Saturday, March 22, 2025

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

New City Catechism

Question 12: What Does God Require in the Ninth and Tenth Commandments?

Answer: Ninth, that we do not lie or deceive, but speak the truth in love. Tenth, that we are content, not envying anyone or resenting what God has given them or us.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Monday, March 10, 2025

Read

Psalm 69, Isaiah 49:8-13, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (NLT)

Psalm 69
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God,
    for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
    I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
    and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    waiting for my God to help me.
Those who hate me without cause
    outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
    demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

O God, you know how foolish I am;
    my sins cannot be hidden from you.
Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
    O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
    O God of Israel.
For I endure insults for your sake;
    humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
    they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me,
    and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
    they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
    they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
    and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord,
    hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
    answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mud;
    don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
    and pull me from these deep waters.
Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
    or the deep waters swallow me,
    or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord,
    for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
    for your mercy is so plentiful.
Don’t hide from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
Come and redeem me;
    free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
    You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
    and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
    if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
    they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
    and their prosperity become a trap.
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and make their bodies shake continually.
Pour out your fury on them;
    consume them with your burning anger.
Let their homes become desolate
    and their tents be deserted.
To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
    they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
Pile their sins up high,
    and don’t let them go free.
Erase their names from the Book of Life;
    don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain.
    Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
    and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
    more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
    he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth,
    the seas and all that move in them.
For God will save Jerusalem
    and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    and settle in their own land.
The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
    and those who love him will live there in safety.

---

Isaiah 49:8-13
This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
    On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
    as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
    and assign it to its own people again.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
    and on hills that were previously bare.
They will neither hunger nor thirst.
    The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
    he will lead them beside cool waters.
And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
    The highways will be raised above the valleys.
See, my people will return from far away,
    from lands to the north and west,
    and from as far south as Egypt.”

Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

---

2 Corinthians 6:1-10
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
Operation: “No More Tears!” (p.144)

Meditate

The LORD will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ (Isaiah 49:9)

Pray

Heavenly Father, You are my Rock and my Defender. Forgive me for placing my hope in my own strength and not in Your grace. I am surrounded by the world, harassed by the Enemy, and tempted by my flesh. In the midst of my struggles, raise up the banner of Christ before my eyes and remind me of Your promises. In him, I will be victorious. As I await the day of final victory, enable me by Your Spirit to live in the freedom I have in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

New City Catechism

Question 10: What Does God Require in the Fourth and Fifth Commandments?

Answer: Fourth, that on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath. Fifth, that we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline and direction.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

New City Catechism

Question 34: Since We Are Redeemed by Grace Alone, Through Christ Alone, Must We Still Do Good Works and Obey God’s Word?

Answer: Yes, because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, also renews us by his Spirit; so that our lives may show love and gratitude to God; so that we may be assured of our faith by the fruits; and so that by our godly behavior others may be won to Christ.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Saturday, August 10, 2024

Read

Psalm 69, Isaiah 49:8-13, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (NLT)

Psalm 69
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God,
    for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
    I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
    and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    waiting for my God to help me.
Those who hate me without cause
    outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
    demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

O God, you know how foolish I am;
    my sins cannot be hidden from you.
Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
    O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
    O God of Israel.
For I endure insults for your sake;
    humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
    they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me,
    and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
    they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
    they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
    and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord,
    hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
    answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mud;
    don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
    and pull me from these deep waters.
Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
    or the deep waters swallow me,
    or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord,
    for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
    for your mercy is so plentiful.
Don’t hide from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
Come and redeem me;
    free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
    You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
    and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
    if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
    they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
    and their prosperity become a trap.
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and make their bodies shake continually.
Pour out your fury on them;
    consume them with your burning anger.
Let their homes become desolate
    and their tents be deserted.
To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
    they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
Pile their sins up high,
    and don’t let them go free.
Erase their names from the Book of Life;
    don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain.
    Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
    and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
    more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
    he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth,
    the seas and all that move in them.
For God will save Jerusalem
    and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    and settle in their own land.
The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
    and those who love him will live there in safety.

---

Isaiah 49:8-13
This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
    On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
    as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
    and assign it to its own people again.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
    and on hills that were previously bare.
They will neither hunger nor thirst.
    The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
    he will lead them beside cool waters.
And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
    The highways will be raised above the valleys.
See, my people will return from far away,
    from lands to the north and west,
    and from as far south as Egypt.”

Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

---

2 Corinthians 6:1-10
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
Operation: “No More Tears!” (p.144)

Meditate

The LORD will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ (Isaiah 49:9)

Pray

Heavenly Father, You are my Rock and my Defender. Forgive me for placing my hope in my own strength and not in Your grace. I am surrounded by the world, harassed by the Enemy, and tempted by my flesh. In the midst of my struggles, raise up the banner of Christ before my eyes and remind me of Your promises. In him, I will be victorious. As I await the day of final victory, enable me by Your Spirit to live in the freedom I have in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

New City Catechism

Question 32: What Do Justification and Sanctification Mean?

Answer: Justification means our declared righteousness before God, made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Sanctification means our gradual, growing righteousness, made possible by the Spirit’s work in us.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

New City Catechism

Question 12: What Does God Require in the Ninth and Tenth Commandments?

Answer: Ninth, that we do not lie or deceive, but speak the truth in love. Tenth, that we are content, not envying anyone or resenting what God has given them or us.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Read

Psalm 69, Isaiah 49:8-13, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (NLT)

Psalm 69
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God,
    for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
    I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
    and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    waiting for my God to help me.
Those who hate me without cause
    outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
    demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

O God, you know how foolish I am;
    my sins cannot be hidden from you.
Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
    O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
    O God of Israel.
For I endure insults for your sake;
    humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
    they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me,
    and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
    they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
    they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
    and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord,
    hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
    answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mud;
    don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
    and pull me from these deep waters.
Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
    or the deep waters swallow me,
    or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord,
    for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
    for your mercy is so plentiful.
Don’t hide from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
Come and redeem me;
    free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
    You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
    and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
    if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
    they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
    and their prosperity become a trap.
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and make their bodies shake continually.
Pour out your fury on them;
    consume them with your burning anger.
Let their homes become desolate
    and their tents be deserted.
To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
    they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
Pile their sins up high,
    and don’t let them go free.
Erase their names from the Book of Life;
    don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain.
    Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
    and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
    more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
    he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth,
    the seas and all that move in them.
For God will save Jerusalem
    and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    and settle in their own land.
The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
    and those who love him will live there in safety.

---

Isaiah 49:8-13
This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
    On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
    as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
    and assign it to its own people again.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
    and on hills that were previously bare.
They will neither hunger nor thirst.
    The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
    he will lead them beside cool waters.
And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
    The highways will be raised above the valleys.
See, my people will return from far away,
    from lands to the north and west,
    and from as far south as Egypt.”

Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

---

2 Corinthians 6:1-10
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
Operation: “No More Tears!” (p.144)

Meditate

The LORD will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ (Isaiah 49:9)

Pray

Heavenly Father, You are my Rock and my Defender. Forgive me for placing my hope in my own strength and not in Your grace. I am surrounded by the world, harassed by the Enemy, and tempted by my flesh. In the midst of my struggles, raise up the banner of Christ before my eyes and remind me of Your promises. In him, I will be victorious. As I await the day of final victory, enable me by Your Spirit to live in the freedom I have in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

New City Catechism

Question 10: What Does God Require in the Fourth and Fifth Commandments?

Answer: Fourth, that on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath. Fifth, that we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline and direction.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

New City Catechism

Question 34: Since We Are Redeemed by Grace Alone, Through Christ Alone, Must We Still Do Good Works and Obey God’s Word?

Answer: Yes, because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, also renews us by his Spirit; so that our lives may show love and gratitude to God; so that we may be assured of our faith by the fruits; and so that by our godly behavior others may be won to Christ.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Friday, August 11, 2023

Read

Psalm 69, Isaiah 49:8-13, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (NLT)

Psalm 69
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God,
    for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
    I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
    and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    waiting for my God to help me.
Those who hate me without cause
    outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
    demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

O God, you know how foolish I am;
    my sins cannot be hidden from you.
Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
    O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
    O God of Israel.
For I endure insults for your sake;
    humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
    they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me,
    and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
    they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
    they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
    and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord,
    hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
    answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mud;
    don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
    and pull me from these deep waters.
Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
    or the deep waters swallow me,
    or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord,
    for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
    for your mercy is so plentiful.
Don’t hide from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
Come and redeem me;
    free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
    You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
    and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
    if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
    they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
    and their prosperity become a trap.
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and make their bodies shake continually.
Pour out your fury on them;
    consume them with your burning anger.
Let their homes become desolate
    and their tents be deserted.
To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
    they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
Pile their sins up high,
    and don’t let them go free.
Erase their names from the Book of Life;
    don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain.
    Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
    and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
    more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
    he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth,
    the seas and all that move in them.
For God will save Jerusalem
    and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    and settle in their own land.
The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
    and those who love him will live there in safety.

