Who can tell God what to do?
He judges powerful rulers. ~ Job 21:22 (CEV)
And all of you must put on the apron of humility, to serve one another; for the scripture says, “God resists the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” ~ 1 Peter 5:5 (GNT)
KEY IDEA:
Humility always looks good on you.
PRAYER:
Lord, who can tell YOU what to do? Your wisdom and sense of justice are beyond our ability to understand. But that reality doesn't always throttle my attempt to try. I am way too opinionated. With gentleness help me to learn humility so that I can serve you well. Amen.
When the Lord led his people through a hot, dry desert,
they did not suffer from thirst.
He made water come from a rock for them;
he split the rock open, and water flowed out. ~ Isaiah 48:21 (GNT)
Come, whoever is thirsty; accept the water of life as a gift, whoever wants it. ~ Revelation 22:17 (GNT)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord is eager to quench the thirst of his people -- whether it is physical thirst or spiritual thirst.
PRAYER:
Lord, you are generous. I take your generous provision for granted. Because of you I have more than enough of what I need. Thank you! Please continue to keep me aware of both the conventional and the sometimes unconventional ways you provide. I want to give you the recognition that you deserve and to help others see how much you care for thirsty people. Amen.
I sing praises to the Lord
for his great victory! ~ Exodus 15:1 (CEV)
What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it -- we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are... ~ I John 3:1 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
God is really good to us.
PRAYER:
Gracious Father -- you really go to bat for your children. Forgive me when I fall into doubt and forget that you are on the side of your people. Help me to trust you as a child trusting a father -- for you really are our father. And as good as our biological father might have been you are even more of a father than him. You are the kind of father who is always advocating for his daughters and sons. And I'm going to live as your blessed child. Amen.
Might God continue to bless us; might the people from even the most remote places over the entire earth honor him. ~ Psalm 67:7 (ABP)
And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. ~ Ephesians 3:18-19 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
God's love transcends boundaries.
PRAYER:
Lord, your love is so amazing that it cannot be contained. It breaks through any walls that we establish -- transcending all time and space -- all measures of tribe and race. Amazing! Help me to plant my feet firmly on your love. I seem to wander all over the place. So keep me steady where I need to be and I will be living a life that is full of your fullness. 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)
