Sunday, December 8, 2024

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows

New City Catechism

Question 50: What Does Christ’s Resurrection Mean for Us?

Answer: Christ triumphed over sin and death by being physically resurrected, so that all who trust in him are raised to new life in this world and to everlasting life in the world to come. Just as we will one day be resurrected, so this world will one day be restored. But those who do not trust in Christ will be raised to everlasting death.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, August 29, 2024

Read

Psalm 88, Job 19:7-27, Mark 15:25-39 (NLT)

Psalm 88
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.

O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out to you by day.
    I come to you at night.
Now hear my prayer;
    listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
    and death draws near.
I am as good as dead,
    like a strong man with no strength left.
They have left me among the dead,
    and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
    cut off from your care.
You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
    into the darkest depths.
Your anger weighs me down;
    with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude

You have driven my friends away
    by making me repulsive to them.
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
    My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
    I lift my hands to you for mercy.
Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
    Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude

Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?
    Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
    Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?
O Lord, I cry out to you.
    I will keep on pleading day by day.
O Lord, why do you reject me?
    Why do you turn your face from me?

I have been sick and close to death since my youth.
    I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.
Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.
    Your terrors have paralyzed me.
They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.
    They have engulfed me completely.
You have taken away my companions and loved ones.
    Darkness is my closest friend.

---

Job 19:7-27
“I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
    I protest, but there is no justice.
God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
    He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
His fury burns against me;
    he counts me as an enemy.
His troops advance.
    They build up roads to attack me.
    They camp all around my tent.

“My relatives stay far away,
    and my friends have turned against me.
My family is gone,
    and my close friends have forgotten me.
My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
    I am like a foreigner to them.
When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
    I have to plead with him!
My breath is repulsive to my wife.
    I am rejected by my own family.
Even young children despise me.
    When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
My close friends detest me.
    Those I loved have turned against me.
I have been reduced to skin and bones
    and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

“Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

“Oh, that my words could be recorded.
    Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
    engraved forever in the rock.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!
I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!

---

Mark 15:25-39
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
The Sun Stops Shining (p.302)

Meditate

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! (Job 19:25-26)

Pray

Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. You have tasted the death we deserve and won for us everlasting life. Forgive us for doubting Your goodness and following the path of unbelief. Thank You for Your deep compassion in our pain and sacrificial love toward sinners. Strengthen our faith by Your Spirit so we can cling to Your promises and sing Your praise. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

I Will Glory In My Redeemer

New City Catechism

Question 35: Since We Are Redeemed by Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone, Where Does This Faith Come From?

Answer: All the gifts we receive from Christ we receive through the Holy Spirit, including faith itself.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows

New City Catechism

Question 28: Are All People, Just as They Were Lost Through Adam, Saved Through Christ?

Answer: At the day of judgment they will receive the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them. They will be cast out from the favorable presence of God, into hell, to be justly and grievously punished, forever.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Read

Psalm 88, Job 19:7-27, Mark 15:25-39 (NLT)

Psalm 88
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.

O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out to you by day.
    I come to you at night.
Now hear my prayer;
    listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
    and death draws near.
I am as good as dead,
    like a strong man with no strength left.
They have left me among the dead,
    and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
    cut off from your care.
You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
    into the darkest depths.
Your anger weighs me down;
    with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude

You have driven my friends away
    by making me repulsive to them.
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
    My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
    I lift my hands to you for mercy.
Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
    Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude

Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?
    Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
    Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?
O Lord, I cry out to you.
    I will keep on pleading day by day.
O Lord, why do you reject me?
    Why do you turn your face from me?

I have been sick and close to death since my youth.
    I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.
Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.
    Your terrors have paralyzed me.
They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.
    They have engulfed me completely.
You have taken away my companions and loved ones.
    Darkness is my closest friend.

---

Job 19:7-27
“I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
    I protest, but there is no justice.
God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
    He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
His fury burns against me;
    he counts me as an enemy.
His troops advance.
    They build up roads to attack me.
    They camp all around my tent.

