has granted the king his heart's desire and crowned him with blessings. The psalm celebrates God's faithfulness to his anointed and anticipates the defeat of all enemies.

A messianic psalm of suffering that begins with the cry Jesus quoted on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It describes pierced hands and feet, divided garments, and mockery, yet ends in universal praise.

An acrostic prayer for guidance, forgiveness, and protection. David asks God to teach him his ways and remember mercy rather than youthful sins. He declares that God's friendship is for those who fear him.

David asks God to vindicate him, declaring that he has walked in integrity and has not sat with the deceitful. He loves God's house and asks to be gathered with the redeemed, not with sinners.

A psalm of supreme confidence. David declares the Lord is his light and salvation—whom shall he fear? He desires one thing: to dwell in God's house forever. He encourages himself to wait for the Lord and be strong.

David cries out to God as his rock and asks not to be dragged away with the wicked. When God answers, David's heart leaps with joy. He declares the Lord as the strength and shepherd of his people.

David entrusts his spirit to God—the words Jesus spoke on the cross. He describes being surrounded by enemies but trusts in God's unfailing love. He encourages all who hope in the Lord to be strong and courageous.