szekveid eTqtd 
 
 SCor oho - Let Ad 
 ‘C'd ‘AUSTIVH SSA CGNAUAAAY 
 GAHL dO AUVUGIT HHL WOU 
 
 TES 
 
 AGSUHUHC MUN > NOLHONTUd 
 
 AAUIUNIE poriHoposyD 94D fo davaqny 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 = A : iia SES ee ne PN - in Sey : 
 : zee Ee ere pe Pare a Pe 8 2 
 “as “3 = ; 
 = + < = 
 = Es 
 ae hes . , as ‘ Z a - 
 =e ~~ : : : 3 
 
 é 
 é 
 ay 
 h 
 ‘ 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Bible Praye 
 
 * h ita» . 
 
 oN Ui Pidae a 
 
 - ws 4 
 . d ; 
 
 rs 
 
 
 
 SELECTED BY 3 
 
 ELISABETH ROBINSON SCOVIL 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY 
 
CopPpYRIGHT, 1925 
 By Howarp E. ALTemus 
 
 PRINTED IN THE 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
 
A Foreword 
 
 HE Bible is the great storehouse of 
 
 human experience. It is a record of 
 
 the joys and sorrows, the sufferings and re- 
 
 joicings of the human race from very early 
 ages. 
 
 In moments of rapture and of agony 
 man pours forth the deepest feelings of his 
 heart before his Maker in prayer. The 
 prayers in the Bible appeal to us because, 
 under such widely different circumstances, 
 they might be the utterances of our own 
 souls. The language is not altogether the 
 same as ours, but the needs and the emotions 
 that prompted the outpourings are identical. 
 
 Man still needs God and turns to Him 
 when earthly helpers fail, as he has done 
 from time immemorial and will continue 
 to do as long as the world lasts. 
 
= 
 
 Be 
 f 
 
 we ; rN in 
 AG : ae Ay a 
 
 aoa 
 Sess 
 
 ae : at 
 
 <p 
 
 aS 
 
 —— 
 
 aes 
 = 
 
 = — 
 
 4 
 
 oe ne ee as 
 
 se ee 
 
 a 
 yor 
 y y 
 ETA a 
 1) AON ti ; 
 
 i 
 Uae wh 
 ae Aa) 
 
 
 
Contents 
 
 PAGE 
 Pe ail yg ETA VER se 1's) iy sint a aa dies sree Slope a eaten A am hn ac a 7 
 The Prayer of Thanksgiving. .........-seeseeseeeeeees 8 
 The Prayer of Dedication...........---eeeeeeeererees 10 
 The Ungranted Prayer. ........ceeee eee eee e eee eeeee 11 
 The Prayer of Despair. .........20seeeee cree eee eenes 13 
 The Prayer for a Great Gift........... cece reece rece ees 14 
 The Prayer of Repentance. .........- esse ee eee eee e eee 16 
 The Prayer of Gratitude......... 6. cece eeeeee eee eeeees 18 
 The Prayer for Wisdom..........-eeseeeeeee cece renee 21 
 The Prayer of Consecration. ........-.+++eeeeeeeeeeees 23 
 The Prayer for a Life... ....... se sce ceeese cece se seees 30 
 The Prayer of the Testing. .........--.eeeeeeeeeeeeeee 31 
 The Prayer for Vision.........eeeesee cc eeeeeeeerecees 34 
 The Prayer for Recovery. .......eeee eect eee eeeeeees 35 
 The Prayer of Acknowledgment. ......-.-.+seeeeeeees 37 
 The Prayer of the Builder. .........-.. eee ee cece cers 38 
 The Prayer of Appeal. ......... 5 eee cece eee cece eeeees 40 
 The Prayer of Surrender............-seecececeeceeeees 43 
 The Prayer of Trust... 0.0... ecccec reset eee cecsseeees 45 
 The Prayer of Confidence............eeeeee eee eee eeees 46 
 The Prayer of Rejoicing..........ese eect tere teens AT 
 The Prayer of Triumph. .......... cece cece e eee eens 48 
 The Prayer of Confession...........22es eer ee eee e eens 50 
 The Prayer of Joy........ cece cee n scene ence eee eeesees 53 
 The Prayer of Fulfilment... 6.1... sees eee cece en eeee 54 
 
6 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 The Prayer of Pride and of Humility................... 56 
 he Prayer orAssorante sok aew, dove cu eee ae eee 57 
 ne Prayer) of Intercession 4927 vues ares victims 2a tok 58 
 The Prayer of Supression oo es Gan eas occas: tee 61 
 The Prayer of Porgrveneas ji iia Sec wee ote see Goats 63 
 
 ‘Lhe Prayer OF SUppuCcAtOns ses ues Rtee earn aoe 64 
 
Bible Prayers 
 
 The Daily Praper 
 
 HEN our Lord Jesus Christ was on 
 
 earth He was one day praying to His 
 Father in heaven. When He ceased one of 
 His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us_ 
 to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 
 Our Lord said, “When thou prayest enter 
 into thy closet and when thou hast shut 
 thy door pray to thy Father which is in 
 secret. After this manner pray ye’’: 
 
 Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed 
 be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. ‘Thy 
 will be done as in heaven so in earth. Give 
 us day by day our daily bread. And forgive 
 us our sins; for we also forgive every one 
 that is indebted to us. And lead us not 
 into temptation; but deliver us from evil: 
 For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, 
 and the glory, for ever. Amen. 
 
 Sr. Matruew VI: 9. 
 7 
 
8 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 The Prayer of Thanksgiving 
 
 OD had saved the children of Israel 
 from the hand of Pharaoh and had 
 drowned the host of Egyptians who pur- 
 sued them in the Red Sea. 
 When the Israelites saw that they were 
 delivered they burst into a song of thanks- 
 giving: 
 
 I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath tri- 
 umphed gloriously: the horse and his rider 
 hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is 
 my strength and my song, and He is become 
 my salvation: He is my God, and I will 
 prepare Him an habitation; my father’s 
 God, and I will exalt Him. The Lord is a 
 man of war: the Lord is His name. 
 
 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath He 
 cast into the sea: his chosen captains also 
 are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths 
 have covered them: they sank into the bot- 
 tom as a stone. 
 
 Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious 
 in power: Thy right hand, O Lord, hath 
 dashed in pieces the enemy; and in the 
 greatness of Thine excellency Thou hast 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 9 
 
 overthrown them that rose up against Thee: 
 Thou sentest forth Thy wrath, which con- 
 sumed them as stubble; and with the blast 
 of Thy nostrils the waters were gathered to- 
 gether, the floods stood upright as an heap, 
 and the depths were congealed in the heart 
 of the sea. 
 
 The enemy said, “I will pursue, I will 
 overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust 
 shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my 
 sword, my hand shall destroy them.” 
 
 Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea 
 covered them: they sank as lead in the 
 mighty waters. Who is like unto Thee, O 
 Lord, among the gods? Who is like unto 
 Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, 
 doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out Thy 
 right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou 
 in Thy mercy hast led forth the people 
 which Thou hast redeemed: Thou hast 
 guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy 
 habitation. 
 
 The people shall hear, and be afraid: 
 sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of 
 Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall 
 be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, 
 trembling, shall take hold upon them; all 
 
10 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. 
 Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the 
 greatness of Thine arm they shall be as still 
 as a stone; till Thy people pass over, O Lord, 
 till the people pass over, which Thou hast 
 purchased. 
 
