I sleep and wake up refreshed
because you, Lord,
protect me. ~ Psalm 3:5 (CEV)
Peace be with all of you who are in Christ. ~ 1 Peter 5:14 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
There is a sense in which we live at peace because of the Lord's care.
PRAYER:
Caring God, thank you for watching over me -- even during the darkest hours of the day. I take so much of what you do for granted. And that casual attitude can eat into my sense of peace. Keep reminding me that you are right here with me. I know that I can get through anything because I'm connected to Christ Jesus. He is my protector -- my peacemaker. Amen.
Hold firmly to my teaching
and never let go.
It will mean life for you. ~ Proverbs 4:13 (CEV)
The goal of instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. ~ 1 Timothy 1:5 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord teaches us how to really live.
PRAYER:
Lord:
THANKS: I'm grateful that you care enough to give me instructions on how to really live life.
REGRETS: Even though your instructions are for my benefit I do not listen very well. I make excuses for not listening. I'm good at coming up with excuses.
INTERCESSION: I need some gentle reminders whenever I drift away from your teaching.
PURPOSE: I'm going to pay attention so that I'm really living the good life that you intend for me.
Amen.
I will not let you go, unless you bless me. ~ Genesis 32:26b
Always maintain the habit of prayer: be both alert and thankful as you pray. ~ Colossians 4:2 (Phillips)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord wants a close relationship with each of us.
PRAYER:
Loving God, thank you for initiating a relationship with me. I'm so grateful that you want to be close to me. I want that, too. But I am prone to drift with my feelings. I am easily distracted. That means I need you even more and I appreciate your patience with me. Help me to make prayer a habit. Help me to pray with an alert mind and a thankful heart. I'm going to stay close. Amen.
I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your ancestors. ~ Ezekiel 20:41b-42 (NLT)
God doesn’t take back the gifts he has given or forget about the people he has chosen. ~ Romans 11:29 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
I need to trust God because he keeps his word.
PRAYER:
Lord, I'm grateful that you can be trusted. You will not go off and change your mind on a whim. You are reliable. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop me from worrying over the details. I need to stop the worry. Or maybe I need you to stop the worry in me, I don't think I can do it on my own. But I'm going to start moving in that direction. Lead me home. 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 — 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)
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)
