Praying Psalm 10 for Haiti.

¹ Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

² In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.

³ He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.

⁴ In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

⁵ His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.

⁶ He says to himself, "Nothing will shake me; I'll always be happy and never have trouble."

⁷ His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.

⁸ He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.

⁹ He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.

¹⁰ His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.

¹¹ He says to himself, "God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees."

¹² Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.

¹³ Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"?

¹⁴ But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.

¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.

¹⁶ The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.

^{17 - 18} You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

I woke up this morning feeling an intense need to spend some focused time with God, but I was not sure regarding what. As I took my coffee and Bible to the porch I was bombarded by every possible distraction (this is Liberia). I was quickly frustrated, annoyed and loosing focus. Praying for clarity I turned to Psalm 10 and started reading. Haiti came to mind instantly--

I am pretty isolated here, no TV news to keep me updated by the minute. I heard about the earthquake through friends facebook statuses. I haven't seen much, but am haunted by what I have seen and heard. The pictures of the people there really remind me of Liberia. Haiti and Liberia are actually very similar and it is hitting close to home. I am imagining if something like that happened here, to the people and country I have come to love so much. So much devastation, it seems too much for so many who were already suffering to take. Being here, I don't know what to do or really how to pray.

This morning the need was so intense I even found myself asking-- "God, am I supposed to go to Haiti or pray for Haiti?" And he said pray. So I used Psalm 10 as an outline because I honestly didn't know where else to start.

If you are feeling as helpless and overwhelmed as I am, maybe you can start there too. It is the least and best we can do.

"Prayers are powerful and effective not because they alter God's providential plan but because they are a part of it."