431 Vindicate me, God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation.
Oh, deliver me from deceitful and wicked men. 2 For you are the God of my strength. Why have you rejected me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 Oh, send out your light and your truth.
Let them lead me.
Let them bring me to your holy hill,
To your tents. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my exceeding joy.
I will praise you on the harp, God, my God. 5 Why are you in despair, my soul?
Why are you disturbed within me?
Hope in God!
For I shall still praise him:
my Savior, my helper, and my God.
441 We have heard with our ears, God;
our fathers have told us,
what work you did in their days,
in the days of old. 2 You drove out the nations with your hand,
but you planted them.
You afflicted the peoples,
but you spread them abroad. 3 For they didn’t get the land in possession by their own sword,
neither did their own arm save them;
but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face,
because you were favorable to them. 4 You are my King, God.
Command victories for Jacob! 5 Through you, will we push down our adversaries.
Through your name, will we tread them under who rise up against us. 6 For I will not trust in my bow,
neither shall my sword save me. 7 But you have saved us from our adversaries,
and have shamed those who hate us. 8 In God we have made our boast all day long,
we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah.
9 But now you rejected us, and brought us to dishonor,
and don’t go out with our armies. 10 You make us turn back from the adversary.
Those who hate us take spoil for themselves. 11 You have made us like sheep for food,
and have scattered us among the nations. 12 You sell your people for nothing,
and have gained nothing from their sale. 13 You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us. 14 You make us a byword among the nations,
a shaking of the head among the peoples. 15 All day long my dishonor is before me,
and shame covers my face, 16 At the taunt of one who reproaches and verbally abuses,
because of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come on us,
yet have we not forgotten you,
Neither have we been false to your covenant. 18 Our heart has not turned back,
neither have our steps strayed from your path, 19 Though you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals,
and covered us with the shadow of death. 20 If we have forgotten the name of our God,
or spread forth our hands to a strange god; 21 won’t God search this out?
For he knows the secrets of the heart. 22 Yes, for your sake we are killed all day long.
We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter. 23 Wake up!
Why do you sleep, Lord?
Arise!
Don’t reject us forever. 24 Why do you hide your face,
and forget our affliction and our oppression? 25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust.
Our body cleaves to the earth. 26 Rise up to help us.
Redeem us for your loving kindness’ sake.
451 My heart overflows with a noble theme.
I recite my verses for the king.
My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer. 2 You are the most excellent of the sons of men.
Grace has anointed your lips,
therefore God has blessed you forever. 3 Gird your sword on your thigh, mighty one:
your splendor and your majesty. 4 In your majesty ride on victoriously on behalf of truth, humility, and righteousness.
Let your right hand display awesome deeds. 5 Your arrows are sharp.
The nations fall under you, with arrows in the heart of the king’s enemies.
6 Your throne, God, is forever and ever.
A scepter of equity is the scepter of your kingdom. 7 You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. 8 All your garments smell like myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made you glad. 9 Kings’ daughters are among your honorable women.
At your right hand the queen stands in gold of Ophir.
10 Listen, daughter, consider, and turn your ear.
Forget your own people, and also your father’s house. 11 So the king will desire your beauty,
honor him, for he is your lord. 12 The daughter of Tyre comes with a gift.
The rich among the people entreat your favor. 13 The princess inside is all glorious.
Her clothing is interwoven with gold. 14 She shall be led to the king in embroidered work.
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to you. 15 With gladness and rejoicing they shall be led.
They shall enter into the king’s palace. 16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers.
You shall make them princes in all the earth. 17 I will make your name to be remembered in all generations.
Therefore the peoples shall give you thanks forever and ever.
