Catechesis Notes for the Week — Psalm 142: A Prayer for Relief from Persecutors—When we, as Christians, feel as if we are all alone, the Lord is with us. He who endured every form of persecution and testing for us, stands with us when our faith is assaulted by an entire world that is hostile to the Gospel. Psalm 142 is a fervent prayer for relief: “I cry out to the Lord…I pour out my complaint…I declare before Him my trouble…” The Lord wants us to lean upon Him. He knows everything we are facing and He knows what the future holds: “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path.” All other helpers fail us. Only the Lord stands with us. “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living…Deliver me from my persecutors.” Our enemies and persecutors may be stronger than we, but they are not stronger than the Lord Jesus who has trampled sin, Satan, and death under His feet. Because we belong to Him, we are safe and the Lord shall deal bountifully with us for our good and the preservation of our faith.