God’s salvation is very close to those who honor him
so that his glory can live in our land.
Faithful love and truth have met;
righteousness and peace have kissed. ~ Psalm 85:9-10 (CEB)
But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. ~ 2 Peter 3:13 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
The lives we live now are formed by the anticipation we have for a new heaven and a new earth --
which will be full of God's righteousness.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Lord, for your promise. I confess that I'm a bit jaded about the future. It's hard to believe that things will change. Please give me eyes of faith so that I can see your presence and your progress. I'm looking forward to living here with you in your renewed-by-Christ creation. Amen.
But how could God possibly live on earth? ~ 1 Kings 8:27 (CEB)
No one has ever seen God. But God the only Son is very close to the Father, and he has shown us what God is like. ~ John 1:18 (NCV)
KEY IDEA:
We see God through Jesus, who is God living among us.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for sending Jesus to live among us. You reveal yourself most fully through him. Keep me focused on him so that I can more completely know you. It's 100% all about Jesus. Amen.
When I pour my Spirit upon the house of Israel, I won’t hide my face from them again. This is what the Lord God says. ~ Ezekiel 39:29 (CEB)
Christ also brought you the truth, which is the good news about how you can be saved. You put your faith in Christ and were given the promised Holy Spirit to show that you belong to God. ~ Ephesians 1:13 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives shows that we are his people.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for saving me. And thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to live in me. You did this even though my faith is still weak and needs to grow stronger. So I am asking that your Spirit would continue to grow my faith. I want my life to more closely resemble who I am in Christ Jesus the Savior -- a saved person. Amen.
Be my mighty rock,
the place
where I can always run
for protection.
Save me by your command!
You are my mighty rock and my fortress. ~ Psalm 71:3 (CEV)
After Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. Everyone cried and hugged and kissed him. They were especially sad because Paul had told them, “You will never see me again.”
Then they went with him to the ship. ~ Acts 20:36-38 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus is the high rock of safety to which we should turn when life feels overwhelming.
PRAYER:
Lord, there is so much transition in life. And there is so much opposition. Sometimes it all feels very disorienting. I put on a good face to hide my fear. Help me to turn to you for help rather than trying to weather the storms by myself. You want to protect us -- to save us -- so that we can sail forward -- sailing under the wind provided by your Holy Spirit. You are my solid and mighty rock. Amen.
*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS
The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2011 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)
