Book of Common Prayer

Prayer for Help

5 Hear my words, O Lord. Think about my crying. ² Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God. For I pray to you. ³ In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice. In the morning I will lay my prayers before You and will look up.

⁴ You are not a God Who is pleased with what is bad. The sinful cannot be with You. ⁵ The proud cannot stand before You. You hate all who do wrong. ⁶ You destroy those who tell lies. The Lord hates liars and men who kill other people.

⁷ But as for me, by Your great loving-kindness, I will come into Your house. At Your holy house I will put my face to the ground before You in love and fear. ⁸ O Lord, lead me in what is right and good, because of the ones who hate me. Make Your way straight in front of me.

⁹ For in their talk there is no truth. Their hearts destroy. Their mouths are like an open grave. With their tongues, they say sweet-sounding words that are not true. ¹⁰ Hold them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own plans. Throw them out because of their many sins. For they have fought against You. ¹¹ But let all who put their trust in You be glad. Let them sing with joy forever. You make a covering for them, that all who love Your name may be glad in You. ¹² For You will make those happy who do what is right, O Lord. You will cover them all around with Your favor.

Prayer for Help in Time of Trouble

6 O Lord, do not speak sharp words to me in Your anger, or punish me when You are angry. ² Be kind to me, O Lord, for I am weak. O Lord, heal me for my bones are shaken. ³ My soul is in great suffering. But You, O Lord, how long? ⁴ Return, O Lord. Set my soul free. Save me because of Your loving-kindness. ⁵ No one remembers You when he is dead. Who gives You praise from the grave? ⁶ I am tired of crying inside myself. All night long my pillow is wet with tears. I flood my bed with them. ⁷ My eye has grown weak with sorrow. It has grown old because of all who hate me. ⁸ Go away from me, all you who sin. For the Lord has heard the sound of my crying. ⁹ The Lord has heard my cry for help. The Lord receives my prayer. ¹⁰ All those who hate me will be ashamed and worried. They will turn away. They will be put to shame right away.

Prayer for God to Destroy the Sinful

10 Why do You stand far away, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? ² The sinful, in their pride, try to catch the weak. Let them be caught in the plans they have made. ³ The sinful man is proud of the desires of his heart. He praises those who want everything but he speaks against the Lord. ⁴ The sinful man in his pride does not look for God. All his thoughts are that there is no God. ⁵ His ways always go well for him. Your laws are too high for him to see. He laughs at those who hate him. ⁶ He says to himself, “I will not be moved. For all time, I will never have trouble.” ⁷ With his mouth he swears and lies. He makes it hard for other people. Trouble and sin are under his tongue. ⁸ He lies hidden in the towns, waiting to kill those who are not guilty. His eyes are always watching for the weak. ⁹ He lies in wait like a hidden lion. He lies in wait to catch the weak, and they become caught in his net. ¹⁰ The weak are hurt and they fall. They cannot stand under his strength. ¹¹ He says to himself, “God has forgotten. He has hidden His face and will never see it.”

¹² Rise up, O Lord! Lift up Your hand, O God. Do not forget the weak. ¹³ Why does the sinful man turn away from God? He has said to himself, “You will not ask it of me.” ¹⁴ But You have seen it. You look upon trouble and suffering, to take it into Your hands. The suffering man gives himself to You. You are the Helper of the one who has no father. ¹⁵ Break the arm of the bad and sinful man. Find out all his sins until You find no more. ¹⁶ The Lord is King forever and ever. Those who worship false gods will be taken from the land.

¹⁷ O Lord, You have heard the prayers of those who have no pride. You will give strength to their heart, and You will listen to them. ¹⁸ In this way, You will do the right thing for those without a father and those who suffer, so that man who is of the earth will no longer make them afraid.

The Lord—a Safe Place

11 In the Lord I am safe. How can you say to me, “Fly away as a bird to your mountain? ² For look, the sinful raise their bow. They make their arrow ready on the string to shoot in the dark against the pure in heart. ³ If the base of the building is destroyed, what can those who are right with God do?”

