Month: June 2021

Scripture Readings Psalms 18:28Job 17–18I Timothy 5–6Proverbs 11 Verse Focus (Psalms 18:28) You, LORD, keep my lamp burning;     my God turns my darkness into light. Meditation Psalms 18:28 says, in the NIV, “You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” The ESV says, “For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.” The NKJV translates the verse, saying, “For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.” As the Bishops’ Bible of 1568 translates the verse, “Thou also hast lyghtened my candell: God my Lorde…

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Scripture Readings Psalms 17:8Job 15–16I Timothy 3–4Proverbs 10 Verse Focus (Psalms 17:8) Keep me as the apple of your eye;     hide me in the shadow of your wings. Meditation Psalms 17:8 says, “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” What a wonderful prayer and plea! We ask God to keep us cherished and protected. Amen! The “shadow of your wings” is protection — as anyone knows who has observed birds with their young. You might wonder, though, where the phrase “apple of the eye” comes from — or even what it means,…

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Scripture Readings Psalms 16:8Job 13–14I Timothy 1–2Proverbs 9 Verse Focus (Psalms 16:8) I keep my eyes always on the LORD.     With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Meditation Psalms 16:8 says, in the NIV of 1984, “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” The 2021 version of the NIV says, “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” They say the same thing, albeit with slightly different phrasing. But I much prefer the…

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Scripture Readings Psalms 16:5–6Job 11–12John 21Proverbs 8 Verse Focus (Psalms 16:5–6) 5 LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;     you make my lot secure.6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;     surely I have a delightful inheritance. Meditation We are used to thinking of things like the Bible and dictionaries as unchanging. But dictionaries add words over time. And as language expands, and scholarship develops, Bible translations also alter to express the new understanding. Psalms 16:5-6 have long been favorite verses of mine. In the NIV of 1984, the verses read, “LORD, you have assigned me my portion…

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Scripture Readings Psalms 13:5–6Job 9–10John 20Proverbs 7 Verse Focus (Psalms 13:5–6) 5But I trust in your unfailing love;     my heart rejoices in your salvation.6I will sing the LORD’s praise,     for he has been good to me. Meditation Psalms 13:5-6 says, in the NIV, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.” Beautiful words! Even more beautiful, when you consider the context of the psalm. David resolves to trust God even though his present circumstances make him feel like he has been forgotten. Sometimes it’s…

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Scripture Readings Psalms 12:6Job 7–8John 19Proverbs 6 Verse Focus (Psalms 12:6) And the words of the LORD are flawless,     like silver purified in a crucible,     like gold refined seven times. Meditation Today’s verse focus has different nuances, depending on the translation you read. In the NIV, Psalms 12:6 says, “And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.” Rather than “flawless,” the CSB and many translations use the word “pure,” saying, “The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.” Then there are…

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Scripture Readings Psalms 10:14Job 5–6John 18Proverbs 5 Verse Focus (Psalms 10:14) But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted;     you consider their grief and take it in hand.The victims commit themselves to you;     you are the helper of the fatherless. Meditation The NIV translates Psalms 10:14, saying, “But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.” I particularly love the last phrase — God is the helper of the fatherless. It has always been a phrase that resonates with…

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Scripture Readings Psalms 9:1–2Job 3–4John 17Proverbs 4 Verse Focus (Psalms 9:1–2) 1I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart;     I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.2I will be glad and rejoice in you;     I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Meditation Today’s verse focus speaks of thanking and praising God. Psalms 9:1-2 says, “I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” These verses have…

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Scripture Readings Psalms 8:3–4Job 1–2John 16Proverbs 3 Verse Focus (Psalms 8:3–4) 3When I consider your heavens,      the work of your fingers,      the moon and the stars,      which you have set in place,4what is man that you are mindful of him,      the son of man that you care for him? Meditation There are times when we can feel dwarfed by the magnificence of creation. When we are outside at night, far from city lights and under an enormous sky filled with stars, we can be almost overwhelmed at how deep the sky is, and how vast our universe is. Or perhaps…

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Scripture Readings Psalms 5:12Amos 8–9John 15Proverbs 2 Verse Focus (Psalms 5:12) Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;     you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Meditation Our verse focus today is from Psalms 5:12. “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” Again, what a comfort this verse is! To know the certainty of God’s goodness. To know that He rewards the righteous. To know that God protects us and surrounds us with favor. Hallelujah! This verse teaches us that God is faithful. “Surely.” Certainly. Unfailingly. God blesses those that trust…

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