THE VOCATION OF PRAYER
LAMENTATIONS 3:41 (CEB)
We should lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven.
EPHESIANS 6:18 (CEV)
Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God’s people.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Prayer is our vocation.
PRAYER
God, you have called us to give ourselves over to prayer. Sometimes I zone out and let that slide -- giving attention to things that have the appearance of being more immediately fruitful. Help me stay attentive to your Holy Spirit, who is working in me even when I'm inattentive. During the busyness of this holiday season, I'm going to slow down and refocus my attention on the call to ongoing prayer. Amen.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. 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)