“My relatives stay far away,
    and my friends have turned against me.
My family is gone,
    and my close friends have forgotten me.
My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
    I am like a foreigner to them.
When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
    I have to plead with him!
My breath is repulsive to my wife.
    I am rejected by my own family.
Even young children despise me.
    When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
My close friends detest me.
    Those I loved have turned against me.
I have been reduced to skin and bones
    and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

“Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

“Oh, that my words could be recorded.
    Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
    engraved forever in the rock.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!
I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!

---

Mark 15:25-39
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
The Sun Stops Shining (p.302)

Meditate

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! (Job 19:25-26)

Pray

Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. You have tasted the death we deserve and won for us everlasting life. Forgive us for doubting Your goodness and following the path of unbelief. Thank You for Your deep compassion in our pain and sacrificial love toward sinners. Strengthen our faith by Your Spirit so we can cling to Your promises and sing Your praise. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

I Will Glory In My Redeemer

New City Catechism

Question 13: Can Anyone Keep the Law of God Perfectly?

Answer: Since the fall, no mere human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly, but consistently breaks it in thought, word, and deed.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows

New City Catechism

Question 6: How Can We Glorify God?

Answer: We glorify God by enjoying him, loving him, trusting him, and by obeying his will, commands, and law.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Saturday, December 9, 2023

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows

New City Catechism

Question 49: Where is Christ Now?

Answer: Christ rose bodily from the grave on the third day after his death and is seated at the right hand of the Father, ruling his kingdom and interceding for us, until he returns to judge and renew the whole world.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Read

Psalm 88, Job 19:7-27, Mark 15:25-39 (NLT)

Psalm 88
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.

O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out to you by day.
    I come to you at night.
Now hear my prayer;
    listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
    and death draws near.
I am as good as dead,
    like a strong man with no strength left.
They have left me among the dead,
    and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
    cut off from your care.
You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
    into the darkest depths.
Your anger weighs me down;
    with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude

You have driven my friends away
    by making me repulsive to them.
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
    My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
    I lift my hands to you for mercy.
Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
    Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude

Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?
    Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
    Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?
O Lord, I cry out to you.
    I will keep on pleading day by day.
O Lord, why do you reject me?
    Why do you turn your face from me?

I have been sick and close to death since my youth.
    I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.
Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.
    Your terrors have paralyzed me.
They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.
    They have engulfed me completely.
You have taken away my companions and loved ones.
    Darkness is my closest friend.

---

Job 19:7-27
“I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
    I protest, but there is no justice.
God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
    He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
His fury burns against me;
    he counts me as an enemy.
His troops advance.
    They build up roads to attack me.
    They camp all around my tent.

“My relatives stay far away,
    and my friends have turned against me.
My family is gone,
    and my close friends have forgotten me.
My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
    I am like a foreigner to them.
When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
    I have to plead with him!
My breath is repulsive to my wife.
    I am rejected by my own family.
Even young children despise me.
    When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
My close friends detest me.
    Those I loved have turned against me.
I have been reduced to skin and bones
    and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

“Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

“Oh, that my words could be recorded.
    Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
    engraved forever in the rock.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!
I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!

---

Mark 15:25-39
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
The Sun Stops Shining (p.302)

Meditate

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! (Job 19:25-26)

Pray

Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. You have tasted the death we deserve and won for us everlasting life. Forgive us for doubting Your goodness and following the path of unbelief. Thank You for Your deep compassion in our pain and sacrificial love toward sinners. Strengthen our faith by Your Spirit so we can cling to Your promises and sing Your praise. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

I Will Glory In My Redeemer

New City Catechism

Question 35: Since We Are Redeemed by Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone, Where Does This Faith Come From?

Answer: All the gifts we receive from Christ we receive through the Holy Spirit, including faith itself.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Saturday, July 8, 2023

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows

New City Catechism

Question 27: Are All People, Just as They Were Lost Through Adam, Saved Through Christ?

Answer: No, only those who are elected by God and united to Christ by faith. Nevertheless God in his mercy demonstrates common grace even to those who are not elect, by restraining the effects of sin and enabling works of culture for human well-being.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Read

Psalm 88, Job 19:7-27, Mark 15:25-39 (NLT)

Psalm 88
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.

