I know that the Lord will take up the case of the poor
and will do what is right for the needy. ~ Psalm 140:12 (CEB)
God will bless you people
who are poor.
His kingdom belongs to you! ~ Luke 6:20b (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God has a special place in his heart for poor and needy people.
PRAYER:
Lord, it is obvious that you care deeply about needy people. My concern for people who can't do anything to help me is spotty. Give me the heart and energy to care the way that you care. I know that you meet people at their point of need. And my need is to share your concern for the poor. Amen.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are—
everything and everyone made by God.
And you, O my soul, bless God! ~ Psalm 103:22 (MSG)
Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ. ~ Ephesians 5:18b-19 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
Bless God!
PRAYER:
Lord, you are worthy of all blessing -- every song and hymn -- every word -- every kind of expression. But I'm shy and self-conscious. That's not bad in and of itself -- but I let my personality get in the way of blessing you. Help me to find ways to bless you that reflect who I am as a person. I'm going to praise you with all that I am. Amen.
The People of Israel marched at God’s command and they camped at his command. ~ Numbers 9:18a (MSG)
“Master,” Simon answered, “we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down.” ~ Luke 5:5 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Success belongs to those who do what the Lord commands when he commands it.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for taking good care of me. And thank you for the instructions that come in your word -- the Bible. Forgive me for being slow to respond and for looking for ways around the obvious. Continue to direct me and I promise that I will eventually get it together -- for I know that you are present and leading. I'm going to march in step with you. Amen.
I am the Lord God... I heard you pray, and I saw you cry. I will heal you... ~ 2 Kings 20:5 (CEV)
Lazarus was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” ~ John 11:2b-3 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus cares when we are sick.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, you are the great doctor who cares for and heals the sick. Your compassion and ability to heal is amazing. I can be pretty casual about the suffering of others. Give me your compassion -- and senesitivity so I can invite others to experience your healing. 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)
