Daily Bible Verses

Heavenly father
give us grace to live as those who believe in the resurrection of the dead

¹⁷ By faith, Abraham, being tested, offered up Isaac.
Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his one and only son, 
¹⁸ to whom it was said, “Your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac,” 
¹⁹ concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead.
Figuratively speaking, he…

¹ Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones?
    Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?
² No, in your heart you plot injustice.
    You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.
³ The wicked go astray from the womb.
    They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
⁶ Break their teeth, God, in their mouth
^…

Heavenly father
give us grace to let our lives be the song of the presence of the living God, rather than a whimper to hollow alternatives.

⁸ “I am Yahweh.
    That is my name.
    I will not give my glory to another,
    nor my praise to engraved images.
⁹ Behold, the former things have happened
    and I declare…

Heavenly father
give us grace to endure the pain of suffering when we have done what is right. 

²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 
²¹ But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me. 
^22 …

Heavenly Father
fill us with your grace, even after we have done what is wrong (like Shechem) 
fill us with your grace when others have done wrong (like Jacob and Hamor)

34 Dinah, the daughter of Leah, went out to see the daughters of the land. 
² Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, lay with her, and humbled her. 
³ His soul joined to Dinah, and he loved the…

7“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be…

Heavenly father
give us grace to live as strangers and pilgrims on earth, desiring a better country

¹¹ By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive,
and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised. 
¹² Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore,
were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead.

…

⁷ My heart is steadfast, God.
    My heart is steadfast.
    I will sing, yes, I will sing praises.
⁸ Wake up, my glory! Wake up, lute and harp!
    I will wake up the dawn.
⁹ I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the peoples.
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰ For your great loving kindness…

Heavenly father
give us grace to be faithful in being a blessing to others, bringing light and freedom

⁵ God Yahweh,
    he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    he who spread out the earth and that which comes out of it,
    he who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk in it, says:
⁶ “I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness.
…

Heavenly father
give us grace to be obedient to your command to love all others, particularly when there is pressure not to. 

¹⁷ “I command these things to you, that you may love one another. 
¹⁸ If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. 
¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own.
But because you are not of the world, since I chose…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to act graciously to others (as Jacob did), and faithfully to you (which Jacob didn’t) 

8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?”
Jacob said, “To find favour in the sight of my lord.”
9 Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours.”
10 Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favour in your sight,
then…

²³ Nevertheless, I am continually with you.
    You have held my right hand.
²⁴ You will guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward receive me to glory.
²⁵ Whom do I have in heaven?
    There is no one on earth whom I desire besides you.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart fails,
    but God is the strength of my heart and my…

Heavenly father
give us grace to seek heavenly goals today 

⁸ By faith, Abraham, when he was called,
obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance.
He went out, not knowing where he went. 
⁹ By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. 
…

³ God will send out his loving kindness and his truth.
⁴ My soul is among lions.
    I lie among those who are set on fire,
    even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    and their tongue a sharp sword.
⁵ Be exalted, God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be above all the earth!

^6 …

Heavenly father
give us grace to be gentle today with others particularly when we feel strongly about the rights and wrongs of situations.

42 “Behold, my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen, in whom my soul delights:
    I have put my Spirit on him.
    He will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout,
    nor raise his voice,
  …

Heavenly father give us grace to love one another in such a way that is life giving to those we love

¹² “This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. 
¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 
¹⁴ You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you. 
¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to be courageous and humble in difficult situations today, like Jacob
give us grace to so focus on loving relationships that we are forgiving

1 Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men.
He divided the children between Leah, Rachel, and the two servants. 
2 He put the servants and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear.…

2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into…

Heavenly father
give us grace to live on godly fear and obedience

⁷ By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, 
prepared a ship for the saving of his house,
through which he condemned the world, (his saving of his household showed the stupidity of those who did not follow his example) 
and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

…

¹ Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me,
    for my soul takes refuge in you.
Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge,
    until disaster has passed.
² I cry out to God Most High,
to God who accomplishes my requests for me.
³ He will send from heaven, and save me,
    he rebukes the one who is pursuing me. 

Heavenly Father
give us grace to see the worthlessness of what we put in place of you today 

²⁵ “I have raised up one from the north [Cyrus], one who calls on my name,
    and he shall come on rulers [the Babylonians] as the potter treads clay.
²⁹ Behold, all of their deeds are vanity and nothing.
    Their molten images are wind and confusion.

Heavenly father
give us grace to bear much fruit today, particularly in our love, obedience and joy

⁷ If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.
⁸ “In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples. 
⁹ Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to dare to be alone with you, and the grace to have an honest struggle with you. 

22 He rose up that night, and took his two wives and eleven sons and 23 sent them over the Jabbok stream.
24 Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day. 
25 When he saw that he didn’t prevail against him,
the man touched the hollow of his thigh,
and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was…

4 Surely he has borne our sickness
    and carried our suffering;
yet we considered him plagued,
    struck by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions.
    He was crushed for our iniquities.
The punishment that brought our peace was on him;
    and by his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray.
    …

Heavenly father
give us grace to be so assured within ourselves about what we hope for and what is unseen that we live in a way that is pleasing to you 

⁴ By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous,
God testifying with respect to his gifts; and through it he, being dead, still speaks.

