201 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble ! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high ! 2 May He send you help from the sanctuary And support you from Zion ! 3 May He remember all your meal offerings And find your burnt offering acceptable ! Selah . 4 May He grant you your heart's desire And fulfill all your counsel ! 5 We will sing for joy over your victory , And in the name of our God we will set up our banners . May the Lord fulfill all your petitions .
6 Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed ; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand . 7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses , But we will boast in the name of the Lord , our God . 8 They have bowed down and fallen , But we have risen and stood upright . 9 Save , O Lord ; May the King answer us in the day we call .
211 O Lord , in Your strength the king will be glad , And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice ! 2 You have given him his heart's desire , And You have not withheld the request of his lips . Selah . 3 For You meet him with the blessings of good things ; You set a crown of fine gold on his head . 4 He asked life of You, You gave it to him, Length of days forever and ever . 5 His glory is great through Your salvation , Splendor and majesty You place upon him. 6 For You make him most blessed forever ; You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence .
7 For the king trusts in the Lord , And through the lovingkindness of the Most High he will not be shaken . 8 Your hand will find out all your enemies ; Your right hand will find out those who hate you. 9 You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger ; The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath , And fire will devour them. 10 Their offspring You will destroy from the earth , And their descendants from among the sons of men . 11 Though they intended evil against You And devised a plot , They will not succeed . 12 For You will make them turn their back ; You will aim with Your bowstrings at their faces . 13 Be exalted , O Lord , in Your strength ; We will sing and praise Your power .
221 My God , my God , why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning . 2 O my God , I cry by day , but You do not answer ; And by night , but I have no rest . 3 Yet You are holy , O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel . 4 In You our fathers trusted ; They trusted and You delivered them. 5 To You they cried out and were delivered ; In You they trusted and were not disappointed . 6 But I am a worm and not a man , A reproach of men and despised by the people . 7 All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip , they wag the head , saying, 8 "Commit yourself to the Lord ; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him." 9 Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb ; You made me trust when upon my mother's breasts . 10 Upon You I was cast from birth ; You have been my God from my mother's womb .
11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near ; For there is none to help . 12 Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. 13 They open wide their mouth at me, As a ravening and a roaring lion . 14 I am poured out like water , And all my bones are out of joint ; My heart is like wax ; It is melted within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd , And my tongue cleaves to my jaws ; And You lay me in the dust of death . 16 For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet . 17 I can count all my bones . They look , they stare at me; 18 They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots . 19 But You, O Lord , be not far off; O You my help , hasten to my assistance . 20 Deliver my soul from the sword , My only life from the power of the dog . 21 Save me from the lion's mouth ; From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.
22 I will tell of Your name to my brethren ; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23 You who fear the Lord , praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob , glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel . 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted ; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help , He heard . 25 From You comes my praise in the great assembly ; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. 26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied ; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord . Let your heart live forever ! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord , And all the families of the nations will worship before You. 28 For the kingdom is the Lord'S And He rules over the nations . 29 All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship , All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive . 30 Posterity will serve Him; It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation . 31 They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born , that He has performed it.
211 When we had parted from them and had set sail , we ran a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara ; 2 and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia , we went aboard and set sail . 3 When we came in sight of Cyprus , leaving it on the left , we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre ; for there the ship was to unload its cargo . 4 After looking up the disciples , we stayed there seven days ; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem . 5 When our days there were ended , we left and started on our journey , while they all , with wives and children , escorted us until we were out of the city . After kneeling e down e on the beach and praying , we said farewell to one another . 6 Then we went on board the ship , and they returned home again. 7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre , we arrived at Ptolemais , and after greeting the brethren , we stayed with them for a day .
8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea , and entering the house of Philip the evangelist , who was one of the seven , we stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses . 10 As we were staying there for some days , a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea . 11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands , and said , "This is what the Holy Spirit says : 'In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles .' " 12 When we had heard this , we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem . 13 Then Paul answered , "What are you doing , weeping and breaking my heart ? For I am ready not only to be bound , but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus ." 14 And since he would not be persuaded , we fell silent , remarking , " The will of the Lord be done !"
15 After these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem . 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus , a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge .
17 After we arrived in Jerusalem , the brethren received us gladly .
(Read Acts 21:1-7)
Providence must be acknowledged when our affairs go on well. Wherever Paul came, he inquired what disciples were there, and found them out. Foreseeing his troubles, from love to him, and concern for the church, they wrongly thought it would be most for the glory of God that he should continue at liberty; but their earnestness to dissuade him from it, renders his pious resolution the more illustrious. He has taught us by example, as well as by rule, to pray always, to pray without ceasing. Their last farewell was sweetened with prayer.
(Read Acts 21:8-18)
Paul had express warning of his troubles, that when they came, they might be no surprise or terror to him. The general notice given us, that through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God, should be of the same use to us. Their weeping began to weaken and slacken his resolution Has not our Master told us to take up our cross? It was a trouble to him, that they should so earnestly press him to do that in which he could not gratify them without wronging his conscience. When we see trouble coming, it becomes us to say, not only, The will of the Lord must be done, and there is no remedy; but, Let the will of the Lord be done; for his will is his wisdom, and he doeth all according to the counsel of it. When a trouble is come, this must allay our griefs, that the will of the Lord is done; when we see it coming, this must silence our fears, that the will of the Lord shall be done; and we ought to say, Amen, let it be done. It is honourable to be an old disciple of Jesus Christ, to have been enabled by the grace of God to continue long in a course of duty, stedfast in the faith, growing more and more experienced, to a good old age. And with these old disciples one would choose to lodge; for the multitude of their years shall teach wisdom. Many brethren at Jerusalem received Paul gladly. We think, perhaps, that if we had him among us, we should gladly receive him; but we should not, if, having his doctrine, we do not gladly receive that.
