Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 43:2-4.

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.

God promises to be with us in all our situations, joy and sorrow. He has expressed His love for us in a myriad of ways and His love is always constant. In the verse that precedes this passage He proclaims “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1).

It’s never a question of Gods love for us. He has made us in His own image and given us all creation to care for in His name. However, we have turned to ourselves rather than Him so many times. God is always there for us but do we make ourselves available to receive and return His love?

These verses tell us that God has given up things for us, “others were given in exchange for you”. What are we willing to give up for our God? He calls us to be part of what He is doing in the world by sharing His love with everyone.

Gracious God, You sent Your only son that we might be free of sin and death. May we be ready to bring the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 42:11.

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

As we have learned, the Psalms express the entire range of human emotions. We hear of our deepest fears and our greatest joy, being connected to our Creator. In this short Psalm we find despair is overcome by putting our hope in God.

This phrase in verse 11 is also written as verse 5, a chorus as it were, following an outpouring of sadness over Jerusalem being overrun. It speaks of the beauty and joy that were part of their lives before the destruction of the city and the temple by the army of Babylon.

While the psalmist expresses grief for the loss, the end of each section returns to the hope we have in our Heavenly Father and His ability to restore all things according to His will. God can put His joy back in our hearts when we turn to Him for help, repenting of our wrongdoing and following His ways.

Loving Lord, when we experience loss and hurt, You are there to console and restore us. Help us to share Your love with those who suffer that they may be made whole in You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 2 Corinthians 1:3-5.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

In the New Living Translation mercy and love are implied in the word translated here as “comfort”, which Paul uses five times in just three verses. Jesus brought comfort to us that we might share it. We are to be a channel for God’s comfort to others, bringing His mercy and love to the world.

This may seem a difficult task. How do we know who needs God’s love and mercy? The easy answer is “everyone”, but as Jesus showed us it is necessary to go to the world in order to know people’s needs.

God wants His message shared so that everyone knows they are invited to receive His forgiveness. He calls us all to lay down our burden of sin and care through Christ’s sacrifice for us and know the joy of salvation. Then we too can be a source of comfort to others, bearing the Good News everywhere.

Merciful Lord, we don’t deserve Your comfort, but You love and care for us just the same. Bless us to be good stewards of Your gifts and bring comfort to Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Samuel 2:1-2.

Then Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me. No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”

Hannah had prayed faithfully for God to give her a child, and God made her the mother of the prophet Samuel. After she had conceived, she offered this prayer of thanks, praising God for His blessing and strength. She declares “there is no Rock like our God.”

The God of creation can do all things, but He waits for us to be connected to Him, not forcing but inviting us. As our faith and relationship grows, God is able to use us to accomplish His plan here. Hannah became the mother of Samuel, an important figure in doing God’s will in early Israel.

Without Hannah’s faith and acceptance, this would not have happened. She joins the list of those who were obedient to the Lord even in dire circumstances. God can use any one of us, but we must accept the task he gives, using our gifts for the good of His children.

Heavenly Father, we are grateful for those who have gone before us, sharing their faith and Your love for all. Help us to be the disciples of today, going to the world in Your name. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 8:12-14.

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” The Pharisees replied, “You are making those claims about yourself! Such testimony is not valid.” Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me.”

Jesus uses the the phrase “I am” several times in John’s gospel. It shows His connection to God who told Moses “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14), and helps the people understand who Jesus is and what He has come to do. Here He explains how following Him leads to eternal life.

The Pharisees are quick to challenge His statement, quoting Jewish law that requires two witnesses to establish truth. They used this against Jesus and the disciples, often bringing false witnesses to testify against them. In Acts 6:13 we read this tactic was used against Stephen, who was martyred for his faith.

Jesus tells them “you don’t know this about me”, a recurring problem with religious leaders of the day who were afraid of losing their position and authority, but also afraid of the truth Jesus spoke. As we know, denying the truth doesn’t change it, and Christ’s light will always point us to the truth.

