God's Word on That

  • A Prayer of Praise

    Lord God, I praise You and adore You (Psalm 69:30).  You alone are worthy of praise, for You are the Creator of all things (John 1:3).  In You all things hold together and have meaning (Colossians 1:17).  Thank You, Lord, for who You are.

    I will praise the Lord my Maker with all that is within me.

    Father God, how great is the love You have bestowed on me that I should be called a child of Yours. And that is what I am (1 John 3:1).  Father, You say that You rejoice over me with joy (Zephaniah 3:17), that spirit of rejoicing, joy and laughter is my heritage. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty — emancipation from bondage, freedom. With Your grace I will walk in that liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17). I trust in You to fill my heart with joy and with the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:52).

    Father, by Your grace, I join with the heavenly hosts making a joyful noise to You and serving You with gladness.  I come before Your presence with joyful singing.  Lord, I know that You are God.  It is You who made me; I am Your people and the sheep of Your pasture.  I enter into Your gates with thanksgiving.  I enter into Your courts with praise.  I bless and affectionately praise Your name.  For You are God and Your mercy and lovingkindness are everlasting.  Your faithfulness and truth endure to all generations (Psalm 100:2-5). 

    It is such a good thing to give thanks unto You, O Lord, and to sing praises unto Your name, O Most High.  I want always to show forth Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:1-2).  Because of who You are and all You have done for me, I am able to offer the sacrifice of praise to You continually, and it is my desire to do so.  It pleases me, O Lord, to be able to give You the fruit of my lips, even praise to Your name (Hebrews 13:15).  Thank You, gracious God, for everything.

    I will sing unto You; I will sing praises to You because You are my Lord God (Judges 5:3).  I praise You, Lord, according to Your righteousness; I will sing praises to Your name, O Lord Most High (Psalm 7:17).  Through Your grace I will praise Your name forever.  When I offer praises to You, dear Lord, I know I am glorifying You (Psalm 50:23).  May my mouth be filled with Your praise and honor all day long (Psalm 71:8).  I will sing of Your mercies forever.  With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations (Psalm 89:1). 

    I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart. I will glorify Your name forever (Psalm 86:12). I will praise Your name in song and glorify You with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30). I will celebrate Your abundant goodness, O God, and joyfully sing of Your righteousness (Psalm 145:7). For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the work of Your hands (Psalm 92:4).

    Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You, O Lord my Redeemer. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods, and with singing lips my mouth will praise You. (Psalm 63:3-5)

    You, Father, faithful Lord, are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. You, my loving Lord, are good to all; You have compassion on all You have made. All You have made will praise You, O Lord; Your saints will extol You. (Psalm 145:8-10)

  • A Personal Prayer of Thanks

    We have been urged, above all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone (1 Timothy 2:1) and everything.

    Thanks be to God that, though I used to be a slave to sin, I wholeheartedly obey the form of teaching to which I was entrusted (Romans 6:17).  So I can say: Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).  Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him (2 Corinthians 2:14). 

    Thanksgiving will be in my mouth (Ephesians 5:4).  I will sing and make music in my heart to the Lord, and I will always give thanks to God, the Father, for everything in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:19-20). 

    I will not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with much thanksgiving, I present my requests and petitions to God (Philippians 4:6), joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12). 

    So then, just as I received Christ Jesus as my Lord, I will continue to live in Him, being rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as I was taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (Colossians 2:6-7).  I will let the peace of Christ rule in my heart, since, as a member of His body, I was called to peace.  And I am ever thankful (Colossians 3:15).

    Whatever I do, whether in word or deed, I will do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, constantly giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17).  I will devote myself to prayer, and I will remain watchful and thankful (Colossians 4:2). 

    I will be joyful always; I will pray continually; and I will give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for me in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  How can I thank God, my loving Father, enough for the blessings He has given me in return for all the joy I have because of them? (1 Thessalonians 3:9)  For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:4). 

    Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, (Hebrews 12:28).  We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because soon You will have taken Your great power and will have begun to reign (Revelation 11:17). 

  • Give Thanks To the Lord

    Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble.  I will deliver you and you will honor Me…  He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God. (Psalm 50:14-15, 23). 

    [David] consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the Lord and some to praise the splendor of His holiness.  When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing: “Give thanks to the Lord, for His faithful love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20:21).

    The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the Lord with one voice (2 Chronicles 5:13). They were also to stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise in the evening (1 Chronicles 23:30). Let us do the same.

    Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song (Psalm 95:2).  Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name (Psalm 100:4).  Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done (Psalm 105:1). 

