Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 68:19-20.

Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day He carries us in His arms. Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death.

David wrote this psalm of praise and thanks nearly a thousand years before the coming of Jesus, yet his words speak to the ultimate saving power of God through Christ’s sacrifice for us. It tells of God’s unending love for us, that “each day He carries us in His arms”. God is always there for us when we call.

God didn’t create the world and then leave us on our own. He gave us the capability to choose for ourselves, but He has never abandoned us. He is present everywhere, in everything we do.

When we repent of our wrongdoing and turn to Him in faith, “the Sovereign Lord rescues us from death”. Our maker and redeemer is there for us as He has always been. May we accept the blessing He promises and go in His name to share His love.

Gracious God, without You we have no hope. Help us to give up the things that lead us astray, and live with You eternally. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 8:5-8.

For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace, because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Paul warns that if our minds are set on earthly things it will hinder our relationship with God and each other. He goes further, saying “the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace”. If we accept the gift of God’s spirit, we can overcome the ways of the flesh with His help.

The free will God gave us allows us to make our own choices. God doesn’t want an enforced relationship, He wants us to choose Him out of love and gratitude. However, as Paul tells us “those who are in the flesh cannot please God”. 

We must give up the selfish way of thinking and living, and replace it with the way of God’s spirit. This can only happen if we repent of our human ways and ask for His help. He is always ready to welcome us back and wash us clean!

Loving Lord, we are ashamed of our disobedience and want Your spirit to guide our lives. Bless us to be the bearers of the Good News everywhere. Amen.

The one who neglects discipline ends up in poverty and shame, but the one who accepts reproof is honored. A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools abhor turning away from evil. The one who associates with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Calamity pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.

Proverbs are each separate statements for the most part, but sometimes a group is related. This passage speaks of our tendency to choose what we want rather than what God wants for us. We read that “fools abhor turning away from evil”, a sad statement about our failure to avoid things that lead us away from God.

There is a better way – “the one who associates with the wise grows wise”. By being in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we learn the path Jesus taught and how to share his love with the world. This is our task from Him, to continue to His ministry using the gifts we have been given.

Part of becoming wise is spending time in scripture and prayer. Jesus demonstrated this every day. Our connection to God is based on knowing His word and speaking with Him regularly. May our relationship with Him strengthen us for faithful living.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we fail to love You and Your children as You have commanded. Bless us to be strong in faith and go to the world to share Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 23:1-6.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water. He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his reputation. Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me. You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is completely full. Surely your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days, and I will live in the Lord’s house for the rest of my life.

Ok, I’ll admit it – this version from the New English Translation (NET) sounds different to me. At first reading, my thought was “I don’t know if I can read this at a funeral”. I have usually used the King James Version because “that’s what people expect to hear”. Maybe I need to refresh my thinking.

This very familiar psalm speaks to us of God’s comfort and care. Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and there are many scriptures that refer to us as His sheep. We hear that “even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me”. God is there for us always, ready to guide and protect us.

I hope you hear this psalm in new ways today, and feel His love refreshing you. God has set a place for us at His table. Know that His plan is eternal and when we are in relationship with Him, we can be together forever.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for Your love and care. Help us to do the same for all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

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

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you.

Before his conversion, Paul was a Pharisee, trained in the law and well educated. As such, his writing is sometimes confusing, especially after the translation from 1st century Greek to modern English. However, if we listen closely to the message, it becomes easier to understand.

The word “comfort” in various forms occurs six times in this passage. The Greek language often had multiple words for what we consider the same word in English, depending on the situation or those involved. Paul is teaching that the comfort we have received from God is to be passed onto others.

This is Christ’s lesson, to love one another, offering comfort to each other through Him. Perhaps we can’t resolve the situation by ourselves, perhaps it is beyond human solving. However, we can always offer the “the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God”.

Gracious God, we are thankful for the care and comfort You offer us. Help us to follow the example Jesus gave, caring for and comforting one another. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 11:28-30.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.

