Today's Scripture & Prayer

Daily Bible Reading & Praying with the Church

The congregation of Countryside is encouraged to not only read ahead in the texts we will be sharing and studying together during our services, but also to personally read the Scriptures together as a congregation. Here you will find Scripture for the day (a Psalm for each morning (always at least the first Psalm) and night, and selections from the Old Testament, New Testament and Gospels), as well as weekly and daily prayers. Together we read through the New Testament once a year, and the Old Testament every two years. The Scripture selections, and the prayers, are from common sources used by most Christians throughout the world.

The historic church found expression in the same rhythms of worship and devotion that were evident in the early church, and among the Hebrews, God's people, before that. Our hope is that the regular reminder will be of encouragement to us all to join the people of God in reading the Scriptures and praying. Both are meant to go together with our daily prayer and communion service.

Reading for Thu, Jul 9

Psalm 18

Psalm 18^[a]^(A)

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

¹I love you, Lord, my strength.^(B)

²The Lord is my rock,^(C) my fortress^(D) and my deliverer;^(E)
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,^(F)
my shield^[b]^(G) and the horn^[c] of my salvation,^(H) my stronghold.

³I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,^(I)
and I have been saved from my enemies.^(J)
⁴The cords of death^(K) entangled me;
the torrents^(L) of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁵The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death^(M) confronted me.

⁶In my distress^(N) I called to the Lord;^(O)
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;^(P)
my cry came^(Q) before him, into his ears.
⁷The earth trembled^(R) and quaked,^(S)
and the foundations of the mountains shook;^(T)
they trembled because he was angry.^(U)
⁸Smoke rose from his nostrils;^(V)
consuming fire^(W) came from his mouth,
burning coals^(X) blazed out of it.
⁹He parted the heavens and came down;^(Y)
dark clouds^(Z) were under his feet.
¹⁰He mounted the cherubim^(AA) and flew;
he soared^(AB) on the wings of the wind.^(AC)
¹¹He made darkness his covering,^(AD) his canopy^(AE) around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹²Out of the brightness of his presence^(AF) clouds advanced,
with hailstones^(AG) and bolts of lightning.^(AH)
¹³The Lord thundered^(AI) from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.^[d]
¹⁴He shot his arrows^(AJ) and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning^(AK) he routed them.^(AL)
¹⁵The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations^(AM) of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke,^(AN) Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.^(AO)

¹⁶He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.^(AP)
¹⁷He rescued me from my powerful enemy,^(AQ)
from my foes, who were too strong for me.^(AR)
¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my disaster,^(AS)
but the Lord was my support.^(AT)
¹⁹He brought me out into a spacious place;^(AU)
he rescued me because he delighted in me.^(AV)

²⁰The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;^(AW)
according to the cleanness of my hands^(AX) he has rewarded me.^(AY)
²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord;^(AZ)
I am not guilty of turning^(BA) from my God.
²²All his laws are before me;^(BB)
I have not turned away from his decrees.
²³I have been blameless^(BC) before him
and have kept myself from sin.
²⁴The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,^(BD)
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵To the faithful^(BE) you show yourself faithful,^(BF)
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁶to the pure^(BG) you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.^(BH)
²⁷You save the humble^(BI)
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.^(BJ)
²⁸You, Lord, keep my lamp^(BK) burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.^(BL)
²⁹With your help^(BM) I can advance against a troop^[e];
with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect:^(BN)
The Lord’s word is flawless;^(BO)
he shields^(BP) all who take refuge^(BQ) in him.
³¹For who is God besides the Lord?^(BR)
And who is the Rock^(BS) except our God?
³²It is God who arms me with strength^(BT)
and keeps my way secure.^(BU)
³³He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;^(BV)
he causes me to stand on the heights.^(BW)
³⁴He trains my hands for battle;^(BX)
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains^(BY) me;
your help has made me great.
³⁶You provide a broad path^(BZ) for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.^(CA)

³⁷I pursued my enemies^(CB) and overtook them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁸I crushed them^(CC) so that they could not rise;^(CD)
they fell beneath my feet.^(CE)
³⁹You armed me with strength^(CF) for battle;
you humbled my adversaries^(CG) before me.
⁴⁰You made my enemies turn their backs^(CH) in flight,
and I destroyed^(CI) my foes.
⁴¹They cried for help, but there was no one to save them^(CJ)—
to the Lord, but he did not answer.^(CK)
⁴²I beat them as fine as windblown dust;^(CL)
I trampled them^[f] like mud in the streets.
⁴³You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.^(CM)
People I did not know^(CN) now serve me,
⁴⁴foreigners^(CO) cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
⁴⁵They all lose heart;^(CP)
they come trembling^(CQ) from their strongholds.^(CR)

⁴⁶The Lord lives!^(CS) Praise be to my Rock!^(CT)
Exalted be God^(CU) my Savior!^(CV)
⁴⁷He is the God who avenges^(CW) me,
who subdues nations^(CX) under me,
⁴⁸who saves^(CY) me from my enemies.^(CZ)
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man^(DA) you rescued me.
⁴⁹Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;^(DB)
I will sing^(DC) the praises of your name.^(DD)

⁵⁰He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing love to his anointed,^(DE)
to David^(DF) and to his descendants forever.^(DG)

Footnotes:

Psalm 18:1 In Hebrew texts 18:1-50 is numbered 18:2-51.
Psalm 18:2 Or sovereign
Psalm 18:2 Horn here symbolizes strength.
Psalm 18:13 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 2 Samuel 22:14); most Hebrew manuscripts resounded, / amid hailstones and bolts of lightning
Psalm 18:29 Or can run through a barricade
Psalm 18:42 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Targum (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); Masoretic Text I poured them out

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Deuteronomy 3:18-28

¹⁸I commanded you at that time: “The Lord your God has given^(A) you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of the other Israelites.^(B) ¹⁹However, your wives,^(C) your children and your livestock^(D) (I know you have much livestock) may stay in the towns I have given you, ²⁰until the Lord gives rest to your fellow Israelites as he has to you, and they too have taken over the land that the Lord your God is giving them across the Jordan. After that, each of you may go back to the possession I have given you.”

Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan

²¹At that time I commanded Joshua: “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. The Lord will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. ²²Do not be afraid^(E) of them;^(F) the Lord your God himself will fight^(G) for you.”

²³At that time I pleaded^(H) with the Lord: ²⁴“Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness^(I) and your strong hand. For what god^(J) is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works^(K) you do?^(L) ²⁵Let me go over and see the good land^(M) beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.^(N)”

²⁶But because of you the Lord was angry^(O) with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. ²⁷Go up to the top of Pisgah^(P) and look west and north and south and east.^(Q) Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross^(R) this Jordan.^(S) ²⁸But commission^(T) Joshua, and encourage^(U) and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across^(V) and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.”

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Romans 9:19-33

¹⁹One of you will say to me:^(A) “Then why does God still blame us?^(B) For who is able to resist his will?”^(C) ²⁰But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?^(D) “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,^(E) ‘Why did you make me like this?’”^[a]^(F) ²¹Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?^(G)

²²What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience^(H) the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?^(I) ²³What if he did this to make the riches of his glory^(J) known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory^(K)— ²⁴even us, whom he also called,^(L) not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?^(M) ²⁵As he says in Hosea:

“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”^[b]^(N)

²⁶and,

“In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”^[c]^(O)

²⁷Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,^(P)
only the remnant will be saved.^(Q)
²⁸For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”^[d]^(R)

²⁹It is just as Isaiah said previously:

“Unless the Lord Almighty^(S)
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.”^[e]^(T)

Israel’s Unbelief

³⁰What then shall we say?^(U) That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;^(V) ³¹but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness,^(W) have not attained their goal.^(X) ³²Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.^(Y) ³³As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^[f]^(Z)

Footnotes:

Romans 9:20 Isaiah 29:16; 45:9
Romans 9:25 Hosea 2:23
Romans 9:26 Hosea 1:10
Romans 9:28 Isaiah 10:22,23 (see Septuagint)
Romans 9:29 Isaiah 1:9
Romans 9:33 Isaiah 8:14; 28:16

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Matthew 24:1-14

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times^(A)

24 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. ²“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another;^(B) every one will be thrown down.”

³As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives,^(C) the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming^(D) and of the end of the age?”^(E)

⁴Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.^(F) ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.^(G) ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.^(H) There will be famines^(I) and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains.

⁹“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted^(J) and put to death,^(K) and you will be hated by all nations because of me.^(L) ¹⁰At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹and many false prophets^(M) will appear and deceive many people.^(N) ¹²Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.^(O) ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom^(P) will be preached in the whole world^(Q) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

New International Version (NIV)

For Today's Prayers click here

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art 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 forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Greatest Commandment

"‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.” [Mark 12:29-31]

Daily Scripture 7/5/2026

DAILY READINGS: July 5 - 12

SUNDAY: Morning: Psalm 146, 147; Evening: Psalm 111, 112, 113; 1 Samuel 14:36-45; Romans 5:1-11; Matthew 22:1-14

MONDAY: Morning: Psalm 1, 2, 3; Evening: Psalm 4, 7; 1 Samuel 15:1-3,7-23; Acts 9:19-31; Luke 23:44-56

TUESDAY : Morning: Psalm 5, 6; Evening: Psalm 10, 11; 1 Samuel 15:24-35; Acts 9:32-43; Luke 23:56-24:11

WEDNESDAY : Morning: Psalm 119:1-24; Evening: Psalm 12, 13, 14; 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Acts 10:1-16; Luke 24:12-35

THURSDAY: Morning: Psalm 18:1-20; Evening: Psalm 18:21-50; 1 Samuel 16:14-17:11; Acts 10:17-33; Luke 24:36-53

FRIDAY: Morning: Psalm 16, 17; Evening: Psalm 22; 1 Samuel 17:17-30; Acts 10:34-48; Mark 1:1-13

SATURDAY: Morning: Psalm 20, 21:1-14; Evening: Psalm 110:1-7, 116, 117; 1 Samuel 17:31-49; Acts 11:1-18; Mark 1:14-28

SUNDAY: Morning: Psalm 148, 149, 150; Evening: Psalm 114, 115; 1 Samuel 17:50-18:4; Romans 10:4-17; Matthew 23:29-39

FOR THE WEEK: Psalm 45:10-17; Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67; Romans 7:15-25; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Today's Scripture & Prayer

Daily Bible Reading & Praying with the Church

Today's Scripture & Prayer

Daily Bible Reading & Praying with the Church

Reading for Thu, Jul 9

Psalm 18

Psalm 18[a](A)

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Deuteronomy 3:18-28

Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan

Cross references:

Romans 9:19-33

Israel’s Unbelief

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Matthew 24:1-14

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times(A)

Cross references:

Psalm 18^[a]^(A)

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times^(A)