    Give thanks to the Lord, for His is good; His faithful love endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34).  Give thanks to the Lord; call on His name; proclaim His deeds among the peoples (1 Chronicles 16:8).  And say: “Save us, God of our salvation; gather us and rescue us from the nations so that we may give thanks to Your holy name and rejoice in Your praise (1 Chronicles 16:35). 

    Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever.  Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise (Psalm 106:1, 47). 

    Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good… Give thanks to the God of gods… Give thanks to the Lord of lords… Give thanks to the God of heaven.  His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1-3, 26). Give thanks to the Lord of Armies because the Lord is good, because His mercy endures forever. (Jeremiah 33:11) 

    Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever (Psalm 107:1). Let [all] give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men (Psalm 107:8, 31).  Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy (Psalm 107:22). 

    Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted (Isaiah 12:4).  We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks, for Your name is near; and men tell of Your wonderful deeds (Psalm 75:1). 

    Now therefore, our God, we [too] give You thanks, and we praise Your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:13).

  • A Prayer of Thanksgiving to God

    You turned my wailing into dancing, You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent.  O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever (Psalm 30:11-12). 

    But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You.  What I have vowed, I will make good.  Salvation comes from the Lord (Jonah 2:9). I am under vows to You, O God; I will present my thank offerings to You (Psalm 56:12). 

    The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him; and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song (Psalm 28:7).  I will thank the Lord for His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High (Psalm 7:17). 

    I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise You (Psalm 35:18).  I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30). I will sacrifice a thank offering to You and call on the name of the Lord (Psalm 116:17).

    Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord (Psalm 118:19).  I will give You thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation (Psalm 118:21). 

    I thank Christ Jesus my Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service (1 Timothy 1:12). 

    I thank my God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember [You] in my prayers (2 Timothy 1:3).  At midnight I rise to give You thanks for Your righteous laws (Psalm 119:62). 

    God of my ancestors, I thank and praise You. (Daniel 2:23). You are my God, and I will give You thanks; You are my God, and I will exalt You.  Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. (Psalm 118:28-29). 

    Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25).  I always thank God for … of His grace given in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:4).  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15). 

    “Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to You, God, for ever and ever Amen!” (Revelation 7:12). 

  • A Prayer to Glorify God

    O God, I love to glorify You, and to praise Your Holy Name (Psalm 86:12).  Glorifying You makes Your presence more real to me.  I will bless You at all times, and Your praise shall continually be in my mouth (Psalm 34:1), for You are the King of all the earth (Psalm 47:7).  Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty.  For all that is in heaven and in the earth is Yours.  Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as the head over all (1 Chronicles 29:11).  Now therefore, my God, I thank You and praise Your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:13), for You are good, and Your mercy endures forever (Psalm 107:1). 

    Let us glorify His name together, for each one of us adds something different to His smile.

    In view of all the mercies of God, I make a decision to dedicate my body – presenting all my members and faculties – as a living sacrifice, consecrated and well pleasing to You, my God, which is my reasonable service and spiritual worship (Romans 12:1).  It is not in my own strength for it is You, Lord, who is all the while effectually at work in me – energizing and creating in me the power and desire, both to will and to work for Your good pleasure and satisfaction and delight (Philippians 2:13). 

    Father, I will not draw back or shrink in fear, for then You would have no delight or pleasure in me (Hebrews 10:38).  I was bought at a very high price – purchased with preciousness and paid for – I was made Your very own.  So, I honor You, Lord, and will bring glory to You in my body (1 Corinthians 6:20).  I called on You in the day of trouble; You delivered me, and I shall therefore honor and glorify You (Psalm 50:15).  I rejoice because You delivered me and drew me to Yourself out of the control and dominion of darkness and transferred me into the kingdom of the Son of Your love (Colossians 1:13). 

    As a bond servant of Jesus Christ, I receive and develop the talents which have been given me, for I long to have You say of me “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).  May I make use of the gifts according to the grace given me (Romans 12:6).  May I let my light so shine before men that they may see my moral excellence and my praiseworthy, noble and good deeds, and recognize and honor and praise and glorify my Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).  In the name of Jesus, I allow my life to lovingly express truth in all things – speaking truth, dealing in truth, living in truth (Ephesians 4:15).  Whatever I do – no matter what it is – in word or deed, I do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in dependence upon His person, giving praise to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17).  Whatever happens to be my task, I work at it heartily as something done for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23). 

    Because Your lovingkindness is better than life to me, my lips shall praise You, and I will bless and glorify You while I live.  I will lift up my hands in Your name.  As You satisfy my soul as with marrow and fatness, my mouth will praise You with joyful lips (Psalm 63:3-5).  Holy, holy, holy are You, Lord God Almighty, which always was, and is, and is to come (Revelation 4:8).  You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power and praise, for You have created all things, and for Your pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11).  Power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise be to my God forever and ever (Revelation 5:12).  Amen.