⁴ The Lord is in His holy house. The Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes see as He tests the sons of men. ⁵ The Lord tests and proves those who are right and good and those who are sinful. And His soul hates the one who loves to hurt others. ⁶ He will send down fire upon the sinful. Fire and sulphur and burning wind will be the cup they will drink. ⁷ For the Lord is right and good. He loves what is right and good. And those who are right with Him will see His face.

Job Speaks

6 Then Job answered, ² “If only my trials and troubles were weighed! ³ They would weigh more than the sand of the seas. My words have been spoken fast and without thought. ⁴ For the arrows of the All-powerful are in me. My spirit drinks their poison. The hard things from God are like an army against me.

⁸ “If only I might get what I ask for, and that God would give me what I desire! ⁹ If only God were willing to crush me, that He would let His hand loose and destroy me! ¹⁰ But this gives me comfort even though I suffer much pain because I have not turned away from the words of the Holy One. ¹¹ What strength have I, that I should wait? What is my end, that I should not give up? ¹² Do I have the strength of stones? Is my flesh brass? ¹³ I have no power to help myself, and a way out is far from me.

¹⁴ “Kindness from a friend should be shown to a man without hope, or he might turn away from the fear of the All-powerful. ¹⁵ My brothers have been like rivers that are not there when needed.

²¹ Yes, this is how you have been. You see my trouble and are afraid.

Aeneas Is Healed

³² When Peter was visiting all parts of the country, he came to the faithful followers who were living in the city of Lydda. ³³ A man there named Aeneas could not move his body. He had been in bed eight years. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your bed.” He got up at once. ³⁵ All the people who lived in Lydda and in the city of Sharon saw Aeneas and they turned to the Lord.

Dorcas Is Raised from the Dead

³⁶ A woman who was a follower lived in the city of Joppa. Her name was Tabitha, or Dorcas. She did many good things and many acts of kindness. ³⁷ One day she became sick and died. After they had washed her body, they laid her in a room on the second floor. ³⁸ The city of Lydda was near Joppa. The followers heard that Peter was at Lydda and sent two men to ask him to come at once. ³⁹ Peter went back with them. When he came, they took him to the room. All the women whose husbands had died were standing around crying. They were showing the clothes Dorcas had made while she was with them.

⁴⁰ Peter made them all leave the room. Then he got down on his knees and prayed. He turned to her body and said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes and looked at Peter and sat up. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then he called in the faithful followers and the women whose husbands had died. He gave her to them, a living person.

⁴² News of this went through all Joppa. Many people put their trust in the Lord. ⁴³ After this, Peter stayed in Joppa many days in the house of Simon who worked with leather.

The Troubled Followers Leave Jesus

⁶⁰ After hearing this, many of His followers said, “This teaching is too hard! Who can listen to it?” ⁶¹ Jesus knew His followers talked against what He had said. He said to them, “Does this trouble you? ⁶² Then what would you say if you saw the Son of Man going up where He was before? ⁶³ It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh is of no help. The words I speak to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But some of you do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning who would not put their trust in Him. He knew who would hand Him over to the leaders of the country. ⁶⁵ He said, “That is why I told you no one can come to Me unless the Father allows it.” ⁶⁶ From that time on, many of His followers turned back to their old ways of living. They would not go along with Him after that.

Peter Knows Who Jesus Is

⁶⁷ Then Jesus said to the twelve followers, “Will you leave Me also?” ⁶⁸ Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, who else can we go to? You have words that give life that lasts forever. ⁶⁹ We believe and know You are the Christ. You are the Son of the Living God.” ⁷⁰ Jesus said to them, “I chose you twelve as My followers. And one of you is a devil.” ⁷¹ He was speaking of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who was one of the twelve followers. He was ready to hand Jesus over to the leaders of the country.