Jerusalem’s broken wall far off on its ridge on a gray morning, a few small dark birds wheeling in the pale air above it.

Lament · Asaph

Psalm 79

The ones who loved God most are dead and unburied, and everyone is laughing. Say so to Him.

13 verses≈ 3 minBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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Where we are

1–41Book IDavid's prayers: 'The LORD is my shepherd'
42–72Book II'As the deer pants'; the throne under pressure
73–89Book IIIAsaph and Korah: the kingdom fallsPsalm 79
90–106Book IVBack to Moses: the LORD reigns
107–150Book VSongs of ascents, and the last Hallelujah

A Prayer for Deliverance

A narrow Jerusalem lane choked with tumbled stone, one charred doorpost still standing, gray light, nobody there.

A Psalm of Asaph.

The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance;

they have defiled Your holy temple

and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

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They have given the corpses of Your servants

as food to the birds of the air,

the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.

They have poured out their blood like water

all around Jerusalem,

and there is no one to bury the dead.

We have become a reproach to our neighbors,

a scorn and derision to those around us.

Pour out Your wrath on the nations

that do not acknowledge You,

on the kingdoms

that refuse to call on Your name,

for they have devoured Jacob

and devastated his homeland.

Reflect

Carry it to Him

This psalm brings the suffering of God’s people to Him, in plain words. Whose suffering do you need to carry to Him today? Write down what has happened to them, as bluntly as the psalm does.

An old woman seen from behind, seated among the fallen stones of a village house, her head bowed, a small bundle at her side.

Do not hold past sins against us;

let Your compassion come quickly,

for we are brought low.

Help us, O God of our salvation,

for the glory of Your name;

deliver us and atone for our sins,

for the sake of Your name.

Why should the nations ask,

“Where is their God?”

Before our eyes, make known among the nations

Your vengeance for the bloodshed of Your servants.

A wide slow canal in Babylonia at dusk, poplars along the bank, still brown water, nobody in view.

May the groans of the captives reach You;

by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.

Pay back into the laps of our neighbors

sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.

Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,

will thank You forever;

from generation to generation

we will declare Your praise.

0:21

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Pray

Pray verses 8 and 9

Make these lines your own. “Do not hold past sins against us; let Your compassion come quickly.” Then ask for the one thing you can’t do for yourself: “deliver us and atone for our sins, for the sake of Your name.”

You’ve experienced

Psalm 79

0 of 150 psalms read

A verse to carry with you

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for the sake of Your name.

Psalm 79:9

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