 Thou shalt bring them in and plant them 
 in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the 
 place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for 
 Thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, 
 which Thy hands have established. The 
 Lord shall reign for ever and ever. For the 
 horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots 
 and with his horsemen into the sea, and the 
 Lord brought again the waters of the sea 
 upon them; but the children of Israel went 
 on dry land in the midst of the sea. 
 
 Exopus XV: 1-19. 
 
 The BWraper of Dedication 
 
 ACOB had gone out from the house of 
 his father Isaac and was on his way to 
 Padan-aram to seek a wife from his own 
 kin, instead of marrying one of the daughters 
 of Heth, whom his mother disliked. God 
 had spoken to him in a dream and said, 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 11 
 
 **Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee 
 in all places whither thou goest, and will 
 bring thee again into this land.” Jacob, 
 greatly awed, built an altar and poured oil 
 on it and offered this prayer: 
 
 If God will be with me, and will keep me 
 in this way that I go, and will give me bread 
 to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come 
 again to my father’s house in peace, then 
 shall the Lord be my God: and this stone, 
 which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s 
 house: and of all that Thou shalt give me, I 
 will surely give the tenth unto Thee. 
 
 GrneEsIS XXVIII: 20. 
 
 The Angranted Praper 
 
 OSES had led the children of Israel to 
 
 the very border of the promised land. 
 
 They were on this side Jordan in the land of 
 Moab. The country which they had sought 
 during their forty years journeying in the 
 wilderness stretched fair and pleasant before 
 them. Moses had led them thus far, but 
 God had decreed that he should not enter 
 that goodly land because of his disobedience. 
 
12 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 Moses felt that he could not bear it, so he 
 besought the Lord, saying: 
 
 O Lord God, Thou hast begun to shew 
 Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy mighty 
 hand: for what God is there in heaven or 
 in earth, that can do according to Thy 
 works, and according to Thy might? I 
 pray Thee, let me go over and see the good 
 land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly 
 mountain, and Lebanon. 
 
 Deuteronomy IIT: 24. 
 
 The answer was, “‘Get thee up unto the 
 top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes west- 
 ward, and northward, and southward, and 
 eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: 
 for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.” 
 
 But God, who does exceeding abundantly 
 above all that we, can ask or think, had 
 better things in store for Moses than a short 
 sojourn in the land of his desire. He was 
 already an hundred and twenty years old 
 and must have been burdened with many 
 of the infirmities of age. From the moun- 
 tain of Nebo, at the top of Pisgah, God took 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 13 
 
 him to Himself, to dwell in His immediate 
 presence. Where his mortal body was laid 
 was never told, for ““no man knoweth of his 
 sepulchre unto this day.” 
 
 We do know from the New Testament 
 that long after, when our Lord was trans- 
 figured before His three disciples, Moses 
 appeared and talked with Him. The Gos- 
 pel chronicler says “appeared in glory,” a 
 state of blessedness beyond human concep- 
 tion, the disappointment long forgotten, or 
 amply recompensed. 
 
 The Prayer of Bespair 
 
 FTER Moses’ death God appointed 
 
 Joshua to lead the hosts of Israel. For 
 
 their sins they were defeated and fled before 
 
 their enemies. Joshua rent his clothes, 
 
 fell on his face to the earth, put dust on his 
 head and prayed: 
 
 Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast Thou 
 at all brought this people over Jordan, to 
 deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, 
 to destroy us? Would to God we had been 
 
14 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan. 
 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth 
 their backs before their enemies? For the 
 Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the 
 land shall hear of it, and shall environ us 
 round, and cut off our name from the earth: 
 and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great 
 name? 
 
 gosHuaA VII: 7. 
 
 God said, “‘Get thee up; wherefore liest 
 thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned. 
 Sanctify the people. Take away the accursed 
 thing from among you.” 
 
 No need for despair, do your part. When 
 they had purified themselves by obedience 
 God gave the city into their hands and they 
 conquered their enemies. 
 
 The Braver for a Great Gitt 
 
 ANNAH was the wife of Elkanah, of 
 
 the tribe of Ephraim. She was happy 
 
 in her husband’s love, but she had one great 
 sorrow, she was childless. Each year when 
 they went up to the house of the Lord and 
 her grief overcame her he tried to comfort 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 15 
 
 her. “Hannah,” he said, “why weepest 
 thou, and why eatest thou not, and why is 
 thy heart grieved? Am I not better to thee 
 than ten sons?” Poor Hannah in the 
 bitterness of her soul refused comfort. She 
 prayed unto the Lord and said: 
 
 O Lord of hosts, if Thou wilt indeed look 
 on the affliction of Thine handmaid, and 
 remember me, and not forget Thine hand- 
 maid, but wilt give unto Thine handmaid a 
 man child, then I will give him unto the 
 Lord all the days of his life, and there shall 
 no razor come upon his head. 
 
 I Samuet [: 11. 
 
 She knelt long in silent prayer. The old 
 priest, Eli, saw her praying and said to her, 
 “Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant 
 thee thy petition that thou hast asked of 
 Him.” 
 
 In due time she had a son and called him 
 Samuel, which means ‘‘ Asked of God.”’ 
 
 Hannah kept her promise; when the boy 
 was very young she took him up to the 
 Temple and left him with Eli, saying, “I 
 
16 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 have lent him to the Lord; as long as he 
 liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.” So the 
 child ministered to the Lord before Eli, the 
 priest. Every year his mother made him a 
 little coat and brought it to him when she 
 came up with her husband to offer the 
 yearly sacrifice. 
 
 Hannah’s home was not left desolate; 
 she had three more sons and two daughters. 
 
 Samuel became a prophet of the Lord and 
 ruled Israel. 
 
 Che Praper of Repentance 
 
 AVID had committed a great sin. He 
 
 not only loved another man’s wife, 
 he ordered Joab to set her husband in the 
 front rank of the army in battle that he 
 might be killed. When the man was dead 
 David took Bath-sheba to be his wife. 
 
 He managed to silence his conscience, so 
 that it does not seem even to have occurred 
 to him that he had sinned. God sent 
 Nathan, the prophet, to tell him of his sin 
 in a parable. When he heard of the rich 
 man who spared to take of his own flocks 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS Ly, 
 
 and herds for the entertainment of the 
 stranger who came to see him, but killed the 
 one ewe lamb of the poor man, he was very 
 wroth. He said, “The man that hath done 
 this thing shall surely die.” Nathan said, 
 ‘Thou art the man.” 
 
 David’s prayer of repentance is surely the 
 shortest on record: 
 
 I have sinned against the Lord. 
 II Samuet XII: 13. 
 
 It was enough. Nathan said, “The Lord 
 also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not 
 die.” 
 
 Nevertheless, since punishment always 
 follows sin, whether we can trace the con- 
 nection or not, it did not fail in this case. 
 
 The little child of David and Bath-sheba 
 became very ill. David besought God for 
 the child’s life and fasted and lay on the 
 ground all night. The words of his prayer 
 have not been recorded, but they must 
 have been those of deep repentance and self- 
 accusation and humiliation. After seven 
 
 days the child died. ‘The elders of the house 
 2 
 
18 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 feared to tell him of its death. But when 
 David saw that his servants whispered to- 
 gether he said, “Is the child dead?” and they 
 said, ‘‘He is dead.” 
 
