How to Pray in a Way That Grants You Victory!
Get Up and Pray!
By Riqui Ricón*
When he rose from prayer, and was
come to his disciples, he found them sleeping
for sorrow, and said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye
enter into temptation. (Luke 22:45-46, KJV)
Whether through sadness, disillusionment,
fear, anguish, resentment, loneliness, depression, illness, poverty, or any
kind of affliction, Satan intends—with all his resources—to keep you asleep in
a sort of spiritual slumber or lethargy. His purpose is to
prevent you, at all costs,
from waking up and realizing who you are now in Christ
Jesus.
Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my
word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When
he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of
it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you
convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth
God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. (John
8:43-47, KJV)
According to the Bible, which is the Word of Honor of God—who does not lie— the good news is that Satan is a
liar, the father of lies, and there is no truth in him. Therefore, none of the
resources he is using against you are actually the truth.
The better news is that Jesus only speaks the Truth and, consequently, you can
place all your trust in His Word.
The excellent news is that you, my beloved, belong to God. You were bought
by Love at the price of the Blood of His Son Jesus Christ to be made a Born
Again Child of God. Without a doubt, you hear your Father's voice, and His Word
has a place in your new heart.
So, do not be deceived! Whenever you feel
sad, anxious, fearful, depressed, alone, or simply worried, you must ask yourself a couple of questions: Where do
these feelings and emotions that rule my mood and affect my relationship
with God and others come from? Whose voice am I listening to right now?
That’s right, you must ask yourself
those questions while remembering that
your Father’s voice will ALWAYS tell you how
important, capable, and valuable you are now. The Father's voice gives you
identity; it NEVER takes it away. You will always hear Him tell you: "My
child, I have decreed in my Word that you can
do ALL things through Christ
Jesus who strengthens you; that you are
mine and you have already overcome
because Greater am I, who am in you and with
you, than he who is in the world; that in ALL things you are more than a
conqueror through Him who loved you, my Son, Jesus Christ."
The opening passage
of this devotional, where Jesus finds His disciples sleeping while He prayed, highlights the
importance of prayer. And this is true; it is of vital importance to pray
without giving up. BUT, how do you pray when you are weighed down by sadness, fear, and anxiety? At most, you
might desperately cry out, "Help me, Lord!" The beautiful thing is
that He will ALWAYS answer you because He is faithful and will NEVER fail His
Word.
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust;
let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to
me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house
of defence to save me. For
thou art my rock and my
fortress; therefore for thy name's
sake lead me, and guide me. (Psalm 31:1-3, KJV)
The true teaching about prayer is that if
you trust in God, if you believe His Word, you will never be put to shame. He will be your rock and your fortress;
for His Name’s sake, He will lead you and guide you.
O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
(Psalm 84:12,
KJV)
Therefore, before praying, you must
believe—believe Him, believe His Word, the Bible—so that you may come before His Presence
with all certainty
and full confidence.
You who belong to God, listen to the Word of
God, your Father, and speak it. That’s right: when you are praying with your
Heavenly Father, do it using His own Words. Act like a true child and remind
your Father of the promises He has made to you in His Word regarding
your need. Of course, for this, you need
to know and find where those promises in the Word of God are.
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you
will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and
succeed in all you do. (Joshua 1:8, NLT)
I can assure
you that this is the only way to obtain
Victory through prayer.
Let’s pray out loud:
Beloved Heavenly Father,
nothing is hidden
from You, for Your Word, the Bible, says that before a word is even on
my tongue, You already know it all. So, I come in the name of Your Son Jesus
Christ to declare my victory over every problem and circumstance. You have
established that for those of us who love You, ALL THINGS work together for
good, and I believe it. Therefore, I declare that these problems I am
experiencing today will, sooner or later, turn into a blessing for my life, in
the name of Jesus. Thank You, Lord, because there is no way I am going to lose,
for this is the victory that has overcome the
world—my faith. My faith in You, Eternal Father. My faith in Your Word. Thank
You, Father, because You have never
left me, nor will You leave me, because You have loved me with such great love
and made me Your child. Because of what You did on the cross, Lord Jesus, and
because of Your Word, I am healed! I am free! I am prosperous! I am more than a
conqueror! I can do all things through Christ! And, by the Blood of Jesus, I am
blessed to live a full and abundant life. Thank You so much, Lord Jesus. Thank
You for this New Life in Fullness that I now have. Thank You for my healing.
Thank You for my health. Thank You for my prosperity. Thank You
for the Love, peace, and joy
I now enjoy. In the
name of Jesus. Amen.
Important Note:
How do I become a Child of God? How do I establish a relationship with the
Almighty?
