He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle. ~ Isaiah 42:3a (NLT)
The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost. ~ Luke 19:10
KEY THOUGHT:
God will not abandon the vulnerable.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for looking out for me when I am feeling vulnerable. Forgive me for obsessing with the idea that I have been fogotten. Help me to get on board with your mission to care for the vulnerable so that I can better grasp the extent of your care for me. In Jesus' name I will not fret. Amen.
No one can rebuild
what he destroys,
or release
those he has imprisoned. ~ Job 12:14 (CEV)
I am the one who is holy and true, and I have the keys that belonged to David. When I open a door, no one can close it. And when I close a door, no one can open it... I know everything you have done. And I have placed before you an open door that no one can close. ~ Revelation 3:7b-8a (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
No one can derail God's train.
PRAYER:
You, God, hold all the power. Thank you for opening doors in my life. Help me to trust that you will continue to hold them open and that no one can derail your train. I'm going to give up my worry and have faith in your power. Amen.
Who has acted and who has done this,
calling upon generation after generation since the beginning?
I, the Lord, was first,
and I will be the last! ~ Isaiah 41:4 (CEB)
This is the message of peace he sent to the Israelites by proclaiming the good news through Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all! ~ Acts 10:36 (CEB)
KEY THOUGHT:
Jesus is over all!
PRAYER:
God, thank you for giving me a place in your creation. I confess that I am discouraged by the current political climate in creation. Help me to remember with each sound byte that ultimately you are over it all and that your agenda will be the only surviving movement. I'm going to be encouraged. Amen.
The 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany
You rule the roaring sea
and calm its waves. ~ Psalm 89:9 (CEV)
I pray that the Lord, who gives peace, will always bless you with peace. May the Lord be with all of you. ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
God generates peace.
PRAYER:
God, thank you for calming the storm around me -- again. You always do that. Help me to trust that you always will because I often get so caught up in the storms that I doubt. I am going to receive your blessing of peace. 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)