 Then, to their great surprise, David arose 
 from the earth, and washed and anointed 
 himself and changed his apparel and went to 
 the house of the Lord and _ worshipped. 
 Then they set bread before him and he did 
 eat. 
 
 When the servants asked why he did not 
 grieve when he lamented so sorely before the 
 child’s death, he said: 
 
 “While the child was yet alive, I fasted 
 and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether 
 God will be gracious to me, that the child 
 may live? But now he is dead, wherefore 
 should I fast? Can I bring him back again? 
 I shall go to him, but he shall not return to 
 me.” 
 
 The Praper of Gratitude 
 AVID greatly desired to build a temple 
 to the Lord, which in some measure 
 should be worthy of His great name. God 
 commanded Nathan to tell David that He 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 19 
 
 would give him a son who should build this 
 house, and moreover He would establish the 
 throne of his kingdom forever. In deep grat- 
 itude David went in and sat before the Lord 
 and poured out his heart to Him: 
 
 Who am I, O Lord, and what is my house 
 that Thou hast brought me hitherto? And 
 this was yet a small thing in Thy sight, O 
 Lord God; but Thou hast spoken also of 
 Thy servant’s house for a great while to 
 come. And is this the manner of man, O 
 Lord God? And what can David say more 
 unto Thee? For Thou, Lord God, knowest 
 Thy servant. For Thy word’s sake, and 
 according to Thine own heart, hast Thou 
 done all these great things, to make Thy 
 servant know them. 
 
 Wherefore Thou art great, O Lord God: 
 for there is none like Thee, neither is there 
 any God beside Thee, according to all that 
 we have heard with our ears. And what 
 one nation in the earth is like Thy people, 
 even like Israel, whom God went to redeem 
 for a people to Himself, and to make Him 
 a name, and to do for you great things and 
 terrible, for Thy land, before Thy people, 
 
20 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 which Thou redeemedst to Thee from Egypt, 
 from the nations and their gods? 
 
 For Thou hast confirmed to Thyself Thy 
 people Israel to be a people unto Thee for- 
 ever: and Thou, Lord, art become their 
 God. And now, O Lord God, the word 
 that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy 
 servant, and concerning his house, establish 
 it forever and do as Thou hast said. And 
 let Thy name be magnified forever, saying, 
 The Lord of Hosts is the God over Israel: 
 and let the house of Thy servant David be 
 established before Thee. 
 
 For Thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, 
 hast revealed to Thy servant, saying, I will 
 build thee an house: therefore hath Thy 
 servant found in his heart to pray this 
 prayer unto Thee. And now, O Lord God, 
 ~ Thou art that God, and Thy words be true, 
 and Thou hast promised this goodness unto 
 Thy servant: Therefore let it please Thee 
 to bless the house of Thy servant, that it 
 may continue forever before Thee: for Thou 
 O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with Thy 
 blessing let the house of Thy servant be 
 blessed forever. 
 
 II Samuet VII: 18. 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 21 
 
 The Braver for Wisdom 
 
 AVID was dead and Solomon, the son 
 of Bath-sheba, reigned in his father’s 
 stead. Solomon felt to the full the difficulty 
 - of succeeding such a great king as David. 
 He knew that what he most needed was 
 wisdom. 
 God appeared to him in a dream and said 
 to him, “Ask what I shall give thee.” 
 Solomon said, with the fervor that comes 
 from great need: 
 
 Thou hast showed unto Thy servant 
 David my father great mercy, according as 
 he walked before Thee in truth, and in 
 righteousness, and in uprightness of heart 
 with Thee; and Thou hast kept for him this 
 great kindness, that Thou hast given him a 
 son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 
 
 And now, O Lord my God, Thou hast 
 made Thy servant king instead of David my 
 father: and I am but a little child: I know 
 not how to go out or come in. And Thy 
 servant is in the midst of Thy people which 
 Thou hast chosen, a great people, that can- 
 not be numbered nor counted for multitude. 
 
99 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 Give therefore Thy servant an understand- 
 ing heart to judge Thy people, that I may 
 discern between good and bad: for who is 
 able to judge this Thy so great a people? 
 
 I Kines IIT: 6. 
 
 The prayer brought an immediate answer. 
 God said to him, “Because thou hast asked 
 this thing, and hast not asked for thyself 
 long life; neither hast asked riches for thy- 
 self, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; 
 but hast asked for thyself understanding to 
 discern judgment; behold, I have done 
 according to thy words: lo, I have given 
 thee a wise and an understanding heart; so 
 that there was none like thee before thee, 
 neither after thee shall any arise like unto 
 thee. And I have also given thee that which 
 thou hast not asked, both riches and honor: 
 so that there shall not be any among the 
 kings like unto thee all thy days. And if 
 thou wilt walk in My ways, to keep My 
 statutes and My commandments, as thy 
 father David did walk, then I will lengthen 
 thy days.” 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 23 
 
 The Prayer of Gonsecration 
 
 OLOMON built an exceedingly magnifi- 
 cent temple to the Lord. Costly woods 
 
 and precious stones, gold and silver and 
 brass were used to make it glorious. The 
 hangings within were of scarlet and purple 
 and fine twined linen; nothing that could 
 make for glory and for beauty had been 
 omitted. The priests took up the Ark of ~ 
 the Lord, which had been with the Israelites 
 through all their wanderings in the wilder- 
 ness, and brought it to rest in this holy place, 
 between the spreading wings of two cheru- 
 bim. The glory of the Lord filled the house 
 
 and Solomon prayed: 
 
 I have surely built Thee an house to dwell 
 in, a settled place for Thee to abide in for- 
 ever. . . . Blessed be the Lord God of 
 Israel, which spake with His mouth unto 
 David my father, and hath with His hand 
 fulfilled it, saying, “Since the day that I 
 brought forth My people Israel out of Egypt, 
 I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel 
 to build an house that My name might be 
 
24 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 therein; but I chose David to be over My 
 people Israel.” 
 
 And it was in the heart of David my father 
 to build an house for the name of the Lord 
 God of Israel. And the Lord said unto 
 David my father, ‘Whereas it was in thine 
 heart to build an house unto My name, thou 
 didst well that it was in thine heart. Never- 
 theless thou shalt not build the house; but 
 thy son that shall come forth out of thy 
 loins, he shall build the house unto My 
 name.” 
 
 And the Lord hath performed His word 
 that He spake, and I am risen up in the room 
 of David my father, and sit on the throne 
 of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have 
 built an house for the name of the Lord God 
 of Israel. And I have set there a place for 
 the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, 
 which He made with our fathers, when He 
 brought them out of the land of Egypt... . 
 
 Lord God of Israel, there is no God like 
 Thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, 
 Who keepest covenant and mercy with Thy 
 servants that walk before Thee with all their 
 heart: Who hast kept with Thy servant 
 David my father that Thou promisedst 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 25 
 
 him: Thou spakest also with Thy mouth, 
 and hast fulfilled it with Thy hand, as it is 
 this day. Therefore now, Lord God of 
 Israel, keep with Thy servant David my 
 father that Thou promisedst him, saying, 
 “There shall not fail thee a man in My 
 sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that 
 thy children take heed to their way, that 
 they walk before Me as thou hast walked 
 before Me.” | 
 
 And now, O God of Israel, let Thy word, 
 I pray Thee, be verified, which Thou spakest 
 unto Thy servant David my father. But 
 will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, 
 the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot 
 contain Thee; how much less this house that 
 I have builded? 
 
