PerspectivesC

  4. Solomon's Prayer-- See PART II I.4.c.

  5. Daniel's Prayer (Dan 9:4-19) In Babylon (the capital of Babylonia-- now just a province of the Medo-Persian Empire). In the 1st year of Darius (a Mede by descent). Daniel realized that the 50 of the 70 yrs. prophesied of (prob. the 70 yrs. from the capture of Jerusalem until the temple was rebuilt) had transpired, & there still sat Daniel & others in Babylon:

• I prayed to the LORD My GOD & confessed: O LORD, the great & awesome GOD, who keeps HIS Covenant of Love, with all those who love HIM & obey HIS Commands (there were many commandments/decrees/etc. that made up the Mosaic Law, but per Exo 31:18; 34:28; Deu 4:13; 9:10; 10:4 The 10 commandments were inscribed/written by the Finger of GOD on 2 stone tablets), We have sinned & done wrong. We have been wicked & have rebelled; We have turned away from YOUR Commands & laws. We have not listened to YOUR Servants the prophets, who have spoken in YOUR Name to Our kings, Our princes & Our fathers, & to all the people of the land. LORD, YOU are Righteous, but this day We are covered with shame-- the men of Judah & people of Jerusalem & all Israel, both near & far, in all the countries where YOU have scattered Us because of Our unfaithfulness to YOU. O LORD, We & Our kings, Our princes & Our fathers are covered with shame because We have sinned against YOU. The LORD Our GOD is merciful & forgiving, even though We have rebelled against HIM; We have not obeyed the LORD Our GOD or kept the laws HE gave Us through HIS Servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed YOUR Law & turned away, refusing to obey YOU. Therefore the curses & sworn judgment written in the law of Moses, the Servant of GOD, have been poured out on Us, because We have sinned against YOU. YOU have fulfilled the words spoken against Us & against Our rulers by bringing upon Us great disaster. Under the whole Heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem, Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon Us, yet We have not sought the Favor of the LORD Our GOD by turning from Our sins & giving attention to YOUR Truth. The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon Us, for the LORD Our GOD is Righteous in everything HE does; yet We have not obeyed HIM. Now, O LORD Our GOD, who brought YOUR People out of Egypt with a mighty hand & who made for himself a Name that endures to this day, We have sinned, We have done wrong. O LORD, in keeping with all YOUR Righteous Acts, turn away YOUR Anger & YOUR Wrath from Jerusalem, YOUR City, YOUR Holy Hill. Our sins & the iniquities of Our fathers have made Jerusalem & YOUR People an object of scorn to all those around Us. Now, Our GOD, hear the prayers & petitions of YOUR Servant. For YOUR Sake, O LORD, look with favor on YOUR Desolate Sanctuary. Give ear, O GOD, & hear; open YOUR Eyes & see the desolation of the city that bears YOUR Name. We do not make requests of YOU because We are righteous, but because of YOUR Great Mercy. O LORD, listen! O LORD, forgive! O LORD, hear & act! For YOUR Sake. O My GOD, do not delay, because YOUR city & YOUR People bear YOUR Name.

  6. Nehemiah's Prayer (Neh 1:3-11) Nehemiah (yet in Babylon, 107 yrs. after the 1st exiles returned) was informed:

• Those who survived the exile of Judah into Babylon 140 yrs. earlier & are back in the province (having retuned either with Zerubabbel or Ezra; having rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem & in the process of rebuilding Jerusalem) are in great trouble & disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, & its gates have been burned with fire. When I heard these thing, I sat down & wept. For some days I mourned & fasted & prayed before the GOD of Heaven. Then I said: O LORD, GOD of Heaven, the great & awesome GOD, who keeps HIS Covenant of Love with those who love HIM & obey HIS Commands [note that this 1st part is almost identical to Daniel's prayer (above, 5.)], let YOUR Ear be attentive & YOUR Eyes open to hear the prayer YOUR Servant is praying before YOU day & night for YOUR Servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins We Israelites, including myself & My father's house, have committed against YOU. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees & laws YOU gave YOUR Servant Moses. Remember the instruction YOU gave YOUR Servant Moses, saying, If You are unfaithful, I will scatter You among the nations, but if You return to ME & obey MY Commands, then even if Your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather Them from there & bring Them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling place for MY Name. They are YOUR Servants & YOUR People, whom YOU redeemed by YOUR Great Strength & YOUR Mighty Hand. O LORD, let YOUR Ear be attentive to the prayer of this YOUR Servant & to the prayer of YOUR Servants who delight in revering YOUR Name. Give YOUR Servant success today by granting Him favor in the presence of this man (the king). After the prayer (same verse) is: I was cupbearer to the king.