O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out to you by day.
    I come to you at night.
Now hear my prayer;
    listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
    and death draws near.
I am as good as dead,
    like a strong man with no strength left.
They have left me among the dead,
    and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
    cut off from your care.
You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
    into the darkest depths.
Your anger weighs me down;
    with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude

You have driven my friends away
    by making me repulsive to them.
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
    My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
    I lift my hands to you for mercy.
Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
    Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude

Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?
    Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
    Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?
O Lord, I cry out to you.
    I will keep on pleading day by day.
O Lord, why do you reject me?
    Why do you turn your face from me?

I have been sick and close to death since my youth.
    I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.
Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.
    Your terrors have paralyzed me.
They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.
    They have engulfed me completely.
You have taken away my companions and loved ones.
    Darkness is my closest friend.

---

Job 19:7-27
“I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
    I protest, but there is no justice.
God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
    He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
His fury burns against me;
    he counts me as an enemy.
His troops advance.
    They build up roads to attack me.
    They camp all around my tent.

“My relatives stay far away,
    and my friends have turned against me.
My family is gone,
    and my close friends have forgotten me.
My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
    I am like a foreigner to them.
When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
    I have to plead with him!
My breath is repulsive to my wife.
    I am rejected by my own family.
Even young children despise me.
    When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
My close friends detest me.
    Those I loved have turned against me.
I have been reduced to skin and bones
    and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

“Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

“Oh, that my words could be recorded.
    Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
    engraved forever in the rock.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!
I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!

---

Mark 15:25-39
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
The Sun Stops Shining (p.302)

Meditate

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! (Job 19:25-26)

Pray

Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. You have tasted the death we deserve and won for us everlasting life. Forgive us for doubting Your goodness and following the path of unbelief. Thank You for Your deep compassion in our pain and sacrificial love toward sinners. Strengthen our faith by Your Spirit so we can cling to Your promises and sing Your praise. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

I Will Glory In My Redeemer

New City Catechism

Question 13: Can Anyone Keep the Law of God Perfectly?

Answer: Since the fall, no mere human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly, but consistently breaks it in thought, word, and deed.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows

New City Catechism

Question 5: What else did God create?

Answer: God created all things by his powerful Word, and all his creation was very good; everything flourished under his loving rule.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Sunday, November 13, 2022

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows

New City Catechism

Question 41: What is the Lord’s Prayer?

Answer: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, August 4, 2022

Read

Psalm 88, Job 19:7-27, Mark 15:25-39 (NLT)

Psalm 88
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.

O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out to you by day.
    I come to you at night.
Now hear my prayer;
    listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
    and death draws near.
I am as good as dead,
    like a strong man with no strength left.
They have left me among the dead,
    and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
    cut off from your care.
You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
    into the darkest depths.
Your anger weighs me down;
    with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude

You have driven my friends away
    by making me repulsive to them.
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
    My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
    I lift my hands to you for mercy.
Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
    Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude

Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?
    Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
    Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?
O Lord, I cry out to you.
    I will keep on pleading day by day.
O Lord, why do you reject me?
    Why do you turn your face from me?

I have been sick and close to death since my youth.
    I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.
Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.
    Your terrors have paralyzed me.
They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.
    They have engulfed me completely.
You have taken away my companions and loved ones.
    Darkness is my closest friend.

---

Job 19:7-27
“I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
    I protest, but there is no justice.
God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
    He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
His fury burns against me;
    he counts me as an enemy.
His troops advance.
    They build up roads to attack me.
    They camp all around my tent.

“My relatives stay far away,
    and my friends have turned against me.
My family is gone,
    and my close friends have forgotten me.
My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
    I am like a foreigner to them.
When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
    I have to plead with him!
My breath is repulsive to my wife.
    I am rejected by my own family.
Even young children despise me.
    When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
My close friends detest me.
    Those I loved have turned against me.
I have been reduced to skin and bones
    and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

“Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

“Oh, that my words could be recorded.
    Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
    engraved forever in the rock.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!
I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!

