A Prayer for Deliverance and Guidance

1431 A Psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications! In thy faithfulness answer me, in thy righteousness! 2 Enter not into judgment with thy servant; for no man living is righteous before thee. 3 For the enemy has pursued me; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. 4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. 5 I remember the days of old, I meditate on all that thou hast done; I muse on what thy hands have wrought. 6 I stretch out my hands to thee; my soul thirsts for thee like a parched land. [Selah]

7 Make haste to answer me, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not thy face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the Pit. 8 Let me hear in the morning of thy steadfast love, for in thee I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to thee I lift up my soul. 9 Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies! I have fled to thee for refuge! 10 Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God! Let thy good spirit lead me on a level path! 11 For thy name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In thy righteousness bring me out of trouble! 12 And in thy steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am thy servant.

A Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity

1441 A Psalm of David. Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; 2 my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under him. 3 O Lord, what is man that thou dost regard him, or the son of man that thou dost think of him? 4 Man is like a breath, his days are like a passing shadow. 5 Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down! Touch the mountains that they smoke! 6 Flash forth the lightning and scatter them, send out thy arrows and rout them! 7 Stretch forth thy hand from on high, rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, from the hand of aliens, 8 whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to thee, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to thee, 10 who givest victory to kings, who rescuest David thy servant. 11 Rescue me from the cruel sword, and deliver me from the hand of aliens, whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 12 May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace; 13 may our garners be full, providing all manner of store; may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields; 14 may our cattle be heavy with young, suffering no mischance or failure in bearing; may there be no cry of distress in our streets! 15 Happy the people to whom such blessings fall! Happy the people whose God is the Lord!

Praise for the LORD's Goodness and Power

1451 A Song of Praise. Of David. I will extol thee, my God and King, and bless thy name for ever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless thee, and praise thy name for ever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall laud thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of thy majesty, and on thy wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 Men shall proclaim the might of thy terrible acts, and I will declare thy greatness. 7 They shall pour forth the fame of thy abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.

10 All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O Lord, and all thy saints shall bless thee! 11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power, 12 to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom. 13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. 14 The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to thee, and thou givest them their food in due season. 16 Thou openest thy hand, thou satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. 18 The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. 19 He fulfils the desire of all who fear him, he also hears their cry, and saves them. 20 The Lord preserves all who love him; but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

21 In the law it is written, "By men of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord." 22 Thus, tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church assembles and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

26 What then, brethren? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silence in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

34 the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says. 35 If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

36 What! Did the word of God originate with you, or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If any one thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord. 38 If any one does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brethren, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues; 40 but all things should be done decently and in order.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:21-40

Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:15-25

(Read 1 Corinthians 14:15-25)

There can be no assent to prayers that are not understood. A truly Christian minister will seek much more to do spiritual good to men's souls, than to get the greatest applause to himself. This is proving himself the servant of Christ. Children are apt to be struck with novelty; but do not act like them. Christians should be like children, void of guile and malice; yet they should not be unskilful as to the word of righteousness, but only as to the arts of mischief. It is a proof that a people are forsaken of God, when he gives them up to the rule of those who teach them to worship in another language. They can never be benefitted by such teaching. Yet thus the preachers did who delivered their instructions in an unknown tongue. Would it not make Christianity ridiculous to a heathen, to hear the ministers pray or preach in a language which neither he nor the assembly understood? But if those who minister, plainly interpret Scripture, or preach the great truths and rules of the gospel, a heathen or unlearned person might become a convert to Christianity. His conscience might be touched, the secrets of his heart might be revealed to him, and so he might be brought to confess his guilt, and to own that God was present in the assembly. Scripture truth, plainly and duly taught, has a wonderful power to awaken the conscience and touch the heart.

Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:26-33

(Read 1 Corinthians 14:26-33)

Religious exercises in public assemblies should have this view; Let all be done to edifying. As to the speaking in an unknown tongue, if another were present who could interpret, two miraculous gifts might be exercised at once, and thereby the church be edified, and the faith of the hearers confirmed at the same time. As to prophesying, two or three only should speak at one meeting, and this one after the other, not all at once. The man who is inspired by the Spirit of God will observe order and decency in delivering his revelations. God never teaches men to neglect their duties, or to act in any way unbecoming their age or station.

Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14:34-40

(Read 1 Corinthians 14:34-40)

When the apostle exhorts Christian women to seek information on religious subjects from their husbands at home, it shows that believing families ought to assemble for promoting spiritual knowledge. The Spirit of Christ can never contradict itself; and if their revelations are against those of the apostle, they do not come from the same Spirit. The way to keep peace, truth, and order in the church, is to seek that which is good for it, to bear with that which is not hurtful to its welfare, and to keep up good behaviour, order, and decency.