Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Habakkuk 2:13-14 (NLT).

For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.

Everything owes its existence to God who spoke them into being. While we don’t necessarily think of nature offering praise to God, it does so by its very being. In Psalms 19:1-2 we read “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.”

We were made to be in a relationship with God and offer our praise, too. Revelation 5:13 tells us “And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” 

When the Pharisees told Jesus to quiet His followers as they cheered His entry to Jerusalem, He replied “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:40). We are all part of the chorus of creation and we offer Him our thanks and praise.

Heavenly Father, we are amazed at the wonderful world You have made for us and filled it with good things. Bless us to be good stewards of everything You have given us and go to share that blessing with all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Hebrews 11:1-2 (NLT).

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.  Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

Paul reminds us that before the coming of Christ people connected to God by faith alone. Martin Luther wrote “we are saved by faith in Christ alone”, meaning no amount of good works without a connection to the Lord can lead to salvation. Jesus told us “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Faith means we believe in something outside ourselves, that God will keep His promises when we follow the path Jesus set for us. It’s still faith alone, but He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us. Now we can be part of what God is doing in the world.

Jesus sends us out in faith to share His message of love with everyone. We are called to be the voice of forgiveness and the hands of healing. May we go in His name to bring the world to Him.

Heavenly Father, You gave us the promise that all who believe in Your Son will be saved. Bless us to be energetic disciples and spread the Gospel everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Luke 19:38-40 (NLT).

“Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

I read this passage this morning and thought “wait, Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter have already passed!” Perhaps on the calendar the days we recognize for these celebrations has passed but as my grandfather the pastor used to say “every week is Holy Week and every Sunday is a Resurrection.”

I find myself feeling the same way about Advent and Christmas passages. While it is important for us to remember these events in our faith life as special, we need to make them part of our everyday life. Jesus taught that our relationship with God and each other is not something we take out at holidays and then put away until next time.

I encourage you to read the Christmas and Easter passages this week. It may seem a little different, but that’s the point – scripture was given to make us feel and act differently! They’re not just for certain times of the year, but promises from God for our lifetime.

Loving Lord, You have given us Your Word to save and instruct us. May we live in the light of scripture and share the love You first gave us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 9:2 (NLT).

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

The prophet Isaiah spoke to Israel some 800 years before the birth of Jesus. He wrote to warn them (and us) of the danger they faced due to their disobedience. God has been extremely patient with us but at some point He moves to correct our behavior.

In a later passage Isaiah says “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). After Jesus begins His public ministry we hear Isaiah quoted in Matthew 4:16 “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined.”

John’s Gospel tells us “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:4-5). Jesus is that light, sent to shine God’s love into our lives and call us to go in His name to share the light with everyone.

Gracious God, in Your love and mercy You sent Jesus to be the light of the world. Help us to follow His light and bring the Good News to all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 34:18-19 (NLT).

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.

This psalm sounds like wisdom from Proverbs. It tells us that when we reach rock bottom – broken hearted and crushed spirit – we find God waiting to help us.  The sad part is it doesn’t have to be this way. God is always there for us, but we usually rely on ourselves until we are out of options.

In Ezekiel 11:19 we read “And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart.” This is our biggest problem, not trusting that God always has our best interest in mind. We often turn to God as a last resort, rather than calling on His strength and love in every situation we face.

Putting God first in all we do builds our relationship with Him and our brothers and sisters. When we ask “what’s in this for the kingdom?” rather than “what’s in this for me?” we find a wealth of strength and help. God will make a way for His children to be comforted, equipped, and sent in His name to share the Good News.

Gracious God, You have called us to be part of Your work in the world. We pray for Your guidance in all we do. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT).

It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

Paul speaks to the church at Corinth about faith sharing. Earlier in this passage it tells us some had gotten wrapped up in the messenger rather than the message. It’s not important who brings the message or how it is delivered, only that it is the word of God for our salvation.

This speaks to our problem of comparing and judging based on things that don’t really matter. If I compare my sermons to those of Billy Graham I’d feel unpolished and uneducated. If I compare my outreach to Mother Theresa I’d feel lazy and selfish. This is the whisper of evil that comes from comparing – “you’re not good enough!”

Paul says it doesn’t matter who brought the message or who we were baptized by, only that we have accepted Jesus and let the Holy Spirit guide our actions. We musn’t get distracted by how others are doing things! God has given each of us resources and opportunities to tell those around us about His love.

Loving Lord, we are amazed that You call us to be part of Your plan for creation. Bless us to be a voice of love that reaches Your children no matter where they are are. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 John 5:13-14 (NLT).

I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.

John writes this passage to encourage believers regarding salvation and prayer. We are saved by Christ’s sacrifice and blessed to make requests of God in His name. Jesus told us this in John 16:23, saying “At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.”

This is more about our connection to God than request fulfillment. When we spend time in prayer we open our hearts and minds to Him. God is always available to hear us because He is always present with us.

Jesus came to show us a better way to live, loving God and each other, and sharing the Good News with the world. The only thing we need to follow our Lord is faith in God’s promise and the willingness to use our gifts for the good of God’s children.

Gracious God, we are thankful for the blessing of salvation through the gift of Your Son. May we go in Your name to all our brothers and sisters that they may know the joy of Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 3:25-26 (NLT).

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

The words of Romans 3:23 are probably more familiar to us, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” This is our guilty charge and there is no way we can work ourselves free. While we need to remember this, it should not be our life focus.

Paul tells us of the wonderful gift of forgiveness we have received in Christ, saying “People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.” We are no longer slaves to sin and death, He has made a way for us to be redeemed.

The gift is given to us freely but there are responsibilities expected of the forgiven children of God: we are to share the blessing we have received, making disciples of everyone. We go in His name to share His love.

Gracious God, we are in awe of the sacrifice You have made for us. Now we see the blessing of our redemption. Send us to all Your children that they may hear the Good News. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 16:9-10 (NLT).

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.

This passage is a perfect start to the day after Easter. It reminds us that we are precious to God and He will never leave us. We may wander away, but He is always there, ready to forgive and restore us.

While we may not know what David’s specific situation was when he composed this psalm, we can certainly relate to the confidence he has in God. He sings “my body rests in safety.” This is his statement of faith, that he trusts the Lord will not let His children remain “among the dead.” 

This psalm is a forward reference to the Resurrection. David may not have known the details of God’s plan to save us, but he had faith that God would make a way. David had an intimate relationship with God that showed him the love our Creator has for each one of us. God didn’t abandon us to our sin; He sent His Son to save us.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we have failed You. Forgive us and give us new energy to go into the world in Your name to share Your love. Amen.

Scripture tells this more eloquently than I could ever hope to share. I encourage you to read the story from all four Gospels – here in John, Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Luke 24. He is risen, alleluia! He is risen indeed!✝️

Our scripture this morning is John 20:1-18 (NLT).

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home. Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

Loving Lord, we are in awe of what You have done for us! In Your love and mercy You sent Your Son to be the final sacrifice that will save us from our sin. Bless us to rise with Him to share the joy of salvation with all the world. Amen.