Afflictions and Adversities: Prayer In

Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me and the mothers and children with me.

May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”

…and when we cried out to the LORD, He heard our voice, sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt. Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory.

In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears.

And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

David answered, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.’

Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”

In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried out to my God. And from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help reached His ears.

…then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, so that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk. May You send rain on the land that You gave Your people as an inheritance. …

Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to the words that Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God.

And now, O LORD our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”

And because they cried out to God in battle, they were helped against their enemies, and the Hagrites and all their allies were delivered into their hands. Because they put their trust in God, He answered their prayers.

When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, praying and pleading before You in this temple, …

Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.”

So the people of Judah gathered to seek the LORD, and indeed, they came from all the cities of Judah to seek Him. …

And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.

And when he prayed to Him, the LORD received his plea and heard his petition. So He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.

Hear us, O God, for we are despised. Turn their scorn back upon their own heads, and let them be taken as plunder to a land of captivity.

Do not cover up their iniquity or let their sin be blotted out from Your sight, for they have provoked the builders.

So we prayed to our God and posted a guard against them day and night.

For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen my hands.

O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.

So now, our God, the great and mighty and awesome God who keeps His gracious covenant, do not view lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, and upon our kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.

I will say to God: Do not condemn me! Let me know why You prosecute me.

Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust?

If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and aware of my affliction.

Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not let Your terror frighten me.

My friends are my scoffers as my eyes pour out tears to God.

A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. O LORD, how my foes have increased! How many rise up against me!

Many say of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah

Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved my distress; show me grace and hear my prayer.

Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make straight Your way before me.

For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments, according to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath. …

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite. O LORD my God, I take refuge in You; save me and deliver me from all my pursuers,

…or they will shred my soul like a lion and tear me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; rise up against the fury of my enemies. Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.

Let the assembled peoples gather around You; take Your seat over them on high.

Be merciful to me, O LORD; see how my enemies afflict me! Lift me up from the gates of death,

…that I may declare all Your praises—that within the gates of Daughter Zion I may rejoice in Your salvation.

Why, O LORD, do You stand far off? Why do You hide in times of trouble?

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? …

A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge.

A prayer of David. Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer—it comes from lips free of deceit.

May my vindication come from Your presence; may Your eyes see what is right.

I call on You, O God, for You will answer me. Incline Your ear to me; hear my words. …

Arise, O LORD, confront them! Bring them to their knees; deliver me from the wicked by Your sword,

…from such men, O LORD, by Your hand—from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children.

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May He send you help from the sanctuary and sustain you from Zion.

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? …

…in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.

Turn to me and be gracious, for I am lonely and afflicted. …

Redeem Israel, O God, from all its distress.

Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path, because of my oppressors.

Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.

Of David. To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit.

“What gain is there in my bloodshed, in my descent to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?

Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy; O LORD, be my helper.”

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; save me by Your righteousness. …

But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” …

Of David. Contend with my opponents, O LORD; fight against those who fight against me. …

How long, O Lord, will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.

Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.

O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent. O Lord, be not far from me.

Awake and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!

Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, just what we wanted!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up!”

A Psalm of David, for remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath. …

Remove Your scourge from me; I am perishing by the force of Your hand.

Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. For I am a foreigner dwelling with You, a stranger like all my fathers.

Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may again be cheered before I depart and am no more.”

Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; hurry, O LORD, to help me.

But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.

I say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?”

Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; deliver me from deceitful and unjust men. …

You are my King, O God, who ordains victories for Jacob.

Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever. …

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. When the Ziphites went to Saul and said, “Is David not hiding among us?” Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your might! …

For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. Listen to my prayer, O God, and do not ignore my plea. …

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack. …

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into the cave. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter until the danger has passed.

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise against me. …

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A Miktam of David for instruction. When he fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck down 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. You have rejected us, O God; You have broken us; You have been angry; restore us! …

Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. Of David. Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer.

From the ends of the earth I call out to You whenever my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Hear, O God, my voice of complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

Hide me from the scheming of the wicked, from the mob of workers of iniquity,

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David. Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my neck. …

For the choirmaster. Of David. To bring remembrance. Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Hurry, O LORD, to help me!

May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.

In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.

In Your justice, rescue and deliver me; incline Your ear and save me.

Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.

Do not discard me in my old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.

Be not far from me, O God. Hurry, O my God, to help me.

A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture?

Turn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.

How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?

Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them!

Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever.

Do not let the oppressed retreat in shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name. …

For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cried out to God; I cried aloud to God to hear me.

In the day of trouble I sought the Lord; through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary; my soul refused to be comforted.

“Will the Lord spurn us forever and never show His favor again? …

A Psalm of Asaph. The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?

Do not hold past sins against us; let Your compassion come quickly, for we are brought low.

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for the sake of Your name.

May the groans of the captives reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

Restore us, O God, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved. …

Return, O God of Hosts, we pray! Look down from heaven and see! Attend to this vine—

A song. A Psalm of Asaph. O God, be not silent; be not speechless; be not still, O God. …

Will You be angry with us forever? Will You draw out Your anger to all generations? …

A prayer of David. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. …

My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You. …

You have renounced the covenant with Your servant and sullied his crown in the dust. …

Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.

O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth. …

Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.

I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.

Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your praise.

Respond and save us with Your right hand, that Your beloved may be delivered.

Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent. …

Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, deliver my soul!”

Remove my scorn and contempt, for I have kept Your testimonies.

My soul melts with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word.

Turn away the disgrace I dread, for Your judgments are good.

May Your loving devotion come to me, O LORD, Your salvation, according to Your promise.

Then I can answer him who taunts, for I trust in Your word.

May Your loving devotion comfort me, I pray, according to Your promise to Your servant.

May Your compassion come to me, that I may live, for Your law is my delight.

My eyes fail, looking for Your promise; I ask, “When will You comfort me?”

How many days must Your servant wait? When will You execute judgment on my persecutors?

I am severely afflicted, O LORD; revive me through Your word.

I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors. …

Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts.

I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will obey Your statutes. …

Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten Your law.

Defend my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word.

May my plea come before You; rescue me according to Your promise.

May Your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen Your precepts.

Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.

Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt.

We have endured much scorn from the arrogant, much contempt from the proud.

Restore our captives, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.

A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD! …

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men. Protect me from men of violence, …

A Psalm of David. I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You. …

A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.

I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him.

I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” …

A Psalm of David. O LORD, hear my prayer. In Your faithfulness, give ear to my plea; in Your righteousness, answer me. …

O LORD, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble.

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,

…saying, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

I chirp like a swallow or crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak as I look upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.” …

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon?

Look down from heaven and see, from Your holy and glorious habitation. Where are Your zeal and might? Your yearning and compassion for me are restrained. …

If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,

Correct me, O LORD, but only with justice—not in Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing.

O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are You like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays but a night?

Why are You like a man taken by surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? Yet You are among us, O LORD, and we are called by Your name. Do not forsake us!

Have You rejected Judah completely? Do You despise Zion? Why have You stricken us so that we are beyond healing? We hoped for peace, but no good has come, and for the time of healing, but there was only terror. …

You understand, O LORD; remember me and attend to me. Avenge me against my persecutors. In Your patience, do not take me away. Know that I endure reproach for Your honor.

O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited nothing but lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.

Do not become a terror to me; You are my refuge in the day of disaster.

Let my persecutors be put to shame, but do not let me be put to shame. Let them be terrified, but do not let me be terrified. Bring upon them the day of disaster and shatter them with double destruction.

Attend to me, O LORD. Hear what my accusers are saying!

As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation by sword and famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I have destroyed it by his hand.

After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD: …

Her uncleanness stains her skirts; she did not consider her end. Her downfall was astounding; there was no one to comfort her. Look, O LORD, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed! …

See, O LORD, how distressed I am! I am churning within; my heart is pounding within me, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is death.

The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief, and your eyes no rest.

Arise, cry out in the night from the first watch of the night. Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children who are fainting from hunger on the corner of every street.

Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us. Look and see our disgrace!

The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!

Because of this, our hearts are faint; because of these, our eyes grow dim—

You, O LORD, reign forever; Your throne endures from generation to generation. …

Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

To You, O LORD, I call, for fire has consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees of the field.

So they cried out to the LORD: “Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life! Do not charge us with innocent blood! For You, O LORD, have done as You pleased.”

From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God, …

Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O LORD, You have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, You have established them for correction.

Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate the faithless? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.” …

Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”

So He left them and went away once more and prayed a third time, saying the same thing.

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

“Abba, Father,” He said, “all things are possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”

At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:

“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

Then Jesus called out in a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And when He had said this, He breathed His last.

So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”