The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord! ~ Job 1:21b (NLT)
We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose. ~ Romans 8:28 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God is working things out for the best.
PRAYER:
Lord God, it is so hard to see how all this pain and chaos is good. Sometimes the hurt is overwhelming and I let it consume me and the way I think. Help me to step back from it all long enough to start trusting you again. I know in my head that you are working things out for the best. Now my heart needs to start knowing. I'm moving that direction. Amen.
Your love is faithful, Lord,
and even the clouds in the sky can depend on you. ~ Psalm 36:5 (CEV)
However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s grace! ~ Ephesians 2:4-5 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
God loves you, so depend on him.
PRAYER:
Gracious and kind God, your love is very great and you are very dependable. I, on the other hand, for no good reason, am flakey. I know that you can't depend on me and I need you to help me become more dependable. However, my flakiness does not turn you off and it doesn't stop your love from flowing my direction. Thank you, Jesus! I'm going to live in a way that I point others to your love and dependability. Amen.
Someday, a king of Israel will appear like a star. ~ Numbers 24:17 (part/CEV)
God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him. ~ 1 Peter 5:7 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
No need to worry -- God will take care of it -- if you let him.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for your care. I understand just a little of how much you care. But I am thankful for what I understand and even for what I don't yet understand. Reign in my unnecessary anxiety. Help me to give it all to you and to trust you to take care of me. I know that I will live better that way. Amen.
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN EASTERTIDE
You, Lord God,
are my protector.
Rescue me and keep me safe
from all who chase me. ~ Psalm 7:1 (CEV)
Jesus prayed: Father, I don’t ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one. ~ John 17:15 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus' goal is that we would be kept safe from evil.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for looking out for me. We have different goals, though. I'm wishing that you would protect me from anything that would disrupt life as I want to live it. But you are focused on keeping me safe and helping me to get through the disruptions in one piece. I need a new perspective shaped by your agenda. Please intervene. I'm going to trust that part of being safe is knowing that you know what is best for me. 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)
