LENT
The Lord has given comfort to his people; he comes to your rescue. ~ Isaiah 52:9b (CEV)
You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. ~ Ephesians 2:8 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
All the good things we have which make life liveable are undeserved gifts from God.
PRAYER:
Lord, you have certainly treated me much better than I deserve. Why is it then, that I so easily slip into trying to earn your favor -- trying to make myself look and feel deserving? Help me to repent of such presumption and to totally trust in your grace. I'm going to enjoy your gifts and allow them to transform my life so that Christ my gracious Savior is better recognized by all who encounter me. Amen.
LENT
We have put our hope in you, O Lord our God, because you are the one who does these things. ~ Jeremiah 14:22b (GNT)
We are certain that God will hear our prayers when we ask for what pleases him. ~ 1 John 5:14 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
We put our hope in God and his agenda because he is reliable.
PRAYER:
God, thank you for hearing us. We are certain that you hear our prayers when we ask for what pleases you. Of course, this is where we trip up, too. Somehow I have accepted the idea that what pleases me the most is what pleases you. Instead of making our relationship about you and your agenda I try to make it about me and my agenda. Help me to think more clearly on this matter. My goal is to be all about you and your agenda. My hope is in you. Amen.
THE 5th SUNDAY IN LENT
Show us how much you love us, God!
Give us the salvation we need! ~ Psalm 85:7 (MSG)
The Law was given by Moses, but Jesus Christ brought us undeserved kindness and truth. ~ John 1:17 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
Through Christ God continues to deliever all that we need.
PRAYER:
Amazing Lord, your love and grace are incredible. When I start to focus on how much I fail (and I fail a lot!) remind me again of how you are on my side and how you are loving me and helping me to succeed in my relationship with you -- even though I don't deserve it. I'm going to revel in your salvation. Amen.
ST PATRICK'S DAY
Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help,
and you healed me. ~ Psalm 30:2 (CEB)
While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. ~ Hebrews 5:7 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
God hears us when we cry out to him for help.
PRAYER:
Lord, you generously give us your attention. And you answer us -- even when we are not so good. Of course, you also use our moments of desperation to correct the sin problems in our lives. So, I guess you are giving us even deeper attention than we realize. I am asking that you would help me with some problems I am facing right now. I trust that you will hear me so I am going to worship you in anticipation. All honor and glory belong to you, faithful and merciful Savior. 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)
