Daily Devotion for January 21, 2026
Prayers
Scripture
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
This video of Allison Krauss singing Down in the River to Pray features some wonderful old photographs of rural baptisms.
Refrain:
As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good old way
And who shall wear the starry crown,
Good Lord, show me the way!
O sisters, [brothers, fathers, mothers, sinners]
let's go down,
Let's go down, come on down;
O sisters, let's go down,
Down in the river to pray.
Music and Lyrics by Philip Anthony Lawson
Prayer of a Nigerian Christian
God in heaven, you have helped my life to grow like a tree. Now something has happened. Satan, like a bird, has carried in one twig of his own choosing after another. Before I knew it he had built a dwelling place and was living in it. Today, My Father, I am throwing out both the bird and the nest.
For Lost Souls
Heavenly Lord Jesus, I pray to you, help all the people on earth who are oblivious to you and your saving grace. I see and hear — I am bombarded with — words and actions that spring from the total darkness of those who do not know you. They blaspheme your name, they scorn your Word, they mock those who confess you.
I know your will be done in all things, mighty God, and it seems that there are those you will abandon to evil; yet even so, it is my prayer that you save them all, or save as many as you might be persuaded to; or even, that you save a single one by my prayer.
I pray that you might have mercy upon the wretched atheists, the misguided who worship a God without Christ, and all the many who are simply confused and adrift. Save them Lord Christ; this I pray to you and in your name,
Closing
Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked will I return. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.
Today’s “Remember the Bible” Question
Recite a verse where Jesus tells us that He is the only path to salvation.
Exodus 20:1-3 (NKJV)
The Ten Commandments - Prologue and First Commandment
nd God spoke all these words, saying:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before [or besides] Me.”
Notes on the Scripture
The word “covenant” is almost identical to the word “contract.” The ten laws spoken by God to the Israelites at Mount Sinai are covenantal; the term “commandments” does not fully express the nature of the relationship they imply, for God’s relationship with the Hebrews was a covenant. He does not impose commandments on the Hebrews; He has not freed them from involuntary servitude in Egypt, only to bring them into involuntary servitude under Himself. They must agree willingly, as we see in Exodus 19.
Most people skim over the first words of today’s Scripture, but they have real significance. When you write a contract, the first thing you do is identify the parties, and that is the first thing God does here: He formally recites who He is, and the “you” is unmistakable, in light of the context. There is nobody in hearing range except those Hebrews who have consented to enter into the covenant.
After identifying the parties, the second thing one must do to form a contract is to state what is called “consideration.” The crux of a covenant is that both parties must give, or promise to give, something of value. “I promise to give you $500” is not a contract and a court will not enforce it, because it is entirely one-sided. It becomes a contract only when the recipient also makes a promise, e.g. to paint the first person’s house.
And thus, the second thing God does is to mention His own side of the bargain. In exchange for the assent of the Hebrews to follow His laws, God has made promises to them. So the phrase, “who brought you out of the land of Egypt” has a specific purpose: to show that God has both the ability and the intention of keeping His promises.
God allows people to live without honoring His laws. The voluntary aspect of the ten commandments is difficult to see in Exodus 20, but becomes unmistakable as one reads through Exodus (and Genesis) as a whole. His offer to the Hebrews stands in contrast to His treatment of the Egyptians, to whom he gave unilateral orders: Let my people go, or I will kill your first-born sons.
Notice that God did not tell the Egyptians “thou shalt not steal” or “keep the Sabbath holy”, etc. Once they cease their enslavement of the Hebrews, He leaves them alone. They are allowed to live in such peace as they may find, worshipping myriad idols. Why does God tell the Hebrews they cannot commit murder, etc., but not the Egyptians? It is because He has chosen the Hebrews, because He loves them in a special way. Why them? Nobody knows. God’s reason for choosing Abram and his kin is, ultimately, not told to us.
What we do know is that mankind has lived in sin, alienated from its Creator, since the time of Adam. For whatever reason, God chose this time to start a long-term project, the reconciliation of humanity to Himself. But it is covenantal, not unilateral: if we accept Christ as our bridegroom, we must say “I do.” If we want to have a relationship with God, we have to make an effort.
