Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Deuteronomy 7:9-11.

Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.

This passage teaches that the Lord alone is God, there is no one like Him. God chose us and is always faithful to us, from creation to the covenant with Abraham to the New Covenant in Jesus Christ and still today. When we keep His commandments, we become part of His work in the world.

Those who choose Him receive “His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation”, meaning forever. This is not a specific number or limit. We see the same teaching when Jesus says “forgive seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). Jesus doesn’t mean at 491 we quit forgiving; it means we don’t keep count, and neither does God.

God has given us a specific commandment to love one another. It appears throughout the Old Testament and we see it demonstrated in the life and lessons of Jesus. He tells us loving God and one another is the Greatest Commandment. If we keep this, all others will follow.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for our failure to love as we should. Help us to see Your face in everyone we meet and share Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Jeremiah 29:11-13.

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote this to the children of Israel during their captivity in Babylon, reminding them of God’s care for them even in a desperate time. However, even in crisis, we can find God. With Him, we always have a future, no matter what our current situation.

The Israelites have experienced this before, when God brought them out of Egypt. Moses warned them about forgetting the Lord when they entered the Promised Land and that there would be consequences. Still, God loved His people and Moses continues “then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you” (Deuteronomy 30:3).

It seems we are scattered today, fragmented by our competing ideas of what the world should be and how we can get there. We are the problem! If we seek God and His way we can see His promise fulfilled, but it will only happen “when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Gracious God, we are sorry for the way we treat You and each other, forgetting we are all Your children. Forgive us, restore us, and send us to be Your light in a world that needs it desperately. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 34:13-15.

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.

This passage is a part of scripture known as wisdom writings, those that offer guidance for a life of faith. King David encourages us to “depart from evil and do good”, reminding us that there is more to living faithfully than merely avoiding bad behavior; we must be actively engaged in doing good.

Jesus taught us the same lesson, that our faith must be put into action. Knowing what is right is important, doing it is essential for God’s people. We show the world we belong to the Father more through our behavior than our words.

God is always ready to hear and help but we must go to Him. He took the first step to reconcile us by coming to be one of us. Now we must be the face of His love in the world, seeking and pursuing peace for all His children.

Loving Lord, we are thankful for Your love and care. You sent Your son to redeem us and gave us the mission to carry on His work. Bless us to go in Your name, sharing Your light and love with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 12:2-4.

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation. And in that day you will say, “Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted.”

The prophet Isaiah writes of reconciliation with our God and the protection He promises. Three times in this short passage we hear of the salvation we are offered when we return to Him in repentance. If we trust in God we need not be afraid.

Verse 2 is a quote from the Song of Moses in Exodus 15. The people are reminded that God has acted before to save them, and if they return to Him in faith, He will act again. God is always ready to welcome back those who are sorry for their sin and want a renewed relationship with Him.

Even in the Old Testament God’s chosen were called to “make known His deeds among the people.” God wants us to share His love always and everywhere. It is our job to “make them remember that His name is exalted.”

Gracious God, we are ashamed of our failures, but You offer us forgiveness and a new life in You. Bless us to go in Your name to tell the world of Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 46:1-3.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

This psalm reminds us of God’s special presence with us. He has promised to be with His children always. We will see His protection when we face difficult times. We don’t let catastrophes beyond our control keep us from acting in faith.

Even when things go wrong, we live in faith, not fear. In the hardest times we can experience God at work. While we may witness awful tragedies, our connection to Him can’t be broken by the things of the world. 

God created everything that is and He is in control. We may disappoint Him through our sinful behavior, but His love for us is eternal. When we return in repentance, He is ready to welcome us back.

Loving Lord, You are the Almighty One who made us in Your image. Help us to live in Your love and share it with all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 41:9-10.

You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

“I have chosen you; I am with you.” Of all God’s promises, the assurance that we have been called to His service and are blessed with His presence may be the most important. As God’s servants we are expected to know His word and do His will.

Merely knowing is not enough. Paul writes ”for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified“ (Romans 2:13). God wants us to know, but putting His law and love into action is what we are called to do.

God made us for a special relationship with Him and each other. In all of creation, we are the only ones given free will. God loves us enough to trust us with freedom of thought and action. Unfortunately, we often abuse that trust. Ask God for strength to resist the temptations we face here that we may be with Him eternally.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we fail to learn Your way and share Your love. Bless us to be strong in faith, no matter what our circumstances, and tell everyone of the forgiveness You offer. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 27:3-4.

Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident. One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.

The psalmist (likely King David) expresses hope because of his trust in God. He writes “my heart will not fear.” He tells us that we can have confidence in the face of adversity because of our faith. God is with us and for us when we place our faith in Him.

Jesus came to be God’s love in person. He taught us to show our love for God through worship and prayer and by loving one another. We have God’s word and we have been given God’s work in the world.

The Holy Spirit came to be His presence with us, a guardian and guide to eternal life. We rely on the comforter Jesus sent (John 14:16-17) to help lead us in the way of the Lord. If we follow the instruction of this psalm, we “may dwell in the house of the Lord” forever.

Heavenly Father, we are grateful for Your love and protection. Bless us to share our gifts from You with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Paul calls us to endurance, that we “not lose heart.” While our mortal bodies wear out, our spirits are eternal, and that gives us hope. I have reached a point in life where things have needed repair and replacing, and while I am very grateful God gifted people to accomplish this, nothing we make or do is as good as God’s original construction.

While these infirmities are sometimes painful and limiting, if we focus on what God is doing in our lives and in the world, this “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory.” Paul reminds us that our spirits are being “renewed day by day”, that as our bodies decline, we are growing out of this world and into our eternal home.

If we dwell on the here and now, it is often easy to be discouraged. The old hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” says “the body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still!” God invites us to look past what we see and experience here, preparing our spirits to live with Him forever.

Loving Lord, we are sometimes weighed down by our physical and emotional issues. Help us to see that these are only temporary, that we were created to be with You eternally. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Proverbs 17:17.

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

As we have discussed before, Proverbs are wise sayings that offer guidance in living as God intends. Most of these are attributed to King Solomon, who asked God for wisdom to rule well (1 Kings 3:9). Unlike other passages of scripture, these are usually one or two sentences about an issue we face, and then the subject may change in the next phrase.

This proverb speaks to our relationships with one another, and by extension, our relationship with God. If we are truly a friend, we will love at all times. As humans, we know that we have differences of opinion about a variety of things, but we must not let that affect our love for one another.

If we don’t love one another, we can’t have the full relationship with God for which we were created. We will always face disagreements, but we are charged to resolve these in ways that respect each other’s dignity and worth as creatures made in His image. God wants us to treat each other in the same way we treat Him.

Heavenly Father, help us to be the loving people You intend. Bless us to see Your truth and share Your love with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:18‭-‬19‬.

[18] Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. [19] I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

The prophet Isaiah warned Israel that their lack of faith would eventually lead to disaster. We can’t be disobedient to God and expect His favor and protection. The Lord wants His people to understand that His love for us is eternal, but we must return that love in order to be saved.

In Deuteronomy 8:11-13 Moses encourages the people to remember that God freed them, fed them and led them to the Promised Land. He cautions them “then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God.” Sadly, that is exactly what happened.

However, our failure is not God’s failure and while He is a just God, He is above all a loving God. We look at what has happened to us and moan; God tells us to look to the future and rejoice. He who made everything that exists is ready to forgive and redeem us when we repent and return to Him.

Loving Lord, sometimes we are ashamed of the way we treat You and each other. Forgive us we pray and bless us to share Your love everywhere. Amen.