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MEDITATION:

Written by Christine Caine, a contemporary Australian activist, evangelist, author, and speaker.

For more than twelve years, I had been wounded by abuse. All that pain made me seal away a part of my heart and soul in what I thought was a safe, protected place. I desperately craved close relationships but feared them too—because I never wanted to be hurt again. Maybe you’ve been there too. An overbearing boss crushes your spirit. An unfaithful spouse betrays your trust. Cruel friends trample your heart with spiteful words. Insensitive parents strip your confidence. Unthinking teachers call you stupid and tell you that you will never amount to anything, squashing your self-worth. Rebellious children stomp all over you. Abusers try to take your soul. Whatever the source of the attack on your body, soul, and spirit, the hurt stings and the damage goes deep. And of course, you remember the exact moment of the damage—how the earth seemed to stop spinning, how the world came to a halt. You can’t forget the sights, smells, a song playing, what you wore, who else was there. These things freeze in memory, and a part of you freezes with them, forever stuck in that place, unable to move on. You may have been delivered from your situation, but you still aren’t free. That was true for me. Though I was no longer in bondage to my abusers, I had shuttered my heart. I didn’t trust anyone, not even God. I kept him at a distance by giving him my time, but not all of myself. I didn’t trust him to take care of me. Nor could I forgive the men who hurt me, not even myself for being abused. Worse, I realized that I hadn’t forgiven God. Where was he, after all, when I was a helpless child and those men laid hands on me? How could I compel others to love God with their whole hearts when I kept a part of my own from him? Although I was shocked by this revelation, God was not. Since he knows everything, he knew that if I were to be truly free, I needed to deal with my wounds. He was able to heal me—but I had to choose that healing. I had to accept that I needed help. I had to reach up to God and out to others as part of the healing exercise of a whole heart.

PRAYER:

Written by Debbie McDaniel, a contemporary Christian writer.

 You remind us over and over in your Word that you are always with us. You tell us not to fear and you draw us close into your Presence. You’re the only place we find refuge in the storms that surround us right now Lord. You’re the only place we can find peace and strength. So we ask you for your words of truth and power to strengthen us in our inner being and life our hearts to you. Thank you for your goodness, thank you that you know the way we take and you have a plan. We look to you today our Lord and Savior, it’s your face we seek.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Paul Estabrooks, a contemporary writer and speaker who focuses on persecuted Christians. This is an excerpt from his book “Standing Strong Through the Storm.”

Romanian pastor, Dr. Paul Negrut, was visiting an old friend in Romania named Trian Dors in his humble home. As Paul entered, he realized that Trian was bleeding from open wounds. He asked, “What happened?” Trian replied, “The secret police just left my home. They came and confiscated my manuscripts. Then they beat me.” Pastor Paul says, “I began to complain about the heavy tactics of the secret police. But Trian stopped me saying, ‘Brother Paul, it is so sweet to suffer for Jesus. God didn’t bring us together tonight to complain but to praise him. Let’s kneel down and pray.” “He knelt and began praying for the secret police. He asked God to bless them and save them. He told God how much he loved them. He said, ‘God, if they will come back in the next few days, I pray that you will prepare me to minister to them.’” Paul continued, “By this time I was ashamed. I thought I had been living the most difficult life in Romania for the Lord. And I was bitter about that.” Trian Dors then shared with Paul how the secret police had been coming to his home regularly for several years. They beat him twice every week. They confiscated all his papers. After the beating, he would talk to the officer in charge. Trian would look into his eyes and say, “Mister, I love you. And I want you to know that if our next meeting is before the judgment throne of God, you will not go to hell because I hate you but because you rejected love.” Trian would repeat these words after every beating. Years later that officer came alone to his home one night. Trian prepared himself for another beating. But the officer spoke kindly and said, “Mr. Dors, the next time we meet will be before the judgment throne of God. I came tonight to apologize for what I did to you and to tell you that your love moved my heart. I have asked Christ to save me. But two days ago the doctor discovered that I have a very severe case of cancer and I have only a few weeks to live before I go to be with God. I came tonight to tell you that we will be together on the other side.”

PRAYER:

Written by Geevetha Mary Samuel, a contemporary Christian author.

I come to You in prayer, asking You to teach me. Guide my heart to love my enemies, even the ones who have hurt and harmed me. Though my wounds could be deep, help me forgive. May I remember the many times I have sinned against others and how I would seek forgiveness. Because You have always graciously forgiven me I pray to forgive those who have terribly hurt me in the past. May I be one who practices your agape love to everyone. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Valerie E. Hess, a contemporary speaker and author. This is an excerpt from her book “Spiritual Disciplines Devotional.”