Just say the following prayer
aloud, putting all your attention
and heart into what you are saying to God:
Lord Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of
God. That You came into this world, born
of the virgin Mary, to pay for all my sins, and I have
been a sinner. Therefore, today I say that I accept. I accept Your
sacrifice on the cross! I accept Your precious
Blood shed to the last drop out of love for me! I open my
heart to You and invite You in
because I want, Lord Jesus, that from today and forever You be my only and sufficient Savior, my
God, my King, and my Lord.
Thank You, Almighty God, because with this
simple prayer and profession of faith I have passed from death to Life, I have been transferred from darkness
to Your marvelous Light. Today I have been Born Again! God, now I am Your
Child! Now You are my Father! I will never be alone again! I will never live
defeated again. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Three Recommendations:
What just happened by you recognizing Jesus Christ as the Lord and
Savior of your life, according
to God's Word, is that you have been Born Again. No longer
as an ordinary human being, subject to the law of sin and death, but now as a
legitimate and authentic Child of God, Born Again, exactly like Jesus Christ, who is now your Older Brother. Therefore,
I give you these three, very important, recommendations:
1.
Pray. Praying is talking with God. So, find a quiet
place where you can begin talking to Him about everything. Do it out loud, and you will notice
how God always responds to your heart.
2.
Read and meditate
on the Word of God. The Bible
is the Word of God, so
get a Bible and start reading and meditating on it. How do you begin? It’s very simple. Depending on the day,
look up the reading program “The
Bible in One Year” and do the corresponding readings. You can get this program at: Through The Bible In One Year (palabradehonor.org). You will notice
that the program is set up so you can print it as a booklet.
3.
In prayer with God, your Father, look for and join a
Christian church or congregation where the Word of God is taught based
on the Good News,
which are the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ricardo C. Peredo Jaime © 2020
Reading and Meditation on the Word of God
Do these daily readings, and by the end of one year you will have read the
entire Bible.
January
31 Luke 22.39-71
/ Genesis 40 / Psalm 31
Luke
39 And he came out, and went,
as he was wont, to the mount
of Olives; and his
disciples also followed him.
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn
from them about a stone's
cast, and kneeled
down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father,
if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless
not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it
were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found
them sleeping for sorrow,
46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
47 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas,
one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.
48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
49 When they which were about him saw what would follow,
they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the
sword?
50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.
51 And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched
his ear, and healed him.
52 Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple,
and the elders, which were
come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves?
53 When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour,
and the power of darkness.
54 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar
off.
55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among
them.
56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly
looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.
57 And he denied him, saying, Woman,
I know him not.
58 And after a little
while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them.
And Peter said, Man, I am not.
59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a
truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.
60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest.
And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.
61 And the Lord
turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
63 And the men that held Jesus
mocked him, and smote him.
64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck
him on the face, and asked
him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
65 And many other things
blasphemously spake they against him.
66 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people
and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him
into their council, saying,
67 Art thou the Christ?
tell us. And he said unto them,
If I tell you, ye will not believe:
68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer
me, nor let me go.
69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye
say that I am.
71 And they said, What need we any further
witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.
Genesis
40 And it came to pass after these
things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their
lord the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh
was wroth against
two of his officers, against
the chief of the
butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain
of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was
bound.
4 And the captain of the guard
charged Joseph with them, and he served
them: and they continued a season in ward.
5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night,
each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker
of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.
6 And Joseph
came in unto them in the morning,
and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.
7 And he asked Pharaoh's
officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so
sadly to day?
8 And they said
unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them,
Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though
it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the
clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
11 And Pharaoh's
cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the
cup into Pharaoh's hand.
12 And Joseph
said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three
branches are three days:
13 Yet within
three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto
thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former
manner when thou wast his butler.
14 But think
on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray
thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this
house:
15 For indeed
I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews:
and here also have I done nothing that they should
put me into the dungeon.
16 When the chief
baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets
on my head:
17 And in the uppermost
basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them
out of the basket upon my head.
18 And Joseph
answered and said,
This is the interpretation thereof:
The three baskets are three
days:
19 Yet within
three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds
shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
20 And it came to
pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted
up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his
servants.
21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand:
22 But he hanged the chief baker:
as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet did not the chief butler
remember Joseph, but forgat him.
Psalm
31 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:
deliver me in thy righteousness.
2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for
an house of defence to save me.
3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my
strength.
5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed
me, O LORD God of truth.
6 I have hated them that regard
lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice
in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast
known my soul in adversities;
8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy:
thou hast set my feet in
a large room.
9 Have mercy upon me, O
LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing:
my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my
bones are consumed.
By Riqui Ricón*
When he rose from prayer, and was
come to his disciples, he found them sleeping
for sorrow, and said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye
enter into temptation. (Luke 22:45-46, KJV)
Whether through sadness, disillusionment,
fear, anguish, resentment, loneliness, depression, illness, poverty, or any
kind of affliction, Satan intends—with all his resources—to keep you asleep in
a sort of spiritual slumber or lethargy. His purpose is to
prevent you, at all costs,
from waking up and realizing who you are now in Christ
Jesus.
Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my
word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When
he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of
it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you
convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth
God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. (John
8:43-47, KJV)
According to the Bible, which is the Word of Honor of God—who does not lie— the good news is that Satan is a
liar, the father of lies, and there is no truth in him. Therefore, none of the
resources he is using against you are actually the truth.
The better news is that Jesus only speaks the Truth and, consequently, you can
place all your trust in His Word.
The excellent news is that you, my beloved, belong to God. You were bought
by Love at the price of the Blood of His Son Jesus Christ to be made a Born
Again Child of God. Without a doubt, you hear your Father's voice, and His Word
has a place in your new heart.
So, do not be deceived! Whenever you feel
sad, anxious, fearful, depressed, alone, or simply worried, you must ask yourself a couple of questions: Where do
these feelings and emotions that rule my mood and affect my relationship
with God and others come from? Whose voice am I listening to right now?
That’s right, you must ask yourself
those questions while remembering that
your Father’s voice will ALWAYS tell you how
important, capable, and valuable you are now. The Father's voice gives you
identity; it NEVER takes it away. You will always hear Him tell you: "My
child, I have decreed in my Word that you can
do ALL things through Christ
Jesus who strengthens you; that you are
mine and you have already overcome
because Greater am I, who am in you and with
you, than he who is in the world; that in ALL things you are more than a
conqueror through Him who loved you, my Son, Jesus Christ."
The opening passage
of this devotional, where Jesus finds His disciples sleeping while He prayed, highlights the
importance of prayer. And this is true; it is of vital importance to pray
without giving up. BUT, how do you pray when you are weighed down by sadness, fear, and anxiety? At most, you
might desperately cry out, "Help me, Lord!" The beautiful thing is
that He will ALWAYS answer you because He is faithful and will NEVER fail His
Word.
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust;
let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to
me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house
of defence to save me. For
thou art my rock and my
fortress; therefore for thy name's
sake lead me, and guide me. (Psalm 31:1-3, KJV)
The true teaching about prayer is that if
you trust in God, if you believe His Word, you will never be put to shame. He will be your rock and your fortress;
for His Name’s sake, He will lead you and guide you.
O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
(Psalm 84:12,
KJV)
Therefore, before praying, you must
believe—believe Him, believe His Word, the Bible—so that you may come before His Presence
with all certainty
and full confidence.
You who belong to God, listen to the Word of
God, your Father, and speak it. That’s right: when you are praying with your
Heavenly Father, do it using His own Words. Act like a true child and remind
your Father of the promises He has made to you in His Word regarding
your need. Of course, for this, you need
to know and find where those promises in the Word of God are.
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you
will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and
succeed in all you do. (Joshua 1:8, NLT)
I can assure
you that this is the only way to obtain
Victory through prayer.
Let’s pray out loud:
Beloved Heavenly Father,
nothing is hidden
from You, for Your Word, the Bible, says that before a word is even on
my tongue, You already know it all. So, I come in the name of Your Son Jesus
Christ to declare my victory over every problem and circumstance. You have
established that for those of us who love You, ALL THINGS work together for
good, and I believe it. Therefore, I declare that these problems I am
experiencing today will, sooner or later, turn into a blessing for my life, in
the name of Jesus. Thank You, Lord, because there is no way I am going to lose,
for this is the victory that has overcome the
world—my faith. My faith in You, Eternal Father. My faith in Your Word. Thank
You, Father, because You have never
left me, nor will You leave me, because You have loved me with such great love
and made me Your child. Because of what You did on the cross, Lord Jesus, and
because of Your Word, I am healed! I am free! I am prosperous! I am more than a
conqueror! I can do all things through Christ! And, by the Blood of Jesus, I am
blessed to live a full and abundant life. Thank You so much, Lord Jesus. Thank
You for this New Life in Fullness that I now have. Thank You for my healing.
Thank You for my health. Thank You for my prosperity. Thank You
for the Love, peace, and joy
I now enjoy. In the
name of Jesus. Amen.
Important Note:
How do I become a Child of God? How do I establish a relationship with the
Almighty?
Just say the following prayer
aloud, putting all your attention
and heart into what you are saying to God:
Lord Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of
God. That You came into this world, born
of the virgin Mary, to pay for all my sins, and I have
been a sinner. Therefore, today I say that I accept. I accept Your
sacrifice on the cross! I accept Your precious
Blood shed to the last drop out of love for me! I open my
heart to You and invite You in
because I want, Lord Jesus, that from today and forever You be my only and sufficient Savior, my
God, my King, and my Lord.