⁵ By faith, Enoch was taken away, so…

⁸ You count my wanderings.
    You put my tears into your container.
    Aren’t they in your book?
⁹ Then my enemies shall turn back in the day that I call.
    I know this: that God is for me.
¹⁰ In God, I will praise his word.
    In Yahweh, I will praise his word.
¹¹ I have put my trust…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to see the limitations of all those things that we might be tempted to put in place of you
give us grace to hear your voice and understand the nature of things (“what they are”)  

^{[Talking about whatever we put in place of God, Yahweh says]
21} Produce your cause,” says Yahweh.
    “Bring out your strong reasons!” says the King of Jacob.
²² “Let them announce and declare to…

Heavenly father give us grace to remain in you and bear fruit today

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. 
² Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away.
Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 
³ You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 
⁴ Remain in me, and I in you.
As the…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to be creative in our use of resources in the pursuit of peace

13 Jacob stayed there that night, and took from that which he had with him a present for Esau, his brother: 
14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 
15 thirty milk camels and their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals. 
16 He delivered them into the hands of his…

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

Heavenly father
give us grace to give attention today to what we hope for and to what is unseen
 

¹ Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, that which is persuasive of things not seen. 
² For in this, the elders obtained testimony. 
³ By faith, we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God,
so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.

¹ Be merciful to me, God, for ² my enemies want to swallow me up all day long,
    for they are many who fight proudly against me.
³ When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
    ⁴ In God, I praise his word. In God, I put my trust.
   I will not be afraid.  What can flesh do to me?
⁵ All day long they twist…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to open our eyes and minds to see and understand your work in the world

¹⁷ The poor and needy seek water, and there is none.
    Their tongue fails for thirst.
I, Yahweh, will answer them.
    I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
¹⁸ I will open rivers on the bare heights,
    and will make the wilderness a pool of water.
^20…

Heavenly father
give us grace to remain untroubled and pure in the face of the prince of this world

27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you.
Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. 
28 You heard how I told you, ‘I go away, and I come to you.’
If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I said ‘I am going to my Father;’
for the Father is…

Heavenly Father
give us grace, when faced with what we fear, to lift up our eyes and voice to you.

¹ Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 
² When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s army.” ^]

³ Jacob sent messengers in front of him to Esau, his brother,
⁴ He commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall tell my lord, Esau:
‘This is what your…

Heavenly father
give us grace to continue to live by faith today, paying attention to the things of the soul and the things of eternity 

³² But remember the former days, in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great struggle with sufferings; 
³³ partly, being exposed to both reproaches and oppressions;
and partly, becoming partakers with those who were treated so. 
…

[looking at those who turn from God]
¹⁹ They never change
    and don’t fear God.

[looking at a particular individual who turns from God]
²⁰ He raises his hands against his friends.
    He has violated his covenant.
²¹ His mouth was smooth as butter,
    but his heart was war.
His…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to turn to you both before and after we face difficult situations 

¹⁴ Don’t be afraid, you worm Jacob,
    and you men of Israel.
    I will help you,” says Yahweh.
    “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
¹⁵ Behold, I have made you into a new sharp threshing instrument with teeth.
  …

Heavenly father
pour out your Holy Spirit on us today so that we may be taught by you and have the grace to keep and obey your words 

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him,
“Lord, what has happened that you are about to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word.
My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to resolve conflicts today,  
and when it is time to go separate ways, give us grace to do so with love and blessings

³⁶ Jacob was angry, and argued with Laban. “What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 
³⁷ Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff?
Set it here before my relatives and your relatives, that they may…

21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God…

Heavenly father
give us grace to flee from sin today, and live in the covenant of grace and forgiveness 

²⁶ For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, 
²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgement, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries. 
^28…

¹⁶ As for me, I will call on God.
    Yahweh will save me.
¹⁷ Evening, morning, and at noon, I will cry out in distress.
    He will hear my voice.
¹⁸ He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
    although there are many who oppose me.
¹⁹ God, who is…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to hold your hand, to take strength from you and to serve you today

⁸ “But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob whom I have chosen,
    the offspring of Abraham my friend,
⁹     You whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth,
    and called…

Heavenly father
give us grace to live in Christ and for Christ to live in us, 
give us grace to keep your commands and love you

19 Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me.  (after the resurrection)
Because I live, you will live also. 
20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 
21 One who has my…

Heavenly Father
give us grace to be honest about our fears (as Jacob did)
give us grace to avoid making rash statements when we are not in full possession of the facts (as Jacob did)

²⁶ Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have deceived me,
and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword? 
²⁷ Why didn’t you tell me, that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs; 
…

Heavenly father
give us grace in difficult relationships to listen to you (as laban did),
and refrain from making things worse (as Jacob and Rachel did)  and from hankering after other Gods (as Rachel did) 

¹⁷ Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels, 
¹⁸ and he took away all his possessions to go to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan. 
¹⁹ Now Laban had gone to…

¹⁶ I heard, and my body trembled.
    My lips quivered at the voice.
Rottenness enters into my bones, and I tremble in my place,
    because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble,
    for the coming up of the people who invade us.
¹⁷ For though the fig tree doesn’t flourish,
    nor fruit be in the vines;
    the labour of the…

Heavenly father
give us grace to be an encouragement to those around us today

²⁴ Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, 
²⁵ not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is,
but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

[This is a lament, when we pour out our visceral feelings to our God who understands, but waits for us to be enveloped in his mercy so that we can show mercy to others]]

⁹ Confuse them, Lord, and confound their language,
    for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
¹⁰     Malice and abuse  and ¹¹ destructive forces are within…