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(A prayer for someone who hurts and needs to ask the Lord for help.)

A Prayer in Time of Trouble

I pray to you, Lord!
    Please listen.
Don't hide from me
    in my time of trouble.
Pay attention to my prayer
    and quickly give an answer.

My days disappear like smoke,
and my bones are burning
    as though in a furnace.
I am wasting away like grass,
    and my appetite is gone.
My groaning never stops,
and my bones can be seen
    through my skin.
I am like a lonely owl
    in the desert
or a restless sparrow
    alone on a roof.

My enemies insult me all day,
and they use my name
    for a curse word.
Instead of food,
I have ashes to eat
    and tears to drink,
10 because you are furious
    and have thrown me aside.
11 My life fades like a shadow
at the end of day
    and withers like grass.

12 Our Lord, you are King forever
    and will always be famous.
13 You will show pity to Zion
    because the time has come.
14 We, your servants,
    love each stone in the city,
and we are sad to see them
    lying in the dirt.

15 Our Lord, the nations
    will honor you,
and all kings on earth
    will praise your glory.
16 You will rebuild
    the city of Zion.
Your glory will be seen,
17 and the prayers of the homeless
    will be answered.

18 Future generations must also
praise the Lord,
    so write this for them:
19 “From his holy temple,
the Lord looked down
    at the earth.
20 He listened to the groans
    of prisoners,
and he rescued everyone
    who was doomed to die.”

21 All Jerusalem should praise
    you, our Lord,
22 when people from every nation
    meet to worship you.

23 I should still be strong,
but you, Lord, have made
    an old person of me.
24 You will live forever!
Years mean nothing to you.
    Don't cut my life in half!

25 (A) In the beginning, Lord,
you laid the earth's foundation
    and created the heavens.
26 They will all disappear
    and wear out like clothes.
You change them,
as you would a coat,
    but you last forever.
27 You are always the same.
    You are God for all time.
28 Every generation of those
who serve you
    will live in your presence.

(By David.)

The Lord's Wonderful Love

With all my heart
    I praise the Lord,
and with all that I am
    I praise his holy name!
With all my heart
    I praise the Lord!
I will never forget
    how kind he has been.

The Lord forgives our sins,
heals us when we are sick,
    and protects us from death.
His kindness and love
    are a crown on our heads.
Each day that we live,[a]
    he provides for our needs
and gives us the strength
    of a young eagle.

For all who are mistreated,
    the Lord brings justice.
He taught his Law to Moses
and showed all Israel
    what he could do.

(B) The Lord is merciful!
He is kind and patient,
    and his love never fails.
The Lord won't always be angry
    and point out our sins;
10 he doesn't punish us
    as our sins deserve.

11 How great is God's love for all
    who worship him?
Greater than the distance
    between heaven and earth!
12 How far has the Lord taken
    our sins from us?
Farther than the distance
    from east to west!

13 Just as parents are kind
    to their children,
the Lord is kind
    to all who worship him,
14 because he knows
    we are made of dust.
15 We humans are like grass
or wild flowers
    that quickly bloom.
16 But a scorching wind blows,
and they quickly wither
    to be forever forgotten.

17 The Lord is always kind
    to those who worship him,
and he keeps his promises
to their descendants
18 who faithfully obey him.

19 God has set up his kingdom
in heaven, and he rules
    the whole creation.
20 All of you mighty angels,
who obey God's commands,
    come and praise your Lord!
21 All of you thousands
who serve and obey God,
    come and praise your Lord!
22 All of God's creation
and all that he rules,
    come and praise your Lord!
With all my heart
    I praise the Lord!

The Lord Takes Care of His Creation

I praise you, Lord God,
    with all my heart.
You are glorious and majestic,
dressed in royal robes
    and surrounded by light.
You spread out the sky
    like a tent,
and you built your home
    over the mighty ocean.
The clouds are your chariot
    with the wind as its wings.
(C) The winds are your messengers,
and flames of fire
    are your servants.

You built foundations
for the earth, and it
    will never be shaken.
You covered the earth
with the ocean that rose
    above the mountains.
Then your voice thundered!
And the water flowed
    down the mountains
and through the valleys
    to the place you prepared.
Now you have set boundaries,
so that the water will never
    flood the earth again.

10 You provide streams of water
    in the hills and valleys,
11 so that the donkeys
and other wild animals
    can satisfy their thirst.
12 Birds build their nests nearby
    and sing in the trees.
13 From your home above
you send rain on the hills
    and water the earth.
14 You let the earth produce
    grass for cattle,
    plants for our food,
15     wine to cheer us up,
    olive oil for our skin,
    and grain for our health.

16 Our Lord, your trees
    always have water,
and so do the cedars
    you planted in Lebanon.
17 Birds nest in those trees,
and storks make their home
    in the fir trees.
18 Wild goats find a home
    in the tall mountains,
and small animals can hide
    between the rocks.

19 You created the moon
    to tell us the seasons.
The sun knows when to set,
20     and you made the darkness,
so the animals in the forest
    could come out at night.
21 Lions roar as they hunt
    for the food you provide.
22 But when morning comes,
    they return to their dens,
23 then we go out to work
    until the end of day.

24 Our Lord, by your wisdom
    you made so many things;
the whole earth is covered
    with your living creatures.
25 But what about the ocean
    so big and wide?
It is alive with creatures,
    large and small.
26 (D) And there are the ships,
    as well as Leviathan,[b]
the monster you created
    to splash in the sea.

27 All of these depend on you
    to provide them with food,
28 and you feed each one
with your own hand,
    until they are full.
29 But when you turn away,
    they are terrified;
when you end their life,
    they die and rot.
30 You created all of them
    by your Spirit,
and you give new life
    to the earth.

31 Our Lord, we pray
that your glory
    will last forever
and that you will be pleased
    with what you have done.
32 You look at the earth,
    and it trembles.
You touch the mountains,
    and smoke goes up.
33 As long as I live,
I will sing and praise you,
    the Lord God.
34 I hope my thoughts
    will please you,
because you are the one
    who makes me glad.

35 Destroy all wicked sinners
from the earth
    once and for all.
With all my heart
I praise you, Lord!
    I praise you!

Footnotes

  1. 103.5 Each … live: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  2. 104.26 Leviathan: See the note at 74.14.

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