Sometimes in a relationship, the only service we can render is to love the other person. Whether it is a friend or a child in a tough circumstance, a family member in crisis, or a neighbor who dislikes you, loving actions may be all we can do. I am a fix-it person. Whenever my children or friends have problems I want to swoop in and make everything OK. Many times that is not only impossible, but it’s not wise. We may need to let our children, our friends, and our family members learn hard lessons, even though it is difficult for us to stand back and watch. Those of us who have dealt with adolescents knows that in the desire to be independent (a healthy quality, by the way), they often do not want help, which they view as interference. In those cases, all we can do, as parents or teachers, is stand back and find ways to love them by the things we do (or don’t do) and say (or don’t say). This is a form of godly service. Remember, in self-righteous service, we do things for others because it will make us feel better. In true service, we do things for others because it will make them feel better.

PRAYER:

Written by Augustine of Hippo (354-430), an early Christian theologian and philosopher. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius (modern day Annaba, Algeria) and is viewed as one of the most important church fathers in Western Christianity.

Therefore, once for all this short command is given to you: “Love and do what you will.” If you keep silent, keep silent by love: if you speak, speak by love; if you correct, correct by love; if you pardon, pardon by love; let love be rooted in you, and from the root nothing but good can grow.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Philip Yancey, a contemporary American author who writes primarily about spiritual issues. This is an excerpt from his book with Dr. Paul Brand, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.”

Under the old covenant, worshipers brought the sacrifice—they gave. In the new, believers receive tokens of the finished work of the risen Christ. “My body, which was broken for you…my blood which was shed for you…” In those phrases, Jesus spans the distance from Jerusalem to me, cutting across the years that separate his time from mine. When we come to the table we come short of breath, with a weakened pulse. We live in a world far from God, and during the week we catch ourselves doubting. We muddle along with our weaknesses, our repeated failings, our stubborn habits, our aches and pains. In that condition, bruised and pale, we are beckoned by Christ to his table to celebrate life. We experience the gracious flow of God’s forgiveness and love and healing—a murmur to us that we are accepted and made alive, transfused…The Lord’s Supper sums up all three tenses: the life that was and died for us, the life that is and lives in us, and the life that will be. Christ is no mere example of living; he is life itself.

PRAYER:

Written by Luci Shaw, a contemporary American writer of poetry and essays.

Lord, I admit that I often feel inadequate, in spite of  your promises. Often I hold back. Help me to take the risks of faith, to be aware of your affirming presence in my life. Sharpen my spirit and my senses, and enable me to pay attention to the moments of God-radiance when you ask me to look and listen. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by John Ortberg, a contemporary pastor, speaker, and author. This is an excerpt from his book “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat.”

Whereas once David had wealth, power, fame, friends, security and what he thought was a guaranteed future, now he was running for his life and living in a cave. It is called the cave of Adullam, but we might think of it as the cave named Failure. The cave is where you end up when your props, supports, and crutches get stripped away. The cave is where you find yourself when you thought you were going to do great things, have a great family, or boldly go where no one had gone before, and it becomes clear that things will not work out as you dreamed. Perhaps you are in the cave because of foolish choices. Perhaps it is a result of circumstances you could not control. Most likely it is a combination of the two. Perhaps you are in the cave right now – Maybe its because you have lost your job, or you are under financial pressure. Maybe it is because your dreams about family life have been shattered…For whatever reason you are in the cave.  If you are not in the cave right now, wait a while – you will be. Nobody plans on ending up in the cave, but sooner or later everybody logs some time there.

The hardest thing about being in the cave is that you begin to wonder whether God has lost track of you…There is one thing you need to know. The cave is where God does some of his best work in molding and shaping human lives. Sometimes when all the props and crutches in your life get stripped away and you find you have only God, you discover that God is enough. Sometimes when your worst fears of inadequacy are confirmed and you discover that you really are out of your league, you experience the liberation of realizing that it is okay to be inadequate and that God wants his power to flow through your weakness. Sometimes the cave is where you meet God, for God does some of his best work in caves.

PRAYER:

Written by Lesli White, a contemporary Christian author.

Dear God, I pray that I will stay focused on You today. I pray that You will constantly remind me to be content in all of my circumstances. I pray that You will fill me up that I may be joyful all day, even if stress creeps in. I know that through my contentment, You will be glorified. I want to honor You, Father, in all that I do. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by A.J. Tozer (1897-1963), an American pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor. This is an excerpt from “Tozer on Christian Leadership.”

The fact is that the New Testament message embraces a great deal more than an offer of free pardon. It is a message of pardon, and for that may God be praised; but it is also a message of repentance. It is a message of atonement, but it is also a message of temperance and righteousness and godliness in this present world. It tells us that we must accept a Savior, but it tells us also that we must deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. The gospel message includes the idea of amendment, of separation from the world, of cross-carrying and loyalty to the kingdom of God even unto death. To be strictly technical, these latter truths are corollaries of the gospel, and not the gospel itself; but they are part and parcel of the total message which we are commissioned to declare….To offer a sinner the gift of salvation based upon the work of Christ, while at the same time allowing him to retain the idea that the gift carries with it no moral implications, is to do him untold injury where it hurts him worst.  Lord, help me to proclaim the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth as I present the Gospel today.

PRAYER:

From the Roman Breviary, the liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church. Published in 1482, it became known as the Liturgy of the Hours.

