A Prayer for Guidance, Pardon and Protection

251 To you, Yahweh, do I lift up my soul. 2 My God, I have trusted in you.
Don’t let me be shamed.
Don’t let my enemies triumph over me. 3 Yes, no one who waits for you shall be shamed.
They shall be shamed who deal treacherously without cause. 4 Show me your ways, Yahweh.
Teach me your paths. 5 Guide me in your truth, and teach me,
For you are the God of my salvation,
I wait for you all day long. 6 Yahweh, remember your tender mercies and your loving kindness,
for they are from old times. 7 Don’t remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions.
Remember me according to your loving kindness,
for your goodness’ sake, Yahweh.

8 Good and upright is Yahweh,
therefore he will instruct sinners in the way. 9 He will guide the humble in justice.
He will teach the humble his way. 10 All the paths of Yahweh are loving kindness and truth
to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For your name’s sake, Yahweh,
pardon my iniquity, for it is great. 12 What man is he who fears Yahweh?
He shall instruct him in the way that he shall choose. 13 His soul shall dwell at ease.
His seed shall inherit the land. 14 The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him.
He will show them his covenant.

15 My eyes are ever on Yahweh,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16 Turn to me, and have mercy on me,
for I am desolate and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged.
Oh bring me out of my distresses. 18 Consider my affliction and my travail.
Forgive all my sins. 19 Consider my enemies, for they are many.
They hate me with cruel hatred. 20 Oh keep my soul, and deliver me.
Let me not be disappointed, for I take refuge in you. 21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you. 22 Redeem Israel, God,
out all of his troubles.

The Voice of the LORD in the Storm

291 Ascribe to Yahweh, you sons of the mighty,
ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name.
Worship Yahweh in holy array. 3 Yahweh’s voice is on the waters.
The God of glory thunders, even Yahweh on many waters. 4 Yahweh’s voice is powerful.
Yahweh’s voice is full of majesty. 5 The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars.
Yes, Yahweh breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes them also to skip like a calf;
Lebanon and Sirion like a young, wild ox. 7 Yahweh’s voice strikes with flashes of lightning. 8 Yahweh’s voice shakes the wilderness.
Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 Yahweh’s voice makes the deer calve,
and strips the forests bare.
In his temple everything says, “Glory!” 10 Yahweh sat enthroned at the Flood.
Yes, Yahweh sits as King forever. 11 Yahweh will give strength to his people.
Yahweh will bless his people with peace.

Praise to the Creator and Preserver

331 Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous!
Praise is fitting for the upright. 2 Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre.
Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings. 3 Sing to him a new song.
Play skillfully with a shout of joy! 4 For the word of Yahweh is right.
All his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice.
The earth is full of the loving kindness of Yahweh. 6 By Yahweh’s word, the heavens were made;
all their army by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap.
He lays up the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear Yahweh.
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spoke, and it was done.
He commanded, and it stood firm. 10 Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing.
He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect. 11 The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh,
the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. 13 Yahweh looks from heaven.
He sees all the sons of men. 14 From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions all of their hearts;
and he considers all of their works. 16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an army.
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a vain thing for safety,
neither does he deliver any by his great power. 18 Behold, Yahweh’s eye is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his loving kindness; 19 to deliver their soul from death,
to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul has waited for Yahweh.
He is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart rejoices in him,
because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let your loving kindness be on us, Yahweh,
since we have hoped in you.

The Steadfast Love of God

361 An oracle is within my heart about the disobedience of the wicked:
“There is no fear of God before his eyes.” 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
too much to detect and hate his sin. 3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit.
He has ceased to be wise and to do good. 4 He plots iniquity on his bed.
He sets himself in a way that is not good.
He doesn’t abhor evil.

5 Your loving kindness, Yahweh, is in the heavens.
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God.
Your judgments are like a great deep.
Yahweh, you preserve man and animal. 7 How precious is your loving kindness, God!
The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings. 8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the abundance of your house.
You will make them drink of the river of your pleasures. 9 For with you is the spring of life.
In your light shall we see light. 10 Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11 Don’t let the foot of pride come against me.
Don’t let the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the workers of iniquity are fallen.
They are thrust down, and shall not be able to rise.

Hope in the LORD

391 I said, “I will watch my ways, so that I don’t sin with my tongue.
I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me.” 2 I was mute with silence.
I held my peace, even from good.
My sorrow was stirred. 3 My heart was hot within me.
While I meditated, the fire burned:
I spoke with my tongue: 4 “Yahweh, show me my end,
what is the measure of my days.
Let me know how frail I am. 5 Behold, you have made my days handbreadths.
My lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely every man stands as a breath.” Selah. 6 “Surely every man walks like a shadow.
Surely they busy themselves in vain.
He heaps up, and doesn’t know who shall gather.

7 Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you. 8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Don’t make me the reproach of the foolish. 9 I was mute.
I didn’t open my mouth,
because you did it. 10 Remove your scourge away from me.
I am overcome by the blow of your hand. 11 When you rebuke and correct man for iniquity,
You consume his wealth like a moth.
Surely every man is but a breath.” Selah. 12 “Hear my prayer, Yahweh, and give ear to my cry.
Don’t be silent at my tears.
For I am a stranger with you,
a foreigner, as all my fathers were. 13 Oh spare me, that I may recover strength,
before I go away, and exist no more.”