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, Apr 9

Psalm 136

¹Give thanks^(A) to the Lord, for he is good.^(B)
His love endures forever.^(C)
²Give thanks^(D) to the God of gods.^(E)
His love endures forever.
³Give thanks^(F) to the Lord of lords:^(G)
His love endures forever.

⁴to him who alone does great wonders,^(H)
His love endures forever.
⁵who by his understanding^(I) made the heavens,^(J)
His love endures forever.
⁶who spread out the earth^(K) upon the waters,^(L)
His love endures forever.
⁷who made the great lights^(M)—
His love endures forever.
⁸the sun to govern^(N) the day,
His love endures forever.
⁹the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.

¹⁰to him who struck down the firstborn^(O) of Egypt
His love endures forever.
¹¹and brought Israel out^(P) from among them
His love endures forever.
¹²with a mighty hand^(Q) and outstretched arm;^(R)
His love endures forever.

¹³to him who divided the Red Sea^[a]^(S) asunder
His love endures forever.
¹⁴and brought Israel through^(T) the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
¹⁵but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;^(U)
His love endures forever.

¹⁶to him who led his people through the wilderness;^(V)
His love endures forever.

¹⁷to him who struck down great kings,^(W)
His love endures forever.
¹⁸and killed mighty kings^(X)—
His love endures forever.
¹⁹Sihon king of the Amorites^(Y)
His love endures forever.
²⁰and Og king of Bashan^(Z)—
His love endures forever.
²¹and gave their land^(AA) as an inheritance,^(AB)
His love endures forever.
²²an inheritance^(AC) to his servant Israel.^(AD)
His love endures forever.

²³He remembered us^(AE) in our low estate
His love endures forever.
²⁴and freed us^(AF) from our enemies.^(AG)
His love endures forever.
²⁵He gives food^(AH) to every creature.
His love endures forever.

²⁶Give thanks^(AI) to the God of heaven.^(AJ)
His love endures forever.^(AK)

Footnotes:

Psalm 136:13 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verse 15

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 118

¹Give thanks to the Lord,^(A) for he is good;^(B)
his love endures forever.^(C)

²Let Israel say:^(D)
“His love endures forever.”^(E)
³Let the house of Aaron say:^(F)
“His love endures forever.”
⁴Let those who fear the Lord^(G) say:
“His love endures forever.”

⁵When hard pressed,^(H) I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.^(I)
⁶The Lord is with me;^(J) I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?^(K)
⁷The Lord is with me; he is my helper.^(L)
I look in triumph on my enemies.^(M)

⁸It is better to take refuge in the Lord^(N)
than to trust in humans.^(O)
⁹It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.^(P)
¹⁰All the nations surrounded me,
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.^(Q)
¹¹They surrounded me^(R) on every side,^(S)
but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹²They swarmed around me like bees,^(T)
but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns;^(U)
in the name of the Lord I cut them down.^(V)
¹³I was pushed back and about to fall,
but the Lord helped me.^(W)
¹⁴The Lord is my strength^(X) and my defense^[a];
he has become my salvation.^(Y)

¹⁵Shouts of joy^(Z) and victory
resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand^(AA) has done mighty things!^(AB)
¹⁶The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷I will not die^(AC) but live,
and will proclaim^(AD) what the Lord has done.
¹⁸The Lord has chastened^(AE) me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.^(AF)
¹⁹Open for me the gates^(AG) of the righteous;
I will enter^(AH) and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰This is the gate of the Lord^(AI)
through which the righteous may enter.^(AJ)
²¹I will give you thanks, for you answered me;^(AK)
you have become my salvation.^(AL)

²²The stone^(AM) the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;^(AN)
²³the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous^(AO) in our eyes.
²⁴The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.^(AP)

²⁵Lord, save us!^(AQ)
Lord, grant us success!

²⁶Blessed is he who comes^(AR) in the name of the Lord.
From the house of the Lord we bless you.^[b]^(AS)
²⁷The Lord is God,^(AT)
and he has made his light shine^(AU) on us.
With boughs in hand,^(AV) join in the festal procession
up^[c] to the horns of the altar.^(AW)

²⁸You are my God, and I will praise you;
you are my God,^(AX) and I will exalt^(AY) you.