Gracious God, help us to see the light of Your son, sent to save us. Bless us to be part of Your plan for all people, sharing the Good News of salvation with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 John 4:9-11.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

John paraphrases Christ’s statement to Nicodemus from John 3:16, reminding us that God loved us so much He was willing to give up a part of Himself that we might understand. He wanted us to know His love and share it with the world. This is our blessing and our calling.

Humans have chosen poorly since the beginning. Sin cannot exist in the presence of God and we were separated physically but not spiritually from Him. Still, God made a way that we could be redeemed through the sacrifice Jesus offered for us.

We can admit our sin and repent, accepting the forgiveness Christ bought for us. Then we can be part of His plan to redeem the world by telling His story and living by His example. John tells us “Since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other”, and we are charged to bring that love to all people.

Gracious God, when we fell into sin, it grieved You but You didn’t abandon us. Help us to be energetic in our work for Your kingdom, sharing the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Acts of the Apostles 2:36-39.

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

Today we celebrate Pentecost, originally a Hebrew harvest festival. God used this holiday when many would be in Jerusalem to reach people through the ministry of the disciples. The coming of the Holy Spirit enabled Peter to tell the story of Jesus to those assembled.

God had used Passover as an opportunity 49 days before as the time for the Crucifixion. Many left after that event wondering what had actually happened. As they gathered on Pentecost, Peter told them to repent and be baptized and they too could receive the Holy Spirit. Many heard his sermon and believed.

God can use this Pentecost Sunday to reach us as well. Perhaps we have become discouraged by the things happening in our world, the turmoil and fear we have brought upon ourselves. God wants us back as part of His family – He never left us, it is we who must return to Him. God is ready to forgive all who come with a contrite heart, willing to accept Christ as our savior.

Loving Lord, thank You for Your many blessings, but most of all for not giving up on us. Help us to go in Your name that all may know Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Acts 1:6-8.

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

This is Luke’s account of the Great Commission. Before Jesus returns to heaven, He charges his disciples (and us) to be His witnesses “to the ends of the earth”. They ask Him if He will restore the kingdom to Israel at this time but He says that’s up to God the Father. As we know, we’re not the planning committee, we’re the welcoming committee!

One author describes our evangelism as a pipe and pump. We are to be the conduit through which God’s love flows, but we are not the source. When we try to do it on our own, we are merely empty pipes.

Adam and his descendants were dismissed from God’s presence, but by His ascension Jesus welcomed humans back into God’s presence. God has made a way for us to be redeemed and to be part of His plan of salvation. When we repent and return, we can be forgiven and go to tell everyone what God has done for us.

Loving Lord, in Your mercy You sent Your son to show us the way to be saved. Help us to be the messengers of the Gospel, sharing Your love with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 28:18-20.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Our Great Commission comes from Jesus Himself, charging us to go into the world to share His love. He came for all of us, not just a particular group, and His command to go to “all nations” makes this clear. While He was born in Israel, He ministered to a wide variety of people who were not of the Jewish faith. God sent His son to all of us.

Jesus instructs us to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This is a public affirmation of our commitment to the kingdom of God. Additionally, we are to be “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”, telling the story of Jesus, His love for all of us and the path we are to follow.

Finally, Jesus promises “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” He said in John 14 God would send “another comforter”, the Holy Spirit to guide and encourage us as we love God, love neighbor and make disciples. We are called to be part of what God is doing in our world.

Loving Lord, we are ashamed of our sins, but amazed that You are willing to forgive us and use us as part of your work. Bless us to go in Your name to share the blessing of salvation with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Proverbs 11:24-25.

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

This passage from Proverbs speaks to us about the importance of sharing what we have with others who have not. We read “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” This is how God wants us to treat each other, with love, respect and a concern for the needs of others.

Jesus said about generosity: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38). If we are generous with our resources, we will receive generosity in return.

God showed His ultimate generosity when He gave us life (Genesis 1:27). He gave His people manna in the desert when they were in need (Exodus 16:4-5). He gave us His son that we might be forgiven and have eternal life (John 3:16). We can’t give back to God directly, but we can care for His children here to express our thanks.

Gracious God, You have given us everything! Help us to share Your gifts willingly that the needs of all Your children may be met. Amen.