Category: Daily Prayer

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

The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.

The prophet Nahum served God some 600 years before the coming of Christ. He warned Israel to find their protection in God’s eternal care rather than human fortifications and violence. He tells them that the Lord is “a strong refuge when trouble comes”.

We read that “He is close to those who trust in Him”. This is our major problem, failing to trust God and relying instead on our own limited strength and wisdom. Not making Him the center of our lives leaves us vulnerable to the lies of the enemy.

Like the people of that time, we have a choice to make. We know the Lord is good! When we go to Him in earnest repentance, He is ready to forgive us and use us for kingdom work. We have received His blessings, now we go in His name to share the Good News.

Faithful Father, we are grateful for all Your gifts. Forgive us when we fall and renew our sense of purpose. May we carry Your love to everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 18:2 (NLT).

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

King David experienced God’s saving power several times during his life. While this psalm tells of physical protection from enemies, David was also blessed by God’s spiritual protection. This is more important because our spirits are eternal and intended to be with Him.

In Psalm 51 which David composed after the prophet Nathan came to him about his sin as king (2 Samuel 12), David saw his wrongdoing and repented, saying “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). God showed mercy and forgave David, as He always will when we come to Him humbly and sincerely for forgiveness.

We may never have the need to call on God for protection from mortal enemies, but we need His spiritual protection constantly. The world is full of distractions and traps, intended to keep us from our relationship with God and our commission to share the Good News. By asking for His protection and accepting the forgiveness He offers when we fail, we can remain connected and protected eternally.

Loving Lord, You stand ready to defend us when we call on You. Bless us to be brave workers for Your kingdom, going to all the world in Your name. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 27:13-14 NLT.

Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. 

This Psalm reminds us that we can see God’s blessings right here, right now. If we are honest, anything we experience is a blessing from Him. Everything we have and everything we are come from the Lord.

We are told many times to “be brave and courageous” in scripture. Sin is a terrible foe to face and alone we can’t stand against it. However, when we place our faith in Him and “wait patiently for the Lord” we stand in His unfailing strength.

Waiting for God’s solution and His time is often hard for us. We want results now! God has shown us time and again when we rush in with our own answer, the result is usually failure. We must ask for His help and make Him part of everything we do.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for our impatience and our desire to impose our will on Your creation. Help us to see Your love and Your plan and listen for Your word in all things. Amen.

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

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.

Jesus taught us that prayer was vitally important in our lives and the life of the church. Mark 1:35 tells us “Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.” While He went to “an isolated place”, we can pray anywhere, anytime. However, many find privacy and a regular schedule help them to have an active prayer life.

Later in their chapter we read “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16). What we need to remember is that we aren’t “convincing” God to do something He wouldn’t do in the first place, we are making ourselves part of His work. We can never tell God something He doesn’t already know.

James reminds us of the need to pray no matter what our situation may be. We have been cautioned “Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today” (Deuteronomy 8:11). Suffering or happy, we need to be in prayer and listening to His word for us.

Loving Lord, we are sorry when we are out of touch and forget how important prayer is to our relationship with You and each other. Bless us to be connected through prayer always. Amen.

A couple of quick editorial notes – I have been using the Bible App for several years as the daily scripture for these posts. I find that discovering what passage they have chosen each day is an adventure and challenges me a little because I didn’t select the verses myself. It also keeps me from wandering off on my own agenda. A friend asked recently about the translation I usually use. I have been posting from the New Living Translation (NLT) for the last couple of years because I like the way it reads. I will occasionally use another version but it may be helpful to know where it is from so I’ll start including it, even if it’s the NLT every day for a while.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 5:4 (NLT).

God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

When we think of mourning, it is usually over someone we have lost or a way of life that no longer exists. Regardless of what causes our pain, Jesus tells us that God will bless and comfort us. He is always aware of our condition and present even when things are difficult.

Often our grief is very specific, as in the death of a loved one. However, we may also suffer from underlying issues that cause us pain. Divorce, loss of a job, being forced to move, social unrest, any number of things can grieve us. Sometimes we can’t really define it.

Jesus tells us that God knows everything about us, including our grief. We know that God grieves for us and with us. God wants to comfort us and allow us to move on with our lives and our kingdom work, not forgetting the cause, but instead using it to strengthen us in faith.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Jesus to comfort and teach us. Help us to see that love is the answer to our grief and offer that love to all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.

Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

Having been an appointed church pastor, I can tell you that I would not have made it through without the love and prayerful support of my congregations. I am so grateful and blessed to have lived and worked with all of you. I have known pastors whose experience was not as pleasing as mine.

The church is a collection of people who have chosen to live together as the family of God because of their faith in Him. God has gifted and called each of us for a purpose. Paul gives us some insight to this in 1 Corinthians 12:7, telling us “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” We are all expected to contribute to the work of His kingdom.

This means in any given situation we are all leaders in the Lord’s work. Whether it’s the childcare program, a food pantry or outreach to shut-ins, each area of ministry has a leader and they all need our support through prayer, our tithes and offerings that support the programs and our presence as the body of Christ. May we lead when we are called to do so and follow faithfully always.

Loving Lord, thank You for sending leaders in Your church. Help us to give them the support they need and be ready to fill the roles You have planned for each of us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. 

Paul writes with encouragement and warning to the church in Corinth. They were experiencing divisions in their relationships with each other which in turn hindered their relationship with God. He reminds them that they are “the temple of God” and as such, we must treat each other just as we would our Lord.

How would our lives be different if we recognized the presence of our Creator in everyone we encountered? Paul teaches that “the Spirit of God lives in you”. We know this because He breathed life into each one of us. We are all made in His image, meant to be connected to Him and our brothers and sisters here on earth.

We have been created for a purpose and when we accept the mission and responsibility God gives us, we are blessed to go in His name to share the Good News. Each of us have been given gifts that are necessary to advance His kingdom. While God needs no help from us, He wants us all to be part of His plan for salvation.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we let our own selfish wants and insecurities interfere with our connection to You and each other. Forgive us and send us in Your strength that everyone may know Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Ephesians 4:2-6.

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

We have likely heard the familiar verse “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17), teaching that being together in faith makes us all better disciples. This is “being united in the Spirit” as Paul puts it here. He emphasizes that while we are individuals, we are blessed when we work together for God’s kingdom.

I once heard a lesson about how our unity in the Spirit is like the steel making process. A variety of different materials are brought together to make a substance stronger than any of them alone. This is how our diversity creates a stronger faith. God uses our individual gifts collectively.

Paul calls us to make “allowance for each other’s faults”, knowing we all have issues that affect us. We must get past these differences to be effective in ministry, knowing the strength that our individual gifts provide. Together with God and one another, we can make a difference in the world and in eternity.

Gracious God, You made us all in Your image but You also made us each unique. Help us to see Your light in each of Your children and work together that all may come to You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Proverbs 13:20-21.

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things.

We need the companionship and wise counsel of other Christians. However, we can’t ignore Christ’s command to seek those who are living outside God’s love and share the Good News with them. We must be ready to encounter evil in everyday life and do our best to steer others away from the danger of sin.

This is a tough situation for Christians. We are called to go to those who don’t know God’s love, to help them find the way to salvation, but associating with them can put us at risk. God realizes our weakness and sends this warning against becoming like those we wish to help.

Our mission is in enemy territory and while we are there we are vulnerable. This is why we need the love and care of other Christians to strengthen us while we do difficult ministry. Being together in His wisdom and love is essential if we are to accomplish the Great Commission to bring all nations to Him.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we let temporary sin rule our actions rather than the eternal light of Your love. Help us to be strong in You, and strong for each other that all the world might come to You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Timothy 5:1-2.

Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.

Paul writes to his pupil and partner Timothy with guidance on how to treat the family of God. It seems very simple on the surface but even today we often ignore this lesson on our interactions. Getting along and caring for one another is essential to our relationship with God.

During the time Jesus was on earth He showed us how we are to live together as the family of God, ensuring that all are loved, valued and provided for. While we may see our modern culture as more complex, our responsibilities are no different now.

Societies may have changed over time, but as people we have not. We are still called to care for the last, the least and the lost. Jesus taught us to think of everyone as family members and Paul insures that Timothy knows this as a pastor charged with caring for the community. As members of that community, we need to step up.

Loving Lord, help us to see the needs of others without judging why they are in need. Help us to live together as Your children, and to be part of Your plan for our salvation. Amen.