 Yet have Thou respect unto the prayer of 
 Thy servant, and to his supplication, O 
 Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and 
 to the prayer, which Thy servant prayeth 
 before Thee today: that Thine eyes may be 
 open toward this house night and day, even 
 toward the place of which Thou hast said, 
 “My name shall be there”: that Thou 
 mayest hearken unto the prayer which Thy 
 servant shall make toward this place. And 
 
26 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 hearken Thou to the supplication of Thy 
 servant, and of Thy people Israel, when they 
 shall pray toward this place: and hear Thou 
 in heaven Thy dwelling place: and when 
 Thou hearest, forgive. 
 
 If any man trespass against his neighbour, 
 and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to 
 swear, and the oath come before Thine altar 
 in this house: then hear Thou in heaven, 
 and do, and judge Thy servants, condemn- 
 ing the wicked, to bring his way upon his 
 head; and justifying the righteous, to give 
 him according to his righteousness. When 
 Thy people Israel be smitten down before the 
 enemy, because they have sinned against 
 Thee, and shall turn again to Thee, and con- 
 fess Thy name, and pray, and make suppli- 
 cation unto Thee in this house: Then hear 
 _ Thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy 
 people Israel, and bring them again unto 
 the land which Thou gavest unto their fathers. 
 
 When heaven is shut up, and there is no 
 rain, because they have sinned against Thee; 
 if they pray toward this place, and confess 
 Thy name, and turn from their sin, when 
 Thou afflictest them: Then hear Thou in 
 heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy servants, 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS Q7 
 
 and of Thy people Israel, that Thou teach 
 them the good way wherein they should walk, 
 and give rain upon Thy land, which Thou hast 
 given to Thy people for an inheritance. 
 
 If there be in the land famine, if there be 
 pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if 
 there be caterpiller, if their enemy besiege 
 them in the land of their cities; whatsoever 
 plague, whatsoever sickness there be; what 
 prayer and supplication so ever be made by _ 
 any man, or by all Thy people Israel, which 
 shall know every man the plague of his own 
 heart, and spread forth his hands toward 
 this house: Then hear Thou in heaven Thy 
 dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give 
 to every man according to his ways, whose 
 heart Thou knowest (for Thou, even Thou 
 only, knowest the hearts of all the children 
 of men;) that they may fear Thee all the 
 days that they live in the land which Thou 
 gavest unto our fathers. 
 
 Moreover concerning a stranger, that is 
 not of Thy people Israel, but cometh out of 
 a far country for Thy name’s sake; (for they 
 shall hear of Thy great name, and of Thy 
 strong hand, and of Thy stretched-out arm:) 
 when he shall come and pray toward this 
 
28 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 house; hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling 
 place, and do according to all that the 
 stranger calleth to Thee for: that all people 
 of the earth may know Thy name, to fear 
 Thee, as do Thy people Israel; and that they 
 may know that this house, which I have 
 builded, is called by Thy name. 
 
 If Thy people go out to battle against 
 their enemy, whithersoever Thou shalt send 
 them, and shall pray unto the Lord toward 
 the city which Thou hast chosen, and toward 
 the house which I have built for Thy name: 
 Then hear Thou in heaven their prayer and 
 their supplication, and maintain their cause. 
 If they sin against Thee, (for there is no man 
 that sinneth not,) and Thou be angry with 
 them, and deliver them to the enemy, so 
 that they carry them ‘away captives unto 
 the land of the enemy, far or near; yet if 
 they shall bethink themselves in the land 
 whither they were: carried captives, and 
 repent, and make supplication unto Thee 
 in the land of them that carried them cap- 
 tives, saying, ““We have sinned, and have 
 done perversely, we have committed wick- 
 edness”; and so return unto Thee with all 
 their heart, and with all their soul, in the 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 29 
 
 land of their enemies, which led them away 
 captive, and pray unto Thee toward their 
 land, which Thou gavest unto their fathers, 
 the city which Thou hast chosen, and the 
 house which I have built for Thy name: 
 Then hear Thou their prayer and their sup- 
 plication in heaven Thy dwelling place, 
 and maintain their cause, and forgive Thy 
 people that have sinned against Thee, and 
 all their transgressions wherein they have 
 transgressed against Thee, and give them 
 compassion before them who carried them 
 captive, that they may have compassion on 
 them: For they be Thy people, and Thine 
 inheritance, which Thou broughtest forth 
 out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace 
 of iron: That Thine eyes may be open unto 
 the supplication of Thy servant, and unto 
 the supplication of Thy people Israel, to 
 hearken unto them in all that they call for 
 unto Thee. For Thou didst separate them 
 from among all the people of the earth, to 
 be Thine inheritance, as Thou spakest by 
 the hand of Moses Thy servant, when Thou 
 broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord 
 God. 
 I Kines VIII: 13. 
 
30 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 God accepted the offering of Solomon and 
 hallowed the house with His presence, prom- 
 ising to continue to dwell there as long as 
 the children of Israel kept His command- 
 ments and obeyed Him. 
 
 The Braver for a Life 
 
 HERE was a great famine in the land 
 of Israel, because for long there had 
 been no rain. God had sent the prophet 
 Elijah to Zarephath. When he reached 
 there he saw a widow gathering sticks to 
 cook her scanty meal. He asked her to 
 bring him a little water and a morsel of 
 bread. She said she had but a handful of 
 meal in a barrel and a little oil in a cruse, 
 not enough for herself and her son. How- 
 ever, when the prophet told her God had 
 promised that the barrel of meal should not 
 waste, nor the cruse of oil fail, until the day 
 the Lord should send rain on the earth, she 
 shared them with him. 
 Not long after her son fell sick and died. 
 She was in deep’ distress and said Elijah had 
 come to slay her son. 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 31 
 
 He took the boy and carried him to the 
 loft where he stayed and laid him upon his 
 own bed and prayed: 
 
 O Lord my God, hast Thou also brought 
 evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, 
 by slaying her son? 
 
 O Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this 
 child’s soul come into him again. 
 
 I Kines XVII: 20. 
 
 He stretched himself upon the child three 
 times. The Lord heard the voice of Elijah 
 and the soul of the child came imto him 
 again and he revived. Elijah took the child 
 and brought him down out of the chamber 
 into the house and delivered him unto his 
 mother, saying, “See, thy son liveth.” 
 
 The Braper of the Testing 
 ANY of the people of Israel had turned 
 
 away from following God, and wor- 
 shipped Baal. It grieved Elijah and he said 
 to them, “If the Lord be God, follow him; 
 but if Baal, then follow him.” 
 
32 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 He proposed that the four hundred and 
 fifty priests of Baal should build an altar to 
 their false god and place a bullock cut in 
 pieces on the wood and put no fire under it. 
 He would build an altar to the Lord and do 
 the same. Then each should call on the 
 name of his God and the God that answered 
 by fire should be acknowledged to be the 
 true God. 
 
