PSALMS OF RESCUE
"The Lord says, 'I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.'”
(Psalm 91:14-16)
God has told us in his Word that He hears our pleas for help, and that we can call on Him to rescue us. The cards below quote a small section of the Psalms. Each card provides a short passage where the psalmist requests God's help. When you are in a difficult place, pray out these words and call on the Lord to rescue you.
The photos included with each passage show a variety of difficulties, disasters, and desolations representing the many types of troubles that humans experience. All Bible verses quoted here are taken from the New Living Translation.
Answer me when I call to you,
O God who declares me innocent.
Free me from my troubles.
Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
(Photo Credit: Wix Media)
O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
(Photo Credit: Wix Media)
Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
I am sick at heart.
How long, O Lord, until you restore me?
Return, O Lord, and rescue me.
Save me because of your unfailing love.
(Photo Credit: Wix Media)
I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.
(Photo Credit: Wix Media)
Do not stay so far from me,
for trouble is near,
and no one else can help me.
(Photo Credit: Chandler Cruttenden)
Turn to me and have mercy,
for I am alone and in deep distress.
My problems go from bad to worse.
Oh, save me from them all!
Feel my pain and see my trouble.
Forgive all my sins.
(Photo Credit: Rubén Bagüés)
O Lord, I have come to you for protection;
don’t let me be disgraced.
Save me, for you do what is right.
Turn your ear to listen to me;
rescue me quickly.
Be my rock of protection,
a fortress where I will be safe.
You are my rock and my fortress.
For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger.
(Photo Credit: Wix Media)
Do not abandon me, O Lord.
Do not stand at a distance, my God.
Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my savior.
(Photo Credit: Wix Media)
Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
For troubles surround me—
too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
I have lost all courage.
Please, Lord, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
(Photo Credit: Wix Media)
Come with great power, O God, and rescue me!
Defend me with your might.
Listen to my prayer, O God.
Pay attention to my plea.
(Photo Credit: Yevhen Buzuk)
Listen to my prayer, O God.
Do not ignore my cry for help!
Please listen and answer me,
for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.
(Photo Credit: Yosh Ginsu)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
until the danger passes by.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
(Photo Credit: Tim Marshall)
O God, listen to my cry!
Hear my prayer!
From the ends of the earth,
I cry to you for help
when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
(Photo Credit: Dan Meyers)
Save me, O God,
for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
waiting for my God to help me.
(Photo Credit: Chris Gallagher)
Please, God, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
But as for me, I am poor and needy;
Please hurry to my aid, O God.
You are my helper and my savior;
O Lord, do not delay.
(Photo Credit: Espen Bierud)
Save me and rescue me,
for you do what is right.
Turn your ear to listen to me,
and set me free.
Be my rock of safety
where I can always hide.
Give the order to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
(Photo Credit: Joshua Woroniecki)
Now that I am old and gray,
do not abandon me, O God.
Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,
your mighty miracles to all who come after me.
(Photo Credit: Fabrice Villard)
Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;
answer me, for I need your help.
Protect me, for I am devoted to you.
Save me, for I serve you and trust you.
You are my God.
Be merciful to me, O Lord,
for I am calling on you constantly.
Give me happiness, O Lord,
for I give myself to you.
(Photo Credit: Michael Chacon)
O Lord, God of my salvation,
I cry out to you by day.
I come to you at night.
Now hear my prayer;
listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
and death draws near.
(Photo Credit: Adam King)
Lord, hear my prayer!
Listen to my plea!
Don’t turn away from me
in my time of distress.
Bend down to listen,
and answer me quickly when I call to you.
For my days disappear like smoke,
and my bones burn like red-hot coals.
My heart is sick, withered like grass,
and I have lost my appetite.
(Photo Credit: Egor Myznik)
PSALM 109:21-26
But deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord,
for the sake of your own reputation!
Rescue me
because you are so faithful and good.
For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is full of pain.
I am fading like a shadow at dusk;
I am brushed off like a locust.
My knees are weak from fasting,
and I am skin and bones.
I am a joke to people everywhere;
when they see me, they shake their heads in scorn.
Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me because of your unfailing love.
(Photo Credit: Tanya Grypachevskaya)
I am worn out waiting for your rescue,
but I have put my hope in your word.
My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.
When will you comfort me?
(Photo Credit: Joyce G)
Listen to my prayer;
rescue me as you promised.
Let praise flow from my lips,
for you have taught me your decrees.
Let my tongue sing about your word,
for all your commands are right.
Give me a helping hand,
for I have chosen to follow your commandments.
(Photo Credit: Krzysztof Kowalik)
From the depths of despair, O Lord,
I call for your help.
Hear my cry, O Lord.
Pay attention to my prayer.
(Photo Credit: takahiro taguchi)
The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me.
(Photo Credit: Hans Ripa)
PSALM 141:1-2
O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry!
Listen when I cry to you for help!
Accept my prayer as incense offered to you,
and my upraised hands as an evening offering.
(Photo Credit: Marcel Knupfer)
I cry out to the Lord;
I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
I pour out my complaints before him
and tell him all my troubles.
When I am overwhelmed,
you alone know the way I should turn.
(Photo Credit: Levi Meir Clancy)
Come quickly, Lord, and answer me,
for my depression deepens.
Don’t turn away from me,
or I will die.
Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.
(Photo Credit: Dan Asaki)
For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life.
Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.
(Photo Credit: Jenn Theodore)