Book of Common Prayer

Song of Thanks for Being Kept Safe

18 I love You, O Lord, my strength. ² The Lord is my rock, and my safe place, and the One Who takes me out of trouble. My God is my rock, in Whom I am safe. He is my safe-covering, my saving strength, and my strong tower. ³ I call to the Lord, Who has the right to be praised. And I am saved from those who hate me.

⁴ The ropes of death were all around me. The floods of death make me afraid. ⁵ The ropes of the grave were all around me. The traps of death were set for me. ⁶ I called to the Lord in my trouble. I cried to God for help. He heard my voice from His holy house. My cry for help came into His ears.

⁷ Then the earth shook. The mountains were shaking. They shook because He was angry. ⁸ Smoke went out from His nose and the fire that kept coming from His mouth burned everything around it. ⁹ He parted the heavens and came down. Dark clouds were under His feet. ¹⁰ He sat upon a cherub and flew. He traveled on the wings of the wind. ¹¹ He made darkness His hiding place, the covering around Him, the dark rain clouds of the sky. ¹² Through the light before Him passed His dark clouds, hail stones and fire. ¹³ The Lord made thunder in the heavens. The voice of the Most High spoke out, hail stones and fire. ¹⁴ He sent out His arrows and divided them. He threw down lightning and sent them running. ¹⁵ Then the deep part of the sea could be seen. And the deep part of the earth was opened up, because of Your sharp words, O Lord, because of the powerful breath from Your nose.

¹⁶ He sent from above, and took me. He lifted me out of many waters. ¹⁷ He took me away from the powerful one who fights against me, and from those who hated me. They were too strong for me. ¹⁸ They stood against me in the day of my trouble. But the Lord was my strength. ¹⁹ He brought me out into a big place. He gave me a safe place, because He was pleased with me.

²⁰ The Lord has paid me because of my being right with Him. Because of my clean hands He has paid me. ²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord. And I have not sinned by turning from my God. ²² All His Laws are in front of me. I have not set His Laws aside. ²³ Before Him I was without blame. And I have kept myself from sin. ²⁴ So the Lord has paid me back for being right with Him, and for my hands being clean in His eyes.

²⁵ To the faithful, You show Yourself faithful. To those without blame, You show Yourself without blame. ²⁶ With the pure, You show Yourself pure. With the sinful You show Yourself to be against them. ²⁷ You save those who are suffering, but You bring low those who have pride in their eyes. ²⁸ You make my lamp bright. The Lord my God lights my darkness. ²⁹ With Your help I can go against many soldiers. With my God I can jump over a wall.

³⁰ As for God, His way is perfect. The Word of the Lord has stood the test. He is a covering for all who go to Him for a safe place. ³¹ For Who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock except our God? ³² It is God Who covers me with strength and makes my way perfect. ³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. And He sets me on my high places. ³⁴ He teaches me how to fight, so that I can use a bow of brass. ³⁵ You have also given me the covering that saves me. Your right hand holds me up. And Your care has made me great. ³⁶ You make the road wide for my steps, and my feet have not tripped.

³⁷ I went after those who fight against me, and caught them. And I did not return until they were destroyed. ³⁸ I hit them so they were not able to rise. They fell under my feet. ³⁹ You have given me strength for war. You have put under me those who have fought against me. ⁴⁰ You have made them turn their backs to me also. And I destroyed those who hated me. ⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was no one to save. They cried to the Lord, but He did not answer them. ⁴² Then I beat them as small as the dust in the wind. I emptied them out like mud in the streets.

⁴³ You have taken me away from the fighting of the people. You have made me the leader of nations. People whom I have not known will serve me. ⁴⁴ As soon as they hear, they obey me. Those from other lands obey me. ⁴⁵ These people from other lands lose their strength of heart. And they come shaking from behind their walls. ⁴⁶ The Lord lives! How great is my Rock! Praise be to the God Who saves me! ⁴⁷ He is the God Who punishes those who have done wrong to me. He puts nations under my rule. ⁴⁸ He saves me from those who hate me. Yes, You lift me above those who rise up against me. You save me from those who want to hurt me. ⁴⁹ So I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Lord. And I will sing praises to Your name. ⁵⁰ He gives His king great power over trouble. And He shows loving-kindness to His chosen one, to David, and to his children after him forever.

¹³ Then three of the thirty leaders went down to David during the gathering time to the cave of Adullam. The Philistine army was staying in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴ David was in the strong place, while the Philistine soldiers were in Bethlehem. ¹⁵ David had a desire and said, “If only someone would give me water to drink from the well by the gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁶ So the three strong men broke through the Philistine army and took water from the well by the gate of Bethlehem. They brought it to David. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the Lord, ¹⁷ and said, “O Lord, far be it from me to do this. Should I drink the blood of the men who went and put their lives in danger?” So he would not drink it. The three strong men did these things.

¹ The church leader writes to the chosen lady and to her children. I love you because of the truth. I am not the only one who loves you. All who know the truth love you. ² It is because the truth is in us and will be with us forever. ³ Loving-favor and loving-kindness and peace are ours as we live in truth and love. These come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of the Father.

⁴ I am happy to find some of your children living in the truth as the Father has said we should. ⁵ And now I ask you, lady, that we have love one for the other. I am not writing to you about a new Law but an old one we have had from the beginning. ⁶ Love means that we should live by obeying His Word. From the beginning He has said in His Word that our hearts should be full of love.

⁷ There are many false teachers in the world. They do not say that Jesus Christ came in a human body. Such a person does not tell the truth. He is the false-christ. ⁸ Watch yourselves! You do not want to lose what we have worked for. You want to get what has been promised to you.

⁹ Anyone who goes too far and does not live by the teachings of Christ does not have God. If you live by what Christ taught, you have both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If a person comes to you with some other kind of teaching, do not take him into your home. Do not even greet him. ¹¹ The person who does has a share in his sins.

¹² I have many things to write to you. I do not want to write them in this letter. But I hope to come to you soon. Then we can talk about these things together that your joy may be full. ¹³ The children of your chosen sister greet you.

The Powerful Work at the Wedding of Cana

2 Three days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in the country of Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there. ² Jesus and His followers were asked to come to the wedding. ³ When the wine was all gone, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no more wine.” ⁴ Jesus said to her, “Woman, what is that to you and to Me. It is not time for Me to work yet.” ⁵ His mother said to the helpers, “Do whatever He says.”

⁶ Six stone water jars were there. Each one held about one-half barrel of water. These water jars were used in the Jewish worship of washing. ⁷ Jesus said to the helpers, “Fill the jars with water.” They filled them to the top. ⁸ Then He said, “Take some out and give it to the head man who is caring for the people.” They took some to him. ⁹ The head man tasted the water that had become wine. He did not know where it came from but the helpers who took it to him knew. He called the man who had just been married. ¹⁰ The head man said to him, “Everyone puts out his best wine first. After people have had much to drink, he puts out the wine that is not so good. You have kept the good wine until now!”

¹¹ This was the first powerful work Jesus did. It was done in Cana of Galilee where He showed His power. His followers put their trust in Him.