Psalm 86

Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me;

For I am poor and needy.

Preserve my life, for I am holy;

You are my God.
Save Your servant who trusts in You! 
Be merciful to me, O Lord,
For I cry to You all day long.
Rejoice the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.
In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me.

Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;
Nor are there any works like Your works.
All nations whom You have made 
Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And shall glorify Your name.
For You are great, and do woundrous things;
You alone are God.

Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
For great is Your mercy toward me,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol...

But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me!  
Give Your strength to Your servant...
Show me a sign for good...
Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

What a comfort it is to know that even David begged God to listen when He seemed distant.  

It has been good to be surrounded by family this week, re-awakening the family jokes to keep life lively.  But I know we are not only surrounded by family;  Many are even now surrounding us with abundant prayers, and they are not unnoticed.  

How hard it is to see God's goodness sometimes, but we are told He is an ever-present help.  Praise the Lord for filling us with Himself in hardship.