LENT
At the time I have decided,
my words will come true.
You can trust what I say
about the future.
It may take a long time,
but keep on waiting—
it will happen! ~ Habakkuk 2:3 (CEV)
The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost. ~ 2 Peter 3:9 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God is patiently waiting for us to get with his program.
PRAYER:
Lord of day and night, your timing is perfect. I am so often impatient waiting for you. You have proven yourself faithful time and again. Forgive my self-serving ways. Let me learn from your divine patience. May my desires be shaped by your will, that all should come to repent. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel Ministries edition)
LENT
Better to eat vegetables with people you love than to eat the finest meat where there is hate. ~ Proverbs 15:17 (GNT)
Paul writes: If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:1 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
Love is the active ingredient that makes life work.
PRAYER:
Lord, you loved us so much that you sent your only Son to die for us. That's a lot of love. But I've heard this so often that it does not seem like such a big deal. Help me to recover the sense of wonder and the faith to extend your love to others -- particularly to those who don't get along with me. I'm going to love as Jesus loves -- and that is a big deal. Amen.
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.
*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)
