Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him. ~ Psalm 103:15-17a (NLT)
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. ~ John 1:16 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
There is no end to the love that the Lord shows his people.
PRAYER:
Loving God, thank you for all the blessings in my life. There are lots of problems but your blessings truly overshadow the problems. Help me to keep things in perspective when I start to panic. I'm going to meditate on your promise to forever stay with those who fear you. Amen.
Our holy God lives forever
in the highest heavens,
and this is what he says:
Though I live high above
in the holy place,
I am here to help those
who are humble
and depend only on me.
~ Isaiah 57:15b (CEV)
The Good News is being preached to the poor. ~ Matthew 11:5b (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
God is here to help those who realize that they are needy.
PRAYER:
Lord, I need some good news and you have brought it. I am too needy to make it on my own.
When I am overwhelmed help me to actively trust in your good news. I am going to continue to depend on you. Amen.
The royal line of David is like a tree that has been cut down; but just as new branches sprout from a stump, so a new king will arise from among David's descendants. ~ Isaiah 11:1 (GNT)
But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God’s children. ~ Galatians 4:4-5 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God sent his Son.
PRAYER:
Generous Father -- thank you for sending your Son to live among us so that he could set us free from the things which keep us away from you. In spite of such a great gift, though, I continue to return to the things which no longer really have any claim on my life. As I look forward to a new year I want to grow into the freedom that belongs to me as a child of God. I know that I can only do that as you motivate me and give me the power to truly be free. So please help me. Amen.
He will not break off a bent reed nor put out a flickering lamp. ~ Isaiah 32:3a (GNT)
This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger. ~ Luke 2:12 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus is God present and he gently meets our troubled hearts.
PRAYER:
Father, the thought of coming into your presence can terrify me. Then I remember that you have already come to me -- as a baby in a manger. Let your birth story become a home for my frightened heart, so I may live for the day when everyone will know your great mercy and love. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel MInistries edition, 172)
*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)
