Category: Daily Prayer

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.

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

But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves.

James doesn’t mince words in his letter, but this verse may be one of the most compelling. It reminds us that reading or hearing God’s word is important, but living it is essential. Many people know the words but miss the meaning and the life change that comes from understanding. This is one of the reasons James writes “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). If we have truly come in repentance, our lives will reflect the forgiveness we have received. Jesus told us “they will know you are My disciples if you love one another (John 13:35). This is the best way to deal with the world, and the only way to be saved.

Heavenly Father, we are grateful for Your word, given to guide and protect us. Help us to be living representatives of the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Samuel 2:2 (NET).

No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one other than you! There is no rock like our God!

In this passage Hannah, a faithful woman who has waited patiently, gives thanks to God for blessing her with a child. Read her prayer in verses 1-11 here and see how it resembles Mary’s prayer in Luke 1:46-55. While her child Samuel was not the Messiah, he played a pivotal role in history, anointing the first two kings of Israel. Hannah recognizes God’s power and goodness and offers Him praise, saying “There is no rock like our God!” Have you been waiting for an answer to prayer? As it was with Hannah, it will come in God’s timing, if it is in accordance with His will. Our hope is in You, Lord and we await Your return!

Gracious God, thank You for the answers to our prayers. We sometimes don’t understand Your plan or schedule, but we know You are in control of all things. Bless us to be patient but energetic disciples, sharing Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV).

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In Matthew 6:25 Jesus tells us “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Paul echoes this here and recommends prayer, not because God doesn’t know what we need but rather by sharing with Him we become part of the process. We are often anxious because we try to control things we can’t and refuse to control things we should. Jesus concludes this teaching with guidance to save us, saying “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the energy we waste on worry that could be used for Your work here. Help us to recognize that You are in control and follow the path that Jesus taught us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 143:9-10 (NASB1995).

Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; I take refuge in You. Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

This psalm is about more than just physical protection from danger. While that is part of the request, it speaks of a deeper relationship than mere safety. Here the psalmist asks God to “teach me to do Your will”, wanting to be connected and corrected after the present danger has passed. Too often we pray to be saved from a situation, but once it is over we forget to continue on the path He has set for us. God is there for us always but we must acknowledge our need for Him and accept the guidance He offers. Like David may we pray “let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we try to do it on our own. Forgive our stubbornness and lead us in Your way, that we may answer Your call to carry the Gospel everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 8:3-4 (NKJV).

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?

In this psalm David describes God’s creation and its immensity, and then asks “what is man that You are mindful of him?” It’s a question we should ask ourselves more often. Why does God bother with such quarrelsome children who want things their own way when He has a much better plan for us? It can only be because His love for us is as immense as His creation. We were made in His image for a reason. God gives us both the greatest gift and the greatest responsibility when He calls us to partner with Him in caring for all things. This includes sharing the blessing of salvation He offers to all who will repent and accept His forgiveness. Oh Lord, how excellent is Your name indeed!

Gracious God, we are amazed that You forgive, restore and send us to be part of what You are doing in the world. Help us to be good stewards of Your gifts, and go to share Your love with all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 John 4:15-16 (NET).

If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he in God. And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him.

From the very beginning God has been within us. As part of our creation story we read “The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). Paul tells us “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Jesus promised that after He returned to the Father, we would be comforted and guided by the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17). We can choose to ignore God’s presence and will for us, but we can’t escape it. When we repent and accept His forgiveness we find He is right there within us, as He has always been.

Loving Lord, You made us in Your image to be Your partners in creation. We marred that image when we chose our own way instead of Your love. Forgive us and strengthen us in faith that we may share Your love with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Lamentations 3:25-26 (NET).

The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to the one who seeks him. It is good to wait patiently for deliverance from the Lord.

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, warned God’s people of the coming end of their society. Some scholars consider him the author of Lamentations as well. Regardless of its author, Lamentations expresses sorrow for the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, but also offers hope for the future. God is still with them, but as in the desert experience of Exodus, He wants them to trust in Him and not in their own strength and wisdom. This passage reminds us that we must seek Him and “wait patiently for deliverance from the Lord.” He is the source of all good things and we go to use our gifts in His service.

Gracious God, even in our sin You have not abandoned us. In Your mercy You made a way for us to be saved through Christ our Lord. Help us to wait patiently for deliverance, while actively sharing Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 8:1-2 (NLT).

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Jesus promised to send us “another Advocate” (John 14:16) who would be His presence with us always. In the second chapter of Acts the Holy Spirit is given to the apostles and then to all who are baptized into Christ. His crucifixion and resurrection broke the power of sin and death for all who will repent and accept His forgiveness. A spirit filled life leads us toward salvation and away from the sinful actions of the world that separate us from God. We belong to Him and by His mercy we are saved.

Gracious God, You reach out to us in our brokenness, calling us to repent and return to You. Forgive us and fill us with Your Spirit that we may be energetic workers for Your kingdom. Amen.