---

Mark 15:25-39
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
The Sun Stops Shining (p.302)

Meditate

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! (Job 19:25-26)

Pray

Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. You have tasted the death we deserve and won for us everlasting life. Forgive us for doubting Your goodness and following the path of unbelief. Thank You for Your deep compassion in our pain and sacrificial love toward sinners. Strengthen our faith by Your Spirit so we can cling to Your promises and sing Your praise. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

I Will Glory In My Redeemer

New City Catechism

Question 26: What else does Christ’s death redeem?
Answer: Christ’s death is the beginning of the redemption and renewal of every part of fallen creation, as he powerfully directs all things for his own glory and creation’s good.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows

New City Catechism

Question 19: Is there any way to escape punishment and be brought back into God’s favor?

Answer: Yes, to satisfy his justice, God himself, out of mere mercy, reconciles us to himself and delivers us from sin and from the punishment for sin, by a Redeemer.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, March 3, 2022

Read

Psalm 88, Job 19:7-27, Mark 15:25-39 (NLT)

Psalm 88
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.

O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out to you by day.
    I come to you at night.
Now hear my prayer;
    listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
    and death draws near.
I am as good as dead,
    like a strong man with no strength left.
They have left me among the dead,
    and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
    cut off from your care.
You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
    into the darkest depths.
Your anger weighs me down;
    with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude

You have driven my friends away
    by making me repulsive to them.
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
    My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
    I lift my hands to you for mercy.
Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
    Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude

Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?
    Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
    Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?
O Lord, I cry out to you.
    I will keep on pleading day by day.
O Lord, why do you reject me?
    Why do you turn your face from me?

I have been sick and close to death since my youth.
    I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.
Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.
    Your terrors have paralyzed me.
They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.
    They have engulfed me completely.
You have taken away my companions and loved ones.
    Darkness is my closest friend.

---

Job 19:7-27
“I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
    I protest, but there is no justice.
God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
    He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
His fury burns against me;
    he counts me as an enemy.
His troops advance.
    They build up roads to attack me.
    They camp all around my tent.

“My relatives stay far away,
    and my friends have turned against me.
My family is gone,
    and my close friends have forgotten me.
My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
    I am like a foreigner to them.
When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
    I have to plead with him!
My breath is repulsive to my wife.
    I am rejected by my own family.
Even young children despise me.
    When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
My close friends detest me.
    Those I loved have turned against me.
I have been reduced to skin and bones
    and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

“Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

“Oh, that my words could be recorded.
    Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
    engraved forever in the rock.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!
I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!

---

Mark 15:25-39
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
The Sun Stops Shining (p.302)

Meditate

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! (Job 19:25-26)

Pray

Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. You have tasted the death we deserve and won for us everlasting life. Forgive us for doubting Your goodness and following the path of unbelief. Thank You for Your deep compassion in our pain and sacrificial love toward sinners. Strengthen our faith by Your Spirit so we can cling to Your promises and sing Your praise. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

I Will Glory In My Redeemer

New City Catechism

Question 4: How and why did God create us?

Answer: God created us male and female in his own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him. And it is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Sunday, January 9, 2022

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows

New City Catechism

Question 49: Where is Christ now?

Answer: Christ rose bodily from the grave on the third day after his death and is seated at the right hand of the Father, ruling his kingdom and interceding for us, until he returns to judge and renew the whole world.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Read

Psalm 88, Job 19:7-27, Mark 15:25-39 (NLT)

Psalm 88
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.

O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out to you by day.
    I come to you at night.
Now hear my prayer;
    listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
    and death draws near.
I am as good as dead,
    like a strong man with no strength left.
They have left me among the dead,
    and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
    cut off from your care.
You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
    into the darkest depths.
Your anger weighs me down;
    with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude

You have driven my friends away
    by making me repulsive to them.
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
    My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
    I lift my hands to you for mercy.
Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
    Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude

Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?
    Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
    Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?
O Lord, I cry out to you.
    I will keep on pleading day by day.
O Lord, why do you reject me?
    Why do you turn your face from me?

I have been sick and close to death since my youth.
    I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.
Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.
    Your terrors have paralyzed me.
They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.
    They have engulfed me completely.
You have taken away my companions and loved ones.
    Darkness is my closest friend.

