This is what the Lord says:
“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
On the day of salvation I will help you. ~ Isaiah 49:8 (NLT)
Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. ~ Romans 10:12 (NLT
KEY IDEA:
God responds generously to all who ask of him.
PRAYER:
Always listening Savior, I rejoice that you hear me even when I do not speak my thoughts out loud. How lucky am I that I can rely on you to listen and to respond! In my tendency to hurry, help me to slow down and truly listen so I may follow your voice. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel Ministries edition)
The 10th Sunday after Pentecost
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you. ~ Psalm 37:5 (NLT)
I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 1:6 (CEB)
KEY IDEA:
Trust the Lord for everything and he will not let you down.
PRAYER:
Once again, God, I am grateful for the comprehensive care that you provide for me. It doesn't make sense that I worry about how things will turn out. Remind me of how you have already given me more than I deserve and more than I could ever expect for some one like me. I am going to trust you for everything. Amen.
When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me. ~ Jeremiah 29:13 (CEB)
Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. ~ Colossians 3:2 (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
Since we tend to find what we're looking for, look for the things of Christ.
PRAYER:
Dear God, thank you for making yourself findable. I tend to shuffle along with my eyes to the ground much of the time -- fully caught up in the things which come my way. Jolt me out of my myopic approach to life. I want to see everything from Christ's perspective. Amen.
David told the crowd:
God chose my son Solomon to build the temple, but Solomon is young and has no experience. This is not just any building—this is the temple for the Lord God! ~ 1 Chronicles 29:11 (NCV)
Our Lord and God! You are the one and only potential recipient worthy of glorious recognition, the highest honor, and unbridled power. Everything that exists was created by you and apart from any influence outside you. ~ Revelation 4:11 (ABP)
KEY IDEA:
Give all recognition to God.
PRAYER:
You, Lord, are the one God -- the one truly worthy of our notice and our praise. I confess that I am impulsive and that I honor lesser powers. I get sucked into their worlds -- their frameworks for organizing life -- frameworks which don't properly acknowledge your role. Forgive me and help me to focus on you alone. I'm going to let you turn my life into one of your temples. 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)
