The Melodist - Daybreak for Thursdays

O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace. Help me in all things to rely upon Your holy will. In every hour of the day, reveal your will to me. Bless my dealings with all who surround me. Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with the firm conviction that Your will governs all. In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings. In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by You. Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others. Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring. Direct my will; teach me to pray; pray You Yourself in me. Amen.

We bless you, O God, most high and Lord of mercy.

You are always doing great and inscrutable things with us, glorious and wonderful, and without number. You grant us sleep for rest from our infirmities, and repose from the burdens of our much toiling flesh.

We thank you, for you have not destroyed us with our sins, but have continued to love us; and though we were sunk in despair, you have raised us up to glorify your power.

Therefore, we implore your incomparable goodness: enlighten the eyes of our understanding and lift our minds from the heavy sleep of indolence; open our mouths and fill it with your praise, that we may be able without distraction to sing and confess that you are God, glorified in all and by all, the eternal Father, with your only-begotten Son, and your all-holy, good, and life giving Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest, and to His people on earth, His peace and good will.

Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.

How many are my foes, O Lord!
How many are rising up against me!
How many are saying about me:
“There is no help for him in God.”

But you, Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, who lift up my head.
I cry aloud to the Lord.
He answers from his holy mountain.

I lie down to rest, and I sleep.
I wake, for the Lord upholds me.
I will not fear even thousands of people
who are ranged on every side against me.

Arise, Lord; save me, my God,
you who strike my foes on the mouth,
you who break the teeth of the wicked!
O Lord of salvation, bless your people!

I lie down to rest, and I sleep.
I wake, for the Lord upholds me.

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger;
do not punish me, Lord, in your rage.
Your arrows have sunk deep in me;
your hand has come down upon me.
Through your anger all my body is sick:
through my sin, there is no health in my limbs.

My guilt towers higher than my head;
it is a weight too heavy to bear.
My wounds are foul and festering,
the result of my own folly.
I am bowed and brought to my knees.
I go mourning all the day long.

All my frame burns with fever;
all my body is sick.
Spent and utterly crushed,
I cry aloud in anguish of heart.
O Lord, you know all my longing:
my groans are not hidden from you.
My heart throbs, my strength is spent;
the very light has gone from my eyes.

My friends avoid me like a leper;
those closest to me stand afar off.
Those who plot against my life lay snares;
those who seek my ruin speak of harm,
planning treachery all the day long.

But I am like the deaf who cannot hear,
like the dumb unable to speak.
I am like a man who hears nothing
in whose mouth is no defense.

I count on you, O Lord:
it is you, Lord God, who will answer.
I pray: “Do not let them mock me,
those who triumph if my foot should slip.”

For I am on the point of falling
and my pain is always before me.
I confess that I am guilty
and my sin fills me with dismay.

My wanton enemies are numberless
and my lying foes are many.
They repay me evil for good
and attack me for seeking what is right.

O Lord, do not forsake me!
My God, do not stay afar off!
Make haste and come to my help,
O Lord, my God, my savior!

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory.

For your love is better than life,
my lips will speak your praise.
So I will bless you all my life,
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise you with joy.

On my bed I remember you.
On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.

Those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down to the depths of the earth.
They shall be put into the power of the sword
and left as the prey of the jackals.

But the king shall rejoice in God;
(all that swear by him shall be blessed)
for the mouth of liars shall be silenced.

On my bed I remember you.
On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help;
in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand holds me fast.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to You, O God.

Lord have mercy.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Lord my God, I call for help by day;
I cry at night before you.
Let my prayer come into your presence.
O turn your ear to my cry.

For my soul is filled with evils;
my life is on the brink of the grave.
I am reckoned as one in the tomb;
I have reached the end of my strength,

Like one alone among the dead,
like the slain lying in their graves,
like those you remember no more,
cut off, as they are, from your hand.

You have laid me in the depths of the tomb,
in places that are dark, in the depths.
Your anger weighs down upon me;
I am drowned beneath your waves.

You have taken away my friends
and made me hateful in their sight.
Imprisoned, I cannot escape;
my eyes are sunken with grief.

I call to you, Lord, all the day long;
to you I stretch out my hands.
Will you work your wonders for the dead?
Will the shades stand and praise you?

Will your love be told in the grave
or your faithfulness among the dead?
Will your wonders be known in the dark
or your justice in the land of oblivion?

As for me, Lord, I call to you for help;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Lord, why do you reject me?
Why do you hide your face?

Wretched, close to death from my youth,
I have borne your trials; I am numb.
Your fury has swept down upon me;
your terrors have utterly destroyed me.

They surround me all the day like a flood,
they assail me all together.
Friend and neighbor you have taken away:
my one companion is darkness.

Lord my God, I call for help by day;
I cry at night before you.
Let my prayer come into your presence.
O turn your ear to my cry.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord
all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
and never forget all his blessings.

It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion,
who fills your life with good things,
renewing your youth like an eagle’s.

The Lord does deeds of justice,
gives judgment for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses
and his deeds to Israel’s sons.

The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
His wrath will come to an end;
he will not be angry for ever.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.

For as the heavens are high above the earth
so strong is his love for those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.

As a father has compassion on his sons,
the Lord has pity on those who fear him;
for he knows of what we are made,
he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
he flowers like the flower of the field;
the wind blows and he is gone
and his place never sees him again.

But the love of the Lord is everlasting
upon those who hold him in fear;
his justice reaches out to children’s children
when they keep his covenant in truth,
when they keep his will in their mind.

The Lord has set his sway in heaven
and his kingdom is ruling over all.
Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels,
mighty in power, fulfilling his word,
who heed the voice of his word.
Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts,
his servants who do his will.
Give thanks to the Lord, all his works,
in every place where he rules.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, all his works,
in every place where he rules.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord!

