Book of Common Prayer
A Cry for Help
A prayer of a person who is suffering when he is discouraged and tells the Lord his complaints.
102 Lord, listen to my prayer.
Let my cry for help come to you.
2 Do not hide from me
in my time of trouble.
Pay attention to me.
When I cry for help, answer me quickly.
3 My life is passing away like smoke.
My bones are burned up with fire.
4 My heart is like grass
that has been cut and dried.
I forget to eat.
5 Because of my grief,
my skin hangs on my bones.
6 I am like a desert owl.
I am like an owl living among the ruins.
7 I lie awake.
I am like a lonely bird on a housetop.
8 All day long enemies insult me.
Those who make fun of me use my name as a curse.
9 I eat ashes as my food.
My tears fall into my drinks.
10 Because of your great anger,
you have picked me up and thrown me away.
11 My days are like a passing shadow.
I am like dried grass.
12 But, Lord, you rule forever.
Your fame continues from now on.
13 You will come and have mercy on Jerusalem.
The time has now come to be kind to her.
14 Your servants love even her stones.
They even care about her dust.
15 Nations will fear the name of the Lord.
All the kings on earth will honor him.
16 The Lord will rebuild Jerusalem.
There his glory will be seen.
17 He will answer the prayers of the needy.
He will not reject their prayers.
18 Write these things for the future.
Then people who are not yet born will praise the Lord.
19 The Lord looked down from his holy place above.
From heaven he looked down at the earth.
20 He heard the moans of the prisoners.
And he freed those sentenced to die.
21 The name of the Lord will be heard in Jerusalem.
His praise will be heard in Jerusalem.
22 People will come together.
Kingdoms will serve the Lord.
23 God has made me tired of living.
He has cut short my life.
24 So I said, “My God, do not take me in the middle of my life.
Your years go on and on.
25 In the beginning you made the earth.
And your hands made the skies.
26 They will be destroyed, but you will remain.
They will all wear out like clothes.
And, like clothes, you will change them.
And they will be thrown away.
27 But you never change.
And your life will never end.
28 Our children will live in your presence.
And their children will remain with you.”
Book 5
Psalms 107—150
God Saves from Many Dangers
107 Thank the Lord because he is good.
His love continues forever.
2 That is what the people the Lord has saved should say.
They are the ones he has saved from the enemy.
3 He has gathered them from other lands,
from east and west, north and south.
4 Some people had wandered in the desert lands.
They found no city to live in.
5 They were hungry and thirsty.
They were discouraged.
6 In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
And he saved them from their troubles.
7 He led them on a straight road
to a city where they could live.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
and for the miracles he does for people.
9 He satisfies the thirsty.
He fills up the hungry.
10 Some sat in gloom and darkness.
They were prisoners suffering in chains.
11 They had turned against the words of God.
They had refused the advice of God Most High.
12 So he broke their pride by hard work.
They stumbled, and no one helped.
13 In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
And he saved them from their troubles.
14 He brought them out of their gloom and darkness.
He broke their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
and for the miracles he does for people.
16 He breaks down bronze gates.
And he cuts apart iron bars.
17 Some became fools who turned against God.
They suffered for the evil they did.
18 They refused to eat anything.
So they almost died.
19 In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
And he saved them from their troubles.
20 God gave the command and healed them.
So they were saved from dying.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
and for the miracles he does for people.
22 Let them offer sacrifices to thank him.
With joy they should tell what he has done.
23 Others went out to sea in ships.
They did business on the great oceans.
24 They saw what the Lord could do.
They saw the miracles he did.
25 He spoke, and a storm came up.
It blew up high waves.
26 The ships tossed as high as the sky and fell low in the waves.
The storm was so bad the men lost their courage.
27 They stumbled and fell like men who were drunk.
They did not know what to do.
28 In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
And he saved them from their troubles.
29 He made the storm be still.
He calmed the waves.
30 They were happy that it was quiet.
And God guided them to the port they wanted.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
and for the miracles he does for people.
32 Let them praise his greatness in the meeting of the people.
They should praise him in the meeting of the elders.
6 The angel said to me, “These words are true and can be trusted. The Lord is the God of the spirits of the prophets. He sent his angel to show his servants the things that must happen soon.”
7 “Listen! I am coming soon! He who obeys the words of prophecy in this book will be happy.”
8 I am John. I am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I bowed down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed these things to me. 9 But the angel said to me, “Do not worship me! I am a servant like you and your brothers the prophets. I am a servant like all those who obey the words in this book. Worship God!”
10 Then the angel told me, “Do not keep secret the words of prophecy in this book. The time is near for all this to happen. 11 Whoever is doing evil, let him continue to do evil. Whoever is unclean, let him continue to be unclean. Whoever is doing right, let him continue to do right. Whoever is holy, let him continue to be holy.”
12 “Listen! I am coming soon! I will bring rewards with me. I will repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega,[a] the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
A Lost Sheep
10 “Be careful. Don’t think these little children are worth nothing. I tell you that they have angels in heaven who are always with my Father in heaven. 11 [The Son of Man came to save lost people.][a]
12 “If a man has 100 sheep, but 1 of the sheep gets lost, he will leave the other 99 sheep on the hill. He will go to look for the lost sheep. 13 And if he finds it, he is happier about that 1 sheep than about the 99 that were never lost. I tell you the truth. 14 In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want any of these little children to be lost.
When a Person Sins Against You
15 “If your brother sins against you,[b] go and tell him what he did wrong. Do this in private. If he listens to you, then you have helped him to be your brother again. 16 But if he refuses to listen, then go to him again and take one or two other people with you. ‘Every case may be proved by two or three witnesses.’[c] 17 If he refuses to listen to them, then tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, then treat him as you would one who does not believe in God. Treat him as if he were a tax collector.
18 “I tell you the truth. The things you don’t allow on earth will be the things God does not allow. The things you allow on earth will be the things that God allows.
19 “Also, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about something, then you can pray for it. And the thing you ask for will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 This is true because if two or three people come together in my name, I am there with them.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.