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Written by Amanda Jenkins, Kristen Hendricks, and Dallas Jenkins, contemporary writers. This is an excerpt from “The Chosen: 40 Days With Jesus” devotional.

Every follower of Jesus has a not-so-great “before”” A rash, brash fisherman. A pious, fancy-pants religious leader. A thieving, indifferent-to-suffering tax collector. A demon-possessed woman so insignificant that her “before” isn’t even recorded and we’re left to surmise what it might have been.  And yet God call people in the “before”—when they aren’t even aware they’re simply broken versions of themselves. God calls people before He begins His transformative work of redemption because He sees past the “before” to what He purposed and planned. He sees past the “before” to those He loves enough to call His own.  Take Israel, for example. Isaiah prophesied over God’s chosen nation—“Fear not, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 43:1)—not during a time of obedience but during a rebellion. A time filled with idol worship and wandering hearts and intense callousness to sin, not to mention all the painful consequences they were experiencing as a result of their choices. It was spoken long before their repentance. “I have called you by name, you are mine,” he continues in verse 1. When Isaiah spoke these words, Israel was rebelling against all God had done for them and all He wanted to do.  But God didn’t turn away—He showed mercy. He spoke His love over His chosen people, claiming them as His own before they agreed to be. He entered into the “before.”

God speaks what is true over us too; His plan of redemption is on the march because He has called us by name. Our choices don’t derail His. What we see when we look in the mirror doesn’t determine what He sees or who we’ll be by His hand, and so our brokenness doesn’t alter His plans. Nor do circumstances, other people, or our own choices determine our value; our value is assigned by the one we belong to. So we don’t have to fear. Fear not, you’re not who you’re going to be. Fear not, God can redeem your choices and use them for good. Fear not, God can heal your heart, your body, your relationships. Fear not, you were made for more than what you’ve experienced so far. Fear not, this is only the beginning.

Every follower of Jesus has a not-so-great “before.” But every follower of Jesus also has an “after.” The rowdy fisherman became the bedrock preacher of the early church, healer of the sick and lame, and fearless unto death. The leader of impersonal religion became personal friends with Jesus, finally understanding and being changed by Scripture he’d devoted his life to studying. The taxman traitor became a member of the elite twelve and author of the first Gospel of the New Testament. And the woman? The woman too insignificant to even have her “before” recorded was so precious to Jesus that she became the first person He appeared to after He rose from the dead, the first one to hear His tender voice, and the first witness of the culmination of all He claimed to be and do – and she got to tell the boys.

Prayer:

This prayer was written by Macarius the Great (300-391), an Egyptian monk and hermit.

My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he has blessed me lavishly and makes me ready to respond.  He shatters my little world and lets me be poor before him. He takes from me all my plans and gives me more than I can hope for or ask. He gives me opportunities and the ability to become free and to burst through my boundaries. He gives the strength to be doing, to build on him alone greater One in my life.  It is in my being servant that it becomes possible. For God’s kingdom to break through here and now.

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Written by Lisa Ham, a contemporary author.  This is an excerpt from her book Devotions from the Mountains.”

Do you ever feel like your day is just too hectic to squeeze in time alone with God? We all have days like that, don’t we? It turns out that even Jesus occasionally had to work at it to find time alone with His Father. For instance, Matthew 14 opens with the account of why John the Baptist was beheaded. Then, Jesus fed the five thousand, a later He walked on water. Those are big events, and it’s easy to miss what Jesus did in between. He went looking for solitude in order to pray—twice. The first time in verse 13, when He had just heard about John’s death. However, the crowds heard that He had taken a boat to a solitary place, and they followed Him on foot. Though most of us don’t have crowds following us around, we do run into obstacles to our time alone with God. Texts, e-mails, and phone calls can reach us anywhere. Kids who usually can’t be pried away from a screen suddenly need us right now. Our own minds light up like pinball machines, pinging from one concern to the next. How we need the quiet!

So how did Jesus respond when he saw the crowd waiting of Him on shore? “He had compassion on them and healed their sick” and then he fed them all. He might have been tired and disappointed; He may have been aching with grief for John the Baptist. But He was tenderhearted toward the people who needed Him. Then He tried again. He sent the disciples ahead on the boat, and He dismissed the crowd. Then, finally, He had time by Himself on the mountainside to pray. If Jesus, who is one with the Father sought time alone with the Father, how much more do we need it! We may have to try and try again. That’s okay. God is still there, waiting to welcome us.

Prayer:

This prayer was written by the author of today’s meditation.

Dear Lord, thank You for all that we learn about You from Scripture. Please help me to respond with compassion when I am needed at inconvenient times. Help me to keep trying so that I find my time with You. Amen.

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Written by John Eldredge, a contemporary American author, counselor, and lecturer on Christianity. This is an excerpt from his book “Resilient.”

Giving up has always been a struggle for frail humanity. And the enemy is wickedly skilled at pouncing on our vulnerabilities. I can tell you with confidence that whatever the enemy brings against you, he will always bring with it a feeling of ‘I don’t want to fight this.’ This feeling is called ‘ennui’, it is a weariness of spirit, a malaise, that sense of ‘I just don’t want to fight anymore.’ And this feeling is not your true heart. That weariness you’re feeling, that ‘not now; maybe later’, that sense of being overwhelmed, that ‘Why bother? Who cares?’ – is the enemy, not you. When you know that, you’re much better prepared to fight against it. You can more clearly choose to resist. Reject this feeling and choose the strength of God that prevails. Resilience is something that is bestowed and imparted by God into our frail humanity. We want to ask for it.