²⁹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Footnotes:

Psalm 118:14 Or song
Psalm 118:26 The Hebrew is plural.
Psalm 118:27 Or Bind the festal sacrifice with ropes / and take it

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Exodus 13:1-2

Consecration of the Firstborn

13 The Lord said to Moses, ²“Consecrate to me every firstborn male.^(A) The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

Cross references:

Exodus 13:2 : ver 12, 13, 15; Ex 22:29; 34:20; Lev 27:26; Nu 3:13; 8:17; 18:15; Dt 15:19; Ne 10:36; Lk 2:23*

New International Version (NIV)

Exodus 13:11-16

¹¹“After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites^(A) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath^(B) to you and your ancestors,^(C) ¹²you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.^(D) ¹³Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,^(E) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.^(F) Redeem^(G) every firstborn among your sons.^(H)

¹⁴“In days to come, when your son^(I) asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^(J) ¹⁵When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’^(K) ¹⁶And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead^(L) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

New International Version (NIV)

1 Corinthians 15:51-58

⁵¹Listen, I tell you a mystery:^(A) We will not all sleep,^(B) but we will all be changed^(C)— ⁵²in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,^(D) the dead^(E) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³For the perishable^(F) must clothe itself with the imperishable,^(G) and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”^[a]^(H)

⁵⁵“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”^[b]^(I)

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin,^(J) and the power of sin is the law.^(K) ⁵⁷But thanks be to God!^(L) He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.^(M)

⁵⁸Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,^(N) because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.^(O)

Footnotes:

1 Corinthians 15:54 Isaiah 25:8
1 Corinthians 15:55 Hosea 13:14

New International Version (NIV)

Luke 24:1-12

Jesus Has Risen^(A)

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared^(B) and went to the tomb. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.^(C) ⁴While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning^(D) stood beside them. ⁵In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:^(E) ⁷‘The Son of Man^(F) must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”^(G) ⁸Then they remembered his words.^(H)

⁹When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them^(I) who told this to the apostles.^(J) ¹¹But they did not believe^(K) the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ¹²Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves,^(L) and he went away,^(M) wondering to himself what had happened.

Cross references:

Luke 24:1 : 24:1-10pp — Mt 28:1-8; Mk 16:1-8; Jn 20:1-8
Luke 24:1 : Lk 23:56
Luke 24:3 : ver 23, 24
Luke 24:4 : S Jn 20:12
Luke 24:6 : Mt 17:22, 23; Lk 9:22; 24:44
Luke 24:7 : S Mt 8:20
Luke 24:7 : S Mt 16:21
Luke 24:8 : Jn 2:22
Luke 24:10 : Lk 8:1-3
Luke 24:10 : S Mk 6:30
Luke 24:11 : Mk 16:11
Luke 24:12 : Jn 20:3-7
Luke 24:12 : Jn 20:10

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 4/5/2026

DAILY READINGS: April 5 - 12

SUNDAY: Morning: Psalm 148, 149, 150; Evening: Psalm 113, 114, *or* 118; Exodus 12:1-14[**] *or* Isaiah 51:9-11[***]; ; John 1:1-18[**] *or* Luke 24:13-35[***], *or* John 20:19-23[***]

MONDAY: Morning: Psalm 93, 98; Evening: Psalm 66; Jonah 2:1-9; Acts 2:14,22-32[*]; John 14:1-14

TUESDAY : Morning: Psalm 103; Evening: Psalm 111, 114; Isaiah 30:18-21; Acts 2:26-41(42-47)[*]; John 14:15-31

WEDNESDAY : Morning: Psalm 97, 99; Evening: Psalm 115; Micah 7:7-15; Acts 3:1-10[*]; John 15:1-11

THURSDAY: Morning: Psalm 146, 147; Evening: Psalm 148, 149; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Acts 3:11-26[*]; John 15:12-27

FRIDAY: Morning: Psalm 136; Evening: Psalm 118; Daniel 12:1-4,13; Acts 4:1-12[*]; John 16:1-15

SATURDAY: Morning: Psalm 145; Evening: Psalm 104; Isaiah 25:1-9; Acts 4:13-31[*]; John 16:16-33

SUNDAY: Morning: Psalm 146, 147; Evening: Psalm 111, 112, 113; Isaiah 43:8-13; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-7

FOR THE WEEK: Jeremiah 31:1-6; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18; Luke 19

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, Apr 9

Psalm 136

Psalm 136

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 118

Psalm 118

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Exodus 13:1-2

Consecration of the Firstborn

Cross references:

Exodus 13:11-16

Cross references:

1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Luke 24:1-12

Jesus Has Risen(A)

Cross references:

Jesus Has Risen^(A)