---

Isaiah 49:8-13
This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
    On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
    as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
    and assign it to its own people again.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
    and on hills that were previously bare.
They will neither hunger nor thirst.
    The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
    he will lead them beside cool waters.
And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
    The highways will be raised above the valleys.
See, my people will return from far away,
    from lands to the north and west,
    and from as far south as Egypt.”

Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

---

2 Corinthians 6:1-10
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
Operation: “No More Tears!” (p.144)

Meditate

The LORD will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ (Isaiah 49:9)

Pray

Heavenly Father, You are my Rock and my Defender. Forgive me for placing my hope in my own strength and not in Your grace. I am surrounded by the world, harassed by the Enemy, and tempted by my flesh. In the midst of my struggles, raise up the banner of Christ before my eyes and remind me of Your promises. In him, I will be victorious. As I await the day of final victory, enable me by Your Spirit to live in the freedom I have in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

New City Catechism

Question 32: What Do Justification and Sanctification Mean?

Answer: Justification means our declared righteousness before God, made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Sanctification means our gradual, growing righteousness, made possible by the Spirit’s work in us.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

New City Catechism

Question 12: What Does God Require in the Ninth and Tenth Commandments?

Answer: Ninth, that we do not lie or deceive, but speak the truth in love. Tenth, that we are content, not envying anyone or resenting what God has given them or us.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

New City Catechism

Question 11: What Does God Require in the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Commandments?

Answer: Sixth, that we do not hurt, or hate, or be hostile to our neighbor, but be patient and peaceful, pursuing even our enemies with love. Seventh, that we abstain from sexual immorality and live purely and faithfully, whether in marriage or in single life, avoiding all impure actions, looks, words, thoughts, or desires, and whatever might lead to them. Eighth, that we do not take without permission that which belongs to someone else, nor withhold any good from someone we might benefit.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Friday, March 10, 2023

Read

Psalm 69, Isaiah 49:8-13, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (NLT)

Psalm 69
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God,
    for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
    I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
    and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    waiting for my God to help me.
Those who hate me without cause
    outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
    demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

O God, you know how foolish I am;
    my sins cannot be hidden from you.
Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
    O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
    O God of Israel.
For I endure insults for your sake;
    humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
    they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me,
    and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
    they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
    they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
    and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord,
    hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
    answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mud;
    don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
    and pull me from these deep waters.
Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
    or the deep waters swallow me,
    or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord,
    for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
    for your mercy is so plentiful.
Don’t hide from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
Come and redeem me;
    free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
    You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
    and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
    if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
    they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
    and their prosperity become a trap.
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and make their bodies shake continually.
Pour out your fury on them;
    consume them with your burning anger.
Let their homes become desolate
    and their tents be deserted.
To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
    they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
Pile their sins up high,
    and don’t let them go free.
Erase their names from the Book of Life;
    don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain.
    Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
    and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
    more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
    he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth,
    the seas and all that move in them.
For God will save Jerusalem
    and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    and settle in their own land.
The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
    and those who love him will live there in safety.

---

Isaiah 49:8-13
This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
    On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
    as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
    and assign it to its own people again.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
    and on hills that were previously bare.
They will neither hunger nor thirst.
    The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
    he will lead them beside cool waters.
And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
    The highways will be raised above the valleys.
See, my people will return from far away,
    from lands to the north and west,
    and from as far south as Egypt.”

Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

---

2 Corinthians 6:1-10
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
Operation: “No More Tears!” (p.144)

Meditate

The LORD will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ (Isaiah 49:9)

Pray

Heavenly Father, You are my Rock and my Defender. Forgive me for placing my hope in my own strength and not in Your grace. I am surrounded by the world, harassed by the Enemy, and tempted by my flesh. In the midst of my struggles, raise up the banner of Christ before my eyes and remind me of Your promises. In him, I will be victorious. As I await the day of final victory, enable me by Your Spirit to live in the freedom I have in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

New City Catechism

Question 10: What Does God Require in the Fourth and Fifth Commandments?

