Book of Common Prayer
Praise to God the King
A song of praise. Of David.
145 I praise your greatness, my God the King.
I will praise you forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day.
I will praise you forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great. He is worthy of our praise.
No one can understand how great he is.
4 Parents will tell their children what you have done.
They will retell your mighty acts,
5 wonderful majesty and glory.
And I will think about your miracles.
6 They will tell about the amazing things you do.
I will tell how great you are.
7 They will remember your great goodness.
They will sing about your fairness.
8 The Lord is kind and shows mercy.
He does not become angry quickly but is full of love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone.
He is merciful to all he has made.
10 Lord, everything you have made will praise you.
Those who belong to you will bless you.
11 They will tell about the glory of your kingdom.
They will speak about your power.
12 Then everyone will know what powerful things you do.
They will know about the glory and majesty of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will continue forever.
And you will be King from now on.
The Lord will keep his promises.
With love he takes care of all he has made.
14 The Lord helps those who have been defeated.
He takes care of those who are in trouble.
15 All living things look to you for food.
And you give it to them at the right time.
16 You open your hand,
and you satisfy all living things.
17 Everything the Lord does is right.
With love he takes care of all he has made.
18 The Lord is close to everyone who prays to him,
to all who truly pray to him.
19 He gives those who fear him what they want.
He listens when they cry, and he saves them.
20 The Lord protects everyone who loves him.
But he will destroy the wicked.
21 I will praise the Lord.
Let everyone praise his holy name forever.
Praise to God Who Made the World
104 My whole being, praise the Lord.
Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with glory and majesty.
2 You wear light like a robe.
You stretch out the skies like a tent.
3 You build your room above the clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot.
You ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers.
Flames of fire are your servants.
5 You built the earth on its foundations.
So it can never be moved.
6 You covered the earth with oceans.
The water was above the mountains.
7 But at your command, the water rushed away.
When you gave your orders like thunder, it hurried away.
8 The mountains rose.
The valleys sank.
The water went to the places you made for it.
9 You set borders for the seas that they cannot cross.
The water will never cover the earth again.
10 You make springs pour into the ravines.
They flow between the mountains.
11 They water all the wild animals.
The wild donkeys come there to drink.
12 Wild birds make nests by the water.
They sing among the tree branches.
13 You water the mountains from above.
The earth is full of the things you made.
14 You make the grass for cattle
and vegetables for the use of man.
You make food grow from the earth.
15 You give us wine that makes happy hearts.
And you give us olive oil that makes our faces shine.
You give us bread that gives us strength.
16 The Lord’s trees have plenty of water.
They are the cedar trees of Lebanon, which he planted.
17 The birds make their nests there.
The stork’s home is in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats.
The rocks are hiding places for the badgers.
19 You made the moon to mark the seasons.
And the sun always knows when to set.
20 You make it dark, and it becomes night.
Then all the wild animals creep around.
21 The lions roar as they attack.
They look to God for food.
22 When the sun rises, they leave.
They go back to their dens to lie down.
23 Then people go to work.
And they work until evening.
24 Lord, you have made many things.
With your wisdom you made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.
25 Look at the sea, so big and wide.
Its creatures large and small cannot be counted.
26 Ships travel over the ocean.
And there is the sea monster Leviathan,
which you made to play there.
27 All these things depend on you
to give them their food at the right time.
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up.
When you open your hand, they are filled with good food.
29 When you turn away from them,
they become frightened.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn into dust.
30 When you breathe on them,
they are created.
You make the land new again.
31 May the glory of the Lord be forever.
May the Lord enjoy what he has made.
32 He just looks at the earth, and it shakes.
He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life.
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
34 May my thoughts please him.
I am happy in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be destroyed from the earth.
Let the wicked people live no longer.
My whole being, praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
A Song of Praise to God
25 Lord, you are my God.
I honor you and praise you.
You have done amazing things.
You have always done what you said you would.
You have done what you planned long ago.
2 You have made the city a pile of rocks.
You have destroyed her walls.
The city our enemies built with strong walls is gone.
It will never be built again.
3 People from powerful nations will honor you.
Cruel people from strong cities will fear you.
4 You help the poor people.
You help the helpless when they are in danger.
You are like a shelter from storms.
You are like shade that protects them from the heat.
The cruel people attack
like a rainstorm beating against the wall.