O God,

let the fire of your love burn up in us all things that displease you,

and prepare us for your heavenly Kingdom; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932-1996), a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian. This is an excerpt from his book “With Open Hands.”

Praying, therefore, means being constantly ready to let go of your certainty and to move on further than where you now are. It demands that you take to the road again and again, leaving your house and looking forward to a new land for yourself and your fellowman. This is why praying demands poverty, that is, the readiness to live a life in which you have nothing to lose so that you always begin afresh. Whenever you willingly choose this poverty you make yourself vulnerable, but you also become free to see the world and to let the world be seen in its true form.

PRAYER:

Written by Jill Weber, is a contemporary spiritual director and the director of Houses of Prayer.

God, I bring before You complex situations in my life where I don’t know how to unravel the tangle of my own brokenness–where I’m feeling vulnerable and exposed. Perhaps even where others are exploiting my weakness for their own agenda. In the quiet, I ask for your wisdom and I listen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Martin Luther (1483-1546), a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk and leader of the Protestant Reformation.

This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal but it is the right road. At present, everything does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is being cleansed.

PRAYER:

Written by Richard John Neuhaus (1936-2009), a Christian cleric and writer.

Lord Jesus Christ, like the centurion’s servant, we are in distress. Save us from the sin of presumption and complaint, for we have no claim on your love other than the promise that you love us. Purge us, cleanse us, empty us, open us, so that our every moment becomes a gift in response to your gift of life eternal, beginning now.  Amen. Let it be.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Dallas Willard (1935-2013), an American philosopher and writer on Christian spiritual formation. This is an excerpt from his work “The Allure of Gentleness: Defending the Faith in the Manner of Jesus.”

What God is going to bring out of human history in his people is going to be the greatest reflection of God’s own glory, wisdom, and love. That is what human history is about. It is to make a society of the redeemed that will be the crown jewel of creation. And when we look at all of the terrible things that happen in human history, when we look at the extent of human evil in it, we want to remember what would be lost if human history had not happened. What would be lost is precisely this crown jewel of creation, which consists of Christlike people living together with the kind of love that the members of the Trinity have for one another and enjoying that full, shared, self-subsistent being that characterizes God himself as God dwells in those people.

PRAYER:

Originally written by John Calvin 1509-1564) and adapted by Timothy Keller. John Calvin was a French theologian, pastor, reformer of the Protestant Reformation, and principal figure in developing the theology known as Calvinism. Timothy Keller is a theologian, author, Christian apologist, and minister of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.

My God, Father, and Savior, since you have been pleased to give me the grace to come through the night to the present day, now grant that I may employ it entirely in your service, so that all my works may be to the glory of your name and the edification of my neighbors. As you have been pleased to make your sun shine upon the earth to give us bodily light, grant the light of your Spirit to illumine my understanding and my heart. And because it means nothing to begin well if one does not persevere, I ask that you would continue to increase your grace in me until you have led me into full communion with your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is the true Sun of our souls, shining day and night, eternally and without end. Hear me, merciful Father, by our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Stephen Macchia, a contemporary pastor, author, and spiritual director.

Beauty

I’m struck by how much my soul is enlivened by beauty.

Not exclusively of human beauty per se, as delightful as that may be,

But of God and his created order, which of course includes the people he designed.

Beauty multiplied in the lives of children young and old, imperfect reflections of love;

Beauty offered in the seasons of winter, spring, summer and autumn;

Beauty displayed in the garden, desert, pasture, woodland, seashore;

Beauty portrayed in the majesty of mountains, oceans, plains, and forests;

Beauty delivered in the weather, clouds, sunshine, rain, and snow;

Beauty magnified in the light and seen clearly under the microscope;

Beauty compensated in the restitution of the ugly, dormant, neglected, or dismissed;

Beauty shared in the human touch, an act of kindness, a lovely meal, a gesture of grace;

Beauty provided in the Word of God, filled with life, hope, peace, justice, and joy;

Beauty conveyed in the written word, the spoken word, the Word of love made flesh;

Beauty created in art, dance, poetry, pottery, lyric, melody, harmony, and song;

Beauty redeemed in the heart of confession, forgiveness, compassion, reconciliation;

Beauty whispered in the ear of those who pray, love, serve, and listen to God;

Beauty is God’s glorious idea, his chosen way to communicate, his invitation.

If you’re struck by how much your soul swells with joy amidst beauty,

Gaze upon God’s beauty today and choose the one thing that matters most.

Offer God’s beauty to others today, in the coming hours, and in the days ahead.

Beauty heals, notices, releases, celebrates, affirms, enlivens, completes, and transforms.

Reflections on beauty and beautiful reflections accompany a purifying soul.

Beauty.

PRAYER:

Francis of Assisi (c1181-1226), an Italian Catholic friar, deacon, and preacher. He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of Saint Claire, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land.

Dear God, please reveal to us your sublime beauty that is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, so that we will never again feel frightened. My divine love, my love, please let us touch your face.  Amen.

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