27 But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven back and forth in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some land. 28 They took soundings, and found twenty fathoms. [1] After a little while, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms. [2] 29 Fearing that we would run aground on rocky ground, they let go four anchors from the stern, and wished for daylight. 30 As the sailors were trying to flee out of the ship, and had lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they would lay out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these stay in the ship, you can’t be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat, and let it fall off. 33 While the day was coming on, Paul begged them all to take some food, saying, “This day is the fourteenth day that you wait and continue fasting, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I beg you to take some food, for this is for your safety; for not a hair will perish from any of your heads.” 35 When he had said this, and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it, and began to eat. 36 Then they all cheered up, and they also took food. 37 In all, we were two hundred seventy-six souls on the ship. 38 When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
39 When it was day, they didn’t recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay with a beach, and they decided to try to drive the ship onto it. 40 Casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time untying the rudder ropes. Hoisting up the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. 41 But coming to a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground. The bow struck and remained immovable, but the stern began to break up by the violence of the waves. 42 The soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim out and escape. 43 But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, stopped them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should throw themselves overboard first to go toward the land; 44 and the rest should follow, some on planks, and some on other things from the ship. So it happened that they all escaped safely to the land.
(Read Acts 27:21-29)
They did not hearken to the apostle when he warned them of their danger; yet if they acknowledge their folly, and repent of it, he will speak comfort and relief to them when in danger. Most people bring themselves into trouble, because they do not know when they are well off; they come to harm and loss by aiming to mend their condition, often against advice. Observe the solemn profession Paul made of relation to God. No storms or tempests can hinder God's favour to his people, for he is a Help always at hand. It is a comfort to the faithful servants of God when in difficulties, that as long as the Lord has any work for them to do, their lives shall be prolonged. If Paul had thrust himself needlessly into bad company, he might justly have been cast away with them; but God calling him into it, they are preserved with him. They are given thee; there is no greater satisfaction to a good man than to know he is a public blessing. He comforts them with the same comforts wherewith he himself was comforted. God is ever faithful, therefore let all who have an interest in his promises be ever cheerful. As, with God, saying and doing are not two things, believing and enjoying should not be so with us. Hope is an anchor of the soul, sure and stedfast, entering into that within the veil. Let those who are in spiritual darkness hold fast by that, and think not of putting to sea again, but abide by Christ, and wait till the day break, and the shadows flee away.
(Read Acts 27:30-38)
God, who appointed the end, that they should be saved, appointed the means, that they should be saved by the help of these shipmen. Duty is ours, events are God's; we do not trust God, but tempt him, when we say we put ourselves under his protection, if we do not use proper means, such as are within our power, for our safety. But how selfish are men in general, often even ready to seek their own safety by the destruction of others! Happy those who have such a one as Paul in their company, who not only had intercourse with Heaven, but was of an enlivening spirit to those about him. The sorrow of the world works death, while joy in God is life and peace in the greatest distresses and dangers. The comfort of God's promises can only be ours by believing dependence on him, to fulfil his word to us; and the salvation he reveals must be waited for in use of the means he appoints. If God has chosen us to salvation, he has also appointed that we shall obtain it by repentance, faith, prayer, and persevering obedience; it is fatal presumption to expect it in any other way. It is an encouragement to people to commit themselves to Christ as their Saviour, when those who invite them, clearly show that they do so themselves.
(Read Acts 27:39-44)
The ship that had weathered the storm in the open sea, where it had room, is dashed to pieces when it sticks fast. Thus, if the heart fixes in the world in affection, and cleaving to it, it is lost. Satan's temptations beat against it, and it is gone; but as long as it keeps above the world, though tossed with cares and tumults, there is hope for it. They had the shore in view, yet suffered shipwreck in the harbour; thus we are taught never to be secure. Though there is great difficulty in the way of the promised salvation, it shall, without fail, be brought to pass. It will come to pass that whatever the trials and dangers may be, in due time all believers will get safely to heaven. Lord Jesus, thou hast assured us that none of thine shall perish. Thou wilt bring them all safe to the heavenly shore. And what a pleasing landing will that be! Thou wilt present them to thy Father, and give thy Holy Spirit full possession of them for ever.
