Book of Common Prayer
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
A Prayer for Protection
1 I come to you, Lord,
for protection.
Don't let me be ashamed.
Do as you have promised
and rescue me.
2 Listen to my prayer
and hurry to save me.
Be my mighty rock[a]
and the fortress
where I am safe.
3 You, Lord God,
are my mighty rock
and my fortress.
Lead me and guide me,
so that your name
will be honored.
4 Protect me from hidden traps
and keep me safe.
5 (A) You are faithful,
and I trust you
because you rescued me.
6 I hate the worshipers
of worthless idols,
but I trust you, Lord.
7 I celebrate and shout
because you are kind.
You saw all my suffering,
and you cared for me.
8 You kept me from the hands
of my enemies,
and you set me free.
9 Have pity, Lord!
I am hurting and almost blind.
My whole body aches.
10 I have known only sorrow
all my life long, and I suffer
year after year.
I am weak from sin,
and my bones are limp.
11 My enemies insult me.
Neighbors are even worse,
and I disgust my friends.
People meet me on the street,
and they turn and run.
12 I am completely forgotten
like someone dead.
I am merely a broken dish.
13 I hear the crowds whisper,
“Everyone is afraid!”
They are plotting and scheming
to murder me.
14 But I trust you, Lord,
and I claim you as my God.
15 My life is in your hands.
Save me from enemies
who hunt me down.
16 Smile on me, your servant.
Have pity and rescue me.
17 I pray only to you.
Don't disappoint me.
Disappoint my cruel enemies
until they lie silent
in their graves.
18 Silence those proud liars!
Make them stop bragging
and insulting your people.
19 You are wonderful,
and while everyone watches,
you store up blessings for all
who honor and trust you.
20 You are their shelter
from harmful plots,
and you are their protection
from vicious gossip.
21 I will praise you, Lord,
for showing great kindness
when I was like a city
under attack.
22 I was terrified and thought,
“They've chased me
far away from you!”
But you answered my prayer
when I shouted for help.
23 (B) All who belong to the Lord,
show how you love him.
The Lord protects the faithful,
but he severely punishes
everyone who is proud.
24 All who trust the Lord,
be cheerful and strong.
(A psalm by David.)
A Prayer for Protection from Enemies
1 Fight my enemies, Lord!
Attack my attackers!
2 Shield me and help me.
3 Aim your spear at everyone
who hunts me down,
but promise to save me.
4 Let all who want to kill me
be disgraced
and put to shame.
Chase away and confuse
all who plan to harm me.
5 Send your angel after them
and let them be like straw
in the wind.
6 Make them run in the dark
on a slippery road,
as your angel chases them.
7 I did them no harm,
but they hid a net
to trap me,
and they dug a deep pit
to catch and kill me.
8 (A) Surprise them with disaster!
Trap them in their own nets
and let them fall and rot
in the pits they have dug.
9 I will celebrate and be joyful
because you, Lord,
have saved me.
10 Every bone in my body
will shout:
“No one is like the Lord!”
You protect the helpless
from those in power;
you save the poor and needy
from those who hurt them.
11 Liars accuse me of crimes
I know nothing about.
12 They repay evil for good,
and I feel all alone.
13 When they were sick,
I wore sackcloth[a]
and went without food.[b]
I truly prayed for them,[c]
14 as I would for a friend
or a relative.
I was in sorrow and mourned,
as I would for my mother.
15 I have stumbled,
and worthless liars
I don't even know
surround me and sneer.
16 Worthless people make fun[d]
and never stop laughing.
17 But all you do is watch!
When will you do something?
Save me from the attack
of those vicious lions.
18 And when your people meet,
I will praise you
and thank you, Lord,
in front of them all.
19 (B) Don't let my brutal enemies
be glad because of me.
They hate me for no reason.
Don't let them wink
behind my back.
20 They say hurtful things,
and they lie to people
who want to live in peace.
21 They are quick to accuse me.
They say, “You did it!
We saw you ourselves.”
22 You see everything, Lord!
Please don't keep silent
or stay so far away.
23 Fight to defend me, Lord God,
24 and prove that I am right
by your standards.
Don't let them laugh at me
25 or say to each other,
“Now we've got what we want!
We'll gobble him up!”
26 Disappoint and confuse
all who are glad
to see me in trouble;
disgrace and embarrass
my proud enemies who say to me,
“You are nothing!”
27 Let all who want me to win
be happy and joyful.
From now on let them say,
“The Lord is wonderful!
God is glad when all goes well
for his servant.”
28 Then I will shout all day,
“Praise the Lord God!
He did what was right.”
Everyone Is Invited
18 The Lord alone is God!
He created the heavens
and made a world
where people can live,
instead of creating
an empty desert.
The Lord alone is God;
there are no others.
19 The Lord did not speak
in a dark secret place
or command Jacob's descendants
to search for him in vain.
The Lord speaks the truth,
and this is what he says
20 to every survivor
from every nation:
“Gather around me!
Learn how senseless it is
to worship wooden idols
or pray to helpless gods.
21 “Why don't you get together
and meet me in court?
Didn't I tell you long ago
what would happen?
I am the only God!
There are no others.
I bring about justice,
and have the power to save.
22 “I invite the whole world
to turn to me and be saved.
I alone am God!
No others are real.
23 (A) I have made a solemn promise,
one that won't be broken:
Everyone will bow down
and worship me.
24 They will admit that I alone
can bring about justice.
Everyone who is angry with me
will be terribly ashamed
and will turn to me.
25 I, the Lord, will give
victory and great honor
to the people of Israel.”
Children and Parents
6 (A) Children, you belong to the Lord, and you do the right thing when you obey your parents. The first commandment with a promise says, 2 (B) “Obey your father and your mother, 3 and you will have a long and happy life.”
4 (C) Parents, don't be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
5 (D) Slaves, you must obey your earthly masters. Show them great respect and be as loyal to them as you are to Christ. 6 Try to please them at all times, and not just when you think they are watching. You are slaves of Christ, so with your whole heart you must do what God wants you to do. 7 Gladly serve your masters, as though they were the Lord himself, and not simply people. 8 You know that you will be rewarded for any good things you do, whether you are slaves or free.
9 (E) Slave owners, you must treat your slaves with this same respect. Don't threaten them. They have the same Master in heaven that you do, and he doesn't have favorites.
A Storm
(Matthew 8.23-27; Luke 8.22-25)
35 That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let's cross to the east side.” 36 So they left the crowd, and his disciples started across the lake with him in the boat. Some other boats followed along. 37 Suddenly a storm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.
38 Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, “Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?”
39 Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.
40 Jesus asked his disciples, “Why were you afraid? Don't you have any faith?”
41 Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
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