Book of Common Prayer
The Lord’s Eternal Love
A Prayer of the afflicted, (A)when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord.
102 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And let my cry come to You.
2 (B)Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
3 For my days [a]are (C)consumed like smoke,
And my bones are burned like a hearth.
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass,
So that I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning
My bones cling to my [b]skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I lie awake,
And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
8 My enemies reproach me all day long;
Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
And I wither away like grass.
12 But You, O Lord, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
15 So the [c]nations shall (D)fear the name of the Lord,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For the Lord shall build up Zion;
(E)He shall appear in His glory.
17 (F)He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.
18 This will be (G)written for the generation to come,
That (H)a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.
19 For He (I)looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven the Lord viewed the earth,
20 (J)To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death,
21 To (K)declare the name of the Lord in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 (L)When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23 He weakened my strength in the way;
He (M)shortened my days.
24 (N)I said, “O my God,
Do not take me away in the midst of my days;
(O)Your years are throughout all generations.
25 (P)Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 (Q)They will perish, but You will [d]endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
27 But (R)You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
28 (S)The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.”
A Plea for Relief from Persecutors
A (A)Contemplation[a] of David. A Prayer (B)when he was in the cave.
142 I cry out to the Lord with my voice;
With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.
3 When my spirit [b]was (C)overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
They have secretly (D)set a snare for me.
4 Look on my right hand and see,
For there is no one who acknowledges me;
Refuge has failed me;
No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, O Lord:
I said, “You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
6 [c]Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.
7 Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may (E)praise Your name;
The righteous shall surround me,
For You shall deal bountifully with me.”
An Earnest Appeal for Guidance and Deliverance
A Psalm of David.
143 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
(F)For in Your sight no one living is righteous.
3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in [d]darkness,
Like those who have long been dead.
4 (G)Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
My heart within me is distressed.
5 (H)I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I [e]muse on the work of Your hands.
6 I spread out my hands to You;
(I)My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah
7 Answer me speedily, O Lord;
My spirit fails!
Do not hide Your face from me,
(J)Lest I [f]be like those who [g]go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness (K)in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
(L)Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For (M)I lift up my soul to You.
Jeremiah’s Unpopular Ministry
7 O Lord, You [a]induced me, and I was persuaded;
(A)You are stronger than I, and have prevailed.
(B)I am [b]in derision daily;
Everyone mocks me.
8 For when I spoke, I cried out;
(C)I shouted, “Violence and plunder!”
Because the word of the Lord was made to me
A reproach and a derision daily.
9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a (D)burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And (E)I could not.
10 (F)For I heard many [c]mocking:
“Fear on every side!”
“Report,” they say, “and we will report it!”
(G)All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying,
“Perhaps he can be induced;
Then we will prevail against him,
And we will take our revenge on him.”
Flee from Idolatry
14 Therefore, my beloved, (A)flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to (B)wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 (C)The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the [a]communion of the blood of Christ? (D)The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For (E)we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.
Examine Yourself
27 Therefore whoever eats (A)this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and [a]blood of the Lord. 28 But (B)let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks [b]in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the [c]Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many [d]sleep. 31 For (C)if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, (D)we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
Jesus Prays for Himself
17 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, (A)the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 (B)as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He [a]should give eternal life to as many (C)as You have given Him. 3 And (D)this is eternal life, that they may know You, (E)the only true God, and Jesus Christ (F)whom You have sent. 4 (G)I have glorified You on the earth. (H)I have finished the work (I)which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together [b]with Yourself, with the glory (J)which I had with You before the world was.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 (K)“I have [c]manifested Your name to the men (L)whom You have given Me out of the world. (M)They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words (N)which You have given Me; and they have received them, (O)and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that (P)You sent Me.
9 “I pray for them. (Q)I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and (R)Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 (S)Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, (T)keep[d] through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one (U)as We are. 12 While I was with them [e]in the world, (V)I kept them in [f]Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and (W)none of them is [g]lost (X)except the son of [h]perdition, (Y)that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; (Z)and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, (AA)just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but (AB)that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 (AC)Sanctify[i] them by Your truth. (AD)Your word is truth. 18 (AE)As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And (AF)for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who [j]will believe in Me through their word; 21 (AG)that they all may be one, as (AH)You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the (AI)glory which You gave Me I have given them, (AJ)that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; (AK)that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
24 (AL)“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; (AM)for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! (AN)The world has not known You, but (AO)I have known You; and (AP)these have known that You sent Me. 26 (AQ)And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love (AR)with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.