---

Job 19:7-27
“I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
    I protest, but there is no justice.
God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
    He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
His fury burns against me;
    he counts me as an enemy.
His troops advance.
    They build up roads to attack me.
    They camp all around my tent.

“My relatives stay far away,
    and my friends have turned against me.
My family is gone,
    and my close friends have forgotten me.
My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
    I am like a foreigner to them.
When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
    I have to plead with him!
My breath is repulsive to my wife.
    I am rejected by my own family.
Even young children despise me.
    When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
My close friends detest me.
    Those I loved have turned against me.
I have been reduced to skin and bones
    and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

“Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

“Oh, that my words could be recorded.
    Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
    engraved forever in the rock.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!
I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!

---

Mark 15:25-39
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
The Sun Stops Shining (p.302)

Meditate

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! (Job 19:25-26)

Pray

Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. You have tasted the death we deserve and won for us an everlasting life. Forgive us for doubting Your goodness and following the path of unbelief. Thank You for Your deep compassion in our pain and sacrificial love toward sinners. Strengthen our faith by Your Spirit so we can cling to Your promises and sing Your praise. In your name we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

I Will Glory In My Redeemer

New City Catechism

Question 33: Since we are redeemed by grace alone, through Christ alone, must we still do good works and obey God’s Word?

Answer: Yes, because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, also renews us by his Spirit; so that our lives may show love and gratitude to God; so that we may be assured of our faith by the fruits; and so that by our godly behavior others may be won to Christ.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Sunday, August 8, 2021

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows

New City Catechism

Question 27: Are all people, just as they were lost through Adam, saved through Christ?

Answer: No, only those who are elected by God and united to Christ by faith. Nevertheless, God in his mercy demonstrates common grace even to those who are not elect, by restraining the effects of sin and enabling works of culture for human well-being.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Read

Psalm 88, Job 19:7-27, Mark 15:25-39 (NLT)

Psalm 88
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.

O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out to you by day.
    I come to you at night.
Now hear my prayer;
    listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
    and death draws near.
I am as good as dead,
    like a strong man with no strength left.
They have left me among the dead,
    and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
    cut off from your care.
You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
    into the darkest depths.
Your anger weighs me down;
    with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude

You have driven my friends away
    by making me repulsive to them.
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
    My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
    I lift my hands to you for mercy.
Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
    Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude

Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?
    Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
    Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?
O Lord, I cry out to you.
    I will keep on pleading day by day.
O Lord, why do you reject me?
    Why do you turn your face from me?

I have been sick and close to death since my youth.
    I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.
Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.
    Your terrors have paralyzed me.
They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.
    They have engulfed me completely.
You have taken away my companions and loved ones.
    Darkness is my closest friend.

---

Job 19:7-27
“I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me.
    I protest, but there is no justice.
God has blocked my way so I cannot move.
    He has plunged my path into darkness.
He has stripped me of my honor
    and removed the crown from my head.
He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished.
    He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree.
His fury burns against me;
    he counts me as an enemy.
His troops advance.
    They build up roads to attack me.
    They camp all around my tent.

“My relatives stay far away,
    and my friends have turned against me.
My family is gone,
    and my close friends have forgotten me.
My servants and maids consider me a stranger.
    I am like a foreigner to them.
When I call my servant, he doesn’t come;
    I have to plead with him!
My breath is repulsive to my wife.
    I am rejected by my own family.
Even young children despise me.
    When I stand to speak, they turn their backs on me.
My close friends detest me.
    Those I loved have turned against me.
I have been reduced to skin and bones
    and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.

“Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy,
    for the hand of God has struck me.
Must you also persecute me, like God does?
    Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

“Oh, that my words could be recorded.
    Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead,
    engraved forever in the rock.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and he will stand upon the earth at last.
And after my body has decayed,
    yet in my body I will see God!
I will see him for myself.
    Yes, I will see him with my own eyes.
    I am overwhelmed at the thought!

---

Mark 15:25-39
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
The Sun Stops Shining (p.302)

Meditate

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! (Job 19:25-26)

Pray

Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. You have tasted the death we deserve and won for us an everlasting life. Forgive us for doubting Your goodness and following the path of unbelief. Thank You for Your deep compassion in our pain and sacrificial love toward sinners. Strengthen our faith by Your Spirit so we can cling to Your promises and sing Your praise. In your name we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

I Will Glory In My Redeemer

*Copyright laws prohibit us from posting the lyrics here, so please click on the title above!

