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Sunday, July 12, 2026

YOUR PROTECTOR

The 7th Sunday after Pentecost

ISAIAH 25:4 (ABP)
GOD, you've been a safe place for the poor — a sturdy fort for those in distress — a dry shelter for those caught in the storm — a shady place when the sun is beating down. Ruthless enemies attack like a winter storm.

MATTHEW 2:19-20 (ABP)
After Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and return to the land of Israel. Those who have been trying to murder him are dead.”

THE ESSENCE
Because God protected the baby Jesus, he lived to become the ultimate expression of God's protection for all humanity. 

DAILY FODDER
Day By Day (hymn by Lina Sandell)
Every day the Lord himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares he fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of his child and treasure
Is a charge that on himself he laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me he made.

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for looking out for me — more so than I could ever realize. I regret that I don't take full advantage of the safety and security you offer. I dance around trying to intimidate the adversary until I can do nothing but run into your fort. Train me so that my first response is to run to you. Afterall, through Jesus, you've already saved me from the forces of sin and death. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil.
Amen.

Saturday, July 11, 2026

NO NEED TO PANIC

PSALM 46:10 (ABP)
Fact — I'm God. So, stand down, and let me do all the fighting that needs doing.

MATTHEW 14:33 (TCEB)
The disciples in the boat stopped to worship Jesus by acknowledging, “You are, without a doubt, the Son of God.”

THE ESSENCE
Don't panic, God is in the boat with you and will take care of it. 

DAILY FODDER
Some of us enjoy the rush of being in panic mode, so much so that we unconsciously seek out opportunities to panic. Some can regulate the impulse by taking roller coaster rides. But that’s only a short-term fix. One way to shut down the panic impulse is by rehearsing ahead time what you'll do and say when a situation arises. Until it becomes second nature, practice saying, "God, I know you've go this and I'm going to let you handle it."

PRAYER
God, I'm grateful that you’re forever on duty, offering all the protection I really need. Forgive me for embracing my impulse to panic when faced with overwhelming circumstances. Train me so that when I'm next facing such a situation, it will be second nature to stand down, step out of the way, and allow you to do what only you can do. I know that you'll handle it. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil.
Amen.

Friday, July 10, 2026

WHATEVER YOU DO

ECCLESIASTES 9:10 (ABP)
This is your one chance to pour your energy into living life. Once you're in the grave (which is where you're headed), there are no mulligans, and you won't have another opportunity to work things out, think through the challenges, or exercise wisdom.

COLOSSIANS 3:17 (NLT)
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

THE ESSENCE
Whatever you do with your life, do it on behalf of the Lord Jesus.

DAILY FODDER
The greatest privilege of my life is to represent the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER
Glorious God, there is no greater privilege than to represent you and your agenda for the world. Forgive me for living parts of my life as though it's all about me and what I want to see happen. Help me to take my sole responsibility as an ambassador of Christ and his kingdom seriously. With gratitude, I'm going to pour myself into the things you think are important. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil.
Amen.

Thursday, July 9, 2026

THE GREAT REVEAL

DANIEL 2:28 (CEB)
But there is a God in heaven, a revealer of mysteries...

COLOSSIANS 1:27 (GNT)
God's plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.

THE ESSENCE
Christ living in us is the great reveal of life's greatest mytery. 

DAILY FODDER
As we acknowledge and embrace Christ's presence in our lives, life starts to make sense. Yes, there will always be mysteries that we don't and can't understand, but they don’t rattle us in the same way. That is, the revelation of Christ is the key to living with the uncertainties of life. 

PRAYER
Glorious God, thank you for unlocking the mystery of life, through Christ. Forgive me for embracing the angst of a blind unbelieving world. Show me how to live without renting space in my mind to their worries over significance. I find my purpose and answers in you. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil.
Amen.


DAILYTEXTS.ORG

*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS

The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2015 I started posting these Bible verses for my spiritual formation students at Pacific Islands University. In the process of responding to the verses, I found the rhythm of looking for a common thread and writing a prayer based on that key idea to be helpful for my own soul.

The prayers are more or less modeled on the TRIP method, which is what I ask my students to do in their journaling. ~ Brad Boydston

TRANSLATIONS

ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon

CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)

CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)

EEB = EasyEnglish Bible (©2015, MissionAssist)

ERV = Easy-To-Read Version (©2006, World Bible Translation Center)

EXB = The Expanded Bible (©2011, Thomas Nelson Publishing)

GNT = Good News Translation (©1992, American Bible Society)

MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)

NCB = New Catholic Bible (©2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp.)

NCV = New Century Version (©2005, Thomas Nelson Inc)

NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)

NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)

NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)

NRSVUE = New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (© 2021 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)

NTE = New Testament for Everyone (©2011 Nicolas Thomas Wright.)

REB = Revised English Bible (© 1989 Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press)

TCEB = The Casual English Bible (© Stephen M. Miller)

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