Lord, listen to my prayer:
turn your ear to my appeal.
You are faithful, you are just; give answer.
Do not call your servant to judgment
for no one is just in your sight.

The enemy pursues my soul;
he has crushed my life to the ground;
he has made me dwell in darkness
like the dead, long forgotten.

Therefore my spirit fails;
my heart is numb within me.
I remember the days that are past:
I ponder all your works.
I muse on what your hand has wrought
and to you I stretch out my hands.
Like a parched land my soul thirsts for you.

Lord, make haste and answer;
for my spirit fails within me.
Do not hide your face
lest I become like those in the grave.

In the morning let me know your love
for I put my trust in you.
Make me know the way I should walk:
to you I lift up my soul.

Rescue me, Lord, from my enemies;
I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will
for you, O Lord, are my God.
Let your good spirit guide me
in ways that are level and smooth.

For your name’s sake, Lord, save my life;
in your justice save my soul from distress.
In your love make an end of my foes;
destroy all those who oppress me
for I am your servant, O Lord.

You are faithful, you are just; give answer.
Do not call your servant to judgment.

Let your good spirit guide me
in ways that are level and smooth.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to You, O God.

Lord have mercy.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

The Lord is God and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; for His love endures forever.

The Lord is God and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.

They encircled me, compassed me about; in the Lord's Name I crushed them.

The Lord is God and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.

I shall not die, I shall live and recount the deeds of the Lord.

The Lord is God and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the work of the Lord, a marvel in our eyes.

The Lord is God and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.

O holy apostles, intercede with the merciful God that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins.

O father and archbishop Nicholas, your life has shown you to your flock as a rule of faith, an image of gentleness, and a teacher of moderation. You acquired greatness through humility and wealth through poverty. Intercede with Christ our God to save our souls.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

We have come to recognize Christ our God, the Word of the Father, was incarnate of you, O Virgin Theotokos, the only pure, only blessed one. Therefore, we extol you unceasingly in hymns.

The mystery hidden from all ages and unknown to the angels has been made known to those on earth through you, O Theotokos. God has taken flesh in a union without confusion, and willingly accepted the cross for us; whereby He raised the first-formed Adam and saved our souls from death.

Have mercy on me, God, in Your kindness.
In Your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.

My offences truly I know them;
my sin is always before me.
Against You, You alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in Your sight I have done.

That You may be justified when You give sentence
and be without reproach when You judge.
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.

Indeed You love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom
O sprinkle me with hyssop, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones You have crushed may thrill.
From my sins turn away Your face
and blot out all my guilt.

A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
nor deprive me of Your Holy Spirit.

Give me again the joy of Your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors Your ways
and sinners may return to You.

O rescue me, God, my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out Your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare Your praise.

For in sacrifice You take no delight,
burnt offering from me You would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart, O God, You will not spurn.

In Your goodness, O Lord, show favor to Zion;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then You will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
(burnt offerings wholly consumed).
then You will be offered young bulls on Your altar.

Praise the Lord from the heavens,

Praise Him in the heights.

Praise him, all His angels,

Praise him, all His host.

Praise Him, sun and moon,

Praise Him shining stars.

Praise Him highest heavens

and the waters above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the Lord.

He commanded; they were made.

He fixed them for ever,

gave a law which shall not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth,

sea creatures and all oceans,

fire and hail, snow and mist,

stormy winds that obey His word;

all mountains and hills,

all fruit trees and cedars,

beasts, wild and tame,

reptiles and birds on the wing;

all earth’s kings and peoples,

earth’s princes and rulers;

young men and maidens,

old men together with children.

Let them praise the name of the Lord

for He alone is exalted.

The splendor of His name

reaches beyond heaven and earth.

He exalts the strength of His people.

He is the praise of all His saints,

of the sons of Israel,

of the people to whom He comes close.

Sing a new song to the Lord,

His praise in the assembly of the faithful.

Let Israel rejoice in its Maker,

let Zion’s sons exalt in their king.

Let them praise His name with dancing

and make music with timbrel and harp.

For the Lord takes delight in His people.

He crowns the poor with salvation.

Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,

Shout for joy and take their rest.

Let the praise of God be on their lips

And a two-edged sword in their hand,

to deal out vengeance to the nations

And punishment on all the peoples;

To bind their kings in chains

And their nobles in fetters of iron;

to carry out the sentence pre-ordained: this honor is for all His faithful.

Praise God in His holy place, praise Him in His mighty heavens.
Praise Him for His powerful deeds, praise His surpassing greatness.
O praise Him with sound of trumpet, praise Him with lute and harp.
Praise Him with timbrel and dance, praise Him with strings and pipe.
O praise Him with resounding cymbals, praise Him with clashing of cymbals.

Let everything that lives and that breathes give praise to the Lord.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Lord have mercy.

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse us of our sins; Master, forgive our transgressions; Holy One, come to us and heal our infirmities for Your Name's sake.

Lord have mercy.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Lord have mercy.

Arising from sleep, I thank you, O Holy Trinity; because of your great kindness you have not been angry with me, though I am lazy and sinful, nor have you destroyed me in my sins. Rather, you have shown your customary love for us, and you have raised me up as I lay in neglect, that I may sing this morning hymn and glorify your dominion. Enlighten now the eyes of my understanding, open my ears to receive your words, and teach me your commandments. Help me to do your will, to glorify you, to confess you from my heart, and to extol your all-holy name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

More honorable than the cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim; who, a virgin, gave birth to God the Word, you, truly the Theotokos, we magnify.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.

Lord have mercy.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us.

Amen.