Song for Today:
My Hope Is in the Lord
My Hope Is in the Lord

Let The Lower Lights Be Butning

Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name;
Worship the LORD in holy array.
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The LORD is over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful,
The voice of the LORD is majestic.
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in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
The LORD sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the LORD sits as King forever.
The LORD will give strength to His people;
The LORD will bless His people with peace.
from Psalm 29

Bildad the Shuhite answered,
“How long will you say these things,
And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
“Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?
“If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression.
“If you would seek God
And implore the compassion of the Almighty,
If you are pure and upright,
Surely now He would rouse Himself for you
And restore your righteous estate.
“Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your end will increase greatly.
from Job 8

Job answered,
“In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a man be in the right before God?
“If one wished to dispute with Him,
He could not answer Him once in a thousand times.
•••
He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him,
That we may go to court together.
“There is no umpire between us,
Who may lay his hand upon us both.
“Let Him remove His rod from me,
And let not dread of Him terrify me.
“Then I would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.
from Job 9

I loathe my own life;
I will give full vent to my complaint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
“I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
Let me know why You contend with me.
•••
Hardship after hardship is with me.
‘Why then have You brought me out of the womb?
Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!
‘I should have been as though I had not been,
Carried from womb to tomb.’
from Job 10

Zophar the Naamathite answered,
“Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a talkative man be acquitted?
“Shall your boasts silence men?
And shall you scoff and none rebuke?
“For you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And I am innocent in your eyes.’
“But would that God might speak,
And open His lips against you,
And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom has two sides.
Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.
“Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
•••
If you would direct your heart right
And spread out your hand to Him,
If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,
And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
“Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and not fear.
•••
“But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And there will be no escape for them;
And their hope is to breathe their last.”
from Job 11

Job responded,
“Truly then you are the people,
And with you wisdom will die!
“But I have intelligence as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
And who does not know such things as these?
“I am a joke to my friends,
The one who called on God and He answered him;
The just and blameless man is a joke.
•••
Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?
from Job 12

Behold, my eye has seen all this,
My ear has heard and understood it.
“What you know I also know;
I am not inferior to you.
“But I would speak to the Almighty,
And I desire to argue with God.
“But you smear with lies;
You are all worthless physicians.
“O that you would be completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!
“Please hear my argument
And listen to the contentions of my lips.
“Will you speak what is unjust for God,
And speak what is deceitful for Him?
“Will you show partiality for Him?
Will you contend for God?
•••
Why should I take my flesh in my teeth
And put my life in my hands?
“Though He slay me,
I will hope in Him.
from Job 13

Man, who is born of woman,
Is short-lived and full of turmoil.
“Like a flower he comes forth and withers.
He also flees like a shadow and does not remain.
•••
If a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my struggle I will wait
Until my change comes.
“You will call, and I will answer You;
You will long for the work of Your hands.
“For now You number my steps,
You do not observe my sin.
“My transgression is sealed up in a bag,
And You wrap up my iniquity.
from Job 14
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