Psalms  ◦   Chapter 7

1O Lord my Creator, I am only safe united with you.
Rescue me from the selfishness that pursues me

2lest, like a lion, it tears my inner self — my individuality — apart,
dragging me away from your love, beyond your healing power.

3O Lord my God, if I prefer sin-sickness — selfishness and fear —
and I reject your designs of love;

4if I endanger my friends
by encouraging their selfish enemies,

5then let my enemies shut me down,
let them stomp the dysfunctional life out of me
and let me sleep peacefully in the dust.

6Let your anger arise, O Lord;
rise up against selfishness — my worst enemy.
Intervene now, my God, eradicate selfishness — put things right.

7Bring all humanity back into unity with you;
reign in their hearts as the God they love and trust.

8Let the Lord govern all people.
Govern me, O Lord, restore your righteous design within me;
restore me completely to your ideal.

9O God, the source of right — the standard of life and health —
search our minds and hearts,
eradicate selfishness, violence, evil — all deviations from your design —
and immunize those who trust you from all lies, fear and selfishness.

10My God — the Creator, Builder and Sustainer of reality — is my protector;
he heals those whose hearts choose love and truth.

11My God — the Creator and standard of life and health — diagnoses perfectly;
he constantly seeks to destroy sin-sickness — deviations from His design.

12If the sin-sick refuse to partake of God’s remedy,
God will sharpen his scalpel — the sword of truth;
he sets his bow to let them go.

13He prepares to cease holding their demise at bay —
to let loose his arrows to destroy the source of pain, suffering and death.

14Those who allow selfishness to grow within them
think up self-justifying excuses that deny their terminal condition.

15Their lies dig themselves in deep —
deeper into the pit of self-deception.

16The unhealthy choices they make cause them more injury;
their persistent selfishness hardens their own hearts.

17I give thanks to God because his ways are the ways of life and health,
and I praise the character of the Creator God of love.