Psalm 37 Prayed
Praying
for the persecuted Church
O Lord, people made in your image are dying,
in
many nations the wicked seek to destroy
your
people.
Do not let me fret because of
evil men
or
be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will
soon wither,
like
green plants they will soon die away.
Help me to trust in you, O Lord
and do good;
Thank
you that I dwell in this land and
enjoy
safe pasture.
When I delight myself in
you, O Lord
you
give me the desires of my heart.
I commit my way to you, O Lord;
I
will trust in you, that you will do this:
You will make
righteousness of Christ
shine
in me like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like
the noonday sun;
bringing
light to every nation on earth.
Help me to still myself before
you, O Lord,
and
wait patiently for you.
Do not let me fret when men
succeed in their ways,
when
they carry out their wicked schemes.
Give me strength to refrain
from anger,
turn
me from wrath;
and
help me not to fret—it leads only to evil.
Assure me that these evil men will be cut off,
but
those who hope in the Lord will inherit
every
land.
For you have promised a day,
when
there will be a great multitude
that
no one could count,
from every nation, tribe,
people and language,
standing
before the throne
and
in front of the Lamb.
Fulfil your promise to your persecuted Church,
may
your words be vindicated soon:
“A little while, and the wicked
will be no more;
though
you look for them,
they
will not be found.”
Now let the meek inherit every
land on earth
and
enjoy great peace.
But the wicked still plot
against those
you
have declared righteous by faith in Jesus,
they
gnash their teeth at them in many nations;
I know you can laugh at them, O
Lord,
for
you know their day is coming.
Yet the wicked still aim their rifles
and
explode their bombs
to bring down the poor and
needy,
to
slay those whose ways are upright.
Let their rifles fail them,
their
consciences pierce their own hearts,
and
their bombs be broken.
I pray for my fellow persecuted
Christians,
may
they have this hope in their affliction:
Better the little that the
righteous have
than
the wealth of many wicked;
for the power of the wicked
will be broken,
but
you, O Lord, uphold the righteous.
The days of those you have
declared blameless
are
known to you, O Lord,
and their inheritance will
endure forever,
for
their treasure is in heaven with you,
where
moth and rust do not destroy.
In times of disaster may they
not wither;
in
days of famine may they come to enjoy
plenty.
But may the power of the wicked perish.
May
your enemies be like the beauty of
the
fields,
may
they vanish—vanish like smoke.
O Lord, these wicked rulers borrow
and do not repay.
May all who have the righteousness of Christ
give
generously to help the persecuted church.
For you have promised to bless
them
and
let them inherit every land,
but
those you curse will be cut off.
And assure me that because I am
in Christ,
you
delight in my way,
you
will makes my steps firm;
though I stumble, I will not
fall,
for
you will uphold me with your hand.
I was young and now I am older,
yet
I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or
their children begging bread.
May I always be generous and
give freely.
May
all children be blessed.
Let me respond to your grace in
me.
Let
me turn from evil and do good;
then
I will dwell in your land forever.
O Lord, you love the just
and
will not forsake your faithful ones.
May they be protected forever,
but
may the offspring of the Wicked One
be
cut off from him forever,
For they belong to their father, the devil, and they want to carry out their father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.
May the righteous inherit every
land
and
dwell with you there forever.
O let my mouth utter wisdom,
and
may my tongue speak what is just.
Give me courage to speak out
for oppressed
Christians,
even
lobby my politicians for justice.
Let your law be in my heart;
Never
let my feet slip.
Though the Wicked One lies in
wait for the
righteous,
seeking
their very lives;
O Lord, never leave your
persecuted Church
in
his power
or
let them be condemned when he accuses
them.
Now let the salvation and
the power
and
your kingdom come, O God,
and
the authority of your Christ.
Let the accuser of our brothers
and sisters,
who
accuses them before our God day and
night
be
hurled down.
Let them wait patiently for
you, O Lord,
let
them keep your way.
Exalt them to inherit
their lands.
When
their wicked leaders are cut off,
may
they live to see it.
I know that wicked and ruthless
men
seem
to flourish like a green tree in its
native
soil.
The injustice and terrorism of this world
angers me,
but
you have given me this promise:
They will soon pass away
and shall be
no
more;
though
I shall look for them, they will not
be
found.
Help me to consider the
blameless,
and
observe the upright.
May I always remember that
there is a future for
the
man of peace,
but
all sinners will be destroyed.
How, then, can they call on
Jesus they have
not
believed in?
And how can they believe in
Christ of whom
they
have not heard?
And how can they hear without
someone preaching
to
them?
And how can they preach unless
they are sent?
O Lord, send out missionaries
into all the
world,
that
they may be saved,
but let the future of
these wicked leaders
be
cut off.
The salvation of the righteous
comes from
you,
Lord Jesus;
Be
the stronghold of persecuted Christians
in
time of trouble.
O Lord Jesus, help them and
deliver them;
deliver
them from their wicked leaders
and
save them,
because
they take refuge in you.
because they
take refuge in him.
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Psalm 37 Prayed
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