Psalm 13
(by David)
A Prayer for the LORD's Help

How much longer, LORD, will you forget about me? Will it be forever? How long will you hide? How long must I be confused and miserable all day? How long will my enemies keep beating me down?

Please listen, LORD God, and answer my prayers. Make my eyes sparkle again, or else I will fall into the sleep of death. My enemies will say, "Now we've won!" They will be greatly pleased when I am defeated. I trust your love, and I feel like celebrating because you rescued me. You have been good to me, LORD, and I will sing about you.

Psalm 37:1-7
(By David)
Trust the LORD

Don't be annoyed by anyone who does wrong, and don't envy them. They will soon disappear like grass without rain.

Trust the LORD and live right! The land will be yours, and you will be safe. Do what the LORD wants, and he will give you your heart's desire.

Let the LORD lead you and trust him to help. Then it will be as clear as the noonday sun that you were right.

Be patient and trust the LORD. Don't let it bother you when all goes well for those who do sinful things.

Psalm 40:1-5
(by David)
A Prayer for Help

I patiently waited, LORD, for you to hear my prayer. You listened and pulled me 
from a lonely pit full of mud and mire. You let me stand on a rock with my feet firm, and you gave me a new song, a song of praise to you. Many will see this, and they will honor and trust you, the LORD God.

You bless all of those who trust you, LORD, and refuse to worship idols or follow false gods. You, LORD God, have done many wonderful things, and you have planned marvelous things for us. No one is like you! I would never be able to tell all you have done.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
Everything Has Its Time

Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, for killing and healing, destroying and building, for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing, for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting.

There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace.

What God Has Given Us To Do

What do we gain by all of our hard work? I have seen what difficult things God demands of us. God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future. I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, because God's gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. Everything God has done will last forever; nothing he does can ever be changed. God has done all this, so that we will worship him.

Everything that happens has happened before, and all that will be has already been--God does everything over and over again.

Lamentations 3:25-33

The LORD is kind to everyone who trusts and obeys him. It is good to wait patiently for the LORD to save us. When we are young, it is good to struggle hard and to sit silently alone, if this is what the LORD intends. Being rubbed in the dirt can teach us a lesson; we can also learn from insults and hard knocks. The Lord won't always reject us! He causes a lot of suffering, but he also has pity because of his great love. The Lord doesn't enjoy sending grief or pain.

Hebrews 6:13-20
God's Promise Is Sure

No one is greater than God. So he made a promise in his own name when he said to Abraham, "I, the Lord, will bless you with many descendants!" Then after Abraham had been very patient, he was given what God had promised. When anyone wants to settle an argument, they make a vow by using the name of someone or something greater than themselves. So when God wanted to prove for certain that his promise to his people could not be broken, he made a vow. God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed.

We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place. Jesus has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever, just like Melchizedek.

James 5:7-20
Be Patient and Kind

My friends, be patient until the Lord returns. Think of farmers who wait patiently for the spring and summer rains to make their valuable crops grow. Be patient like those farmers and don't give up. The Lord will soon be here! Don't grumble about each other or you will be judged, and the judge is right outside the door. My friends, follow the example of the prophets who spoke for the Lord. They were patient, even when they had to suffer. In fact, we praise the ones who endured the most. You remember how patient Job was and how the Lord finally helped him. The Lord did this because he is so merciful and kind.

My friends, above all else, don't take an oath. You must not swear by heaven or by earth or by anything else. "Yes" or "No" is all you need to say. If you say anything more, you will be condemned.

If you are having trouble, you should pray. And if you are feeling good, you should sing praises. If you are sick, ask the church leaders to come and pray for you. Ask them to put olive oil on you in the name of the Lord. If you have faith when you pray for sick people, they will get well. The Lord will heal them, and if they have sinned, he will forgive them. If you have sinned, you should tell each other what you have done. Then you can pray for one another and be healed. The prayer of an innocent person is powerful, and it can help a lot. Elijah was just as human as we are, and for three and a half years his prayers kept the rain from falling. But when he did pray for rain, it fell from the skies and made the crops grow.

My friends, if any followers have wandered away from the truth, you should try to lead them back. If you turn sinners from the wrong way, you will save them from death, and many of their sins will be forgiven.