Praise their God for sending an angel to rescue his servants! They trusted their God and refused to obey my commands. ~ Daniel 3:28 (CEV)
Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared, and light flashed around in the cell. The angel poked Peter in the side and woke him up. Then he said, “Quick! Get up!”
The chains fell off his hands. ~ Acts 12:7 (CEV)
KEY POINT:
Sometimes God sends angels to rescue his servants.
PRAYER:
Lord, I'm grateful that you look out for your people. Sometimes I sense that I'm surrounded by angels who are looking out for me. I have no other explanation for he fact that I'm still around. There have been so many mere misses. Whether you're sending angels or doing it in some other way thank you for looking out for me. Keep me mindful of your protection. Let it give me boldness to serve you in new ways. Amen.
The Lord said:
Forget what happened long ago!
Don’t think about the past.
I am creating something new.
There it is! Do you see it?
I have put roads in deserts,
streams in thirsty lands. ~ Isaiah 43:18-19 (CEV)
Then he said, “How can I picture God’s kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use? It’s like a pine nut that a man plants in his front yard. It grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches, and eagles build nests in it.” ~ Luke 13:19 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
God is in the process of introducing something new. It's small now but will become significant.
PRAYER:
Lord, I'm excited about the way that you are growing something new -- something that will overshadow everything of the past. I don't always handle change well. Old is more comfortable. But I know that you will make me new so that I can participate in your new kingdom. Thank you for including me. Amen.
You made me suffer a lot,
but you will bring me
back from this deep pit
and give me new life. ~ Psalm 71:20 (CEV)
Jesus said to his disciples, "Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me." ~ John 14:1 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Trust the Lord to raise you up to live a new and improved life.
PRAYER:
Lord, I am grateful for your faithfulness. I confess, though, that I get swallowed in worry when things are not going well. Help me to relax and trust you for the best outcome -- an outcome way better than I could ever imagine. I'm going to move forward with my life even when worry is trying to attack me. Amen.
One day in your temple
is better
than a thousand
anywhere else. ~ Psalm 84:10 (CEV)
I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture. ~ John 10:9 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Christ is inviting us to enjoy the benefits of spending our lives with him.
PRAYER:
Indeed, Lord Jesus, it is better to spend a day hanging out with you than a thousand years hanging out with anyone else -- no matter how special the other person is. I'm grateful that you invite me in through your gate. At times I might be slow to enter. There are way too many distractions which grab my eye. But I want to live with you. Help me to make that my priority. 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)
