Prayer For The Afflicted
Psalm 119:169
May my cry come before You, O LORD; give me understanding according to Your word.
Psalm 102:7 is a particular verse concerning Christ's suffering, His affliction. His affliction was related to His zeal for God's house (John 2:17; Psa. 69:9). In His suffering Christ was a watcher, caring not for His own interest but for the interest of God's house. Thus, He likened Himself to a lone sparrow on the roof of a house. As He was watching for God's interest, He was like a lone sparrow on a housetop. This was an aspect of Christ's suffering.
Psalm 39:12
Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. For I am a foreigner dwelling with You, a sojourner like all my fathers.
OEternal GOD, who in thy Righteous Judgement hast covered many among us with a Cloud in the Day of thy Anger, and hast broken them sore in the place of Dragons, look down upon them we earnestly pray thee, with an Eye of tender Pity and Compassion; Let them know, that Afflictions cometh not out of the Dust, nor doth Trouble spring out of the Ground, and that there is no Evil in the City, and the LORD hath not done it: That so they may with a perfect Resignation submit to the Will of GOD, without any murmuring Thought against Him, or having their Spirits in the least imbittered against the Providential Instruments of their present Calamity.
O LORD, Direct than in all their Difficulties, Comfort them under their Sadness, Support them under Temptation, Provide for them in all their Wants, Secure them in the midst of Dangers, and Cover them under the Shadow of thy Wings, till all these Calamities be overpast. What Time their Heart is overwhelmed, lead them to the Rock that is higher than they. And in the midst oftheir Thoughts within them, let thy Comforts delight their Soul. Give them Beauty for Ashes, the Oyl of Joy for Mourning, the Garment of Praise, for the Spirit of Heaviness. Turn their Weeping into Joy. Put off their Sackloath, and Gird them with Gladness, to the End their Glory may sing, and not be silent, and give thee Thanks for ever.
Enrich them with the Graces of thy Holy Spirit, and more especially, Faith, Patience and Charity, Sanctify to them all their Afflictions, that however grievous they may be for the present, yet they may work in them the peaceable Fruit of Righteousness in this Life, and for them in the next, an Eternal Weight Of Glory.
And now O most Merciful Father, we earnestly pray to thee, that thou wouldest set the Dispersed and Solitary in Families again, Bring them forth that are bound in Chains, Proclaim an acceptable Year and Liberty to the Captives; Let the sorrowful Sighing of the Prisoner come before thee, and according to the Greatness of thy Power, Preserve thou those that are appointed to die. And if in thy Providence thou thinkest fit to give Way to the Sentence of Death against them, We most earnestly pray, that they may be every Way thoroughly prepared, for leaving this naughty and misenbie World: Make them deeply Penitent for their Sins, and Absolve them from the Guilt of them: May their Souls be washed in the Blood of their Redeemer, and so presented to thee without Spot or Blemish. Mix we pray thee Comfort with their bitter Cup. Fortify them against the Fear of Death, by the Hope of the Mercy of GOD, a Joyful Resurrecton from the Dead, and Life Everlasting. And Good GOD, Preserve them by thy Power, through Faith unto Salvation. All these Things Most Gracious GOD we beg of thee, for the Powerful Merits and Intercessions Sake of JESUS CHRIST, our only Mediator and Advocat. Amen.
1 Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you. 2 Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. 3 For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. 4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food. 5 In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones. 6 I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins. 7 I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof. 8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse. 9 For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears 10 because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside. 11 My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass. (Psalm 102:1-11)
Psalm 102 A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress.
Dear Saint Anthony, comforting the sorrowful is a Christian duty and a work of mercy. By word, attitude, and deed I should try to brighten their days and make their burden easier to bear. Saint Anthony, Consoler of the Afflicted, may I remember when helping someone in sorrow that I am helping Christ Himself. Kindly mention my pressing needs to Him. [name your special intentions] Franciscan Mission Associates
Merciful God and Father, You give eternal hope and salvation to the living and eternal life to the dying. You alone have life and death in Your hands, and Christ alone has the keys of death and of the grave. All things are in Your power so that neither health nor sickness, good nor evil, life nor death can happen to us without Your will. We also know that by Your power and direction all things must serve our salvation. Gracious Father, we implore You to grant us the grace of Your Holy Spirit, that He may teach us truly to know our misery and to bear patiently with Your chastisements. If You, O Lord, kept a record of our sins these chastisements should have been ten thousand times more severe. We believe that they are not evidence of Your wrath but of Your fatherly love towards us, that we might not be condemned with the world.
Lord, strengthen our faith by Your Holy Spirit, so that we become more and more united with Christ our Head, since it is Your good pleasure to unite us to Him in both suffering and glory. Enable us to bear what is brought upon us by Your fatherly wisdom. We submit ourselves entirely to Your will, whether You leave us on earth or whether You take us home unto Yourself. We trust that with body and soul, both in life and in death, we belong to Christ, whose resurrection is the guarantee of our blessed resurrection.
Grant that we may experience the comfort of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. May His innocent blood wash away the dirt of our sins and may His righteousness cover our unrighteousness in Your sight. Arm us with faith and hope, so that we may overcome the assaults of Satan and not be put to shame by any fear of death. When our eyes grow dim, let Your eyes be open toward us. When You take away from us the ability to speak will You then hear the sighing of our hearts. When our hands have lost their strength, continue to support and carry us on Your everlasting arms.
Father, we commit our spirit into Your hands. Deal with us according to Your promise. Never forsake us, but always be with us, even in the hour of death.
Hear and answer us for the sake of Christ, our dear Saviour. Amen.