 The priests of Baal prepared their sacrifice 
 and called on the name of their god from 
 morning until noon, but there was no voice, 
 nor any that answered. Then Elijah mocked 
 them and said, “‘Cry aloud, for he is a god; 
 either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or 
 he is in a journey, or peradventure he is 
 sleeping and must be awaked.” ‘They per- 
 severed until the time of the evening sac- 
 rifice, but there was no voice, nor any that 
 regarded. | 
 
 Then Elijah called the priests of Baal and 
 the people to come near. He took twelve 
 stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel, 
 and built an altar. Round the altar he 
 dug a deep trench. He laid the wood on 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 33 
 
 the altar and placed the flesh of the bullock 
 on it. Then he said to the people, “Fill 
 four barrels with water and pour it on the 
 wood and on the sacrifice.’ “Do it the 
 the second time,” he said, “and the third 
 time”; the water filled the trench. Then 
 Elijah prayed: 
 
 Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, 
 let it be known this day that Thou art God 
 in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and 
 that I have done all these things at Thy 
 word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that 
 this people may know that Thou art the 
 Lord God and that Thou hast turned their 
 heart back again. 
 ? I Kines XVIII: 36. 
 
 The fire of the Lord fell and consumed the 
 burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones 
 and the dust, and licked up the water that 
 was in the trench. When all the people 
 saw it they fell on their faces and said, “The 
 Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the 
 
 God.” 
 3 
 
34 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 The Praper for Wision 
 
 LISHA, the prophet, had warned the 
 
 king of Israel against the coming of 
 the king of Syria to destroy him and his 
 army. The king of Israel had saved him- 
 self, “not once, or twice,” but many times. 
 Therefore, the king of Syria was full of rage 
 against Elisha and determined to kill him. He 
 sent horses and chariots and a great host to 
 surround Dothan, where Elisha was, to take 
 him. 
 
 The servant of the prophet rose early in 
 the morning, and behold a host compassed 
 the city. Greatly disturbed he came to 
 Elisha and said, “Alas, my master, how 
 shall we do?” Elisha said, “Fear not: for 
 they that be with us are more than they that 
 be with them.” The servant could not be- 
 lieve this against the evidence of his senses. 
 He saw hosts of enemies and not one friend. 
 Then Elisha prayed: 
 
 Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes that he 
 may see. 
 
 II Krves VI: 17. 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 35 
 
 And the Lord opened the eyes of the young 
 man and he saw: and behold the mountain 
 was full of horses and chariots of fire round 
 about Elisha. . 
 
 David had said long before, “The angel 
 of the Lord encampeth round about them 
 that fear Him and delivereth them.” 
 
 God said to Zechariah long after, “I will 
 encamp about Mine house because of the 
 army, because of him that passeth by, and 
 because of him that returneth: and no 
 oppressor shall pass through them any 
 more.” 
 
 The angel guard is still there. We need 
 only the vision, the opened eyes, to behold 
 re 
 
 The Prayer for Wecoverp 
 
 EZEKIAH the king was sick unto 
 
 death. The prophet Isaiah, the son 
 
 of Amos, came to him and said, “Thus saith 
 
 the Lord, Set thine house in order for thou 
 shalt die and not live.” 
 
 Hezekiah was a good king; he wanted to 
 
 stay longer with his people and finish his 
 
36 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 work. When he heard Isaiah’s words he 
 turned his face to the wall and prayed: 
 
 I beseech Thee, O Lord, remember now 
 how I have walked before Thee in truth and 
 with a perfect heart, and have done that 
 which is good in Thy sight. 
 
 II Kines XX: 3. 
 
 He did not need many words; he wept 
 bitterly. Isaiah had gone only as far as the 
 middle court on his way out, when the word 
 of the Lord came to him, saying, “Turn 
 again, and tell Hezekiah, the captain of My 
 people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of 
 David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, 
 I have seen thy tears. Behold, I will heal 
 thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto 
 the house of the Lord. And I will add unto 
 thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver 
 thee and this city out of the hand of the 
 king of Assyria; and I will defend this city 
 for Mine own sake, and for My servant 
 David’s sake.” 
 
 Isaiah said, “Take a lump of figs and lay 
 it on the boil and he shall recover.” 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 37 
 
 The Braver of Acknowledgment 
 
 HIS is the writing of Hezekiah, the 
 king of Judah, when he had been sick 
 
 and was recovered of his sickness: 
 
 I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall 
 go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived 
 of the residue of my years. I said, I shall 
 not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land 
 of the living: I shall behold man no more 
 with the inhabitants of the world. Mine 
 age is departed, and is removed from me as 
 a shepherd’s tent; I have cut off like a 
 weaver my life: He will cut me off with 
 pining sickness: from day even to night 
 wilt Thou make an end of me. Like a 
 crane, or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did 
 mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with look- 
 ing upward; O Lord, I am oppressed; under- 
 take for me. 
 
 What shall I say? He hath both spoken 
 
 unto me, and Himself hath done it: I shall 
 go softly all my years in the bitterness of my 
 soul. O Lord, by these things men live, 
 and in all these things is the life of my spirit: 
 so wilt Thou recover me, and make me to live. 
 
 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: 
 
38 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 but Thou hast in love to my soul delivered 
 it from the pit of corruption: for Thou hast 
 east all my sins behind Thy back. For the 
 grave cannot praise Thee, death cannot 
 celebrate Thee: they that go down into the 
 pit cannot hope for Thy truth. The living, 
 the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this 
 day: the father to the children shall make 
 known Thy truth. 
 
 The Lord was ready to save me; therefore 
 we will sing my songs to the stringed instru- 
 ments all the days of our life in the house of 
 the Lord. 
 
 Isatan XXXVIITI: 10. 
 
 Che Praper of the Builder 
 
 HE land of Israel had been overrun by 
 
 the heathen who surrounded it and the 
 Jews were in captivity in their own country 
 and scattered in distant lands. The walls 
 of Jerusalem had been broken down and the 
 gates burned with fire. 
 
 Tidings of this disaster were brought to 
 Nehemiah, a devout Jew, who was cup- 
 bearer to Artaxerxes, king of Babylon. 
 When he heard the report of the men of 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 39 
 
 Judah, who had come to him, he wept and 
 fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven. 
 
 I beseech Thee, O Lord God of heaven, 
 the great and terrible God, that keepeth 
 covenant and mercy for them that love 
 Him and observe His commandments: Let 
 Thine ear now be attentive, and Thine eyes 
 open, that Thou mayest hear the prayer of 
 Thy servant, which I pray before Thee now, | 
 day and night, for the children of Israel Thy 
 servants, and confess the sins of the children 
 of Israel, which we have sinned against 
 Thee: both I and my father’s house have 
 sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against 
 Thee, and have not kept the commandments, 
 nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which 
 Thou commandedst Thy servant Moses. 
 
 Remember, I beseech Thee, the word that 
 Thou commandedst Thy servant Moses, say- 
 ing, If ye transgress, I will scatter thee 
 abroad among the nations: But if ye turn 
 unto me, and keep My commandments, and 
 do them, though there were of you cast out 
 into the uttermost part of the heaven, yet 
 will I gather them from thence, and will 
 bring them unto the place that I have chosen 
 to set My name there. 
 
40 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 Now these are Thy servants and Thy 
 people, whom Thou hast redeemed by Thy 
 great power, and by Thy strong hand. O 
 Lord, I beseech Thee, let now Thine ear be 
 attentive to the prayer of Thy servants, who 
 desire to fear Thy name: and prosper, I 
 pray Thee, Thy servant this day, and grant 
 him mercy in the sight of this man. 
 
 Nenemian I: 5. 
 
 Nehemiah sought permission from Arta- 
 xerxes to go to Judah that he might rebuild 
 Jerusalem. This was granted and he re- 
 built the wall. 
 
