A Prayer for Guidance, Pardon and Protection

251 A Psalm of David. To thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, in thee I trust, let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. 3 Yea, let none that wait for thee be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 4 Make me to know thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. 5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all the day long. 6 Be mindful of thy mercy, O Lord, and of thy steadfast love, for they have been from of old. 7 Remember not the sins of my youth, or my transgressions; according to thy steadfast love remember me, for thy goodness' sake, O Lord!

8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. 12 Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. 13 He himself shall abide in prosperity, and his children shall possess the land. 14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.

15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 16 Turn thou to me, and be gracious to me; for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distresses. 18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. 20 Oh guard my life, and deliver me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in thee. 21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for thee. 22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

The Voice of the LORD in the Storm

291 A Psalm of David. Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy array. 3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, upon many waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful, the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Si'rion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord makes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forests bare; and in his temple all cry, "Glory!" 10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever. 11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Praise to the Creator and Preserver

331 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Praise the Lord with the lyre, make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song, play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4 For the word of the Lord is upright; and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. 6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood forth. 10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nought; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 13 The Lord looks down from heaven, he sees all the sons of men; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks forth on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds. 16 A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death, and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. 21 Yea, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let thy steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in thee.

The Steadfast Love of God

361 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. 3 The words of his mouth are mischief and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. 4 He plots mischief while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he spurns not evil.

5 Thy steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, thy faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God, thy judgments are like the great deep; man and beast thou savest, O Lord. 7 How precious is thy steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge in the shadow of thy wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of thy house, and thou givest them drink from the river of thy delights. 9 For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light do we see light. 10 O continue thy steadfast love to those who know thee, and thy salvation to the upright of heart! 11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the evildoers lie prostrate, they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Hope in the LORD

391 To the choirmaster: to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I said, "I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will bridle my mouth, so long as the wicked are in my presence." 2 I was dumb and silent, I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse, 3 my heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: 4 "Lord, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is! 5 Behold, thou hast made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in thy sight. Surely every man stands as a mere breath! [Selah] 6 Surely man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nought are they in turmoil; man heaps up, and knows not who will gather!

7 "And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in thee. 8 Deliver me from all my transgressions. Make me not the scorn of the fool! 9 I am dumb, I do not open my mouth; for it is thou who hast done it. 10 Remove thy stroke from me; I am spent by the blows of thy hand. 11 When thou dost chasten man with rebukes for sin, thou dost consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely every man is a mere breath! [Selah] 12 "Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears! For I am thy passing guest, a sojourner, like all my fathers. 13 Look away from me, that I may know gladness, before I depart and be no more!"