Hush before the Lord God,
for the day of the Lord is near! ~ Zephaniah 1:7a (CEB)
Jesus said: Are you listening to this? Really listening? ~ Mark 4:9 (MSG)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
Talk less and listen more to what God is saying.
PRAYER
Lord God, thank you for being here for us. I confess that even though you are here and involved, I don't put as much energy into listening to you as I could. Help me to figure out how to focus and pay attention now so that I'm ready on your big day. Amen.
Job said, "I entered the world with nothing and that's how I'll depart it." ~ Job 1:21 (ABP)
After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. ~ 1 Timothy 6:7-8 (NLT)
SUMMARY SENTENCE Life is basic so be content with the basics.
PRAYER God, you've given us incredible lives. Thank you. I confess that I'm still drawn toward the consumer mindset. No matter what I have I'm attracted to the idea of more or new or improved. I realized that those things aren't necessarily bad but to root my happiness in them undermines the contentment that is ours in Christ. Show me how to reverse the trend. Show me what I should be giving away today. I'm going to enjoy the basics. Amen.
Samuel: “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!” ~ 1 Samuel 7:12 (NLT)
We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren’t crushed. We are confused, but we aren’t depressed. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8 (CEB)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
The Lord helps us through the troubles we encounter.
PRAYER
Thank you, Lord, for keeping me from utterly giving up on myself, for calling me to follow in faith where you have led the way, and for granting me the strength to answer your call. Thank you for the company of your people, my sisters and brothers in Christ. Bless us, as together we seek to do your will. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel Ministries edition)
The Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. ~ Proverbs 2:6 (CEB)
But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask. ~ James 1:5 (CEB)
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God is eager to share his wisdom with all who will receive it.
PRAYER
Thank you, Generous God, for offering to share wisdom with us. I confess that I too often live as though I'm already the wisest person alive and that I don't need your input. Of course, I'd never say that aloud but that is how I act. Please continue squeezing your wisdom into my life whenever you see that I'm ready to receive it. And might those opportunities increase exponentially. My goal is to get to the point where your knowledge and understanding of things defines my life 24/7. 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)
