Book of Common Prayer
A prayer by the afflicted man who is overwhelmed and talks about his troubles with the Lord.
A Prayer for Help
102 Lord, hear my prayer!
May my cry for help come to you.
2 Do not hide your face from me when I am in trouble.
Listen to me.
When I call to out you,
hurry to answer me!
3 For my days are vanishing like smoke;
my bones are charred as in a fireplace.
4 Withered like grass, my heart is overwhelmed,
and I have even forgotten to eat my food.
5 Because of the sound of my sighing,
my bones cling to my skin.
6 I resemble a pelican in the wilderness
or an owl in a desolate land.
7 I lie awake,
yet I am like a bird isolated on a rooftop.
8 My enemies revile me all day long;
those who ridicule me use my name to curse.
9 I have eaten ashes as food
and mixed my drink with tears
10 because of your indignation and wrath,
when you lifted and threw me away.
11 My life is[a] like a declining shadow,
and I am withering like a plant.
12 But you, Lord, are enthroned forever;
You are remembered throughout all generations.
13 You will arise to extend compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show her favor—
the appointed time has come.
14 Your servants take pleasure in its stones
and delight in its debris.
15 Nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth, your splendor.
16 When the Lord rebuilds Zion,
he will appear in his glory.
17 He will turn to the prayer of the destitute,
not despising their prayer.
18 Write this for the next generation,
that a people yet to be created will praise the Lord.
19 For when he looked down from his holy heights—
the Lord looked over the earth from heaven—
20 to listen to the groans of prisoners,
to set free those condemned to death,
21 so they would declare the name of the Lord in Zion
and his praise in Jerusalem,
22 when people and kingdoms gather together
to serve the Lord.
23 He has weakened my[b] strength along the way.[c]
He has cut short my days.
24 I say, “My God, whose years continue through all generations,
do not take me in the middle of my life.
25 You established the earth long ago;
the heavens are the work[d] of your hands.
26 They will perish,
but you will remain;
and they all will become worn out,[e] like a garment.
You[f] will change them like clothing,
and they will pass away.
27 But you remain the same;
your years never end.
28 May the descendants of your servants live securely,
and may their children be established in your presence.”
A Davidic Song, when he was in the cave.[a] A prayer.
A Call to God for Help
142 My voice cries out to the Lord;
my voice pleads for mercy to the Lord.
2 I pour out my complaint to him,
telling him all of my troubles.
3 Though my spirit grows faint within me,
you are aware of my path.
Wherever I go,
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 I look to my right[b] and observe—
no one is concerned about me.
There is nowhere I can go for refuge,
and no one cares for me.
5 So I cry to you, Lord,
declaring, “You are my refuge,
my only[c] possession while I am on this earth.”[d]
6 Pay attention to my cry,
for I have been brought very low.
Deliver me from my tormentors,
for they are far too strong for me.
7 Break me out of this prison,
so I can give thanks to your name.
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal generously with me.
A Davidic Song
Longing for God
143 Lord, hear my prayer;
pay attention to my request, because you are faithful;
answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant,
for no living person is righteous in your sight.
3 For those who oppose me are pursuing my life,
crushing me to the ground,
making me sit in darkness
like those who died long ago.
4 As a result, my spirit is desolate within me,
and my mind within me is appalled.
5 I remember the former times,
meditating on everything you have done.
I think about the work[e] of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands toward you,
longing for you like a parched land.
7 Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit is failing.
Do not hide your face from me;
otherwise, I will become like those who descend to the Pit.[f]
8 In the morning let me hear of your gracious love,
for in you I trust.
Cause me to know the way I should take,
because I have set my hope on you.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, Lord.
I have taken refuge in you.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
preserve my life.
Because you are righteous,
bring me out of trouble.
12 Because of your gracious love,
you will cut off my enemies.
You will destroy all who oppose me,
for I am your servant.
Jeremiah’s Complaint to the Lord
7 You deceived me, Lord,
and I’ve been deceived.
You overpowered me,
and you prevailed.
I’ve become a laughing stock all day long,
and everyone mocks me.
8 Indeed, as often as I speak, I cry out,
and shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For this message from the Lord has caused me
constant[a] reproach and derision.
9 When I say, “I won’t remember the Lord[b],
nor will I speak in his name anymore,
then there is this burning fire in my heart.
It is bound up in my bones,
I grow weary of trying to hold it in,
and I cannot do it!
10 Indeed, I hear many people whispering,
“Terror on every side.[c]
Denounce him, let’s denounce him!”
All my close friends watch my steps and say,
“Perhaps he will be deceived,
and we can prevail against him
and take vengeance on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me like a fearsome warrior.
Therefore, those who pursue me will stumble
and won’t prevail.
They’ll be put to great shame,
when they don’t succeed.
Their everlasting disgrace won’t be forgotten.
14 And so, my dear friends, keep on running away from idolatry. 15 I am talking to sensible people. Apply what I am saying to yourselves. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless is our fellowship in the blood of the Messiah,[a] isn’t it? The bread that we break is our fellowship in the body of the Messiah,[b] isn’t it? 17 Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, because all of us eat from the same loaf.
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks from the cup in an unworthy manner will be held responsible for the Lord’s body and blood. 28 A person must examine himself and then eat the bread and drink from the cup, 29 because whoever eats and drinks[a] without recognizing the body,[b] eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That’s why so many of you are weak and sick and a considerable number are dying.[c] 31 But if we judged ourselves correctly, we would not be judged. 32 Now, while we are being judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so we won’t[d] be condemned along with the world.
Jesus Prays for Himself, His Disciples, and His Future Followers
17 After Jesus had said this, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, so that the Son may glorify you. 2 For[a] you have given him authority over all humanity[b] so that he might give eternal life to all those you gave him. 3 And this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent—Jesus the Messiah.[c] 4 I glorified you on earth by completing the task you gave me to do.
5 “So now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed. 6 I have made your name known to these men whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they realize that everything you gave me comes from you, 8 because the words that you gave me I passed on to them. They have received them and know for sure that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me.
9 “I am asking on their behalf. I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All that is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine, and I have been glorified through them. 11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your Name, the Name[d] that you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them by the authority[e] that you gave me. I guarded them, and not one of them became lost except the one who was destined for[f] destruction, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 “And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I don’t belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one. 16 They don’t belong to the world, just as I don’t belong to the world.
17 “Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 It is for their sakes that I sanctify myself, so that they, too, may be sanctified by the truth. 20 I ask not only on behalf of these men,[g] but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their message, 21 so that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one[h] in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.
22 “I have given them the glory that you gave me, so that they may be one, just as we are one. 23 I am in them, and you are in me. May they be completely one, so that the world may know that you sent me and that you have loved them as you loved me. 24 Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am and to see my glory, which you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, the world has never known you. Yet I have known you, and these men have known that you sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have for me[i] may be in them and I myself may be in them.”
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