The 22nd Sunday after Pentecost
You are a God ready to forgive, merciful and compassionate,
very patient, and truly faithful. ~ Nehemiah 9:17 (CEB)
Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. ~ Colossians 3:13 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
Just as the Lord has forgiven us so must we forgive others.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for so freely forgiving me. Through Christ everything thing I've done wrong is made right in your sight. I wish that I could become so free in extending forgiveness to others. But sometimes I enjoy holding the wrongs of others over them. It even makes me feel superior at times. Change me so that I'm not like that.
I want to forgive as quickly and completely as the Lord has already forgiven me. Amen.
Rise up, O Lord, in all your power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts. ~ Psalm 21:13 (NLT)
What you say flows from what is in your heart. ~ Luke 6:45 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Our words flow from hearts that celebrate God's activity.
PRAYER:
God, I join with all your people to thank you and celebrate all the great things you are doing. This is true a lot of the time. But sometimes my heart is hard and I forget about you and what you are doing. I know that I shouldn't. Please forgive me and freshen my heart so that good words continue to flow from my heart. I'm going to celebrate your might acts with words and songs. Amen.
Why do you stand so far away, Lord, hiding yourself in troubling times? ~ Psalm 10:1 (CEB)
Jesus cried out with a loud shout... “My God, my God, why have you left me?” ~ Mark 15:34 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
Sometimes God feels distant, but eventually he shows himself.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for being close by most of the time. But there are times when you feel far away and I feel alone. Open my eyes so that I can see that you are not so far away. I'm going to trust that you are here with me and will be getting me through the hard time that I am going through. Amen.
Say to those who are panicking:
“Be strong! Don’t fear!
Here’s your God... ~ Isaiah 35:4 (CEB)
This saying is reliable and deserves full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” ~ 1 Timothy 1:15 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
Have confidence in God.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for being so reliable. I don't have to panic when trouble or confusion comes. Help me to stay calm as I am overwhelmed right now. I get so caught up in the drama that I forget that you are coming to sort through the problems. I'm going to trust you to get me through this. 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)