  • Hallowed Be Thy Name

    Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Thy name (Matthew 6:9).  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name (Psalm 103:1).

    I bless Your name, El-Elyon, the Most High God Who is the First Cause of everything, the Possessor of all the heavens, the earth, and all things in them.  You are the everlasting God, the great God, the living God, the merciful God.  The Faithful God, the mighty God, the gracious God.  You are truth, justice, righteousness, and perfection.  You are El-Elyon – the highest Sovereign of the heavens and the earth.  Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, Elohim, Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1), who was in the beginning.  It is You Who made me (Job 33:4) and You have crowned me with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5).  Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, El-Shaddai (Genesis 15:1), God Almighty, the God of all blessings, who nourishes and supplies.  You are all-bountiful and all-sufficient.  Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, Adonai, my Lord and my Master.  You are Jehovah – the completely self-existing One, always present, revealed in Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, Jehovah-Jireh, the One Who sees my needs and provides for them.  Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, Jehovah-Rapha, my Healer and the One Who makes bitter experiences sweet (Exodus 15:26).  You sent Your Word and healed me (Psalm 107:20).  You forgave all my iniquities, and You healed all my diseases (Psalm 103:3).  Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, the Lord my Sanctifier (Leviticus 20:8).  You have set me apart for Yourself (Psalm 4:3).   Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, Jehovah-Nissi, my victory, my banner, my standard (Exodus 17:15).  Your banner over me is love (Songs 2:4).  When the enemy shall come in like a flood, You will lift up a standard against him (Isaiah 59:19).  Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, Jehovah-Shalom, my peace (Judges 6:24) – the peace which transcends all understanding, which garrisons and mounts guards over my heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).  Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, Jehovah-Tsidkenu, my righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).  I thank You for becoming sin for me that I might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, Jehovah-Rohi, my shepherd.  I shall not want for any good or beneficial thing (Psalm 23:1).  Hallowed be thy name!

    I bless Your name, Jehovah-Shammah (Ezekiel 48:35), my companion who never leaves me nor forsakes me (Hebrews 13:5).  You are always there.  I take comfort and am encouraged and confidently and boldly say, the Lord is my Helper, so I will not be seized with alarm; I will not fear or dread or be terrified (Hebrews 13:6).  Hallowed be thy name!

    My Father God, You have exalted above all else Your name and Your Word, and You have magnified Your Word above all Your name (Psalm 138:2).  The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and His name was Jesus – Jehovah Saves (John 1:14).  Hallowed be thy name!

  • A Prayer of Worship

    You are worthy, O Lord God Almighty, to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things and for Your pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11). 

    Come! Let us worship the God of splendor and holiness.

    Blessed be your glorious name and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you (Nehemiah 9:5-6).

    May You be praised, Lord God of Israel, our Father forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours.  Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all things.  In Your hand is power and might, and in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all.  Now therefore, my God, I thank You and I praise Your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:10-13). 

    Father, You are seeking true worshipers, who will worship You in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).  I will be such a worshiper, because I love You with all my heart, and soul, and mind, and strength (Mark 12:30).  Through Christ Jesus therefore, I will offer the sacrifice of praise to You continually –that is, the fruit of my lips — giving thanks to Your Holy and Mighty name.  (Hebrews 13:15).

    Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water (Exodus 23:25). The Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To Him you shall bow down and to Him offer sacrifices… It is He who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies (2 Kings 17:36, 39).

    Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care (Psalm 95:6). Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs (Psalm 100:2). Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name… worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29).

    Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29). Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1).

    Great and marvelous are Your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Your ways, King of the Ages. Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed. (Revelation 15:3-4). Worship God! (Revelation 19:10)

  • Praying For the Joy of the Lord

    My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.  I will sing and give praise.  I will wake up early and praise You, O Lord, among Your people (Psalm 57:7-9).  I will rejoice in You always, Lord (Philippians 4:4).

    Your joy, O Lord, bubbles up within my soul, from the inner wellspring that comes from knowing You. Your joy floods my spirit, soul, and body.  It fills my mind with happiness.

    Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You, O Lord my Redeemer. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods, and with singing lips my mouth will praise You. (Psalm 63:3-5)

    Blessed be Your name from this time forth and forever more.  From the rising of the sun to its going down, Your name will be praised (Psalm 113:2-3). 

    Let the nations be glad and sing joyfully because You judge everyone with justice and guide the nations on the earth (Psalm 67:4). 

    Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob (Psalms 81:1). With joy we will draw water from the springs of salvation (Isaiah 12:3).  We will have everlasting joy (Isaiah 61:7).

    Come, let us bow down in worship. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker (Psalm 95:6). Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; Let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation (Psalm 95:1).

    Like a fountain that springs from the depths of the earth, Your joy rises and fills me; then flows forth from my life and touches all those who cross my path.

    Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our day (Psalm 90:14).

    Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you who are righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him (Psalm 33:1). They will celebrate Your abundant goodness, O God, and joyfully sing of Your righteousness (Psalm 145:7).

    It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High. To declare Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:1-2).

    Your joy goes so much deeper than anything this world has to offer. Thank You for the joy You have imparted to me.  You are my highest joy, and You are my delight.

    I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart. I will glorify Your name forever (Psalm 86:12). I will praise Your name in song and glorify You with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30). For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the work of Your hands (Psalm 92:4).

    O Lord, Mighty God, I will rejoice in You with praises.  I will bless You at all times.  Your praise will be continually in my mouth (Psalm 34:1).  I will always be joyful… Whatever happens, I give thanks because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that I do this (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18).

    Let me go to the altar of God, to God my highest joy, and I will give thanks to You on the lyre, O God, my God (Psalm 43:4).  The joy I have in the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

    My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… His mercy is on those who fear Him (Luke 1:46-47, 50). I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being! (Psalm 104:33)

  • A Missing Ingredient

    Praise God for His promises and the limitlessness of prayer.

    Praising God for everything in our lives produces joy in our spirits.

    I noticed the missing ingredient in my prayers had been thanksgiving.  So I spent time worshiping God for who He is and what He is.  This subject of ‘Who God Is’ covers more territory than any mortal can comprehend.  Yet even contemplating what little we do know dissolves doubts, reinforces faith, and restores joy. 

    What do praise and thanksgiving accomplish?  The world begins to look different.  Praise is an affirmation of a basic truth: God is good all the time.  Praise is the recognition that life – all of it – needs to be accepted with gratitude.

    Kay Arthur tells us that if the Lord’s Prayer is the pattern for all prayer, then through it we can learn vital truths regarding some prerequisites for effective prayer. She says prayer begins with worship of the Father. To worship is to acknowledge His worth, to give Him the honor and reverence due Him.

    At the end of the seven time periods, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my mind came back to me; I thanked the Most High, and I praised and honored the One who lives forever, because His power lasts forever and His kingdom lasts from one generation to the next. Everyone who lives on earth is nothing compared to Him. He does whatever He wishes with the army of heaven and with those who live on earth. There is no one who can oppose Him or ask Him, “What are you doing?” (Daniel 4:34-35).

    Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, will praise, honor and give glory to the King of Heaven. Everything He does is true, His ways are right, and He can humiliate those who act arrogantly (Daniel 4:37).

    Who would not fear You, O King of the Nations? For this is Your rightful due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You… My Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King (Jeremiah 10:7, 10). From everlasting to everlasting, You are God (Psalm 90:2)!

    Thus, Jesus begins by reminding us of the supremacy of the One who lives in the third heaven and controls all the affairs of the universe.

    Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty. For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord God, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand is it to make great and give strength (1 Chronicles 29:11-12).

  • Teach Us to Pray Effectively

    O Lord our God, please save us from the enemy’s hand so all kingdoms of the earth may know You are the Lord God — You alone (2 Kings 19:19).

    Only God is worth adoration, and only Jesus can teach us how to do it correctly.

    You are the only begotten Son, Lord Jesus. Teach us, we beseech You, to pray effectively. Teach us the love of the Father, and then we shall bring our needs and our sins and our temptations and our praises to Him in the confidence that the love of such a Father cares for us, for each and every one of us.

    Make Your ways known to me, O Lord, and teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me because You are God, my Savior. I wait all day long for You. (Psalm 25:4-5).

    Let me hear about Your mercy in the morning, because I trust You; let me know the way that I should go because I long for You. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord. I come to You for protection. Teach me to do Your will, because You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground (Psalm 143:8-10).

    How can a young person keep his life pure? He can do it by holding on to Your Word. I wholeheartedly searched for You; do not let me wander away from Your commandments. I have treasured Your promise in my heart so that I may not sin against You. Thanks be to You, O Lord! Teach me Your laws. With my lips I have repeated every regulation that comes from Your mouth. I find joy in the way shown by Your written instructions more than I find joy in all kinds of riches. I want to reflect on Your guiding principles and study Your ways. Your laws make me happy. [May] I never forget Your Word! (Psalm 119:9-16)