Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Exodus 3:10 (NET).

“So now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

The story of Moses in Exodus proceeds swiftly from his birth, rescue from the Nile and being raised in Pharaoh’s palace. While he was born a Hebrew, he grew up as an Egyptian. Now God calls him from the burning bush to be the deliverer of Israel. While God had put Moses in between these two cultures, he was viewed with hatred by Pharaoh and mistrust by his own people. It was a difficult task, one Moses tries to avoid, but God answers every concern, and Moses goes with God’s promise to be with him. We have the same promise from Him in everything we face. Our God is always there for us.

Eternal God, we are sorry for the times we try to refuse the tough things You have for us. Bless us to be strong in faith, sharing Your goodness and the blessing of salvation with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Exodus 1:22 (NET).

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “All sons that are born you must throw into the river, but all daughters you may let live.”

After the generation of Joseph and his brothers a new pharaoh reigned in Egypt. He made life hard for God’s people, even resorting to a command to kill all the male children born to the Hebrews. We’ll hear this awful edict repeated in Matthew 2:16-18 by a Hebrew king, attempting to prevent the coming of the King of Kings. People of that time would see the connection between Moses being saved to lead his people and Jesus being saved as a baby to save us from our sin. God wants us to know His everlasting love and accept Jesus as our Savior, going to share that joy with the world.

Gracious God, You have sent chosen people to teach us Your way and Your only Son to be the sacrifice that redeems us from our failures. Bless us to be part of what You are doing in creation, bringing Your love to everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Genesis 50:20 (NET).

As for you, you meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day.

After the death of their father Jaccob, Joseph’s brothers again worry that he might seek retribution for what they did to him many years before. Joseph answers them with this verse, showing that he sees what happened as God’s provision for His people. This points ahead to the forgiveness Jesus showed to those who took His human life. It is what He taught us to do as well. Forgiving doesn’t mean things never happened. It doesn’t mean there can’t be change. It does mean we can move ahead in confidence, knowing that God is with us and He can use any circumstance for our good.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we retaliate inappropriately. Forgive us and bless us to forgive as You first forgave us. Amen.

Our scripture today is Genesis 37:28 (NET).

So when the Midianite merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites then took Joseph to Egypt.

God’s family had spiraled down to this: Joseph, Abraham’s great grandson, is sold into slavery in Egypt by his own brothers. Not exactly the model we expect for God’s chosen people. I have had people ask why does God choose to work through weak and fallible people like those we read about in the bible? The sad answer is we are all He has. God has a unique way of using what seem like the worst possible actors and circumstances to achieve His will. God doesn’t need us to accomplish anything, but He graciously calls us to be part of His work.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the way we often treat one another. Forgive us and help us to see everyone as Your beloved children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Genesis 22:12 (NET).

“Do not harm the boy!” the angel said. “Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

The largest part of God’s blessing to Abraham was the promise of a family, even though he and Sarah were already old. They become impatient and attempt to make this happen themselves with sad results (Genesis 16). However, God is faithful and gives them a son of their own. Now in Genesis 22 God asks that Abraham give back his only son as an offering. As they go, Isaac notices they have no animal to sacrifice with them. Abraham says “God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” (Genesis 22:8). At the climactic moment God intervenes, providing a ram in Isaac’s place. Abraham had faith that God’s plan was better than any he could put together. God has sent His only Son as a sacrifice for our sin. We need to trust God as fervently as Abraham, knowing He has only good for us.

Loving Lord, help us to trust You even when we don’t see the way, walking by faith and not sight. Bless us to share the joy we find in You with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Genesis 12:2-3 (NET).

Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing. I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name.

God continued to reach out to His people through individuals. In the middle section of Genesis we read of Abraham, who obeyed God by faith. In return God promised him land, descendants, and that through him all people would be blessed (see also Genesis 15 & 17). In academic terms this is known as the Abrahamic Covenant – God’s eternal promise through one who proved faithful. Note however that Abraham and his family were not perfect, they made mistakes and harmed their relationship with God and each other. Through it all God remained faithful to His covenant with His people. From their example of struggle and faith, may we better see ourselves and our connection to God.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we think of ourselves first and You and all our brothers and sisters later. Forgive our selfish thoughts and help prevent them from becoming miserly actions. Bless us to seek Your truth and share Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Genesis 9:1 (NET).

Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”

Does today’s verse sound familiar? In Genesis 1:28 we read “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”” God shows His constant and consistent love by giving the same command to Noah and his family as was given to Adam and Eve in the garden. This reboot of creation is different than the original, but God’s love for us is still the same. He wants us to choose a relationship with Him and to be part of what He is doing in our world and our lives.

Heavenly Father, Your mercy exceeds the power of evil and is there for us when we return in repentance. Bless us to stand firm in Your word and share Your love with all. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Genesis 3:9 (NET)

But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

I think this is one of the saddest verses in all of scripture. God knows where we are and what we have done, but He comes looking for us anyway. It also shows us the futility of hiding from God. It won’t change anything. We need to come to our loving Father admitting what He already knows about us, but by bringing it to Him, we admit it to ourselves. This can lead us to accept His forgiveness and forgive ourselves, which is essential to a right relationship with Him. This is also one of the most joyful verses in scripture: our God comes looking for us because He loves us.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we have failed You and each other. Forgive us, strengthen us by faith, and send us to share Your love with the world. Amen.

Friends, I’m trying a new direction for my posts here. I wish I had started at the beginning of the year but at least today begins a new month. What I will try to do is spend a week in each book of the Bible in order, picking verses from various places. For some, like Genesis, this will only be an overview. For some shorter works, it may seem we’ve covered everything. I’m using a translation I have only recently discovered, the New English Translation (NET). The online version contains translator’s notes, explaining their choice of words. I hope this will continue to be a daily devotional, but also perhaps leads to some deeper study – at least for me! 

Our scripture this morning is Genesis 1:1 (NET).

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

“In the beginning” means literally that. There was nothing before God decided to create out of nothing. Some of you know my grandfather was a pastor and he had the best jokes with a lesson. There’s a really good one about a “creating contest” between God and a human. God reaches down for a handful of dirt, so the human does as well. God knocks the dirt out of his hand and says “you have to create your own dirt!” This exposes our hubris in thinking we can be like God! If you want to be objective, we are no better than 3D printers, able only to use the material God gives us. True creation belongs to Him and Him alone.

Gracious God, You created everything that is and gave it to us to use in Your name. Bless us to be better stewards of all You have given us, using it well for all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Hebrews 10:23-24 (NET).

And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works.

Being in community with other followers of Jesus was important in the time after His resurrection and return to the Father. It’s still important today. Jesus promised us the coming of the Holy Spirit to guide and encourage us individually. However, as the disciples showed in the second chapter of Acts, sharing that blessing with one another is essential. We all need each other for strength and encouragement. John Wesley writes “there is no such thing as a solitary Christian”, reminding us that God wants us to be part of His family along with all our brothers and sisters. In a world where negativity seems to be the norm, may we be the spark of the Gospel instead.

Loving Lord, You have shown us how to live together but we keep letting our selfish desires impede that. Forgive us and help us to be part of the work You have for all of us. Amen.