Praying from the MESSAGE version of The Book of Psalms: 

God! God! I am running to you for dear life; the chase is wild. If they catch me, I’m finished (7:1, 2). God! Please hurry to my rescue! God, come quickly to my side (70:1). God, give grace, get me up on my feet (41:10). I run for dear life to God, I’ll never live to regret it. Do what you do so well: get me out of this mess and up on my feet (71:1, 2). Make a show of how much you love me so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed, as you, God, gently and powerfully put me back on my feet (86:17). I’m feeling terrible—I couldn’t feel worse! Get me on my feet again. You promised, remember (119:25)?

I waited and waited and waited for you. At last you looked; finally you listened. You lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. You stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn’t slip (40:1, 2)?

When I run to you God, you save me (37:40). You did everything you promised, and I’m thanking you with all my heart. You pulled me from the brink of death, my feet from the cliff-edge of doom. Now I stroll at leisure with you in the sunlit fields of life (56:12, 13).

I bless you, God! I give you a thunderous welcome! Didn’t you set me on the road to life? Didn’t you keep me out of the ditch (66:8, 9)? Yes, because You are my refuge, You the High God my very own home, evil can’t get close to me; harm can’t get through the door. You ordered your angels to guard me wherever I go. If I stumble, they’ll catch me; their job is to keep me from falling (91:9–12).

I said to myself, “Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings. Soul, you’ve been rescued from death; Eye, you’ve been rescued from tears; and you, Foot, were kept from stumbling” (116:7, 8).

God, you make everything come out right; you put victims like me back on my feet (103:6). Blessed be you Lord – day after day you carry me along (68:19). Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength (138:2, 3). Really! There’s no such thing as self-rescue, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps (49:7).

Sandhu, T.J. (2013). Walking with God: Praying through footwork metaphors in scripture. Unpublished manuscript.