 The Praper of Appeal 
 HE book of Job is one of the oldest, if 
 
 not the most ancient, in the canon of 
 Scripture. It records the deep searchings 
 of a soul who from great prosperity was cast 
 down to the depths of poverty, sickness, and 
 despair. It is in the form of a dialogue 
 between Job and three of his friends. They 
 try to make him confess that his sufferings 
 are a just punishment for his transgressions; 
 but Job, knowing himself innocent of inten- 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS Al 
 
 tional wrongdoing, will not acknowledge this. 
 He appeals to God. 
 
 My soul is weary of my life; I will leave 
 my complaint upon myself; I will speak in 
 the bitterness of my soul. I will say unto 
 God, Do not condemn me; show me where- 
 fore Thou contendest with me. Is it good 
 unto Thee that Thou shouldest oppress, that 
 Thou shouldest despise the work of Thine 
 hands, and shine upon the counsel of the 
 wicked? 
 
 Hast Thou eyes of flesh, or seest Thou as 
 man seeth? Are Thy days as the days of 
 man? Are Thy years as man’s days, that 
 Thou enquirest after mine iniquity, and 
 searchest after my sin? Thou knowest that 
 I am not wicked; and there is none that can 
 deliver out of Thine hand. 
 
 Thine hands have made me and fashioned 
 me together round about; yet Thou dost 
 destroy me. Remember, I beseech Thee, 
 that Thou hast made me as the clay; and 
 wilt Thou bring me into dust again? Hast 
 Thou not poured me out as milk, and 
 curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed 
 me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me 
 
42 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted 
 me life and favor, and Thy visitation hath 
 preserved my spirit. And these things hast 
 Thou hid in Thine heart: I know that this 
 is with Thee. 
 
 If I sin then Thou markest me, and Thou 
 wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity. If 
 I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be right- 
 eous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am 
 full of confusion; therefore see Thou mine 
 affliction; for it increaseth. Thou huntest 
 me as a fierce lion: and again Thou showest 
 Thyself marvellous unto me. Thou re- 
 newest Thy witness against me, and in- 
 creasest Thine indignation upon me; changes 
 and war are against me. 
 
 Wherefore then hast Thou brought me 
 forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given 
 up the ghost and no eye had seen me! I 
 should have been as though I had not been; 
 I should have been carried from the womb 
 to the grave. Are not my days few? Cease 
 then, and let me alone, that I may take com- 
 fort a little, before I go whence I shall not 
 return, even to the land of darkness and the 
 shadow of death; a land of darkness, as 
 darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS A3 
 
 without any order, and where the light is as 
 darkness. Jos X: 1. 
 
 Job did not submit too meekly to the ad- 
 monitions of his friends. He even indulged 
 in mild sarcasm when he was driven too 
 far. ‘‘No doubt but ye are the people, and 
 wisdom shall die with you. But I have 
 understanding as well as you; I am not in- 
 ferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such_ 
 things as these? Miserable comforters are 
 ye all.” 
 
 ~ Che Praper of Surrender 
 
 OD answered Job and showed him how 
 
 great the Almighty is in power, wis- 
 
 dom, and goodness. His ways are past 
 
 finding out, but are to be received with trust 
 and submission. Job said: 
 
 Behold I am vile; what shall I answer 
 Thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth. 
 I know that Thou canst do everything, and 
 that no thought can be withholden from Thee. 
 Who is he that hideth counsel without 
 knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that 
 I understood not; things too wonderful for 
 
Ad BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech 
 Thee, and I will speak: I will demand of 
 Thee, and declare Thou unto me. I have 
 heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: 
 but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore 
 I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. 
 
 JOB XL: 4. 
 
 God heard the prayer of his servant and 
 gave him double for all that he had lost. 
 
 Then came unto him all his brethren, and 
 all his sisters, and all they that had been of 
 his acquaintance before, and did eat bread 
 with him in his house: and they bemoaned 
 him, and comforted him over all the evil 
 that the Lord had brought upon him: every 
 man also gave him a piece of money and 
 everyone an earring of gold. So the Lord 
 blessed the latter end of Job more than his 
 beginning: for he had fourteen thousand 
 sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thou- 
 sand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. 
 
 He had also seven sons and three daughters. 
 And he called the name of the first Jemima; 
 and the name of the second Kezia; and 
 the name of the third Keren-happuch. 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 45 
 
 And in all the land were no women found 
 so fair as the daughters of Job: and their 
 father gave them inheritance among their 
 brethren. 
 
 After this Job lived an hundred and forty 
 years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, 
 even four generations. So Job died, being 
 old and full of days. 
 
 The Pravper of Trust 
 
 HE book of Psalms is a book of prayers 
 
 and thanksgiving. The Psalms have 
 been sung and recited in the services of 
 churches, both Jewish and Christian, since 
 long before the time of the building of 
 Solomon’s temple. The Psalms have ex- 
 pressed the fears and hopes, the desires and 
 longings of countless generations, and they 
 still rise to the lips of countless thousands as 
 the best expression of their deepest feelings 
 in hours of depression or in moments of joy. 
 
 How long wilt Thou forget me, O Lord? 
 forever? How long wilt Thou hide Thy 
 face from me? How long shall I take coun- 
 
46 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 sel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart 
 daily? How long shall mine enemy be 
 exalted over me? 
 
 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: 
 lighten mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of 
 death; lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed 
 against him: and those that trouble me re- 
 joice when I am moved. 
 
 But I have trusted in Thy mercy; my 
 heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation. I will 
 sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt 
 bountifully with me. 
 
 Psatm XIII: 1. 
 
 The Braper of Gontidence 
 
 HE mountains have seemed to many a 
 
 stricken soul a refuge from the dangers 
 of the plain. In their steadfastness they 
 seem to typify the strength of God. 
 
 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from 
 whence cometh my help. My help cometh 
 from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 
 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He 
 that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, 
 He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber 
 nor sleep. 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS AT 
 
 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy 
 shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall 
 not smite thee by day, nor the moon by 
 night. The Lord shall preserve thee from 
 all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The 
 Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy 
 coming in from this time forth, and even for 
 evermore. 
 
 Psatum CXXI: 1. 
 
 The Praper of Rejoicing 
 
 UR prayers are chiefly supplications 
 
 for the things that we need. It is 
 seldom that we pour out our hearts in praise 
 to God, or in fervent thanksgiving for our 
 blessings. In the Psalms we have more 
 than one song of joy. 
 
 I will praise Thee with my whole heart; 
 before the gods will I sing praise unto Thee. 
 I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and 
 praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness 
 and for Thy truth: for Thou hast magnified 
 Thy word above all Thy name. 
 
 In the day when I cried Thou answeredst 
 me, and strengthenedst me with strength 
 in my soul. All the kings of the earth shall 
 
48 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 praise Thee, O Lord, when they hear the 
 words of Thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing 
 in the ways of the Lord: for great is the 
 glory of the Lord. Though the Lord be 
 high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: 
 but the proud He knoweth afar off. 
 
 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, 
 Thou wilt revive me: Thou shalt stretch 
 forth Thine hand against the wrath of mine 
 enemies, and Thy right hand shall save me. 
 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth 
 me: Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever: 
 forsake not the works of Thine own hands. 
 
 Psatm CXXXVIII: 1. 
 
