201 God answer you on the day you crash, The name God-of-Jacob put you out of harm's reach, 2 Send reinforcements from Holy Hill, Dispatch from Zion fresh supplies, 3 Exclaim over your offerings, Celebrate your sacrifices, 4 Give you what your heart desires, Accomplish your plans. 5 When you win, we plan to raise the roof and lead the parade with our banners. May all your wishes come true!
6 That clinches it - help's coming, an answer's on the way, everything's going to work out. 7 See those people polishing their chariots, and those others grooming their horses? But we're making garlands for God our God. 8 The chariots will rust, those horses pull up lame - and we'll be on our feet, standing tall. 9 Make the king a winner, God; the day we call, give us your answer.
211 Your strength, God, is the king's strength. Helped, he's hollering Hosannas. 2 You gave him exactly what he wanted; you didn't hold back. 3 You filled his arms with gifts; you gave him a right royal welcome. 4 He wanted a good life; you gave it to him, and then made it a long life as a bonus. 5 You lifted him high and bright as a cumulus cloud, then dressed him in rainbow colors. 6 You pile blessings on him; you make him glad when you smile.
7 Is it any wonder the king loves God? that he's sticking with the Best? 8 With a fistful of enemies in one hand and a fistful of haters in the other, 9 You radiate with such brilliance that they cringe as before a furnace. Now the furnace swallows them whole, the fire eats them alive! 10 You purge the earth of their progeny, you wipe the slate clean. 11 All their evil schemes, the plots they cook up, have fizzled - every one. 12 You sent them packing; they couldn't face you. 13 Show your strength, God, so no one can miss it. We are out singing the good news!
221 God, God . . . my God! Why did you dump me miles from nowhere? 2 Doubled up with pain, I call to God all the day long. No answer. Nothing. I keep at it all night, tossing and turning. 3 And you! Are you indifferent, above it all, leaning back on the cushions of Israel's praise? 4 We know you were there for our parents: 5 they cried for your help and you gave it; they trusted and lived a good life. 6 And here I am, a nothing - an earthworm, something to step on, to squash. 7 Everyone pokes fun at me; they make faces at me, they shake their heads: 8 "Let's see how God handles this one; since God likes him so much, let him help him!" 9 And to think you were midwife at my birth, setting me at my mother's breasts! 10 When I left the womb you cradled me; since the moment of birth you've been my God.
11 Then you moved far away and trouble moved in next-door. I need a neighbor. 12 Herds of bulls come at me, the raging bulls stampede, 13 Horns lowered, nostrils flaring, like a herd of buffalo on the move. 14 I'm a bucket kicked over and spilled, every joint in my body has been pulled apart. My heart is a blob of melted wax in my gut. 15 I'm dry as a bone, my tongue black and swollen. They have laid me out for burial in the dirt. 16 Now packs of wild dogs come at me; thugs gang up on me. They pin me down hand and foot, 17 and lock me in a cage - a bag Of bones in a cage, stared at by every passerby. 18 They take my wallet and the shirt off my back, and then throw dice for my clothes. 19 You, God - don't put off my rescue! Hurry and help me! 20 Don't let them cut my throat; don't let those mongrels devour me. 21 If you don't show up soon, I'm done for - gored by the bulls, meat for the lions.
22 Here's the story I'll tell my friends when they come to worship, and punctuate it with Hallelujahs: 23 Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers; give glory, you sons of Jacob; adore him, you daughters of Israel. 24 He has never let you down, never looked the other way when you were being kicked around. He has never wandered off to do his own thing; he has been right there, listening. 25 Here in this great gathering for worship I have discovered this praise-life. And I'll do what I promised right here in front of the God-worshipers. 26 Down-and-outers sit at God's table and eat their fill. Everyone on the hunt for God is here, praising him. "Live it up, from head to toe. Don't ever quit!" 27 From the four corners of the earth people are coming to their senses, are running back to God. Long-lost families are falling on their faces before him. 28 God has taken charge; from now on he has the last word. 29 All the power-mongers are before him - worshiping! All the poor and powerless, too - worshiping! Along with those who never got it together - worshiping! 30 Our children and their children will get in on this As the word is passed along from parent to child. 31 Babies not yet conceived will hear the good news - that God does what he says.
211 And so, with the tearful good-byes behind us, we were on our way. We made a straight run to Cos, the next day reached Rhodes, and then Patara. 2 There we found a ship going direct to Phoenicia, got on board, and set sail. 3 Cyprus came into view on our left, but was soon out of sight as we kept on course for Syria, and eventually docked in the port of Tyre. While the cargo was being unloaded, 4 we looked up the local disciples and stayed with them seven days. Their message to Paul, from insight given by the Spirit, was "Don't go to Jerusalem." 5 When our time was up, they escorted us out of the city to the docks. Everyone came along - men, women, children. They made a farewell party of the occasion! We all kneeled together on the beach and prayed. 6 Then, after another round of saying good-bye, we climbed on board the ship while they drifted back to their homes. 7 A short run from Tyre to Ptolemais completed the voyage. We greeted our Christian friends there and stayed with them a day.
8 In the morning we went on to Caesarea and stayed with Philip the Evangelist, one of "the Seven." 9 Philip had four virgin daughters who prophesied. 10 After several days of visiting, a prophet from Judea by the name of Agabus came down to see us. 11 He went right up to Paul, took Paul's belt, and, in a dramatic gesture, tied himself up, hands and feet. He said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: The Jews in Jerusalem are going to tie up the man who owns this belt just like this and hand him over to godless unbelievers." 12 When we heard that, we and everyone there that day begged Paul not to be stubborn and persist in going to Jerusalem. 13 But Paul wouldn't budge: "Why all this hysteria? Why do you insist on making a scene and making it even harder for me? You're looking at this backwards. The issue in Jerusalem is not what they do to me, whether arrest or murder, but what the Master Jesus does through my obedience. Can't you see that?" 14 We saw that we weren't making even a dent in his resolve, and gave up. "It's in God's hands now," we said. "Master, you handle it."
15 It wasn't long before we had our luggage together and were on our way to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and took us to the home of Mnason, who received us warmly as his guests. A native of Cyprus, he had been among the earliest disciples.
17 In Jerusalem, our friends, glad to see us, received us with open arms.
(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.
