Pathways Press.com

MEDITATION:

Written by David Nowell, a contemporary author, speaker, and President of Hope Unlimited for Children. This is an excerpt from his book “Dirty Faith.”

In Brazil an estimated fourteen thousand children are incarcerated in unspeakably subhuman conditions. In the Congo, three thousand children live behind bars, food supplies are sporadically provided by family from the outside—otherwise the kids just go hungry. In Yemen, a U.N. report found that even when children held in Sana’a Central Prison finish their sentences, they remain in prison due to their inability to pay court-imposed fines. In Russia’s sixty-plus children’s prison camps, an estimated fourteen thousand kids live under inhumane conditions behind concrete walls and barbed wire. Often, they do not have proper shoes or clothes to endure the harsh Russian winters. Worldwide, UNICEF tags the number at 1.1 million children behind bars. Are these bad kids? Yep. Murderers? Yes. Rapists, drug dealers, kidnappers? Without question. And we are called to be the hands of the Christ who loves them.

PRAYER:

Written Janet Perez Eckles, a contemporary author and inspirational speaker.

Lord, how wrong I have been to act as if Christ had never been born. As if He didn’t perform miracles. As if He didn’t take my every tear, my daily worries, my sin and insecurities on that cross. As if the tomb wasn’t empty and the throne wasn’t full of His presence and grace. It’s that grace that gives meaning and power to your promises. I know that your Word prevails even when our world turns black. I trust that your healing comes in different forms, stages, and ways. I believe that you promised to provide all we need. Seeking you doesn’t require physical vision, complete health, or a life free of troubles. But instead, a heart full of devotion and obedience, which I offer you. No matter how many seasons sweep by, Lord, your reminders remain the same. Each tear we cry has a purpose. Each trying stage has a divine reason. And in your capable hands, each icy rain of adversity is transformed into the warmth and sparkle of your grace. Amen.

MUSIC MEDITATION:

Ain’t No Grave:   Performed by Johnny Cash.

The music was recorded shortly before his death in 2003 and released posthumously in 2010. The song was originally written by Claude Ely, a songwriter and preacher from Virginia. He composed the song while sick with tuberculosis in 1934 when he was 12 years old.