Jesus explains that His love and lessons are intended to make our spiritual lives easier. The religious leaders of that time had hundreds of rules in an attempt to cover every possible situation. Jesus gives us a simpler set: Love God, love neighbor, make disciples.

He tells us there is still work to be done but we aren’t alone in our efforts. Jesus is there beside us, along with our brothers and sisters in faith. We are blessed to be connected to Him and each other through God’s redeeming love.

The difference is that Jesus comes to save us, not control us. While people use political and economic means to enforce their will, Jesus offers us a better way. Through Him, we can return to the relationship God made us for, each one of us a unique and beloved part of His family.

Gracious God, we are sorry for our willful disobedience and our lack of love. Help us to follow our Savior to the eternal life You have promised. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Ephesians 2:4-10.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! – and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

Paul was a Pharisee and extremely well versed in God’s word before he came to Christ. After his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was changed but his knowledge was still part of how he taught. In this passage, he explains that it is only by God’s love that we are saved.

He writes “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast”. He reminds us that there is nothing we can do to be saved – no good deeds, no donation, nothing we can do on our own. Only by  accepting Christ as our savior and following Him can we receive salvation.

Why was God willing to do this for us? Paul explains “we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works”. We do good works not to be saved, but because we ARE saved through God’s sacrificial love for us.

Loving Lord, we are grateful to be called Your children, made by Your hand. Bless us to share Your love in all we do. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 103:13-18.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. For he knows what we are made of; he realizes we are made of clay. A person’s life is like grass. Like a flower in the field it flourishes, but when the hot wind blows by, it disappears, and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew. But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers, and is faithful to their descendants, to those who keep his covenant, who are careful to obey his commands.

God wants us all as part of His family, and family relationships are a gift from God. Our creator knows all our frailties and failures, but His love is always there for us. Nothing is more important to Him than a connection with us.

This psalm reminds us that we are only here temporarily, “like grass”. The earth was made for us, but we were made in His image, spiritual beings in clay bodies for a period of time. God longs for us to understand the gift He offers, but it is up to us to accept it.

This passage ends with a reminder that God is always with us. The psalmist writes “the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers”. If we seek the Lord, we will find Him. God is patiently waiting for us all to return.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we have chosen our own way instead of the path You have for us. Forgive our wandering and bless us to be the children You created us to be. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 1:1-5.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.

It seems to me we have read this passage recently here, but looking at the same lesson in different ways can give us new insight. In the beginning God gave us life. Through Jesus Christ, the Word, we are given new life and the New Covenant. Now we know the light and can understand the darkness we were in.

The New English Translation (NET) I’m using this summer says “the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it”. Jesus came into a world marred by sin and uncaring to show us how God intends us to live. He was tempted as we are, perhaps more so, but He didn’t give in to sin (Matthew 4). Instead He was faithful, even unto death.

Later in John’s Gospel we hear that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him might be saved” (John 3:16). God was willing to give up a part of Himself to lead us from the darkness of sin and death into the light of eternal life. What are we willing to do for the one who saved us?

Loving Lord, we are grateful for the gift of salvation and our Savior who shows us the way. Bless us to go in Your name to make disciples of all nations. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is James 5:13-16.

Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praises. Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up – and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.

James writes about the importance of prayer in our lives and the lives of others. He reminds us of the healing and forgiving power of prayer. Our conversations with God have present and eternal meaning, and are an essential part of our faith.

Jesus taught us that praying for those who are suffering is our call as Christians. Often praying is all we can do. Through prayer we let God know we are aware of the needs of others. If we have the capability to help, it is our duty to do so. 

James wrote earlier in this letter “for just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). However, here he advocates prayer, telling us that “the prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness”. We can’t say we’ll pray for an issue as an excuse to not act, but by the same token we do not act without praying. Jesus showed us that true prayer fuels our faith and our works.

Heavenly Father, help us to see the needs of others and be part of Your solution. May our prayers be authentic and lead us to act in Your name. Amen.