  7. Jonah's Prayer (Jon 2:1-9) After fleeing from preaching to Nineveh:

• From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD His GOD. He said: In My distress I called to the LORD & HE answered Me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, & YOU listened to My cry. YOU hurled Me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, & the currents swirled about Me; all YOUR Waves & Breakers swept over Me. I said, 'I have been banished from YOUR Sight; yet I will look again toward YOUR Holy Temple.' The engulfing waters threatened Me, the deep surrounded Me; seaweed was wrapped around My head. To the roots of the mountain I sank down; the earth below Me barred Me in forever. But YOU brought My life up from the pit, O LORD My GOD. When My life was ebbing away, I remembered YOU, LORD, & My prayer rose up to YOU, to YOUR Holy Temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to YOU. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation (Rescue from distress) comes from the LORD. This last sentence is a good example of what many salvation to mean in the O.T.

  8. Habakkuk's Prayer (Hab 3:1-19)

• A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth (With turbulent lyrics). Note that though this is "up front" identified as a prayer, the end of v. 19 is, For the directer of music. On My stringed instruments. The term Selah appears 3x; note that this prayer goes back & forth from directly addressing God to commenting about God-- though that is a common style of prayer (shifting from directly addressing HIM to meditating about HIM-- or thinking how to intercede for someone). Habakkuk's ministry as a prophet began well after Israel was taken captive by Assyria-- shortly before Assyria was conquered by the Babylonian empire; he ministered through the early stages of Judah's captivity by the Babylonian empire, but ended before Jerusalem was destroyed & Judah completely fell. LORD, I have heard of YOUR Fame; I stand in awe of YOUR Deeds, O LORD. Renew Them in Our day, in Our time make Them known; in wrath remember mercy. GOD came from Teman, the Holy ONE from Mt. Paran. Selah HIS Glory covered the heavens & HIS Praise filled the earth. HIS Splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from HIS Hand, where HIS Power was hidden. Plaque went before HIM; pestilence followed HIS Steps. HE stood, & shook the earth; HE looked, & made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled & the age-old hills collapsed. HIS Ways are eternal. I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. Were YOU angry with the rivers, O LORD? Was YOUR Wrath against the streams? Did YOU rage against the sea, when YOU rode with YOUR Horses & YOUR Victorious Chariots? YOU uncovered YOUR Bow, YOU called for many arrows. Selah YOU split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw YOU & writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared & lifted its waves on high. Sun & moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of YOUR Flying Arrow, at the lightening of YOUR Flashing Spear. In wrath YOU strode through the earth & in anger YOU threshed the nations. YOU came out to deliver YOUR People, to save YOUR Anointed One. YOU crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, YOU stripped him from head to foot. Selah With his own spear YOU pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter Us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. YOU trampled the sea with YOUR Horses, churning the great waters. I heard & My heart pounded, My lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into My bones, & My legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently in the day of calamity to come on the nation invading Us. Though the fig tree does not bud & there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crops fail & the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen & no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in GOD My Savior. The Sovereign LORD is My strength; HE makes My feet like the feet of a deer, HE enables Me to go on the heights.

  9. Songs Of The Psalms All of the psalms are "songs"-- most are chants, many of which are to be accompanied by instruments; some are specified to be sung:

• shoshannim (to the tune of 'Lilies')- Psa 45; 69
• shushan-eduth (to the tune of 'The Lily of the Covenant')- Psa 60
• shoshannim-eduth (to the tune of 'The Lilies of the Covenant')- Psa 80
• jonau-elam-rechokim (to the tune of 'A Dove on Distant Oaks)-  Psa 56
• al-taschith (a memorial melody, to the tune of 'Do Not Destroy'- Psa 57-59; 75

   Prayers that Jesus made/gave:

1. The Pattern Prayer given for Us (see 10. below);
2. The Gethsemane Prayers (see PerMtMkLk23 D.28.);
3. The 3 at the end of John (see PerJohn7 C.1.-3.)

