My words are a powerful fire; they are a hammer that shatters rocks. ~ Jeremiah 23:29 (CEV)
After they had prayed, the meeting place shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and bravely spoke God’s message. ~ Acts 4:31 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God powerfully shakes things up through his word.
PRAYER:
Dear God, you know how to keep the world interesting. I don't know how it is that I can be so casual and mundane about such a powerful message. Light a fire in me. Shatter the hardness of my heart so that I can bravely and powerfully speak your message of hope through Christ Jesus. Amen.
When you seek the Lord, he reveals himself in a way that you will find him. ~ 2 Chronicles 15:2 (ABP/part)
Ask, and God will give to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you. ~ Matthew 7:7 (NCV)
KEY IDEA:
Expect to encounter God when you seek him.
PRAYER:
Lord God, thank you for making yourself known -- especially through Christ. To know him is to know you. Forgive me for complicating matters. I make things more complicated than they need to be. Guide me through the simple process of seeking you. I know that things can get messy but I'm just going to trust that you will give me what I need and show me which way I need to go. Amen.
It's way better to be poor while living a life characterized by honesty and justice than to be rich while living a life characterized by dishonesty and injustice. ~ Proverbs 16:8 (ABP)
Don’t run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God’s concerns, and he will take care of them. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:6a (MSG)
KEY IDEA:
In God's eyes treating people right is a top priority.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for looking out for me.
For me, though, it's nice when justice happens for others but there are so many other priorities in my life. I'm not as passionate about justice as you. Again, I am asking you to help me reset my priorities so that they are aligned with your passions. I doubt I will ever have a lot of money but I expect that you will make me rich in other ways. Amen.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. ~ Psalm 121:8 (NLT)
On this earth we don’t have a city that lasts forever, but we are waiting for such a city. ~ Hebrews 13:14 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord maintains a long term perspective.
PRAYER:
Dear God, thank you for watching out for me. Thank you for bringing a forever, long-term perspective to our relationship. I am too shortsighted. Grant me patience so that I can live for the forever. I'm not going to allow short-term issues to dominate my life. 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)
