God... you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honor
and comfort me once again. ~ Psalm 71:20b-21 (NLT)
In the same way, my Father who is in heaven doesn’t want to lose one of these little ones. ~ Matthew 18:14 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
God's desire is that all people -- great and small -- might be reclaimed and restored to life.
PRAYER:
Generous Lord, you never want any of your sheep to be on the other side of the fence. You seek to bring each one home with comfort and honor. From our wayward trails, you reclaim and return us to the safety of your loving arms. Thank you, Good Shepherd. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel Ministries edition)
God is fair and just; He corrects the misdirected, Sends them in the right direction. ~ Psalm 25:8 (MSG)
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?”
Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven. ~ Matthew 18:21-22 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
God's "fairness" is loaded with mercy.
PRAYER:
Gracious God, thank you for the kind and understanding way that you treat me. I confess, though, that I am not known for my own kindness and understanding. I have failed to catch this approach and I'm still disposed to ask how much I need to forgive. Redirect me and my life so that I am all about extending your mercy to everyone around me. I am going to live a Jesus-defined life characterized by mercy. Amen.
I myself made the earth, and created humans upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens. I commanded all their forces. ~ Isaiah 45:12 (CEB)
Through his power all things were made—things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all powers, authorities, lords, and rulers. All things were made through Christ and for Christ. ~ Colossians 1:16 (NCV)
KEY IDEA:
Christ the creator is sovereign over his creation.
PRAYER:
Creator God, Christ Jesus is Lord over all. That is reasurring. Forgive me for panicking when the crazies get so much attention. I need help in learning to relax in your sovereignty. I am not going to let the world rattle me. Amen.
God says, "I will stand guard
to protect my temple
from those
who come to attack." ~ Zechariah 9:8 (CEV)
Jesus to Peter: And I’ll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won’t be able to stand against it. ~ Matthew 16:18 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
Because of the way that he protects his ground, ultimately God prevails -- even against death.
PRAYER:
God, I am so frustrated by how often death seems to have the upper hand -- even in the church where we seem hell-bent on hurting each other. I confess my discouragement and pain. Refresh my faith so that the enemy no longer consumes my thinking and energy. I'm going to trust your protective presence and your experience in pain management to restore my confidence in your victory. Thank you for caring so much. 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)
