Prayers from the Bible in Classic Verse

Prayers from the Bible

in Classic Verse

· James Vasquez ·

Copyright © 2011 by James Vasquez.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-2779-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-2780-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-2778-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011917924

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/21/2011

Contents

Acknowledgments

Also by James Vasquez

Introduction

The Old Testament

Job – In Dust and Ash

Will Not the Judge

of All the Earth Do Right?

Jabez – Enlarge My Territory!

Water from the Rock

Moses Atop Sinai

Gideon – The Least Am I

Samson – One Final Time

Hannah – It Is Not By Strength

Who Am I, O Sovereign Lord?

Solomon Asks For Wisdom

Solomon Dedicates the Temple

The Things I Ask of Thee

Elijah and the Widow’s Son

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal

Hezekiah – You Alone Are God

A Prayer of Asa

Isaiah’s Vision – 

Whom Shall I Send?

Isaiah’s Song of Praise

Jeremiah’s Lamentations

Daniel Prays for his Nation

Ezra – With Outstretched Hands

Nehemiah’s Prayers

The Levites – 

Stand Up and Praise the Lord

Jonah Prays From the Depths

Habakkuk – "Though the

Fig Tree Does Not Bud"

The New Testament

Jesus, Man of Prayer

Mary’s Song

Zechariah’s Song

This Favor Over All

The Lord’s Prayer

The Friend at Midnight

My Yoke is Easy

A Secret Long Pursued

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

That They May Believe

Jesus’ Prayer for His Followers

A Thief’s Final Prayer

Believers’ Prayer

Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians

Created By Your Will

Worthy Is the Lamb Once Slain

The Kingdom of Our Lord

Song of the Lamb

You Are Just

Acknowledgments

Some of these poems have been published in other books by the author (see following page), in whole or part.

This book is dedicated with heartfelt thanks to:

My children, whose sincerity, faith and thankfulness in prayer since childhood have been such an inspiration to me: Jody, Debbie, David

Those I joined in small groups to study the Scriptures and pray—In Pasadena, Costa Rica, Colombia, Seattle, Ellensburg

Special thanks to Ruth McHaney Danner for expert editorial assistance.

Biblical quotations are from the New International Version of the Bible, unless otherwise indicated.

Also by James Vasquez

Women of the Bible: Their Stories in Verse

(2005)

Men Who Knew Jesus Well

Their Stories in Verse

(2009)

Women of the Bible

Their Stories in Verse

(2d ed., 2009)

Prophets of the Bible

A Classic Collection of Biblical Heroes in Verse

(2009)

Words Jesus Spoke—In Verse

(2010)

The Psalms—In Verse

(2011)

Introduction

The Bible provides an incredible amount of information about prayer. Indeed, the only reason we can believe the volume of information on prayer is that it’s there, written on the pages so clearly.

The Bible teaches about prayer in many ways. From the pages of Scripture we have such helpful instruction as:

• How to pray: without ceasing, in faith, submissively, acknowledging sinfulness,

• When: at all times, early and late day, nighttime, on all occasions,

• Where: in private (the closet), in church (the temple), the riverside, the countryside,

• Why: God commands us to pray, the example of Jesus, our own and others’ needs,

• For whom and for what: God’s blessing, to resist temptation, perseverance, friends who are sick,

• With whom: small and large groups, spouse,

• How not to pray: babbling, to be seen or heard by others, self-righteously, with many words.

Thus, the Bible is a virtual handbook on prayer and the question that remains is: given this rich resource on prayer, why do not more Christians pray faithfully? From the testimony of friends and acquaintances over the several decades since I was ordained, and from my own experience, I believe many—if not most—Christians feel an emptiness in their lives, even guilt, because they pray so little.

In this book of forty-five poems I will address one very helpful practice we should observe for faithful and effective praying: that of following Scriptural examples of prayers uttered by God’s people. After all, when the apostles asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he gave them a model. I have chosen most of the major prayers (excluding the Psalms, published in a separate collection), and many briefer, minor prayers, to put into verse. Each is preceded by a brief explanation of the context for the prayer, that is, an explanation of what the motivation or inspiration was for the prayer. To understand the true intent of a prayer it is most helpful when we are able to connect the content with the context. A few poems are based not on actual prayers but on passages that teach about prayer. I consider them so helpful they deserve a place in this book.

One might ask, why put the prayers into verse? First, many Old Testament prayers were originally written in Hebrew verse, especially the psalms and others in The Writings, and though English versions of the Bible attempt to show this form by putting the lines in poetic format, the result hardly suggests true classic poetry in format or rhyme. Second, the prayers are put into verse for the purpose of literary elegance, for I believe rhyming, well-metered poems are pleasing when read to oneself, and especially pleasing when read aloud. Rhyming poetry also aids significantly in memorizing. And third, it’s because that’s what I do.

James Vasquez, MDiv, PhD

Spokane, WA

The Old Testament

Job – In Dust and Ash

(Job 42)

Job has lost his family (ten children, most grown if not all) to a windstorm, his possessions to raiders, sheep to "fire… from the