⁴ I lie down among lions
    that greedily devour^[a] human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
    their tongues sharp swords.

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
    Let your glory be over all the earth.

⁶ They set a net for my steps;
    my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my path,
    but they have fallen into it themselves.Selah
⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and make melody.
⁸     Awake, my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn.
⁹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰ For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
    your faithfulness extends to the clouds.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
    and all the peoples behold his glory.
⁷ All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    those who make their boast in worthless idols;
    all gods bow down before him.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
    and the towns^[a] of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O God.
⁹ For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ The Lord loves those who hate^[b] evil;
    he guards the lives of his faithful;
    he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light dawns^[c] for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!

Prayer (from the Presbyterian Outlook)

We thank you for the freedom to vote our conscience, of which you alone are Lord. After this election, we are keenly aware that even if the political rhetoric fades the acrimony it highlighted will remain. Grant us the courage to step into the breaches and not shrink back into our enclaves of homogeneity. Send your Spirit to drive us to the places where you are already working to bring reconciliation. Remind us relentlessly that you are greater than every category we devise, more powerful than any estrangement we have created, eternal, ever present and always calling forth justice, peace and abundant life. Show us today and everyday how to live in the love of Jesus Christ, the perfect love that casts out fear. Amen.

⁴ For the word of the Lord is upright,
    and all his work is done in faithfulness.
⁵ He loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
⁷ He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
    he put the deeps in storehouses.

⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

¹⁰ The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
    he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
¹¹ The counsel of the Lordstands forever,
    the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
¹² Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

¹³ The Lord looks down from heaven;
    he sees all humankind.
¹⁴ From where he sits enthroned he watches
    all the inhabitants of the earth—
¹⁵ he who fashions the hearts of them all,
    and observes all their deeds.
¹⁶ A king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
¹⁷ The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
    and by its great might it cannot save.

¹⁸ Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,
¹⁹ to deliver their soul from death,
    and to keep them alive in famine.

²⁰ Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
²¹ Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
²² Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.