Book of Common Prayer
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
40 I was patient while I waited for the Lord.
He turned to me and heard my cry for help.
2 I was sliding down into the pit of death, and he pulled me out.
He brought me up out of the mud and dirt.
He set my feet on a rock.
He gave me a firm place to stand on.
3 He gave me a new song to sing.
It is a hymn of praise to our God.
Many people will see and have respect for the Lord.
They will put their trust in him.
4 Blessed is the person
who trusts in the Lord.
They don’t trust in proud people.
Those proud people worship statues of gods.
5 Lord my God,
no one can compare with you.
You have done many wonderful things.
You have planned to do these things for us.
There are too many of them
for me to talk about.
6 You didn’t want sacrifices and offerings.
You didn’t require burnt offerings and sin offerings.
You opened my ears so that I could hear you and obey you.
7 Then I said, “Here I am.
It is written about me in the book.
8 My God, I have come to do what you want.
Your law is in my heart.”
9 I have told the whole community of those who worship you.
I have told them what you have done to save me.
Lord, you know
that I haven’t kept quiet.
10 I haven’t kept to myself that what you did for me was right.
I have spoken about how faithful you were when you saved me.
I haven’t hidden your love and your faithfulness
from the whole community.
11 Lord, don’t hold back your mercy from me.
May your love and faithfulness always keep me safe.
12 There are more troubles all around me than I can count.
My sins have caught up with me, and I can’t see any longer.
My sins are more than the hairs of my head.
I have lost all hope.
13 Lord, please save me.
Lord, come quickly to help me.
14 Let all those who are trying to kill me be put to shame.
Let them lose their way.
Let all those who want to destroy me
be turned back in shame.
15 Some people make fun of me.
Let them be shocked when their plans fail.
16 But let all those who seek you
be joyful and glad because of what you have done.
Let those who count on you to save them always say,
“The Lord is great!”
17 But I am poor and needy.
May the Lord be concerned about me.
You are the God who helps me and saves me.
You are my God, so don’t wait any longer.
For the director of music. To be played on stringed instruments. A maskil of David when the men from Ziph had gone to Saul. They had said, “Isn’t David hiding among us?”
54 God, save me by your power.
Set me free by your might.
2 God, hear my prayer.
Listen to what I’m saying.
3 Enemies who are proud are attacking me.
Mean people are trying to kill me.
They don’t care about God.
4 But I know that God helps me.
The Lord is the one who keeps me going.
5 My enemies tell lies about me.
Do to them the evil things they planned against me.
God, be faithful and destroy them.
6 I will sacrifice an offering to you
just because I choose to.
Lord, I will praise your name
because it is good.
7 You have saved me from all my troubles.
With my own eyes I have seen you win the battle over my enemies.
For the director of music. A psalm of David when the prophet Nathan came to him. Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
51 God, have mercy on me
according to your faithful love.
Because your love is so tender and kind,
wipe out my lawless acts.
2 Wash away all the evil things I’ve done.
Make me pure from my sin.
3 I know the lawless acts I’ve committed.
I can’t forget my sin.
4 You are the one I’ve really sinned against.
I’ve done what is evil in your sight.
So you are right when you sentence me.
You are fair when you judge me.
5 I know I’ve been a sinner ever since I was born.
I’ve been a sinner ever since my mother became pregnant with me.
6 I know that you wanted faithfulness even when I was in my mother’s body.
You taught me wisdom in that secret place.
7 Sprinkle me with hyssop, then I will be clean.
Wash me, then I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear you say, “Your sins are forgiven.”
That will bring me joy and gladness.
Let the body you have broken be glad.
9 Take away all my sins.
Wipe away all the evil things I’ve done.
10 God, create a pure heart in me.
Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you.
11 Don’t send me away from you.
Don’t take your Holy Spirit away from me.
12 Give me back the joy that comes from being saved by you.
Give me a spirit that obeys you so that I will keep going.
13 Then I will teach your ways to those who commit lawless acts.
And sinners will turn back to you.
14 You are the God who saves me.
I have committed murder.
God, take away my guilt.
Then my tongue will sing about how right you are
no matter what you do.
15 Lord, open my lips so that I can speak.
Then my mouth will praise you.
16 You don’t take delight in sacrifice.
If you did, I would bring it.
You don’t take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The greatest sacrifice you want is a broken spirit.
God, you will gladly accept a heart
that is broken because of sadness over sin.
18 May you be pleased to give Zion success.
May it please you to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of those who do what is right.
Whole burnt offerings will bring delight to you.
And bulls will be offered on your altar.
Keep Your Promise to God
5 Be careful what you say when you go to God’s house. Go there to listen. Don’t be like foolish people when you offer your sacrifice. They do what is wrong and don’t even know it.
2 Don’t be too quick to speak.
Don’t be in a hurry to say anything to God.
God is in heaven. You are on earth.
So use only a few words when you speak.
3 Many worries result in dreams.
Many words result in foolish talk.
4 When you make a promise to God, don’t wait too long to carry it out. He isn’t pleased with foolish people. So do what you have promised. 5 It is not good to make a promise and not keep it. It is better to make no promise at all. 6 Don’t let your mouth cause you to sin. Don’t say to the temple messenger, “My promise was a mistake.” Why should God be angry with what you say? Why should he destroy what you have done? 7 Dreaming too much and talking too much are meaningless. So have respect for God.
The Law and the Promise
15 Brothers and sisters, let me give you an example from everyday life. No one can get rid of an official agreement between people. No one can add to it. It can’t be changed after it has been made. It is the same with God’s covenant agreement. 16 The promises were given to Abraham. They were also given to his seed. Scripture does not say, “and to seeds.” That means many people. It says, “and to your seed.” (Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 24:7) That means one person. And that one person is Christ. 17 Here is what I mean. The law came 430 years after the promise. But the law does not get rid of God’s covenant and promise. The covenant had already been made by God. So the law does not do away with the promise. 18 The great gift that God has for us does not depend on the law. If it did, it would no longer depend on the promise. But God gave it to Abraham as a free gift through a promise.
19 Then why was the law given at all? It was added because of human sin. And it was supposed to control us until the promised Seed had come. The law was given through angels, and a go-between was put in charge of it. 20 A go-between means that there is more than one side to an agreement. But God didn’t use a go-between when he made his promise to Abraham.
21 So is the law opposed to God’s promises? Certainly not! What if a law had been given that could give life? Then people could become right with God by obeying the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin. It does so in order that what was promised might be given to those who believe. The promise comes through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Right away Jesus made the disciples get into the boat. He had them go on ahead of him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Then he sent the crowd away. 23 After he had sent them away, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone. 24 The boat was already a long way from land. It was being pounded by the waves because the wind was blowing against it.
25 Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to the disciples. He walked on the lake. 26 They saw him walking on the lake and were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said. And they cried out in fear.
27 Right away Jesus called out to them, “Be brave! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, is it you?” Peter asked. “If it is, tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” Jesus said.
So Peter got out of the boat. He walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when Peter saw the wind, he was afraid. He began to sink. He cried out, “Lord! Save me!”
31 Right away Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “Your faith is so small!” he said. “Why did you doubt me?”
32 When they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped Jesus. They said, “You really are the Son of God!”
34 They crossed over the lake and landed at Gennesaret. 35 The men who lived there recognized Jesus. So they sent a message all over the nearby countryside. People brought all those who were sick to Jesus. 36 They begged him to let those who were sick just touch the edge of his clothes. And all who touched his clothes were healed.
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.