 The Praper of Triumph 
 
 HE mournful prophecies of Isaiah, 
 
 foretelling the evils that should come 
 upon the people of Israel because they had 
 disobeyed God, are broken now and then by 
 the vision of victory and the remembrance 
 of past love. 
 
 O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt 
 Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast 
 done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 49 
 
 are faithfulness and truth. For Thou hast 
 made of a city a heap; of a defenced city a 
 ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it 
 shall never be built. Therefore shall the 
 strong people glorify Thee, the city of the 
 terrible nations shall fear Thee. 
 
 For Thou hast been a strength to the poor, 
 a strength to the needy in his distress, a 
 refuge from the storm, a shadow from the 
 heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as 
 a storm against the wall. , 
 
 Thou shalt bring down the noise of stran- 
 gers, as the heat in a dry place; even the 
 heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch 
 of the terrible ones shall be brought low. 
 And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts 
 make unto all people a feast of fat things, a 
 - feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full 
 of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 
 And He will destroy in this mountain the 
 face of the covering cast over all people, and 
 the veil that is spread over all nations. 
 
 He will swallow up death in victory; and 
 the Lord God will wipe away tears from off 
 all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall 
 He take away from off all the earth: for the 
 Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said 
 
 4 
 
50 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have 
 waited for Him, and He will save us; this is 
 the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will 
 
 be glad and rejoice in His salvation. 
 IsataH XXY: 1. 
 
 The Praper of Gontession 
 EBUCHADNEZZAR, king of Baby- 
 
 lon, besieged Jerusalem and took the 
 holy city. He ordered the master of his 
 eunuchs to choose certain children from’ 
 among the Jews, good-looking and clever, 
 who might be taught the learning and the 
 language of the Chaldeans and live in the 
 king’s palace. One of them, Daniel, deter- 
 mined that he would still keep the command- 
 ments of God and observe the customs of 
 the Jews, though he was in a strange land. 
 He passed through many vicissitudes, but 
 was greatly belovéd by his kingly masters. 
 He had always before him the vision of the 
 restoration of Jerusalem, and he made this 
 prayer to God: 
 
 O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keep- 
 
 ing the covenant and mercy to them that 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 51 
 
 love Him, and to them that keep His com- 
 mandments; we have sinned, and have com- 
 mitted iniquity; and have done wickedly, 
 and have rebelled, even by departing from 
 Thy. precepts and from Thy judgments: 
 neither have we hearkened unto Thy serv- 
 ‘ants the prophets, which spoke in Thy name 
 to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, 
 and to all the people of the land. 
 
 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto 
 Thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at 
 this day; to the men of Judah, and to the 
 inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, 
 that are near, and that are far off, through 
 all the countries whither Thou hast driven 
 them, because of their trespass that they 
 hhave trespassed against Thee. 
 
 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, 
 to our kings, to our princes, and to our 
 fathers, because we have sinned against 
 Thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies 
 and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled 
 against Him; neither have we obeyed the 
 voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His 
 laws which He set before us by his servants 
 the prophets. 
 
 Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy law, 
 
52 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 even by departing, that they might not obey 
 Thy voice; therefore the curse is poured 
 upon us and the oath that is written in the 
 law of Moses, the servant of God, because 
 we have sinned against him. And He hath 
 confirmed His words which He spake against 
 us, and against our judges which judged us, 
 by bringing upon us a great evil: for under 
 the whole heaven hath not been done as 
 hath been done upon Jerusalem. | 
 
 As it is written in the law of Moses, all 
 this evil is come upon us: yet made we not 
 our prayer before the Lord our God, that 
 'we might turn from our iniquities, and 
 understand Thy truth. Therefore hath the 
 Lord watched upon the evil, and brought 
 it upon us:| for the Lord our God is righteous 
 in all His works which He doeth: |} for we 
 obeyed not His voice. And now, O Lord 
 our God, that hast brought Thy people forth 
 out of the land of Egypt with a mighty 
 hand, and hast gotten Thee renown, as at 
 this day; we have sinned, we have done 
 wickedly. 
 
 O Lord, according to all Thy righteous- 
 ness, I beseech Thee, let Thine anger and 
 Thy fury be turned away from Thy city 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 53 
 
 Jerusalem, Thy holy mountain: ' because 
 for our sins, and for the iniquities of our 
 fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people are be- 
 come a reproach to all that are about us. 
 “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer 
 of Thy servant, and his supplications, and 
 cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary__ 
 that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. O my \ 
 God, incline Thine ear, and hear; open Thine 
 eyes, and behold our desolations, and the 
 city which is called by Thy name; for we do 
 not present our supplications before Thee 
 for our righteousness, but for Thy great 
 mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; 
 O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for Thine 
 own sake, O my God: for Thy city and Thy 
 people are called by Thy name. 
 Danie IX: 4. 
 
 The Wraper of Foy 
 
 HE Jewish dispensation was drawing 
 to an end. ‘The Messiah, so long looked 
 for, was about to appear. Mary, who was 
 to be His mother, had been told that it was 
 her son who was to redeem, not only Israel, 
 but the whole world. She pours out the emo- 
 
54 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 tions of her soul in that Magnificat, which 
 has been a song of joy to all ages: 
 
 My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my 
 spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For 
 He hath regarded the low estate of His 
 handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth 
 all generations shall call me blessed. For 
 He that is mighty hath done to me great 
 things; and holy is His name. And His 
 mercy is on them that fear Him from gener- 
 ation to generation. He hath showed strength 
 with His arm; He hath scattered the proud 
 in the imagination of their hearts. He hath 
 put down the mighty from their seats, and 
 exalted them of low degree. He hath filled 
 the hungry with good things; and the rich 
 He hath sent empty away. He hath holpen 
 His servant Israel, in remembrance of His 
 mercy. As He spake to our fathers, to Abra- 
 ham, and to his seed forever. 
 
 St. Luxe I: 46. 
 
 The Braper of Fulfilment 
 
 HE Messiah had come. Our Lord 
 Jesus Christ had been born into this 
 world. His mother Mary and her husband 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 55 
 
 Joseph had brought Him to the temple for 
 the rite of circumcision. There was present 
 there an old man, Simeon, who had long 
 waited for the coming of the Consolation of 
 Israel. God had revealed to him that he 
 should not see death until he had seen the 
 Lord’s Christ. When the Holy Child was 
 brought in he recognized Him as the prom- 
 ised Saviour. He took Him up in his arms 
 and blessed God and said: 
 
 Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant de- 
 part in peace, according to Thy word: for 
 mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which 
 Thou hast prepared before the face of all 
 people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and 
 the glory of Thy people Israel. 
 
 Sr. Luxe II: 29. 
 
 Simeon blessed them all and said unto 
 Mary His mother, “Behold, this child is set 
 for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; 
 and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 
 (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own 
 soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts 
 may be revealed.” 
 
56 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 The Praper of Prive and of Humility 
 
 HE two characters in our Lord’s para- 
 
 ble of the Pharisee and the publican 
 have come down to our day as the symbols 
 of pride and humility. The two men went 
 up into the temple to pray. The Pharisee 
 stood and prayed thus with himself: 
 
 God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other 
 men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or 
 even as this publican. I fast twice in the 
 
 week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 
 st. Luxe XVIII: 11. 
 
 The publican standing afar off, feeling 
 himself unworthy to draw near the mercy- 
 seat, would not lift up so much as his eyes 
 unto heaven, but HOE upon his breast, 
 saying: 
 
 God be merciful to me a sinner. 
 
