Saturday, October 5, 2024

GOD'S FAITHFULNESS

JEREMIAH 14:21 (MSG)
Your reputation is at stake! Don’t quit on us!
Don’t walk out and abandon your glorious Temple!
Remember your covenant.
Don’t break faith with us!


ROMANS 11:2 (CEB)
God hasn’t rejected his people, whom he knew in advance.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Bank on the fact that God keeps his promises. 

DAILY FODDER
What is happening now that might be misinterpreted as rejection from God? 

PRAYER
Faithful Savior, you are true to your word. I admit to having doubts fueled by pain, disappointment, and frustration. Help me to embrace your promises as a way to get through the crazy things that are happening. I'm going to use the drama around me as a prompt to lean more fully into your faithfulness. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. 
Amen.

Friday, October 4, 2024

COMFORTED

PSALM 119:82 (MSG)
I’m waiting for your word of hope.
My eyes grow heavy watching for some sign of your promise;
   how long must I wait for your comfort?


HEBREWS 4:16 (NLT)
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
We find the comfort we need when we cozy up to our gracious God. 

DAILY FODDER
What threats or disappointments are eating at you?

PRAYER
Gracious God, I know that your promises are certain, although I confess my impatience as I wait for what seems to take forever. Calm my angst and stir up even more hope. Help me to live patiently within your timeframe. I know that your merciful intervention with become obvious in the moment when I need it most. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. 
Amen.

Thursday, October 3, 2024

ENLIGHTENING WORD

ISAIAH 44:26 (CEV)
I will make the message
   of my prophets come true.
They are saying, “Jerusalem
   will be filled with people,
   and the Lord will rebuild
   the towns of Judah.


2 PETER 1:19 (MSG)
We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You’ll do well to keep focusing on it. It’s the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
During the dark days find encouragement in the light of God's reliable word.

DAILY FODDER
Which part of scripture do you most often turn to for encouragement?

PRAYER
Savior Jesus, I confess I have dismissed the prophetic tradition, and yet you came to fulfill God's word spoken through the prophets. Forgive, confirm, and restore our focus. Enlighten our hearts to the truth God already shared with us. Make me like a lamp shining for others so they might see the truth that sets us all free. Amen. (Daily TextsGround Up Grace edition)

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. 
Amen.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

ETERNAL WATER

ISAIAH 49:10 (CEV)
They won't go hungry
   or get thirsty;
they won't be bothered
   by the scorching sun
   or hot desert winds.
I will be merciful
   while leading them along
   to streams of water.


JOHN 4:15 (CEV)
The woman replied, “Sir, please give me a drink of that water! Then I won't get thirsty and have to come to this well again.”

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God's water is eternally satisfying.

DAILY FODDER
Why is water such a rich metaphor for what God has to offer?

PRAYER
Great God, you are a reservoir of refreshment. Forgive me for looking for other solutions to my thirst. Everything else is so temporal and I'm too willing to accept short-lived satisfaction. Show me what it means to have an eternal solution to my needs. I want to be able to share your living water with everyone around me. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.
Give us enough food for today.
Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. 
Amen.

DAILYTEXTS.ORG

*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)

EEB = EasyEnglish Bible (©2015, MissionAssist)

ERV = Easy-To-Read Version (©2006, World Bible Translation Center)

GNT = Good News Translation (©1992, American Bible Society)

MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)

NCB = New Catholic Bible (©2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp.)

NCV = New Century Version (©2005, Thomas Nelson Inc)

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)

NRSV = New Revised Standard Version (© 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)

NTE = New Testament for Everyone (©2011 Nicolas Thomas Wright.)

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