401 I have diligently expected Jehovah, And He inclineth to me, and heareth my cry, 2 And He doth cause me to come up From a pit of desolation—from mire of mud, And He raiseth up on a rock my feet, He is establishing my steps. 3 And He putteth in my mouth a new song, 'Praise to our God.' Many do see and fear, and trust in Jehovah. 4 O the happiness of the man Who hath made Jehovah his trust, And hath not turned unto the proud, And those turning aside to lies. 5 Much hast Thou done, Jehovah my God; Thy wonders and Thy thoughts toward us, There is none to arrange unto Thee, I declare and speak: They have been more than to be numbered.
6 Sacrifice and present Thou hast not desired, Ears Thou hast prepared for me, Burnt and sin-offering Thou hast not asked. 7 Then said I, 'Lo, I have come,' In the roll of the book it is written of me, 8 To do Thy pleasure, my God, I have delighted, And Thy law 'is' within my heart. 9 I have proclaimed tidings of righteousness In the great assembly, lo, my lips I restrain not, O Jehovah, Thou hast known. 10 Thy righteousness I have not concealed In the midst of my heart, Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation I have told, I have not hidden Thy kindness and Thy truth, To the great assembly.
11 Thou, O Jehovah, restrainest not Thy mercies from me, Thy kindness and Thy truth do continually keep me. 12 For compassed me have evils innumerable, Overtaken me have mine iniquities, And I have not been able to see; They have been more than the hairs of my head, And my heart hath forsaken me. 13 Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me, O Jehovah, for my help make haste. 14 They are ashamed and confounded together, Who are seeking my soul to destroy it, They are turned backward, And are ashamed, who are desiring my evil. 15 They are desolate because of their shame, Who are saying to me, 'Aha, aha.' 16 All seeking Thee rejoice and are glad in Thee, Those loving Thy salvation say continually, 'Jehovah is magnified.' 17 And I 'am' poor and needy, The Lord doth devise for me. My help and my deliverer 'art' Thou, O my God, tarry Thou not.
411 O the happiness of him Who is acting wisely unto the poor, In a day of evil doth Jehovah deliver him. 2 Jehovah doth preserve him and revive him, He is happy in the land, And Thou givest him not into the will of his enemies. 3 Jehovah supporteth on a couch of sickness, All his bed Thou hast turned in his weakness. 4 I—I said, 'O Jehovah, favour me, Heal my soul, for I did sin against Thee,'
5 Mine enemies say evil of me: When he dieth—his name hath perished! 6 And if he came to see—vanity he speaketh, His heart gathereth iniquity to itself, He goeth out—at the street he speaketh. 7 All hating me whisper together against me, Against me they devise evil to me: 8 A thing of Belial is poured out on him, And because he lay down he riseth not again. 9 Even mine ally, in whom I trusted, One eating my bread, made great the heel against me, 10 And Thou, Jehovah, favour me, And cause me to rise, And I give recompence to them. 11 By this I have known, That Thou hast delighted in me, Because my enemy shouteth not over me. 12 As to me, in mine integrity, Thou hast taken hold upon me, And causest me to stand before Thee to the age. 13 Blessed 'is' Jehovah, God of Israel, From the age—and unto the age. Amen and Amen.
421 To the Overseer.—An Instruction. By sons of Korah. As a hart doth pant for streams of water, So my soul panteth toward Thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsted for God, for the living God, When do I enter and see the face of God? 3 My tear hath been to me bread day and night, In their saying unto me all the day, 'Where 'is' thy God?' 4 These I remember, and pour out my soul in me, For I pass over into the booth, I go softly with them unto the house of God, With the voice of singing and confession, The multitude keeping feast! 5 What! bowest thou thyself, O my soul? Yea, art thou troubled within me? Wait for God, for still I confess Him: The salvation of my countenance—My God!
6 In me doth my soul bow itself, Therefore I remember Thee from the land of Jordan, And of the Hermons, from the hill Mizar. 7 Deep unto deep is calling At the noise of Thy water-spouts, All Thy breakers and Thy billows passed over me. 8 By day Jehovah commandeth His kindness, And by night a song 'is' with me, A prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my rock, 'Why hast Thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning in the oppression of an enemy? 10 With a sword in my bones Have mine adversaries reproached me, In their saying unto me all the day, 'Where 'is' thy God?' 11 What! bowest thou thyself, O my soul? And what! art thou troubled within me? Wait for God, for still I confess Him, The salvation of my countenance, and my God!
