In his book Psalms with a Friend George Love recommends writing Psalm prayers after reading and reflecting on them. Here is my Psalm 18 prayer:
God of the Sabbath, my enemies surround me and disturb me. I have been restless and have desperately tried to fight back, overextending myself. I panicked. Then I cried out to you. I asked my friends to pray for me. You heard my cries. You answered our prayers. You delivered me from the deadly ways of desperation and gave me restorative rest.
And from Psalm 35:
Then I will rejoice in the LORD.
     I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body
     I will praise him.
Lord, who can compare with you?
    Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? (Psalm 35.9-10)
… give great joy to those who came to my defense.
         Let them continually say, ‘Great is the LORD,
              who delights in blessing his servant with peace!’
        Then I will proclaim your justice,
             and I will praise you all day long.  (Psalm 35:27-28)
Lord, I did nothing to deserve bipolar yet it has furiously attacked my mind. Even my body wastes away with grief. As I look back on the 27 years since my diagnosis, LORD, I marvel at how when even my mind abandoned me, you did not. When I was trapped in terrible cycles of feverish mania and bleak despair, I see that you were with me all along. You, loving Lord, have come to me in my helpless state and given me hope. For this, I will give you thanks and praise as long as I have breath. I will delight in you my whole life long.
Psalm 36:
Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
     your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains;
    your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for animals and people alike, O LORD.
   How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings,
    You feed them from the abundance of your house,
     letting them drink from your river of delights. (Psalm 36.5-8)
We are your rescue animals, Lord God. You lead us and feed us, correct us and protect us. In your abundant love we find a generous portion of all we need and more to share.  Lord, we delight in you because you first delight in us. You pour streams of justice, righteousness, and mercy on us and we are strengthened to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbling with you in the Spirit of the One who came to save, not to be saved — Jesus Christ.

And finally, Psalm 37:

Be still in the presence of the LORD
and wait patiently for him to act. (Psalm 37:7a)

You lead me beside still waters, Good Shepherd. For over 40 years the rush of waves have troubled my brain. I have strained to hear Your voice over the cacophony of voices trying to drown it out. Yesterday the voices were silenced, thanks no doubt to you working through the right cocktail of psychotropics and blend of therapy, diet, activity, and rest. I have no doubt prayer played a huge role and I am grateful for each prayer said on my behalf. No matter how long these symptoms are in remission, I will sing your praises my whole life long.

What is next for me? My mission so far has been sharing the hope of Christ’s love while living with symptoms. What will it look like if it becomes more about making the most of my gifts while healing? Guide me beside still waters, Lord. I will listen intently for your voice as I quiet my heart and mind in devotional moments like these. Speak to me when you are ready. I will wait patiently.

 

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