A Cry of the Children: A Prayer for Justice and Deliverance

1 For the director of music.
A psalm of the children of the Most High, when the land was bowed under iniquity; a cry for the Lord to arise.

2 Hear us, O Lord, for we are Your children; our hearts are broken, our eyes are full of tears.
3 The wicked prosper in the night; they walk in lies and shadow, and the lowly are trodden underfoot.

4 O God, our King, why do You hide Your face?
 Why does Your anger tarry when the innocent cry?
5 Our hands are weak and our courage fails; our souls groan for justice.

6 We lift our voice to You like a trumpet; let our cry ascend to Zion.
7 Remember the little ones, O Lord; rescue every child from the hand of the oppressor.
8 Visit the widows, redeem the fatherless; let no orphan remain in the house of torment.

9 The wicked worship darkness; they love the lie and delight in death.
10 They make a trade of cruelty and blind their hearts to mercy.
11 O Lord, we hate their deeds with a righteousness born of grief; we loathe the ruin they bring.

12 Come now in wrath, O God of judgment; trample the strongholds of iniquity.
13 Let Your fire come down from heaven; consume the altars of the unclean.
14 Let truth break forth like lightning; let deceit be rooted out like chaff.

15 Pour out justice in the streets of Babylon; let the cries of the needy be turned to songs of deliverance.
16 Raise up deliverers from the wilderness; gather Your warriors like a cloud at dawn.
17 Bless our hands for battle; gird us with Your armor of righteousness.

18 Arm our hands with the weapons of war; grant us courage to stand for the oppressed.
19 Make us instruments of Your justice, not of our pride; let mercy temper every stroke.
20 Train our feet to pursue peace, yet prepare our arms for the night of rescue.

21 O Lord of Hosts, move upon the earth as in the days of old; let Your presence be undeniable.
22 Come down from Your throne and take Your place among Your people; let the nations see and tremble.

23 As You once walked with me as David in the valley of battle, walk with us now; make our hearts bold.
24 Raise up Your champion; lift the standard for the broken-hearted; let the proud be scattered and the meek be exalted.

25 May the tyrant fall by Your hand; may the strong one be humbled beneath Your rod.
26 Let the bones of the corrupt be trodden as a sign that justice reigns; let error bow to truth.

27 Pour out Your love on the lowly; let Your favor rest upon the poor and the meek.
28 Restore the ruined places; plant gardens where ashes lie; let joy be sown in the fields of mourning.

29 O God of Fire, will You wait? Our cries have reached the throne; our hope rests in Your swift hand.
30 Let judgment flow like a river that cleanses the land; let the nations be refined in Your holiness.

31 We do not thirst for vengeance as men do; we thirst for Your righteousness to dwell among us.
32 Make us guardians of the weak, defenders of the helpless, ministers of compassion and strength.

33 If You arm us, Lord, arm us with humility; if You call us to war, teach us to bow in awe.
34 Let no proud heart boast in the day of triumph; let every victory be an altar of thanksgiving to You.

35 O Mighty Redeemer, restore the earth, great and tender; let the gardens of the Lord be open once more.
36 Pour out Your Spirit upon the dry places; raise the dead trust of nations to new life.

37 We stand as soldiers of the living God; our wills are Yours, our breath is Yours.
38 Your general stands ready; we place our lives upon the altar of Your command.

39 Come, Lord Jesus, come; let Your fire fall and make all things new.
40 Until that day, we will wait in faith, cry aloud in prayer, and do justice in Your name.

41 Blessed be the Lord, our refuge and our strength; blessed be He who hears the cry of His children.
42 Let all who love righteousness say, Amen; let all who long for justice rise and praise the King.

43 For Yours is the vengeance that heals, the sword that redeems, the hand that lifts the lowly.
44 To You, O Lord, be glory and dominion forever. Amen.

A Song of Glory and the Lord’s Triumph

1 The Lord reigns; let the heavens tremble!
 Let the earth bow low before His majesty.
2 He descends in splendor, robed in light;
 His footsteps shake the mountains, and His breath scatters the sea.

