A Prayer for Deliverance and Guidance

1431 Hear my prayer, Yahweh.
Listen to my petitions.
In your faithfulness and righteousness, relieve me. 2 Don’t enter into judgment with your servant,
for in your sight no man living is righteous. 3 For the enemy pursues my soul.
He has struck my life down to the ground.
He has made me live in dark places, as those who have been long dead. 4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me.
My heart within me is desolate. 5 I remember the days of old.
I meditate on all your doings.
I contemplate the work of your hands. 6 I spread forth my hands to you.
My soul thirsts for you, like a parched land. Selah.

7 Hurry to answer me, Yahweh.
My spirit fails.
Don’t hide your face from me,
so that I don’t become like those who go down into the pit. 8 Cause me to hear your loving kindness in the morning,
for I trust in you.
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
for I lift up my soul to you. 9 Deliver me, Yahweh, from my enemies.
I flee to you to hide me. 10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness. 11 Revive me, Yahweh, for your name’s sake.
In your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble. 12 In your loving kindness, cut off my enemies,
and destroy all those who afflict my soul,
For I am your servant.

A Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity

1441 Blessed be Yahweh, my rock,
who teaches my hands to war,
and my fingers to battle: 2 my loving kindness, my fortress,
my high tower, my deliverer,
my shield, and he in whom I take refuge;
who subdues my people under me. 3 Yahweh, what is man, that you care for him?
Or the son of man, that you think of him? 4 Man is like a breath.
His days are like a shadow that passes away. 5 Part your heavens, Yahweh, and come down.
Touch the mountains, and they will smoke. 6 Throw out lightning, and scatter them.
Send out your arrows, and rout them. 7 Stretch out your hand from above,
rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters,
out of the hands of foreigners; 8 whose mouths speak deceit,
Whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

9 I will sing a new song to you, God.
On a ten-stringed lyre, I will sing praises to you. 10 You are he who gives salvation to kings,
who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword. 11 Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hands of foreigners,
whose mouths speak deceit,
whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 12 Then our sons will be like well-nurtured plants,
our daughters like pillars carved to adorn a palace. 13 Our barns are full, filled with all kinds of provision.
Our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields. 14 Our oxen will pull heavy loads.
There is no breaking in, and no going away,
and no outcry in our streets. 15 Happy are the people who are in such a situation.
Happy are the people whose God is Yahweh.

Praise for the LORD's Goodness and Power

1451 I will exalt you, my God, the King.
I will praise your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you.
I will extol your name forever and ever. 3 Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised!
His greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation will commend your works to another,
and will declare your mighty acts. 5 Of the glorious majesty of your honor,
of your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 Men will speak of the might of your awesome acts.
I will declare your greatness. 7 They will utter the memory of your great goodness,
and will sing of your righteousness. 8 Yahweh is gracious, merciful,
slow to anger, and of great loving kindness. 9 Yahweh is good to all.
His tender mercies are over all his works.

10 All your works will give thanks to you, Yahweh.
Your saints will extol you. 11 They will speak of the glory of your kingdom,
and talk about your power; 12 to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts,
the glory of the majesty of his kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
Yahweh is faithful in all his words,
and loving in all his deeds. [1] 14 Yahweh upholds all who fall,
and raises up all those who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all wait for you.
You give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand,
and satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 Yahweh is righteous in all his ways,
and gracious in all his works. 18 Yahweh is near to all those who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him.
He also will hear their cry, and will save them. 20 Yahweh preserves all those who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of Yahweh.
Let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

21 In the law it is written, “By men of strange languages and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people. Not even thus will they hear me, says the Lord.” [2] 22 Therefore other languages are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to the unbelieving; but prophesying is for a sign, not to the unbelieving, but to those who believe. 23 If therefore the whole assembly is assembled together and all speak with other languages, and unlearned or unbelieving people come in, won’t they say that you are crazy? 24 But if all prophesy, and someone unbelieving or unlearned comes in, he is reproved by all, and he is judged by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed. So he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed.

26 What is it then, brothers? When you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has another language, has an interpretation. Let all things be done to build each other up. 27 If any man speaks in another language, let it be two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the assembly, and let him speak to himself, and to God. 29 Let the prophets speak, two or three, and let the others discern. 30 But if a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you all can prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted. 32 The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, 33 for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

As in all the assemblies of the saints,

34 let your wives keep silent in the assemblies, for it has not been permitted for them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as the law also says. 35 If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to chatter in the assembly.

36 What? Was it from you that the word of God went out? Or did it come to you alone? 37 If any man thinks himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him recognize the things which I write to you, that they are the commandment of the Lord. 38 But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. 39 Therefore, brothers, desire earnestly to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking with other languages. 40 Let all things 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.