Book of Common Prayer
(For the music leader. To the tune “A Silent Dove in the Distance.”[a] A special psalm by David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.)
A Prayer of Trust in God
1 (A) Have pity, God Most High!
My enemies chase me all day.
2 Many of them are pursuing
and attacking me,
3 but even when I am afraid,
I keep on trusting you.
4 I praise your promises!
I trust you and am not afraid.
No one can harm me.
5 Enemies spend the whole day
finding fault with me;
all they think about
is how to do me harm.
6 They attack from ambush,
watching my every step
and hoping to kill me.
7 They won't get away[b]
with these crimes, God,
because when you get angry,
you destroy people.
8 You have kept record
of my days of wandering.
You have stored my tears
in your bottle
and counted each of them.
9 When I pray, Lord God,
my enemies will retreat,
because I know for certain
that you are with me.
10 I praise your promises!
11 I trust you and am not afraid.
No one can harm me.
12 I will keep my promises
to you, my God,
and bring you gifts.
13 You protected me from death
and kept me from stumbling,
so that I would please you
and follow the light
that leads to life.
(For the music leader. To the tune “Don't Destroy.”[c] A special psalm by David when he was in the cave while running from Saul.)
Praise and Trust in Times of Trouble
1 (B) God Most High, have pity on me!
Have mercy. I run to you
for safety.
In the shadow of your wings,
I seek protection
till danger dies down.
2 I pray to you, my protector.
3 You will send help from heaven
and save me,
but you will bring trouble
on my attackers.
You are faithful,
and you can be trusted.
4 My enemies are fierce,
much worse than lions!
They have spears and arrows
instead of teeth,
and they have sharp swords
instead of tongues.
5 May you, my God, be honored
above the heavens;
may your glory be seen
everywhere on earth.
6 (C) Enemies set traps for my feet
and struck me down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but fell in it themselves.
7 I am faithful to you,
and you can trust me.
I will sing and play music
for you, my God.
8 I feel wide awake!
I will wake up my harp
and wake up the sun.
9 I will praise you, Lord,
for everyone to hear,
and I will sing hymns to you
in every nation.
10 Your love reaches higher
than the heavens;
your loyalty extends
beyond the clouds.
11 May you, my God, be honored
above the heavens;
may your glory be seen
everywhere on earth.
(A special psalm by David for the music leader. To the tune “Don't Destroy.”[d])
A Prayer When All Goes Wrong
1 Do you mighty people[e] talk
only to oppose justice?[f]
Don't you ever judge fairly?
2 You are always planning evil,
and you are brutal.
3 You have done wrong and lied
from the day you were born.
4 Your words spread poison
like the bite of a cobra
5 that refuses to listen
to the snake charmer.
6 My enemies are fierce
as lions, Lord God!
Shatter their teeth.
Snatch out their fangs.
7 Make them disappear
like leaking water,
and make their arrows miss.
8 Let them dry up like snails
or be like a child that dies
before seeing the sun.
9 Wipe them out quicker
than a pot can be heated
by setting thorns on fire.[g]
10 Good people will be glad
when they see the wicked
getting what they deserve,
and they will wash their feet
in their enemies' blood.
11 Everyone will say, “It's true!
Good people are rewarded.
God does indeed rule the earth
with justice.”
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
Celebrate because of the Lord
1 Listen to my concerns, God,
and protect me
from my enemies' threats.
2 Keep me safe from secret plots
of corrupt and evil gangs.
3 Their words cut like swords,
and their cruel remarks
sting like sharp arrows.
4 They fearlessly ambush
and shoot innocent people.
5 They are determined to do evil,
and they tell themselves,
“Let's set traps!
No one can see us.”[a]
6 They make evil plans and say,
“We'll commit a perfect crime.
No one knows our thoughts.”[b]
7 But God will shoot his arrows
and quickly wound them.
8 They will be destroyed
by their own words,
and everyone who sees them
will tremble with fear.[c]
9 They will be afraid and say,
“Look at what God has done
and keep it all in mind.”
10 May the Lord bless his people
with peace and happiness
and let them celebrate.
