Day of Prayer

Lamentations 1:20-22; 2:11; 3:19-25, 31, 33-41, 48-51, 55-58; 4:19-22

"See, O Lord for I am in distress;
My spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very rebellious,
In the street the sword slays;
In the house it is like death.
They have heard that I groan;
There is no one to comfort me;
All my enemies have heard of my calamity;
They are glad that You have done it.
Oh, that You would bring the day which you have proclaimed,
That they may become like me.
Let all their wickedness come before You;
And deal with them as You have dealt with me
For all my transgressions;
For my groans are many and my heart is faint."

My eyes fail because of tears,
My spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is poured out on the earth
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
When little ones and infants faint
In the streets of the city.

Remember my affliction and my
wandering, the wormwood and bitterness.
Surely my soul remembers
And is bowed down within me.
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease.
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I have hope in Him."
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him.
To the person who seeks Him.

For the Lord will not reject forever.

For he does not afflict willingly
Or grieve the sons of men.
To crush under His feet
All the prisoners of the land.
To deprive a man of justice
In the presence of the Most High.
To defraud a man in his lawsuit--
Of these things the Lord does not approve.
Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That both good and ill go forth?
Why should any living mortal or any man,
Offer complaint in view of his sins?
Let us examine and probe our ways.
And let us return to the Lord.
We lift up our heart and hands
Toward God in heaven.

My eyes run down with streams of water
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
My eyes pour down unceasingly, without stopping,
Until the Lord looks down and sees from heaven.
My eyes bring pain to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.

I called on Your name, O Lord,
Out of the lowest pit.
You have heard my voice,
"Do not hid Your ear from my prayer for relief.
For my cry for help."
You drew near when I called on You.
You said, "Do not fear!"
O Lord, You have pleaded my soul's cause;
You have redeemed my life.

You, O Lord rule forever;
Your throne is from generation to generation.
Why do You forget us forever?
Why do You forsake us so long?
Restore us to You, O Lord, that we may be restored;
Renew our days as of old,
Unless You have utterly rejected us
And are exceedingly angry with us.