Psalms 38-42: The Desperate Cry of the Believer Struggling in a Terrible Fight With Sin That Won’t Go Away

For a full list of prayers available through this podcast and our website, please follow this link: 

https://psalm71.podbean.com/e/full-list-of-available-prayers-1513057365/

 

NOTE:  This prayer has been recorded TWICE, first for listening and agreeing, then again for repeating. 

This prayer is a composite of portions of each of the Psalms ranging from 38 to 42. 

The struggle against besetting sin can be a particularly long and vicious struggle, sometimes spanning an entire lifetime, and often even more so for those who have suffered through the terrors of sexual and emotional abuse, ritual abuse, strong manipulation, mind control, and deep involvement in the dark arts of magic and sorcery. 

The believer who relapses into sin, because of the overwhelming force of the enemy, must at one and the same time never lose their determination to repent, keeping faith in the Word and the sovereignty of God, but also ever keep in mind that not only have true seekers of God from the beginning of the world suffered from these same afflictions of temptation, failure, guilt, doubt, and despair, but their failures and their feelings are spoken of in clear and certain terms in the scriptures. 

There is almost nothing more wretched and painful than to be a believer who has relapsed into besetting and recurring sins, especially where the reality of demonic presence and oppression is altogether discernible within that field of struggle. The enemy is merciless in their mockings, accusations, condemnations, and declarations of damnation, in threatening complete failure and the loss of salvation in Jesus Christ. 

This prayer describes the cry of bitter pain and dread, as given to us by the Word of God, when a believer has been worn out, beaten up, falling backwards or down, even to the point of wondering if they have been abandoned by God. Any believer suffering in this state must keep in mind not only the Psalms included in this prayer, but also these: 

James 1

2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 

3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 

4. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 

Hebrews 10

15. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,

16. This is the covenant that I shall make with them after those days, says Yahweh: I shall put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I shall write them,

17. And their sins and their iniquities I shall remember no more.

31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

32. But remember the former days, in which, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly while you were made both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you become companions of them that were so used.