New City Catechism

Question 12: What does God require in the ninth and tenth commandments?

Answer: Ninth, that we do not lie or deceive, but speak the truth in love. Tenth, that we are content, not envying anyone or resenting what God has given them or us.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

• New City Catechism

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Read

Psalm 35, Isaiah 53, Matthew 26:57-67 (NLT)

Psalm 35
A psalm of David.

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
    Fight those who fight against me.
Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
    Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
Lift up your spear and javelin
    against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
    “I will give you victory!”
Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
    turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
    a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
Make their path dark and slippery,
    with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
    I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
So let sudden ruin come upon them!
    Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
    Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
    I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
    “Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
    Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Malicious witnesses testify against me.
    They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.
They repay me evil for good.
    I am sick with despair.
Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them.
    I denied myself by fasting for them,
    but my prayers returned unanswered.
I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
    as if I were grieving for my own mother.
But they are glad now that I am in trouble;
    they gleefully join together against me.
I am attacked by people I don’t even know;
    they slander me constantly.
They mock me and call me names;
    they snarl at me.

How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.
Don’t let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat.
    Don’t let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.
They don’t talk of peace;
    they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.
They shout, “Aha! Aha!
    With our own eyes we saw him do it!”

O Lord, you know all about this.
    Do not stay silent.
    Do not abandon me now, O Lord.
Wake up! Rise to my defense!
    Take up my case, my God and my Lord.
Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice.
    Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.
Don’t let them say, “Look, we got what we wanted!
    Now we will eat him alive!”

May those who rejoice at my troubles
    be humiliated and disgraced.
May those who triumph over me
    be covered with shame and dishonor.
But give great joy to those who came to my defense.
    Let them continually say, “Great is the Lord,
    who delights in blessing his servant with peace!”
Then I will proclaim your justice,
    and I will praise you all day long.

---

Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

---

Matthew 26:57-67
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”

Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A Dark Night in the Garden (p.294)

Meditate

Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. (Psalm 35:24)

Pray

Lord Jesus, we are in awe of Your incarnation. That you gave up Your rights as the Son of God, were born as a man, and suffered for our sake is marvelous and mysterious. Thank You for giving all of Yourself to save those who rejected you. Forgive us for hating those who hate us and reviling against those who hurt us. Enable us by Your Spirit to rest in Your righteousness alone, follow You in the way of the cross, and extend mercy to others. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Man of Sorrows (click the “Show More” below the video to see the lyrics)

*Copyright laws prohibit us from posting the lyrics here, so please click on the title above!

Watch below or on YouTube!

From the Hillsong Worship album 'Glorious Ruins' released in July 2013.Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://smarturl.it/HillsongWorshipSubStream/Share on...

New City Catechism

Question 5: What else did God create?

Answer: God created all things by his powerful Word, and all his creation was very good; everything flourished under his loving rule.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

• New City Catechism

Thursday, August 20

Read

John 11:45-57 (NLT)

Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. If we allow him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”

Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”

He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.

So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.

It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will he?” Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
The Sun Stops Shining (p.302)
Don't have the Jesus Storybook Bible at home? Check it out on Hoopla here!

Meditate

It is better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed. (John 11:50)

Pray

O God, You alone are the Sovereign Lord. All things on earth and in history move according to Your good and perfect will. Even things intended for evil, You use for the sake of your glory and the good of your people. Forgive us for doubting your goodness and strength. Lord Jesus, thank you for giving your life for the sake of your own. Enable us by Your Spirit to declare and demonstrate the Gospel so that all of God’s children might be gathered from around the world and united in the Son. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Sing

The Power of the Cross (click the “Show More” below the video to see the lyrics)

*Copyright laws prohibit us from posting the lyrics here, so please click on the title above!

Watch below or on YouTube!

"The Power of the Cross" feat. introduction by Jackie Hill Perry & Pedro Eustache Recorded Live at Bridgestone Arena as part of the Getty Music Worship Confe...

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New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101