At one time or another, most wilderness travelers experience the desperate feeling of being utterly alone and lost.  The Psalms remind us that others have suffered through the wilderness and have discovered that God is faithful.  May these selected Psalms bring refreshment, comfort, and the hope that no matter how barren the landscape or how weary you become, God will never abandon you.

Others have journeyed through the wilderness before us.
Lord, have mercy. I am in misery.
My eyes are weak from so much crying.
My whole being is tired from grief.
My life is ending in sadness.
My years are spent in crying.
My troubles are using up my strength.
My bones are getting weaker.
Because of all my troubles, my enemies hate me.
Even my neighbors look down on me.
When my friends see me, they are afraid and run.
I am like a piece of a broken pot.
I am forgotten as if I were dead.
Psalm 31:9-12 NCV

God will not reject those who suffer.
For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him.
But has listened to his cry for help.
Psalm 22:24 NIV

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The Lord redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
Psalm 34:18, 22 NIV

Take heart! We can safely place our confidence in God.
Hear my voice when I call, O Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, Seek his face!
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior. . . .
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27: 7-9,13-14 NIV

God's love for us cannot even be measured.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, 
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:8-14 NIV

We can call out to God and share our deepest needs.
God, save me.
The water has risen to my neck.
I'm sinking down into the mud.
There is nothing to stand on.
I am in deep water.
The flood covers me.
I am tired from calling for help.
My throat is sore.
My eyes are tired from waiting
for God to help me. . . .
But I pray to you, Lord.
I pray that you will accept me.
God, because of your great love, answer me.
You are truly able to save.
Pull me from the mud.
Do not let me sink.
Save me from those who hate me
and from the deep water.
Do not let the flood drown me.
Do not let the deep water swallow me.
Do not let the grave close its mouth over me.
Lord, answer me because your love is so good.
Because of your great kindness, turn to me.
Do not hide from me, your servant.
I am in trouble. Hurry to help me!
Psalm 69:1-3; 13-17 NCV

God's love is a secure refuge.
Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, "My foot is slipping,"
your love, O Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
yur consolation brought joy to my soul . . . the Lord has become my fortress,
and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
Psalm 94:17-22