LENT
He (The Lord) lifted me out of the ditch,
pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
to make sure I wouldn’t slip. ~ Psalm 40:2 (MSG)
Jesus said: I assure you that the time is coming—and is here!—when the dead will hear the voice of God’s Son, and those who hear it will live. ~ John 5:25 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
God rescues those who listen to him.
PRAYER:
Lord, you have a reputation for going into dangerous places to rescue your people. Jesus left the safety of the heavenly headquarters in order to jump into the mud to pull us out and onto a solid place of new life. I don't know why it is that I don't trust you more. You have certainly proven yourself over and over again. Please give me more faith. I'm going to live like someone who has been rescued from the worst possible fate. Amen.
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT
... Restore your Temple, which has been destroyed; restore it so that everyone will know that you are God. ~ Daniel 9:17b (GNT)
My little group of disciples, don’t be afraid! Your Father wants to give you the kingdom. ~ Luke 12:32 (GNT)
KEY IDEA:
God wants to use us to bring honor to him.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for including us in your work. We don't deserve to be involved. We are broken and sinful people. Heal us so that we can serve you well, and so that all who see how you have healed us of our spiritual sicknesses will turn to you. They will honor you by trusting you as you restore all things. I'm excited to be a part of Jesus' kingdom. Amen.
LENT
He was painfully abused,
but he did not complain.
He was silent like a lamb
being led to the butcher,
as quiet as a sheep
having its wool cut off. ~ Isaiah 53:7 (CEV)
I tell you for certain that a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will never be more than one grain unless it dies. But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat. ~ John 12.24 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus allowed himself to be put to death so that resurrection for many could happen.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving your life so that we could go on living -- and living better than before. You are to be blessed. Save me from discouragement when I'm abused. I know that my pain won't accomplish what yours did. But I want to see it produce lots of results -- people who turn to you. That's my goal -- to highlight what you have accomplished through your sacrifice for us. Amen.
LENT
Lord, don’t you look for integrity? ~ Jeremiah 5:3a (CEB)
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” ~ Luke 17:5 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord enables us to meet his expectations of us.
PRAYER:
Lord, I appreciate your expectations. I am even more grateful that you enable us to meet them. Of course, that assumes a willingness on our part. And I juggle a lot of conflicting expectations. I give in too easily. So, like the apostles, I need more faith. Help me to trust you more -- and you alone. I'm going to become a person of faith and integrity because of the grace of Christ. 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)
