Book of Common Prayer
God Keeps His Own
40 I did not give up waiting for the Lord. And He turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up out of the hole of danger, out of the mud and clay. He set my feet on a rock, making my feet sure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and will put their trust in the Lord.
4 How happy is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud or to the followers of lies. 5 O Lord my God, many are the great works You have done, and Your thoughts toward us. No one can compare with You! If I were to speak and tell of them, there would be too many to number.
6 You have not wanted gifts given on the altar in worship. You have opened my ears. You have not wanted burnt gifts or gifts to cover sins. 7 Then I said, “Look, I have come. It is written about me in the book. 8 I am happy to do Your will, O my God. Your Law is within my heart.”
9 I have told the good news about what is right and good in the big meeting with many people. You know I will not close my lips, O Lord. 10 I have not hidden what is right and good with You in my heart. I have spoken about how faithful You are and about Your saving power. I have not hidden Your loving-kindness and Your truth from the big meeting.
11 O Lord, You will not keep Your loving-pity from me. Your loving-kindness and Your truth will always keep me safe. 12 Too many troubles gather around me. My sins have taken such a hold on me that I am not able to see. There are more of them than there are hairs on my head. And the strength of my heart has left me.
13 Be pleased to save me, O Lord. Hurry, O Lord, to help me. 14 Let all who want to destroy my life be ashamed and troubled. Let those who want to hurt me be turned away without honor. 15 Let those who say to me, “O! O!” be filled with fear because of their shame. 16 But let all who look for You have joy and be glad in You. Let those who love Your saving power always say, “The Lord be honored!” 17 Because I suffer and am in need, let the Lord think of me. You are my help and the One Who sets me free. O my God, do not wait.
Prayer for a Safe Place
54 Save me by Your name, O God. And stand with me by Your power. 2 Hear my prayer, O God. Listen to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me. And men who hurt others want to take my life. They do not think about God.
4 See, God is my Helper. The Lord is the One Who keeps my soul alive. 5 He will punish those who hate me, for the wrong they have done. He will destroy them because He is faithful.
6 I will be glad to give You a gift on the altar. I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7 For He has taken me out of all trouble. And my eyes have looked without fear upon those who hate me.
Prayer of the Sinner
51 O God, favor me because of Your loving-kindness. Take away my wrong-doing because of the greatness of Your loving-pity. 2 Wash me inside and out from my wrong-doing and make me clean from my sin. 3 For I know my wrong-doing, and my sin is always in front of me. 4 I have sinned against You, and You only. I have done what is sinful in Your eyes. You are always right when You speak, and fair when You judge.
5 See, I was born in sin and was in sin from my very beginning. 6 See, You want truth deep within the heart. And You will make me know wisdom in the hidden part. 7 Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Make me hear joy and happiness. Let the bones that You have broken be full of joy. 9 Hide Your face from my sins. And take away all my wrong-doing.
10 Make a clean heart in me, O God. Give me a new spirit that will not be moved. 11 Do not throw me away from where You are. And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Let the joy of Your saving power return to me. And give me a willing spirit to obey you. 13 Then I will teach wrong-doers Your ways. And sinners will turn to You.
14 Save me from the guilt of blood, O God. You are the God Who saves me. Then my tongue will sing with joy about how right and good You are. 15 O Lord, open my lips, so my mouth will praise You. 16 For You are not happy with a gift given on the altar in worship, or I would give it. You are not pleased with burnt gifts. 17 The gifts on an altar that God wants are a broken spirit. O God, You will not hate a broken heart and a heart with no pride.
18 Be pleased to do good to Zion. Build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then You will be happy with gifts given on the altar that are right and good, with burnt gifts and whole burnt gifts. Then young bulls will be given on Your altar.
Job Tells of His Past Days
29 Then Job spoke again and said,
24 “If I have put my faith in gold and said fine gold is my trust, 25 if I have had pride because of my many riches and have received much by my hand, 26 if I have looked at the sun shining or the bright moon going on its way, 27 and have in secret worshiped them in my heart, and have honored them by throwing them a kiss with my hand, 28 these also would be sins to be judged. It would say I did not know the God above.
29 “Have I been glad when a person who hated me was destroyed? Have I been filled with joy when trouble came to him? 30 No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life to be cursed. 31 Have the men of my tent not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat’? 32 The stranger has not stayed in the street, for I have opened my doors to the traveler. 33 Have I hidden my sins like Adam? Have I hidden my wrong-doing in my heart, 34 because I was afraid of all the people, and of families who hated me? Did I keep quiet and not go out of the door? 35 If only I had one to hear me! See, here my name is written. Let the All-powerful answer me! May what is against me be written down! 36 For sure I would carry it on my shoulder. I would tie it around my head like a crown. 37 I would tell Him the number of my every step. I would come near Him like a prince.
38 “If my land cries out against me and the ditches made by the plow cry together, 39 if I have eaten its fruit without paying for it, and caused its owners to die, 40 let thorns grow instead of grain. And let weeds with a bad smell grow instead of barley.”
The words of Job are finished.
12 All those who were gathered together said nothing. They listened to Paul and Barnabas who told of the powerful works God had done through them among the people who are not Jews.
God’s Call Is Also for the People Who Are Not Jews
13 When they finished speaking, James said, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon Peter has told how God first visited the people who are not Jews. He was getting a people for Himself. 15 This agrees with what the early preacher said, 16 ’After this I will come back and build again the building of David that fell down. Yes, I will build it again from the stones that fell down. I will set it up again. 17 Then all the nations may look for the Lord, even all the people who are not Jews who are called by My name. The Lord said this. He does all these things. 18 God has made all His works known from the beginning of time.’ (A)
The People Who Are Not Jews Are Not Under the Law
19 “So we should not trouble these people who are not Jews who are turning to God. 20 We should write to them that they should keep away from everything that is given to gods. They should keep away from sex sins and not eat blood or meat from animals that have been killed in ways against the Law. 21 For the Law of Moses has been read in every city from the early days. It has been read in the Jewish places of worship on every Day of Rest.”
30 Jesus had not yet come into their town. He was still where Martha had met Him.
31 The Jews had been in the house comforting Mary. They saw her get up and hurry out. They followed her and said, “She is going to the grave to cry there.” 32 Mary went to the place where Jesus was. When she saw Him, she got down at His feet. She said to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Jesus saw her crying. The Jews who came with her were crying also. His heart was very sad and He was troubled. 34 He said, “Where did you lay Lazarus?” They said, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus cried. 36 The Jews said, “See how much He loved Lazarus.” 37 Some of them said, “This Man opened the eyes of the blind man. Could He not have kept this man from dying?”
38 Jesus went to the grave with a sad heart. The grave was a hole in the side of a hill. A stone covered the door. 39 Jesus said, “Take the stone away.” The dead man’s sister, Martha, said to Him, “Lord, by now his body has a bad smell. He has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say that if you would believe, you would see the shining-greatness of God?”
41 They took the stone away. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank You for hearing Me. 42 I know You always hear Me. But I have said this for the people standing here, so they may believe You have sent Me.”
43 When He had said this, He called with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The man who had been dead came out. His hands and feet were tied in grave clothes. A white cloth was tied around his face. Jesus said to the people, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go!”
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