Sunday, May 9, 2021

STAY SAFE BY STAYING CLOSE

DEUTERONOMY 33:27 (NCV)
The everlasting God is your place of safety...

LUKE 1:50 (CEB)
He shows mercy to everyone,
from one generation to the next,
who honors him as God.


SUMMARY SENTENCE
God is our consistent go-to safe person.

PRAYER
Eternal God, no matter what happens you are there for us all. Sometimes I feel confined by the idea of having to stick so close. I enjoy wandering -- even though I know that wandering away from you is unsafe. Have mercy and save me from myself and my rambling ways. I'm going to stay safe by staying close. Amen.

Saturday, May 8, 2021

KINGDOM OF GOD

PSALM 44:26 (CEV)
Do something! Help us!
Show how kind you are
and come to our rescue.


LUKE 17:21 (CEV)
There is no use saying, ‘Look! Here it is' or ‘Look! There it is.’ God’s kingdom is here with you.”

SUMMARY SENTENCE

As requested, God has set up his alternative kingdom -- but not as expected, it is way more of an alternative than people recognize.

PRAYER
Gracious God, thank you for responding to our need and setting up an alternative kingdom. I admit, though, that I'm so locked into old ways of thinking that often I don't see how it is at work. I get frustrated and try to force change in ways that are incompatible with the kingdom of God. Tune my loyalties and allegiances so that I'm marching in step with you. I'm going to live according to your agenda. Amen.



Friday, May 7, 2021

GOD LISTENS

PSALM 25:5 (CEB)
You are the God who saves me.
I put my hope in you all day long.


1 JOHN 5:15 (ABP)
We know that God listens to us.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Trust the God who listens to you.

PRAYER
God, in a world where no one seems to be listening, you're all ears. I admit that sometimes I think I'm talking to the air when I pray. Give me the faith I need to talk with you about everything that is important to me. And help me to trust so much in your listening attention that I'm willing to listen to you. I put my hope in you all day long. Amen.

Thursday, May 6, 2021

NO WORRIES

PSALM 145:15-16 (NLT)
The eyes of all look to you in hope;
you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand,
you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.


LUKE 12:22-24 (CEB)
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. There is more to life than food and more to the body than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither plant nor harvest, they have no silo or barn, yet God feeds them. You are worth so much more than birds!

SUMMARY SENTENCE
No need to stress -- God will provide what you need.

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for attending to all my needs. Forgive me for giving into worry when things get tight. Use your indwelling Holy Spirit to rewire my disposition so that I'm more completely relaxed. I'm not going to worry because I know that you've got it. Amen.


DAILYTEXTS.ORG

*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)

EEB = EasyEnglish Bible (©2015, MissionAssist)

ERV = Easy-To-Read Version (©2006, World Bible Translation Center)

GNT = Good News Translation (©1992, American Bible Society)

MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)

NCB = New Catholic Bible (©2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp.)

NCV = New Century Version (©2005, Thomas Nelson Inc)

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)

NRSV = New Revised Standard Version (© 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)

NTE = New Testament for Everyone (©2011 Nicolas Thomas Wright.)

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