(A psalm by David and a song for the music leader.)
God Answers Prayer
1 Our God, you deserve[d] praise
in Zion, where we keep
our promises to you.
2 Everyone will come to you
because you answer prayer.
3 When our sins get us down,
you forgive us.
4 You bless your chosen ones,
and you invite them
to live near you
in your temple.
We will enjoy your house,
the sacred temple.
5 Our God, you save us,
and your fearsome deeds answer
our prayers for justice!
You give hope to people
everywhere on earth,
even those across the sea.
6 You are strong,
and your mighty power
put the mountains in place.
7 You silence the roaring waves
and the noisy shouts
of the nations.
8 People far away marvel
at your fearsome deeds,
and all who live under the sun
celebrate and sing
because of you.
9 You take care of the earth
and send rain to help the soil
grow all kinds of crops.
Your rivers never run dry,
and you prepare the earth
to produce abundant grain.
10 You water all its fields
and level the lumpy ground.
You send showers of rain
to soften the soil
and help the plants sprout.
11 Wherever your footsteps
touch the earth,
a rich harvest is gathered.
12 Desert pastures blossom,
and mountains celebrate.
13 Meadows are filled
with sheep and goats;
valleys overflow with grain
and echo with joyful songs.
The Lamb and His 144,000 Followers
14 (A) I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion![a] With him were 144,000, who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2 (B) Then I heard a sound from heaven that was like a roaring flood or loud thunder or even like the music of harps. 3 And a new song was being sung in front of God's throne and in front of the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn that song, except the 144,000 who had been rescued from the earth. 4 All of these are pure virgins, and they follow the Lamb wherever he leads. They have been rescued to be presented to God and the Lamb as the most precious people[b] on earth. 5 (C) They never tell lies, and they are innocent.
The Messages of the Three Angels
6 I saw another angel. This one was flying across the sky and had the eternal good news to announce to the people of every race, tribe, language, and nation on earth. 7 The angel shouted, “Worship and honor God! The time has come for him to judge everyone. Kneel down before the one who created heaven and earth, the oceans, and every stream.”
8 (D) A second angel followed and said, “The great city of Babylon has fallen! This is the city that made all nations drunk and immoral. Now God is angry, and Babylon has fallen.”
9 Finally, a third angel came and shouted:
Here is what will happen if you worship the beast and the idol and have the mark of the beast on your hand or forehead. 10 (E) You will have to drink the wine that God gives to everyone who makes him angry. You will feel his mighty anger, and you will be tortured with fire and burning sulfur, while the holy angels and the Lamb look on.
11 (F) If you worship the beast and the idol and accept the mark of its name, you will be tortured day and night. The smoke from your torture will go up forever and ever, and you will never be able to rest.
12 God's people must learn to endure. They must also obey his commands and have faith in Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Put this in writing. From now on, the Lord will bless everyone who has faith in him when they die.”
The Spirit answered, “Yes, they will rest from their hard work, and they will be rewarded for what they have done.”
Not Peace, but Trouble
(Matthew 10.34-36)
49 I came to set fire to the earth, and I wish it were already on fire! 50 (A) I am going to be put to a hard test. And I will have to suffer a lot of pain until it is over. 51 Do you think that I came to bring peace to earth? No indeed! I came to make people choose sides. 52 A family of five will be divided, with two of them against the other three. 53 (B) Fathers and sons will turn against one another, and mothers and daughters will do the same. Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law will also turn against each other.
Knowing What To Do
(Matthew 16.2,3; 5.25,26)
54 Jesus said to all the people:
As soon as you see a cloud coming up in the west, you say, “It's going to rain,” and it does. 55 When the south wind blows, you say, “It's going to get hot,” and it does. 56 Are you trying to fool someone? You can predict the weather by looking at the earth and sky, but you don't really know what's going on right now. 57 Why don't you understand the right thing to do? 58 When someone accuses you of something, try to settle things before you are taken to court. If you don't, you will be dragged before the judge. Then the judge will hand you over to the jailer, and you will be locked up. 59 You won't get out until you have paid the last cent you owe.
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