Daily Bible Verses

Heavenly father
give us grace to teach your covenant to the next generations
give us grace to sacrifice the needs of the flesh so that our spirits may become strong.
give us grace to allow ourselves to carry the painful marks of being in covenant relationship with you, at a very personal level.

⁹ God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 
¹⁰ This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your…

Heavenly father
give us grace to be honest about the hopes and dreams we believe you have given us.
give us grace to hold on to the hopes and dreams you have given us even when it seems laughable to do so.

¹⁵ God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, her name shall be Princess (Sarah). 
¹⁶ I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her.
She will be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples will come from her.”

¹⁷ …

Heavenly father
give us grace to seek you and worship you today

18 Yahweh appeared to Abraham (our God, while never fully comprehended, can be “seen” by those who look)
by the oaks of Mamre (this takes place at home - the first place that Abraham lived in the land),
as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. (this takes place in a time of rest during the day- when no outdoor work could be done)
² He lifted up his eyes and looked, (He gave attention to that which was…

So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’  

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, …

12 Jacob had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: ‘I am the Lord…

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” (Genesis 28:16)

Every day I would sit at a particular set of five-way traffic lights at the end of my road. It always seemed like an interminably long red light, but one day, it seemed even longer than usual, and I clearly heard God saying to me, “Richard, are you really going to be any happier on the other side of the traffic light?”   

I had to wonder, “If you’re not happy on this side of the traffic lights, you’re not…

Heavenly father
thank you that you see when others are unkind to us
give us grace (like Jacob) to hear your voice and be obedient to it or (like his wives) to discern your voice speaking to others and be obedient to it. 

[Jacob said to Rachel and Leah]: ¹⁰ During mating season, I lifted up my eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled. ¹¹ The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am…

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 shear his sheep; and Rachel stole the teraphim [Gods] that were her…

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; 
²⁸ and didn’t allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now have you done foolishly.…

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 judge between us two.
⁴¹ These twenty years I have been in your house. I served…