Answer: Fourth, that on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath. Fifth, that we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline and direction.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

New City Catechism

Question 47: Does the Lord’s Supper add anything to Christ’s atoning work?

Answer: No, Christ died once for all. The Lord’s Supper is a covenant meal celebrating Christ’s atoning work; as it is also a means of strengthening our faith as we look to him, and a foretaste of the future feast. But those who take part with unrepentant hearts eat and drink judgment on themselves.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Saturday, December 17, 2022

Read

Psalm 69, Isaiah 49:8-13, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (NLT)

Psalm 69
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God,
    for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
    I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
    and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    waiting for my God to help me.
Those who hate me without cause
    outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
    demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

O God, you know how foolish I am;
    my sins cannot be hidden from you.
Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
    O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
    O God of Israel.
For I endure insults for your sake;
    humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
    they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me,
    and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
    they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
    they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
    and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord,
    hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
    answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mud;
    don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
    and pull me from these deep waters.
Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
    or the deep waters swallow me,
    or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord,
    for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
    for your mercy is so plentiful.
Don’t hide from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
Come and redeem me;
    free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
    You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
    and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
    if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
    they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
    and their prosperity become a trap.
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and make their bodies shake continually.
Pour out your fury on them;
    consume them with your burning anger.
Let their homes become desolate
    and their tents be deserted.
To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
    they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
Pile their sins up high,
    and don’t let them go free.
Erase their names from the Book of Life;
    don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain.
    Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
    and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
    more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
    he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth,
    the seas and all that move in them.
For God will save Jerusalem
    and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    and settle in their own land.
The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
    and those who love him will live there in safety.

---

Isaiah 49:8-13
This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
    On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
    as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
    and assign it to its own people again.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
    and on hills that were previously bare.
They will neither hunger nor thirst.
    The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
    he will lead them beside cool waters.
And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
    The highways will be raised above the valleys.
See, my people will return from far away,
    from lands to the north and west,
    and from as far south as Egypt.”

Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

---

2 Corinthians 6:1-10
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
Operation: “No More Tears!” (p.144)

Meditate

The LORD will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ (Isaiah 49:9)

Pray

Heavenly Father, You are my Rock and my Defender. Forgive me for placing my hope in my own strength and not in Your grace. I am surrounded by the world, harassed by the Enemy, and tempted by my flesh. In the midst of my struggles, raise up the banner of Christ before my eyes and remind me of Your promises. In him, I will be victorious. As I await the day of final victory, enable me by Your Spirit to live in the freedom I have in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

New City Catechism

Question 45: Is baptism with water the washing away of sin itself?

Answer: No, only the blood of Christ and the renewal of the Holy Spirit can cleanse us from sin.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

New City Catechism

Question 25: Does Christ’s death mean all our sins can be forgiven?

Answer: Yes, because Christ’s death on the cross fully paid the penalty for our sin, God graciously imputes Christ’s righteousness to us as if it were our own and will remember our sins no more.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Saturday, July 16, 2022

Read

Psalm 69, Isaiah 49:8-13, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (NLT)

Psalm 69
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God,
    for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
    I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
    and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    waiting for my God to help me.
Those who hate me without cause
    outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
    demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

O God, you know how foolish I am;
    my sins cannot be hidden from you.
Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
    O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
    O God of Israel.
For I endure insults for your sake;
    humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
    they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me,
    and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
    they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
    they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
    and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord,
    hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
    answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mud;
    don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
    and pull me from these deep waters.
Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
    or the deep waters swallow me,
    or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord,
    for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
    for your mercy is so plentiful.
Don’t hide from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
Come and redeem me;
    free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
    You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
    and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
    if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
    they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
    and their prosperity become a trap.
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and make their bodies shake continually.
Pour out your fury on them;
    consume them with your burning anger.
Let their homes become desolate
    and their tents be deserted.
To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
    they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
Pile their sins up high,
    and don’t let them go free.
Erase their names from the Book of Life;
    don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain.
    Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
    and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
    more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
    he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth,
    the seas and all that move in them.
For God will save Jerusalem
    and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    and settle in their own land.
The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
    and those who love him will live there in safety.