 St. Luxe XVIII: 13. 
 
 Few words, but embracing much. Jesus 
 said, “I tell you this man went down to his 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 57 
 
 house justified rather than the other: for 
 everyone that exalteth himself shall be 
 abased; and he that humbleth himself shall 
 be exalted.” 
 
 Che PBraper of Assurance 
 
 | em of Bethany, the friend of Jesus, 
 was dead. His sisters, Mary and Mar- 
 tha, had sent for our Lord during the illness, 
 but when He arrived Lazarus had been 
 dead for four days and was buried. Our 
 Lord asked to see the grave and commanded 
 the stone to be rolled away from the mouth 
 of the cave where he lay. When the stone 
 had been removed Jesus lifted up his eyes 
 and said: 
 
 Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast 
 heard Me. And I knew that Thou hearest 
 Me always: but because of the people which 
 stand by I said it, that they may believe 
 that Thou hast sent Me. 
 
 St. Joun XI: 41. 
 
 When He had thus spoken, He cried with 
 a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” And 
 
58 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 he that was dead came forth, bound hand 
 and foot with grave clothes; and his face was 
 bound about with a napkin. Jesus said 
 unto them, “Loose him and let him go.” 
 
 Then many of the Jews which came to 
 Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus 
 did, believed on Him. 
 
 The Praper of Intercession 
 
 ESUS had been talking to His disciples, 
 
 just before His passion, and telling them 
 
 to be of good cheer, for though in the world 
 
 they might have tribulation, in Him they 
 
 should have peace. When He had left them 
 
 He prayed; the only long prayer that He is 
 recorded to have uttered. 
 
 Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy 
 Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee: 
 As Thou hast given Him power over all 
 flesh, that He should give eternal life to as 
 many as Thou hast given Him. And this 
 is life eternal, that they might know Thee, 
 the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom 
 Thou hast sent. 
 
 I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 59 
 
 finished the work which Thou gavest me to 
 do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me 
 with Thine own self with the glory which I 
 had with Thee before the world was. I 
 have manifested Thy name unto the men 
 which Thou gavest Me out of the world: 
 Thine they were, and Thou gavest them 
 Me; and they have kept Thy word. Now 
 they have known that all things whatsoever 
 Thou hast given Me are of Thee. For I 
 have given unto them the words which Thou 
 gavest Me; and they have received them, 
 and have known surely that I came out 
 from Thee, and they have believed that 
 Thou didst send Me. 
 
 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, 
 but for them which Thou hast given Me; for 
 they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, 
 and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in 
 them. And now I am no more in the world, 
 but these are in the world, and I come to 
 Thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine 
 own name those whom Thou hast given Me, 
 that they may be one, as we are. While I 
 was with them in the world, I kept them in 
 Thy name: those that Thou gavest Me I 
 have kept, and none of them is lost, but the 
 
60 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 son of perdition; that the scripture might be 
 fulfilled. 
 
 And now I come to Thee; and these things 
 I speak in the world, that they might have 
 my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given 
 them Thy word; and the world hath hated 
 them, because they are not of the world, 
 even as I am not of the world. I pray not 
 that Thou shouldest take them out of the 
 world, but that Thou shouldest keep them 
 from the evil. They are not of the world, 
 even as I am not of the world. Sanctify 
 them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth. 
 
 As Thou hast sent Me into the world, 
 even so have I also sent them into the world. 
 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that 
 they also might be sanctified through the 
 truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but 
 for them also which shall believe on Me 
 through their word; that they all may be 
 one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in 
 Thee, that they also may be one in us: that 
 the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. 
 
 And the glory which Thou gavest Me I 
 have given them; that they may be one, 
 even as we are one: I in them and Thou in 
 Me; that they may be made perfect in one; 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 61 
 
 and that the world may know that Thou 
 hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou 
 hast loved Me. 
 
 Father, I will that they also, whom Thou 
 hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that 
 they may behold My glory, which Thou 
 hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before 
 the foundation of the world. O righteous 
 Father, the world hath not known Thee: 
 but I have known Thee, and these have 
 known that Thou hast sent Me. And I 
 have declared unto them Thy name, and 
 will declare it: that the love wherewith 
 Thou hast loved me may be in them and I 
 in them. 
 
 St. Jonn XVII: 1. 
 
 When Jesus had spoken these words He 
 went forth with His disciples to the garden on 
 the Mount of Olives, to suffering and to death. 
 
 The Braper of Submission 
 
 UR Lord’s life on earth was almost 
 over. He knew that the time of His 
 betrayal and suffering was at hand, and His 
 human nature shrank from it. He had gone 
 
62 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 to the Mount of Olives with His disciples in 
 deep depression of spirit. He said to them, 
 “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto 
 death. 'Tarry ye here and watch with Me.” 
 Jesus withdrew from them and fell on His 
 face and prayed: 
 
 O My Father, if it be possible, let this 
 cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, 
 but as Thou wilt. 
 
 St. MattHew XXVI: 39. 
 
 The disciples meant to be faithful, but 
 they were overcome with weariness, and 
 slept. When Jesus returned and found 
 them asleep, He said unto Peter, “What, 
 could ye not watch with Me one hour?” 
 He went away the second time and prayed: 
 
 O My Father, if this cup may not pass away 
 from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done. 
 St. MartrHew XXVI: 42. 
 
 He came and found them asleep again, 
 for their eyes were heavy. And He leit 
 them, and went away again, and prayed the 
 
BIBLE PRAYERS 63 
 
 third time, saying the same words. And 
 _ there appeared an angel unto Him from 
 Heaven, strengthening Him. 
 
 The Wraper of Forgiveness 
 
 HE enemies of our Lord had done their 
 
 worst. The cross had been set up on 
 Calvary and the innocent Christ had been 
 nailed to it to suffer a lingering, agonizing 
 death. The rulers of the Jews were there 
 to mock and deride Him, saying, “He 
 saved others; let Him save Himself, if He 
 be the Christ, the chosen of God.’ The 
 soldiers also jeered at Him and offered Him 
 vinegar to drink, saying, “If Thou be the 
 - King of the Jews, save Thyself.” What was 
 our Lord’s reply to this cruel mocking? A 
 prayer for His tormentors. 
 
 Father, forgive them; for they know not 
 what they do. 
 St. Luxe XXIII: 34. 
 
 A short time before the crucifixion He had 
 said to His disciples, “Thinkest thou not 
 that I cannot now pray to My Father and 
 
64 BIBLE PRAYERS 
 
 He shall presently give me more than twelve 
 legions of angels?” But for some mysterious - 
 reason the suffering was necessary and He 
 submitted to it voluntarily. 
 
 The Braver of Supplication 
 
 UR Lord hung upon the cross. The 
 
 sufferings of that awful day were 
 nearly ended. The two thieves who hung 
 on either side of Him had spoken to Him, 
 the one in railing and reproach, the other in 
 defence and entreaty. “Dost not thou 
 fear God, seeing thou art in the same con- 
 demnation? And we indeed justly, for we 
 receive the due reward of our deeds; but 
 this man has done nothing amiss.”” Then, rec- 
 ognizing Jesus as the Son of God, he prayed: 
 
 Lord, remember me when Thou comest 
 into Thy Kingdom. 
 Sr. Luke XXIII: 42. 
 
 The response was instantaneous. “Verily, 
 I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with Me 
 in Paradise.”