  10. The "Lord's Prayer"  (The Pattern For Us)  (Matt 6:9-13) Almost all of this pattern also is in Luke 11:2-4:

• This, then, is how You all should pray: Our FATHER in Heaven, hallowed be YOUR Name, YOUR Kingdom come, YOUR Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give Us this day Our daily bread. Forgive Us Our debts, as We also have forgiven Our debtors. And lead Us not into temptation, but deliver Us from the evil one (evil).

  11. Jesus' Prayer(s) To His FATHER All before the Crucifixion: agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46); prayer for himself, for His disciples/apostles (listed in Matt 10:2-4) & for future believers (John 17:1-26). Covered here is only the Matt account of the Agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane-- 1st taking all of His disciples/apostles to the garden; then taking 3 disciples/apostles (Peter and James & John, the 2 sons of Zebedee) to the Mount of Olives; then going on farther by himself (a stone's throw, acc. to Luke 22:41) & praying. There are 3 accounts: the authors were Matthew (Levi), John Mark & Luke. Given here is the Matthew account-- he was the only 1 of these that was a disciple/apostle, though he was not 1 of the 3 that accompanied Jesus to the Mount. All 3 accounts were written some 30 yes. after the Crucifixion.

• The Matt account: Then Jesus went with His disciples/apostles to a place called Gethsemane, & He said to them, Sit here while I go over there & pray. He took Peter & the 2 sons of Zebedee (James & John-- see Matt 4:21) along with Him, & He began to be sorrowful & troubled. Then He said to them, My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death. Stay here & keep watch with Me. Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground & prayed, My FATHER, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as YOU will. Then He returned to His disciples/apostles (the 3 supposedly keeping watch) & found Them sleeping. Could You men not watch with Me 1 hour? He asked Peter. Watch & pray so that You will not fall into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the body is weak. He went away the 2nd time & prayed, My FATHER, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may YOUR Will be done. When He came back, He again found them sleeping because their eyes were heavy. So He left Them & went away once more & prayed the 3rd time, saying the same thing. Then He returned to the disciples/apostles & said to Them, Are you still sleeping & resting? Look, the hour is near, & the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes My betrayer!

  12. The Song Of The Lamb (Reve 15:3b-4): As the 7 Angels of GOD began pouring the 7 last plaques, Those who had been victorious sang 2 songs:

• the 1st, either the song of Moses & the Israelites (see above, 1.a.), sung after they crossed the Red Sea, or the 1 where Moses was the only "singer" (see above 1.c.), sung prior to Israel entering Canaan-- either way it is distinctly a commentary of the value of Israel throughout eternity;
• the 2nd, the song of the Lamb: Great & marvelous are YOUR Deeds, LORD GOD Almighty. Just & true are YOUR Ways, KING of the ages. Who will not fear YOU, O LORD, & bring glory to YOUR Name? For YOU alone are Holy. All nations will come & worship before YOU, for YOUR Righteous Acts have been revealed.

  13. Jeremiah's Prayer (Jer 10:23-254): After GOD instructed him to warn Judah of its imminent captivity: I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. Correct Me, LORD, but only with justice-- not in YOUR Anger, lest YOU reduce Me to nothing. Pour out YOUR Wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge YOU, on the peoples who do not call on YOUR Name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured Him completely & destroyed His homeland.

  14. Micah's Prayer (Mic 7:14-20): Concerning what his people were experiencing: Shepherd YOUR People with YOUR Staff, the flock of YOUR Inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands (the middle of Carmel). Let Them feed in Bashan & Gilead as in days long ago. As in the days when You came out of Egypt I will show Them MY Wonders. Nations will see & be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will lay their hands on their mouths & their ears will become deaf. They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They will come crawling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the LORD Our GOD & will be afraid of YOU. Who is a GOD like YOU, who pardons sins& forgives the transgressions of the remnant of HIS Inheritance? YOU do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. YOU will again have compassion on Us; YOU will tread Our sins underfoot & hurl all Our iniquities into the depths of the sea. YOU will be true to Jacob, & show mercy to Abraham, as YOU pledged on oath to Our fathers in days long ago.

  14. A New Song (Reve 5:9-13): see PerMtMkLk26 D.39.(last pt.)

  15. Mary's Song  (Luke 1:46b-55): see Psalm 133 - 134 Psalm 134 2. Mary went to see Elizabeth (portion highlighted in light blue)

  16. Zechariah's Song  (Luke 1:68-79): see Psalm 133 - 134 Psalm 134 3. Childhood of John the Baptist (portion highlighted in light blue)