---

Isaiah 49:8-13
This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
    On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
    as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
    and assign it to its own people again.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
    and on hills that were previously bare.
They will neither hunger nor thirst.
    The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
    he will lead them beside cool waters.
And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
    The highways will be raised above the valleys.
See, my people will return from far away,
    from lands to the north and west,
    and from as far south as Egypt.”

Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

---

2 Corinthians 6:1-10
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
Operation: “No More Tears!” (p.144)

Meditate

The LORD will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ (Isaiah 49:9)

Pray

Heavenly Father, You are my Rock and my Defender. Forgive me for placing my hope in my own strength and not in Your grace. I am surrounded by the world, harassed by the Enemy, and tempted by my flesh. In the midst of my struggles, raise up the banner of Christ before my eyes and remind me of Your promises. In him, I will be victorious. As I await the day of final victory, enable me by Your Spirit to live in the freedom I have in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

New City Catechism

Question 23: Why must the Redeemer be truly God?

Answer: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective; and also that he would be able to bear the righteous anger of God against sin and yet overcome death.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

New City Catechism

Question 3: How many persons are there in God?

Answer: There are three persons in the one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Read

Psalm 69, Isaiah 49:8-13, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (NLT)

Psalm 69
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God,
    for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
    I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
    and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    waiting for my God to help me.
Those who hate me without cause
    outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
    demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

O God, you know how foolish I am;
    my sins cannot be hidden from you.
Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
    O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
    O God of Israel.
For I endure insults for your sake;
    humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
    they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me,
    and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
    they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
    they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
    and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord,
    hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
    answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mud;
    don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
    and pull me from these deep waters.
Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
    or the deep waters swallow me,
    or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord,
    for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
    for your mercy is so plentiful.
Don’t hide from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
Come and redeem me;
    free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
    You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
    and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
    if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
    they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
    and their prosperity become a trap.
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and make their bodies shake continually.
Pour out your fury on them;
    consume them with your burning anger.
Let their homes become desolate
    and their tents be deserted.
To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
    they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
Pile their sins up high,
    and don’t let them go free.
Erase their names from the Book of Life;
    don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain.
    Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
    and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
    more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
    he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth,
    the seas and all that move in them.
For God will save Jerusalem
    and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    and settle in their own land.
The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
    and those who love him will live there in safety.

---

Isaiah 49:8-13
This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
    On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
    as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
    and assign it to its own people again.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
    and on hills that were previously bare.
They will neither hunger nor thirst.
    The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
    he will lead them beside cool waters.
And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
    The highways will be raised above the valleys.
See, my people will return from far away,
    from lands to the north and west,
    and from as far south as Egypt.”

Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

---

2 Corinthians 6:1-10
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
Operation: “No More Tears!” (p.144)

Meditate

The LORD will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ (Isaiah 49:9)

Pray

Heavenly Father, You are my Rock and my Defender. Forgive me for placing my hope in my own strength and not in Your grace. I am surrounded by the world, harassed by the Enemy, and tempted by my flesh. In the midst of my struggles, raise up the banner of Christ before my eyes and remind me of Your promises. In him, I will be victorious. As I await the day of final victory, enable me by Your Spirit to live in the freedom I have in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

New City Catechism

Question 1: What is our only hope in life and death?

Answer: That we are not our own but belong, body and soul, both in life and death, to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

New City Catechism

Question 33: Should those who have faith in Christ seek their salvation through their own works, or anywhere else?

Answer: No, they should not, as everything necessary to salvation is found in Christ. To seek salvation through good works is a denial that Christ is the only Redeemer and Savior.

---

New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Saturday, September 11, 2021

Read

Psalm 69, Isaiah 49:8-13, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (NLT)

Psalm 69
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God,
    for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire;
    I can’t find a foothold.
I am in deep water,
    and the floods overwhelm me.
I am exhausted from crying for help;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes are swollen with weeping,
    waiting for my God to help me.
Those who hate me without cause
    outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies,
    demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

