Book of Common Prayer
(A special psalm by David for the music leader. Use with stringed instruments.)
Betrayed by a Friend
1 Listen, God, to my prayer!
Don't reject my request.
2 Please listen and help me.
My thoughts are troubled,
and I keep groaning
3 because my enemies attack
with loud shouts.
They treat me terribly
and hold angry grudges.
4 My heart is racing fast,
and I am afraid of dying.
5 I am trembling with fear,
completely terrified.
6 I wish I had wings
like a dove,
so I could fly far away
and be at peace.
7 I would go and live
in some distant desert.
8 I would quickly find shelter
from howling winds
and raging storms.
9 Confuse my enemies, Lord!
Upset their plans.
Cruelty and violence
are all I see in the city,
10 and they are like guards
on patrol day and night.
The city is full of trouble,
evil, 11 and corruption.
Troublemakers and liars
freely roam the streets.
12 My enemies are not the ones
who sneer and make fun.
I could put up with that
or even hide from them.
13 But it was my closest friend,
the one I trusted most.
14 We enjoyed being together,
when we went with others
to your house, our God.
15 All who hate me are controlled
by the power of evil.
Sentence them to death
and send them down alive
to the world of the dead.
16 I ask for your help, Lord God,
and you will keep me safe.
17 Morning, noon, and night
you hear my concerns
and my complaints.
18 I am attacked from all sides,
but you will rescue me
unharmed by the battle.
19 You have always ruled,
and you will hear me.
You will defeat my enemies
because they won't turn
and worship you.
20 My friend turned against me
and broke his promise.
21 His words were smoother
than butter, and softer
than olive oil.
But hatred filled his heart,
and he was ready to attack
with a sword.
22 Our Lord, we belong to you.
We tell you what worries us,
and you won't let us fall.
23 But what about those people
who are cruel and brutal?
You will throw them down
into the deepest pit
long before their time.
I trust you, Lord!
(By David.)
Praise the Lord with All Your Heart
1 With all my heart
I praise you, Lord.
In the presence of angels[a]
I sing your praises.
2 I worship at your holy temple
and praise you for your love
and your faithfulness.
You were true to your word
and made yourself more famous
than ever before.[b]
3 When I asked for your help,
you answered my prayer
and gave me courage.[c]
4 All kings on this earth
have heard your promises, Lord,
and they will praise you.
5 You are so famous
that they will sing about
the things you have done.
6 Though you are above us all,
you care for humble people,
and you keep a close watch
on everyone who is proud.
7 I am surrounded by trouble,
but you protect me
against my angry enemies.
With your own powerful arm
you keep me safe.
8 You, Lord, will always
treat me with kindness.
Your love never fails.
You have made us what we are.
Don't give up on us now![d]
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
The Lord Is Always Near
1 You have looked deep
into my heart, Lord,
and you know all about me.
2 You know when I am resting
or when I am working,
and from heaven
you discover my thoughts.
3 You notice everything I do
and everywhere I go.
4 Before I even speak a word,
you know what I will say,
5 and with your powerful arm
you protect me
from every side.
6 I can't understand all of this!
Such wonderful knowledge
is far above me.
7 Where could I go to escape
from your Spirit
or from your sight?
8 If I were to climb up
to the highest heavens,
you would be there.
If I were to dig down
to the world of the dead
you would also be there.
9 Suppose I had wings
like the dawning day
and flew across the ocean.
10 Even then your powerful arm
would guide and protect me.
11 Or suppose I said, “I'll hide
in the dark until night comes
to cover me over.”
12 But you see in the dark
because daylight and dark
are all the same to you.
13 You are the one
who put me together
inside my mother's body,
14 and I praise you because of
the wonderful way
you created me.
Everything you do is marvelous!
Of this I have no doubt.
15 Nothing about me
is hidden from you!
I was secretly woven together
out of human sight,
16 but with your own eyes you saw
my body being formed.
Even before I was born,
you had written in your book
everything about me.
17 (A) Your thoughts are far beyond
my understanding,
much more than I
could ever imagine.
18 I try to count your thoughts,
but they outnumber the grains
of sand on the beach.
And when I awake,
I will find you nearby.
19 How I wish that you would kill
all cruel and heartless people
and protect me from them!
20 They are always rebelling
and speaking evil of you.[e]
21 You know I hate anyone
who hates you, Lord,
and refuses to obey.
22 They are my enemies too,
and I truly hate them.
23 Look deep into my heart, God,
and find out everything
I am thinking.
12 (A) God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. 13 (B) Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. 14 Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.
15 Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful. 16 (C) Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.
John the Baptist
(Matthew 11.1-19)
18-19 John's followers told John everything that was being said about Jesus. So he sent two of them to ask the Lord, “Are you the one we should be looking for? Or must we wait for someone else?”
20 When these messengers came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the one we should be looking for? Or are we supposed to wait for someone else?’ ”
21 At that time Jesus was healing many people who were sick or in pain or were troubled by evil spirits, and he was giving sight to a lot of blind people. 22 (A) Jesus said to the messengers sent by John, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People who have leprosy[a] are being healed, and the deaf can now hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. 23 God will bless everyone who doesn't reject me because of what I do.”
24 After John's messengers had gone, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John:
What kind of person did you go out to the desert to see? Was he like tall grass blown about by the wind? 25 What kind of man did you really go out to see? Was he someone dressed in fine clothes? People who wear expensive clothes and live in luxury are in the king's palace. 26 What then did you go out to see? Was he a prophet? He certainly was! I tell you that he was more than a prophet. 27 (B) In the Scriptures, God calls John his messenger and says, “I am sending my messenger ahead of you to get things ready for you.” 28 No one ever born on this earth is greater than John. But whoever is least important in God's kingdom is greater than John.
29 (C) Everyone had been listening to John. Even the tax collectors[b] had obeyed God and had done what was right by letting John baptize them. 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law of Moses refused to obey God and be baptized by John.
31 Jesus went on to say:
What are you people like? What kind of people are you? 32 You are like children sitting in the market and shouting to each other,
“We played the flute,
but you would not dance!
We sang a funeral song,
but you would not cry!”
33 John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking, and you said, “John has a demon in him!” 34 But because the Son of Man goes around eating and drinking, you say, “Jesus eats and drinks too much! He is even a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” 35 Yet Wisdom is shown to be right by what its followers do.
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