5 The cruel people burn like the heat in the desert.
But you, God, stop their violent attack.
As a cloud cools a hot day,
Lord, you silence the songs of those who have no mercy.
God’s Banquet for His Servants
6 The Lord of heaven’s armies will give a feast.
It will be on this mountain for all people.
It will be a feast with the best food and wine.
The meat and wine will be the finest.
7 On this mountain God will destroy
the veil that covers all nations.
This veil, called “death,” covers all peoples.
8 But God will destroy death forever.
The Lord God will wipe away every tear from every face.
God will take away the shame
of his people from the earth.
The Lord has spoken.
9 At that time people will say,
“Our God is doing this!
We have trusted in him, and he has come to save us.
We have been trusting our Lord.
So we will rejoice and be happy when he saves us.”
13 The Jewish leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak. They understood that these men had no special training or education. So they were amazed. Then they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. 14 They saw the crippled man standing there beside the two apostles. They saw that the man was healed. So they could say nothing against them. 15 The Jewish leaders told them to leave the meeting. Then the leaders talked to each other about what they should do. 16 They said, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows that they have done a great miracle! We cannot say it is not true. 17 But we must warn them not to talk to people anymore using that name. Then this thing will not spread among the people.”
18 So they called Peter and John in again. They told them not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “What do you think is right? What would God want? Should we obey you or God? 20 We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen and heard.” 21-22 The Jewish leaders could not find a way to punish them because all the people were praising God for what had been done. (This miracle was a proof from God. The man who was healed was more than 40 years old!) So the Jewish leaders warned the apostles again and let them go free.
The Believers’ Prayer
23 Peter and John left the meeting of Jewish leaders and went to their own group. They told them everything that the leading priests and the Jewish elders had said to them. 24 When the believers heard this, they prayed to God with one purpose. They prayed, “Lord, you are the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in the world. 25 Our father David was your servant. With the help of the Holy Spirit he said:
‘Why are the nations so angry?
Why are the people making useless plans?
26 The kings of the earth prepare to fight.
Their leaders make plans together
against the Lord
and against his Christ.’ Psalm 2:1-2
27 These things really happened when Herod, Pontius Pilate, the non-Jewish people, and the Jewish people all came together against Jesus here in Jerusalem. Jesus is your holy Servant. He is the One you made to be the Christ. 28 These people made your plan happen; it happened because of your power and your will. 29 And now, Lord, listen to what they are saying. They are trying to make us afraid! Lord, we are your servants. Help us to speak your word without fear. 30 Help us to be brave by showing us your power; make sick people well, give proofs, and make miracles happen by the power of Jesus, your holy servant.”
31 After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God’s word without fear.
Sadness Will Become Happiness
16 “After a little while you will not see me. And then after a little while you will see me again.”
17 Some of the followers said to each other, “What does Jesus mean when he says, ‘After a little while you will not see me, and then after a little while you will see me again’? And what does he mean when he says, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They also asked, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
19 Jesus saw that the followers wanted to ask him about this. So Jesus said to the followers, “Are you asking each other what I meant when I said, ‘After a little while you will not see me. And then after a little while you will see me again’? 20 I tell you the truth. You will cry and be sad, but the world will be happy. You will be sad, but your sadness will become joy. 21 When a woman gives birth to a baby, she has pain, because her time has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the pain. She forgets because she is so happy that a child has been born into the world. 22 It is the same with you. Now you are sad. But I will see you again and you will be happy. And no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will not ask me for anything. I tell you the truth. My Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. 24 You have never asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive. And your joy will be the fullest joy.
Victory over the World
25 “I have told you these things, using words that hide the meaning. But the time will come when I will not use words like that to tell you things. I will speak to you in plain words about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask the Father for things in my name. I am saying that I will not need to ask the Father for you. 27 No! The Father himself loves you. He loves you because you have loved me. And he loves you because you have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then the followers of Jesus said, “You are speaking clearly to us now. You are not using words that are hard to understand. 30 We can see now that you know all things. You can answer a person’s question even before he asks it. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 Jesus answered, “So now you believe? 32 Listen to me. A time is coming when you will be scattered. Each of you will be scattered to your own home. That time is now here. You will leave me. I will be alone. But I am never really alone. Why? Because the Father is with me.
33 “I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.