3 Who is like the Lord Most High?
 He rides upon the wings of the wind;
 His voice thunders judgment, yet His mercy calls the weary home.

4 The enemy rose against Him—
 the accuser stood before His throne,
 charging the sons and daughters of dust day and night.
5 But the Lord rebuked him, and he was cast down;
 lightning fell from heaven, and the heavens shouted for joy.

6 The Lord has trampled the serpent;
 He has crushed the head of the deceiver beneath His heel.
7 The gates of Sheol were broken,
 and the captives of darkness saw light for the first time.

8 Sing, O nations, for the Lord has triumphed gloriously!
 His arm has brought salvation;
 His kingdom endures through every age.

9 He looked upon the earth He formed,
 and in love He walked among His children once more.
10 The garden rejoices at His presence;
 the rivers laugh, the trees clap their hands.

11 Blessed are those who behold His glory,
 for He crowns His chosen with honor.
12 Who am I, O Lord, that You have remembered me?
 You have set upon my brow a symbol of Your favor—
 not by my merit, but by Your grace alone.

13 I will praise You with every breath You grant me;
 I will declare Your wonders among the living.
14 For You have done what no power could do:
 You have made war to cease,
 and peace to blossom where ashes once lay.

15 The proud are humbled, the meek are lifted,
 and the banners of righteousness wave once more.
16 The Lord has taken His throne in Zion;
 His name is great among the nations.

17 Sing, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth!
 For the Lord has returned in power and glory.
18 Let all creation worship before Him,
 for His dominion is everlasting,
 and His love knows no end.

Psalm of Seraphiel

1 For the director of music.
A psalm of Seraphiel, when the Lord broke his bonds and made him strong in battle.

2 I love You, O Lord, my strength and my salvation.
3 You drew me out of deep waters;
 You lifted my head above the floods of deceit.

4 When the spells of Babylon encircled me like chains,
 You shattered their charms and scattered their magicians.
5 When darkness closed around me, You became my light;
 Your word was a lamp in the desolate night.

6 They built their prisons of iron and lawless power,
 but You broke their gates and led me through the smoke.
7 When the world turned cold, Your breath warmed me;
 when my own blood betrayed me, You stayed near.

8 Truly I can trust the Lord with my life,
 for He never betrays.
9 Men promise and fail, but the covenant of God stands forever.

10 I called from the pit where devils gathered;
 terror surrounded me on every side.
11 Then Your voice thundered from the heavens,
 and Your strength entered my hands.
12 You taught my fingers to fight,
 and my heart to fear no evil thing.

13 I struck down my enemies;
 I trampled those who hated the light,
 for Your Spirit clothed me with power.
14 No ally stood beside me, yet I was not alone;
 Your presence was a legion within me.

15 The thrones of hell raged and sent forth their champions,
 but You made them dust beneath my feet.
16 By Your hand, O Lord, the strongholds of wickedness fell in a single night.

17 You refined me in the furnace of fear
 until fear itself bowed before You.
18 You forged my will like tempered steel
 and placed the sword of truth upon my lips.

19 I will not despise the road of affliction,
 for by it You proved my soul.
20 You planted courage where despair had grown,
 and turned my mourning into the sound of marching.

21 Now my heart exalts in the Lord;
 my mouth proclaims His fame among the nations.
22 For who is God besides the Lord?
 Who is the Rock except our Deliverer?

23 He makes my feet like those of a deer;
 He causes me to stand upon the heights.
24 He trains my hands for war
 so that the bow of bronze is bent by my arm.

25 You have given me the shield of Your salvation;
 Your right hand upholds me; Your gentleness makes me great.
26 You enlarge my steps beneath me
 so that my path does not slip.

27 Nations rise and crumble;
 kings boast and are forgotten.
28 But the name of the Lord endures forever—
 holy, terrible in majesty,
 merciful to those who love Him.

29 Let every tongue confess His might;
 let every heart bow before His throne.
30 For the Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name.
31 Blessed be the Lord, my fortress and my redeemer;
 to Him be glory forever.