Weakness
I have more troubles
than I can count.
My sins are all around me,
and I can’t find my way.
My sins outnumber
the hairs on my head,
and I feel weak. ~ Psalm 40:12,13 (CEV)
(Jesus said,) Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. ~ Matthew 11:28 (CEB)
Lord Jesus, I feel weak and empty inside. I have too much responsibility and not enough help to accomplish all that is expected of me. I am overloaded with failure and sin in my life -- things which I hold onto but which I need to let go. Since you have offered, I am turning it all over to you. You are strong and able. You are willing and kind. Many people seem to find pleasure in picking on the weak and reciting my weaknesses. But you do the opposite. I'm relieved at your invitation to give me the rest I need. Thank you. I'm trusting in you to recharge my empty batteries. Amen.
*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 -- a 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)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
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)