271 And when our sailing to Italy was determined, they were delivering up both Paul and certain others, prisoners, to a centurion, by name Julius, of the band of Sebastus, 2 and having embarked in a ship of Adramyttium, we, being about to sail by the coasts of Asia, did set sail, there being with us Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, 3 on the next 'day' also we touched at Sidon, and Julius, courteously treating Paul, did permit 'him', having gone on unto friends, to receive 'their' care. 4 And thence, having set sail, we sailed under Cyprus, because of the winds being contrary, 5 and having sailed over the sea over-against Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myria of Lycia, 6 and there the centurion having found a ship of Alexandria, sailing to Italy, did put us into it, 7 and having sailed slowly many days, and with difficulty coming over-against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over-against Salmone, 8 and hardly passing it, we came to a certain place called 'Fair Havens,' nigh to which was the city 'of' Lasaea. 9 And much time being spent, and the sailing being now dangerous—because of the fast also being already past—Paul was admonishing, 10 saying to them, 'Men, I perceive that with hurt, and much damage, not only of the lading and of the ship, but also of our lives—the voyage is about to be;' 11 but the centurion to the pilot and to the shipowner gave credence more than to the things spoken by Paul;
12 and the haven being incommodious to winter in, the more part gave counsel to sail thence also, if by any means they might be able, having attained to Phenice, 'there' to winter, 'which is' a haven of Crete, looking to the south-west and north-west,
13 and a south wind blowing softly, having thought they had obtained 'their' purpose, having lifted anchor, they sailed close by Crete, 14 and not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, that is called Euroclydon, 15 and the ship being caught, and not being able to bear up against the wind, having given 'her' up, we were borne on, 16 and having run under a certain little isle, called Clauda, we were hardly able to become masters of the boat, 17 which having taken up, they were using helps, undergirding the ship, and fearing lest they may fall on the quicksand, having let down the mast—so were borne on. 18 And we, being exceedingly tempest-tossed, the succeeding 'day' they were making a clearing, 19 and on the third 'day' with our own hands the tackling of the ship we cast out, 20 and neither sun nor stars appearing for more days, and not a little tempest lying upon us, thenceforth all hope was taken away of our being saved.
21 And there having been long fasting, then Paul having stood in the midst of them, said, 'It behoved 'you', indeed, O men—having hearkened to me—not to set sail from Crete, and to save this hurt and damage; 22 and now I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of life among you—but of the ship; 23 for there stood by me this night a messenger of God—whose I am, and whom I serve— 24 saying, Be not afraid Paul; before Caesar it behoveth thee to stand; and, lo, God hath granted to thee all those sailing with thee; 25 wherefore be of good cheer, men! for I believe God, that so it shall be, even as it hath been spoken to me, 26 and on a certain island it behoveth us to be cast.'
(Read Acts 27:1-11)
It was determined by the counsel of God, before it was determined by the counsel of Festus, that Paul should go to Rome; for God had work for him to do there. The course they steered, and the places they touched at, are here set down. And God here encourages those who suffer for him, to trust in him; for he can put it into the hearts of those to befriend them, from whom they least expect it. Sailors must make the best of the wind: and so must we all in our passage over the ocean of this world. When the winds are contrary, yet we must be getting forward as well as we can. Many who are not driven backward by cross providences, do not get forward by favourable providences. And many real Christians complain as to the concerns of their souls, that they have much ado to keep their ground. Every fair haven is not a safe haven. Many show respect to good ministers, who will not take their advice. But the event will convince sinners of the vanity of their hopes, and the folly of their conduct.
(Read Acts 27:12-20)
Those who launch forth on the ocean of this world, with a fair gale, know not what storms they may meet with; and therefore must not easily take it for granted that they have obtained their purpose. Let us never expect to be quite safe till we enter heaven. They saw neither sun nor stars for many days. Thus melancholy sometimes is the condition of the people of God as to their spiritual matters; they walk in darkness, and have no light. See what the wealth of this world is: though coveted as a blessing, the time may come when it will be a burden; not only too heavy to be carried safely, but heavy enough to sink him that has it. The children of this world can be prodigal of their goods for the saving their lives, yet are sparing of them in works of piety and charity, and in suffering for Christ. Any man will rather make shipwreck of his goods than of his life; but many rather make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, than of their goods. The means the sailors used did not succeed; but when sinners give up all hope of saving themselves, they are prepared to understand God's word, and to trust in his mercy through Jesus Christ.
(Read Acts 27:21-29)
They did not hearken to the apostle when he warned them of their danger; yet if they acknowledge their folly, and repent of it, he will speak comfort and relief to them when in danger. Most people bring themselves into trouble, because they do not know when they are well off; they come to harm and loss by aiming to mend their condition, often against advice. Observe the solemn profession Paul made of relation to God. No storms or tempests can hinder God's favour to his people, for he is a Help always at hand. It is a comfort to the faithful servants of God when in difficulties, that as long as the Lord has any work for them to do, their lives shall be prolonged. If Paul had thrust himself needlessly into bad company, he might justly have been cast away with them; but God calling him into it, they are preserved with him. They are given thee; there is no greater satisfaction to a good man than to know he is a public blessing. He comforts them with the same comforts wherewith he himself was comforted. God is ever faithful, therefore let all who have an interest in his promises be ever cheerful. As, with God, saying and doing are not two things, believing and enjoying should not be so with us. Hope is an anchor of the soul, sure and stedfast, entering into that within the veil. Let those who are in spiritual darkness hold fast by that, and think not of putting to sea again, but abide by Christ, and wait till the day break, and the shadows flee away.
