Psalms 131; Psalms 138-139; Psalms 143-145 - Prayer Tents

131[A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.] Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.H7892H4609H1732H3068H3820H1361H5869H7311H1980H1419H6381 2Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.H7737H1826H5315H1580H517H5315H1580 3O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—now and always.H3478H3176H3068H5704H5769

138[A psalm of David.] I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods.H1732H3034H3820H430H2167 2I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.H7812H6944H1964H3034H8034H2617H571H1431H565H8034 3As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.H3117H7121H6030H7292H5797H5315 4Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord, for all of them will hear your words.H4428H776H3034H3068H8085H561H6310 5Yes, they will sing about the Lord’s ways, for the glory of the Lord is very great.H7891H1870H3068H1419H3519H3068 6Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.H3068H7311H7200H8217H1364H3045H4801 7Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.H3212H7130H6869H2421H7971H3027H639H341H3225H3467 8The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.H3068H1584H2617H3068H5769H7503H4639H3027

139[For the choir director: A psalm of David.] O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.H5329H4210H1732H3068H2713H3045 2You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.H3045H3427H6965H995H7454H7350 3You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.H2219H734H7252H5532H1870 4You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.H4405H3956H3068H3045 5You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.H6696H268H6924H7896H3709 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!H1847H6383H6383H7682H3201 7I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!H3212H7307H1272H6440 8If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.H5266H8064H3331H7585 9If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,H5375H3671H7837H7931H319H3220 10even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.H3027H5148H3225H270 11I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—H559H2822H7779H3915H216H1157 12but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.H2822H2821H3915H215H3117H2825H219 13You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.H7069H3629H5526H517H990 14Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.H3034H3372H6395H6381H4639H5315H3045H3966 15You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.H6108H3582H6213H5643H7551H8482H776 16You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.H5869H7200H1564H5612H3789H3117H3335H259 17How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!H3365H7454H410H6105H7218 18I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!H5608H7235H2344H6974H5750 19O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers!H6991H7563H433H5493H1818H582 20They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name.H559H4209H6145H5375H7723 21O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?H8130H3068H8130H6962H8618 22Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.H8130H8503H8135H341 23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.H2713H410H3045H3824H974H3045H8312 24Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.H7200H6090H1870H5148H1870H5769

143[A psalm of David.] Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my plea! Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.H4210H1732H8085H8605H3068H238H8469H530H6030H6666 2Don’t put your servant on trial, for no one is innocent before you.H935H4941H5650H6440H2416H6663 3My enemy has chased me. He has knocked me to the ground and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.H341H7291H5315H1792H2416H1792H776H3427H4285H5769H4191 4I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear.H7307H5848H3820H8432H8074 5I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done.H2142H3117H6924H1897H6467H7878H4639H3027 6I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. InterludeH6566H3027H5315H5889H776H5542 7Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.H6030H4118H3068H7307H3615H5641H6440H4911H3381H953 8Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.H8085H2617H1242H982H3045H1870H2098H3212H5375H5315 9Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to you to hide me.H5337H3068H341H3680 10Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.H3925H6213H7522H430H7307H2896H5148H776H4334 11For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.H2421H3068H8034H6666H3318H5315H6869 12In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies and destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.H2617H6789H341H6H6887H5315H5650

144[A psalm of David.] Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.H1732H1288H3068H6697H3925H3027H7128H676H4421 2He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. He makes the nations submit to me.H2617H4686H4869H6403H4043H2620H7286H5971 3O Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals that you should think about them?H3068H120H3045H1121H582H2803 4For they are like a breath of air; their days are like a passing shadow.H120H1819H1892H3117H6738H5674 5Open the heavens, Lord, and come down. Touch the mountains so they billow smoke.H5186H8064H3068H3381H5060H2022H6225 6Hurl your lightning bolts and scatter your enemies! Shoot your arrows and confuse them!H1299H1300H6327H7971H2671H2000 7Reach down from heaven and rescue me; rescue me from deep waters, from the power of my enemies.H7971H3027H4791H6475H5337H7227H4325H3027H5236H1121 8Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.H6310H1696H7723H3225H3225H8267 9I will sing a new song to you, O God! I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp.H7891H2319H7892H430H5035H6218H2167 10For you grant victory to kings! You rescued your servant David from the fatal sword.H5414H8668H4428H6475H1732H5650H7451H2719 11Save me! Rescue me from the power of my enemies. Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth, but they lie instead.H6475H5337H3027H5236H1121H6310H1696H7723H3225H3225H8267 12May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.H1121H5195H1431H5271H1323H2106H2404H8403H1964 13May our barns be filled with crops of every kind. May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands,H4200H4392H6329H2177H2177H6629H503H7231H2351 14and may our oxen be loaded down with produce. May there be no enemy breaking through our walls, no going into captivity, no cries of alarm in our town squares.H441H5445H6556H3318H6682H7339 15Yes, joyful are those who live like this! Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.H835H5971H3602H835H5971H430H3068