Violence will disappear from your land;
the desolation and destruction of war will end.
Salvation will surround you like city walls,
and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there. ~ Isaiah 60:18 (NLT)
John, the Seer writes: I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God." ~ Revelation 21:3 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
God is redeeming our places just as he is redeeming his people.
PRAYER:
Lord, I am really looking forward to the completion of salvation. I'm curious as to what it will be like to have you living among us. Forgive me for dismissing such things as too far off in the future. Help me to live each moment now in light of the inevitable then. Thank you for being involved in fixing our broken world. Amen.
I will still be glad in the Lord;
I will rejoice in God my Savior. ~ Habakkuk 3:18 (NCV)
The official never saw him again, but he was very happy as he went on his way. ~ Acts 8:39 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
The activity of the Lord is our reason for joyous living.
PRAYER:
Lord, in spite of everything wrong with the world -- all the things that draw me toward sadness -- you save me from darkness. You lift me up so I can move on my way rejoicing. I pray that you would continue to remind me of all the reasons for joy. I'm going to live a joyous Christ-driven life. Amen.
The person whose help is the God of Jacob—
the person whose hope rests on the Lord their God—
is truly happy! ~ Psalm 146:5 (CEB)
I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. ~ 2 Timothy 1:12b (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Put your trust in the Lord and enjoy confident living.
PRAYER:
Lord, I'm so thankful that you are worthy of my trust. You are trustworthy but that doesn't explain why I'm hell bent on doing things on my own. Help me relax and enjoy life, knowing that even though my situation is fragile you've got me covered. I'm going to live happily. Amen.
“I’m first, I’m last, and everything in between.
I’m the only God there is. ~ Isaiah 44:6b (MSG)
This is why I kneel before the Father. Every ethnic group in heaven or on earth is recognized by him. ~ Ephesians 3:14-15 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
There is but one God and he alone should be honored by every group and being -- here below and above.
PRAYER:
You, God, are the only one worthy of our attention and our praise. I say that, but I am inconsistent in living according to my words. I get all excited by fads and superstars. I am overly optimistic about big name heroes and their ability to change the world for good. But with your help God, I am going to only follow you -- the one God who together is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 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)
