Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. ~ 2 Chronicles 14:11 (NLT)
Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. ~ Matthew 7:8 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
God responds to our requests that come out of faith.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, thank you for listening. I'm not so good at listening so I'm not very good at asking out of faith. I ask you for things but they're often the wrong things. Help me to tune into your voice. I'm going to keep asking for more of the things which fit with your agenda. Amen.
Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid or discouraged." ~ Joshua 8:1 (NLT)
There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. ~ 1 John 4:18 (MSG)
KEY THOUGHT:
God's love chases fear from the driver's seat in our lives.
PRAYER:
God, I'm grateful that you love me. Forgive me for failing to tap into your love -- for allowing my fears to affect the way I make decisions and act. Use your love to reform my heart. I'm going to give the boot to fear as a force. Amen.
The First Sunday in Advent
Lord, ruler over all, every single person should respect and honor you. You alone deserve such recognition. ~ Jeremiah 10:7 (ABP)
Might God, who is the source of peace, bring you to maturity so that you are doing the things which please him. I pray that Jesus Christ would bring this about in your life. ~ Hebrews 13:20a,21a (ABP)
KEY THOUGHT:
We aim to do everything that pleases God -- and through Christ that can happen.
PRAYER:
Lord, ruler over all, I acknowledge that you are worthy of obedience -- even though I fail to live up to what I know is true. Continue to unpack the life of Christ into me so that I am living a Christ-honoring life. Amen.
Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who trust in me will never be put to shame. ~ Isaiah 49:23 (NLT)
Let your hope bubble up into a joyful disposition. When the hard times do come (as they will) respond with patience and prayer that doesn't stop. ~ Romans 12:12 (ABP)
KEY THOUGHT:
Patiently trust the Lord for solid outcomes.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for taking charge and leading us through the hard times. Forgive me when I start to doubt that you're working things out. Hold my hand as we cross the street and help me to trust you. My faith and hope will make me into a positive and joyful person. 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)