Thank You, Almighty God, because with this
simple prayer and profession of faith I have passed from death to Life, I have been transferred from darkness
to Your marvelous Light. Today I have been Born Again! God, now I am Your
Child! Now You are my Father! I will never be alone again! I will never live
defeated again. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Three Recommendations:
What just happened by you recognizing Jesus Christ as the Lord and
Savior of your life, according
to God's Word, is that you have been Born Again. No longer
as an ordinary human being, subject to the law of sin and death, but now as a
legitimate and authentic Child of God, Born Again, exactly like Jesus Christ, who is now your Older Brother. Therefore,
I give you these three, very important, recommendations:
1.
Pray. Praying is talking with God. So, find a quiet
place where you can begin talking to Him about everything. Do it out loud, and you will notice
how God always responds to your heart.
2.
Read and meditate
on the Word of God. The Bible
is the Word of God, so
get a Bible and start reading and meditating on it. How do you begin? It’s very simple. Depending on the day,
look up the reading program “The
Bible in One Year” and do the corresponding readings. You can get this program at: Through The Bible In One Year (palabradehonor.org). You will notice
that the program is set up so you can print it as a booklet.
3.
In prayer with God, your Father, look for and join a
Christian church or congregation where the Word of God is taught based
on the Good News,
which are the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ricardo C. Peredo Jaime © 2020
Reading and Meditation on the Word of God
Do these daily readings, and by the end of one year you will have read the
entire Bible.
January
31 Luke 22.39-71
/ Genesis 40 / Psalm 31
Luke
39 And he came out, and went,
as he was wont, to the mount
of Olives; and his
disciples also followed him.
40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn
from them about a stone's
cast, and kneeled
down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father,
if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless
not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it
were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found
them sleeping for sorrow,
46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
47 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas,
one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.
48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
49 When they which were about him saw what would follow,
they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the
sword?
50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.
51 And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched
his ear, and healed him.
52 Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple,
and the elders, which were
come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves?
53 When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour,
and the power of darkness.
54 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar
off.
55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among
them.
56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly
looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.
57 And he denied him, saying, Woman,
I know him not.
58 And after a little
while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them.
And Peter said, Man, I am not.
59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a
truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.
60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest.
And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.
61 And the Lord
turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
63 And the men that held Jesus
mocked him, and smote him.
64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck
him on the face, and asked
him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?
65 And many other things
blasphemously spake they against him.
66 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people
and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him
into their council, saying,
67 Art thou the Christ?
tell us. And he said unto them,
If I tell you, ye will not believe:
68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer
me, nor let me go.
69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye
say that I am.
71 And they said, What need we any further
witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.
Genesis
40 And it came to pass after these
things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their
lord the king of Egypt.
2 And Pharaoh
was wroth against
two of his officers, against
the chief of the
butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain
of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was
bound.
4 And the captain of the guard
charged Joseph with them, and he served
them: and they continued a season in ward.
5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night,
each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker
of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.
6 And Joseph
came in unto them in the morning,
and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.
7 And he asked Pharaoh's
officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so
sadly to day?
8 And they said
unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them,
Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though
it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the
clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
11 And Pharaoh's
cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the
cup into Pharaoh's hand.
12 And Joseph
said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three
branches are three days:
13 Yet within
three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto
thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former
manner when thou wast his butler.
14 But think
on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray
thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this
house:
15 For indeed
I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews:
and here also have I done nothing that they should
put me into the dungeon.
16 When the chief
baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets
on my head:
17 And in the uppermost
basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them
out of the basket upon my head.
18 And Joseph
answered and said,
This is the interpretation thereof:
The three baskets are three
days:
19 Yet within
three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds
shall eat thy flesh from off thee.
20 And it came to
pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted
up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his
servants.
21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand:
22 But he hanged the chief baker:
as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23 Yet did not the chief butler
remember Joseph, but forgat him.
Psalm
31 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:
deliver me in thy righteousness.
2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for
an house of defence to save me.
3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my
strength.
5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed
me, O LORD God of truth.
6 I have hated them that regard
lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice
in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast
known my soul in adversities;
8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy:
thou hast set my feet in
a large room.
9 Have mercy upon me, O
LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing:
my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my
bones are consumed.
11 I was a reproach
among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the slander
of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me,
they devised to take away my life.
14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.
15 My times
are in thy hand: deliver
me from the hand of mine enemies,
and from them that persecute me.
16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant:
save me for thy mercies'
sake.
17 Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called
upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent
in the grave.
18 Let the lying lips be put to silence;
which speak grievous
things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
19 Oh how great is
thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before
the sons of men!
20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence
from the pride
of man: thou shalt keep them
secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.
22 For I said in my haste,
I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my
supplications when I cried unto thee.
23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
24 Be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