O God, you know how foolish I am;
    my sins cannot be hidden from you.
Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
    O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
    O God of Israel.
For I endure insults for your sake;
    humiliation is written all over my face.
Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me;
    they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me,
    and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
When I weep and fast,
    they scoff at me.
When I dress in burlap to show sorrow,
    they make fun of me.
I am the favorite topic of town gossip,
    and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord,
    hoping this time you will show me favor.
In your unfailing love, O God,
    answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mud;
    don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
    and pull me from these deep waters.
Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
    or the deep waters swallow me,
    or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord,
    for your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of me,
    for your mercy is so plentiful.
Don’t hide from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
Come and redeem me;
    free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace.
    You see all that my enemies are doing.
Their insults have broken my heart,
    and I am in despair.
If only one person would show some pity;
    if only one would turn and comfort me.
But instead, they give me poison for food;
    they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare
    and their prosperity become a trap.
Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and make their bodies shake continually.
Pour out your fury on them;
    consume them with your burning anger.
Let their homes become desolate
    and their tents be deserted.
To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury;
    they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
Pile their sins up high,
    and don’t let them go free.
Erase their names from the Book of Life;
    don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain.
    Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
    and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle,
    more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
For the Lord hears the cries of the needy;
    he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth,
    the seas and all that move in them.
For God will save Jerusalem
    and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    and settle in their own land.
The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land,
    and those who love him will live there in safety.

---

Isaiah 49:8-13
This is what the Lord says:

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.
    On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
    as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
    and assign it to its own people again.
I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
    and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
    and on hills that were previously bare.
They will neither hunger nor thirst.
    The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
    he will lead them beside cool waters.
And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
    The highways will be raised above the valleys.
See, my people will return from far away,
    from lands to the north and west,
    and from as far south as Egypt.”

Sing for joy, O heavens!
    Rejoice, O earth!
    Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
    and will have compassion on them in their suffering.

---

2 Corinthians 6:1-10
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
Operation: “No More Tears!” (p.144)

Meditate

The LORD will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ (Isaiah 49:9)

Pray

Heavenly Father, You are my Rock and my Defender. Forgive me for placing my hope in my own strength and not in Your grace. I am surrounded by the world, harassed by the Enemy, and tempted by my flesh. In the midst of my struggles, raise up the banner of Christ before my eyes and remind me of Your promises. In him, I will be victorious. As I await the day of final victory, enable me by Your Spirit to live in the freedom I have in Christ. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

New City Catechism

Question 31: What do we believe by true faith?

Answer: Everything taught to us in the gospel. The Apostles’ Creed expresses what we believe in these words: We believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

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New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Read

Psalm 81, Isaiah 35:4-10, Hebrews 3:5-14 (NLT)

Psalm 81
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.

Sing praises to God, our strength.
    Sing to the God of Jacob.
Sing! Beat the tambourine.
    Play the sweet lyre and the harp.
Blow the ram’s horn at new moon,
    and again at full moon to call a festival!
For this is required by the decrees of Israel;
    it is a regulation of the God of Jacob.
He made it a law for Israel
    when he attacked Egypt to set us free.

I heard an unknown voice say,
“Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
    I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
    I answered out of the thundercloud
    and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Interlude

“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
    O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
You must never have a foreign god;
    you must not bow down before a false god.
For it was I, the Lord your God,
    who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

“But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
    Israel did not want me around.
So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
    living according to their own ideas.
Oh, that my people would listen to me!
    Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
    How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
    they would be doomed forever.
But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
    I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

---

Isaiah 35:4-10
Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you.”

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
    and unplug the ears of the deaf.
The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

---

Hebrews 3:5-14
Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

That is why the Holy Spirit says,

“Today when you hear his voice,
    don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
    when they tested me in the wilderness.
There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
    even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘Their hearts always turn away from me.
    They refuse to do what I tell them.’
So in my anger I took an oath:
    ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Jesus Storybook Bible: 
A New Way to See (p.334)

Meditate

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. (Isaiah 35:5)

Pray

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from evil. For Your’s is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Take a moment to pray for others.

Sing

Speak, O Lord

*Copyright laws prohibit us from posting the lyrics here, so please click on the title above!

New City Catechism

Question 11: What does God require in the sixth, seventh, and eighth commandments?

Answer: Sixth, that we do not hurt, or hate, or be hostile to our neighbor, but be patient and peaceful, pursuing even our enemies with love. Seventh, that we abstain from sexual immorality and live purely and faithfully, whether in marriage or in single life, avoiding all impure actions, looks, words, thoughts, or desires, and whatever might lead to them. Eighth, that we do not take without permission that which belongs to someone else, nor withhold any good from someone we might benefit.

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New to Daily Worship?

Here are some helpful guides to get you started:

• Habits of Grace

• Family Worship 101

• New City Catechism