ADVERSITY
ISAIAH 48:10 (MSG)
Do you see what I’ve done?
I’ve refined you, but not without fire.
I’ve tested you like silver in the furnace of affliction.
LUKE 6:22-23 (ABP)
Consider yourself blessed when people push back against you because you follow me. You'll be characterized as evil, the brunt of their jokes, the object of their cursing, and even the victims of their hate. When that happens, be happy and jump for joy, for a great reward is in the heavenly pipeline flowing your direction.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Let the hard times bless you rather than drag you down.
PRAYER
Loving God, I know that you are looking for ways to bless us -- even through adversity. I confess that I have neglected to identify the hard times with the blessings you are pouring out. I get so distracted that I'm not able to see what you're doing in my life. Give me strength to endure and eyes to see the good that you are accomplishing through the not-so-good times. I'm going to honor you through both the good and the bad times. 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)
