"From dawn until dusk my name is praised by every nation on this earth," says the Lord. ~ Malachi 1:11a (CEV)
And to the glory
of God the Father
everyone will openly agree,
“Jesus Christ is Lord!” ~ Philippians 2:11 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
Eventually, everyone will honor God with their agreement that "Jesus is Lord."
PRAYER:
Gracious God, you deserve all honor and recognition. Forgive me for looking for ways to enhance my reputation. Help me to keep the honor of Jesus as the first thing in my life. I'm eager to participate in your mission of inviting the whole world to join your plan. Amen.
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
The Lord is good.
He protects those who trust him
in times of trouble. ~ Nahum 1:7 (CEV)
We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8 (NCV)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord is our hope during troubling times.
PRAYER:
You, Lord, are my only hope -- especially during the troubling times that I am enduring. I confess that I too often allow despair to find a place in my life. So I need help in staying focused on the hope you give. I'm going to keep my eyes on you for you are my hope during troubling times. Amen.
Might the Lord turn his face your direction and flash you his reassuring divine smile -- the smile that fills your life with peace. ~ Numbers 6:26 (ABP)
Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. ~ Philippians 4:7 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
God wants to fill your life with his peace.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for your calming presence. I too often allow the chaos of the world a roosting place in my head. Look at me and smile. Drive the sense of chaos, anxiety, and despair out of my life so that your peace controls everything about me. Amen.
The Lord will send his angel before you... ~ Genesis 24:7b
The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross... Now hurry! Tell his disciples that he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. That is what I came to tell you.” ~ Matthew 28:5,7 (CEV)
KEY IDEA:
The Lord sends messengers to prepare the way.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for messengers who share the good news of the resurrection -- angels, women, boys, girls, men... Sometimes, like the early male disciples, I fail to pay attention to them. My failure doesn't invalidate their message. Help me to take your messengers seriously. I am going to live in light of the resurrection message. 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)