Prayer:

The author of this prayer is unknown.

 Lord, your Word promises that you “will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”  Your Truth nourishes the root of our hearts, helping us bloom in the desert.  Your love revitalizes us when circumstances threaten to dehydrate our faith.

When we are surrounded by the dryness of uncertainties, fears, or change, saturate us with Your presence, pour Your peace into every fiber of our being until we radiate with resilience. No matter where you have us planted, help us bloom for Your glory. We love you. We need you. We praise you. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

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Written by George MacDonald (1824-1905), a Scottish author, poet, and Christian Congregational minister. This is an excerpt from his book “There and Back.”

“Who invented music? Someone must have made the delight of it possible! With his own share in its joy he had had nothing to do! Was Chance its grand inventor, its great ingenieur? Why or how should Chance love loveliness that was not, and make it be, that others might love it? Could it be a deaf God, or a being that did not care and would not listen, that invented music? No; music did not come of itself, neither could the source of it be devoid of music!”

Prayer:

Written by Babette Chatman, a pastor at Augsburg University.

God of all creation, we thank you today for your gift of musicians. We know that every good and perfect gift comes from you. We thank you for the custodians of the music of the divine service. We thank you string instruments, wind instruments, percussion and singers. Lord God we ask that you bless all who guide through the ministry of music worship. May musicians facilitate music that brings you glory. Music that transcends barriers that divide race, class, gender, denominationalism, ethnicity or geography. May their gifts create the atmosphere that lifts you up…May they find joy in their work and may it fill them with peace, comfort and purpose. Fill musicians with your light and love as they generously share with the world. Lord let all creation sing your praise and the host make music in your presence. Bless musicians as only you can. In your name we pray. Amen.

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Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer and theologian.  This is an excerpt from his book “The Abolition of Man.”

It is the magician’s bargain: give up our souls, get power in return. But once our souls, that is ourselves have been given up, the power thus conferred will not belong to us. We shall in fact be slaves of that to which we have given our souls.

Prayer:

Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary teacher, writer, speaker, and President of Reflection Ministries.

Heavenly Father, You have chosen me to obey Jesus Christ by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. In Christ, You have granted me everything I need to manifest the fullness of life that is empowered by Your indwelling Spirit. I know that it is impossible to live out the spiritual life in my own resources and power and that only as I abide in Jesus and walk by the power of the Holy Spirit is it possible for me to display a life of godliness and righteousness. As I live by the Spirit, may I bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. May I be strengthened with power through Your indwelling Spirit so that I can live a life that will be pleasing to You and edifying to others. May the love of Christ overflow in my thoughts, words and deeds this very day.

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Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Guidepost’s devotional “Held in Perfect Peace.”

For the first time in months, I awoke before my alarm. The temperature had dropped. Good morning, Lord. I love You, I said silently. Then I went to make coffee. I smiled as I walked into the kitchen of our new apartment. It is a separate room, not the mere three-foot-long stretch of counter adjacent to the living/dining area in our old place. I luxuriated in it, thankful, as I poured hot water into the French press and stirred the ground coffee with a chopstick. Then I padded across the new blue carpet to my chair in the living room. Early-morning sun glinted off the bricks of the apartment building across the street. Sparrows twittered somewhere. Life felt good.

I sipped my coffee and chuckled. Absolutely nothing was different that morning except the temperature and a good night’s sleep. Every problem I’d had the day before still existed. One of my kids was in the hospital after a suicide attempt. Another was struggling mightily with the stress of the situation. Our prior landlord refused to return my calls to negotiate an end to our lease. Many things in my life were not good, yet I was feeling reasonably content. I prayed (wryly): “You were right, Lord. Feeling helpless doesn’t mean everything is hopeless.” Fortunately, when I stress because I can’t imagine a way out of a bad situation, God gently corrects my thoughts: “Right now, I can’t see the way. Perhaps tomorrow I will. I may wake up, smell the coffee, and see the light, and what felt impossible will feel more doable.” I can’t always imagine that possibility. What I can do, though, is pray.

Prayer:

This prayer is written by Joni Eareckson Tada, a contemporary author.

Lord, expand my vision today. Let me see the light of day from Your perspective. Drive home the tent pegs of hope deep and far. Stretch my life to conform to the potential You see.

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Written by Clarence L. Haynes, Jr., a contemporary public speaker, ministry leader, and writer.  

We have a young daughter who is still getting used to sleeping in her own bed in her own room. I feel it is taking much longer for this to happen, but maybe that is a conversation for another time. Recently she came into our bedroom, and she said she couldn’t fall asleep because she was afraid. We had just prayed before she went to bed, and yet she said she was still afraid. I encouraged her it was going to be okay and she could go back to her room. To this, she responded, “Could you at least stay with me until I fall asleep?” I thought that was a reasonable request, so I went into her room and sat with her until she fell asleep. The comfort in her knowing I was there, watching over her, and being able to protect her if something happened allowed her to fall asleep quickly and rest easily. As I thought about her request, it reminded me of Psalm 121:4. We have a God in heaven who never sleeps nor slumbers. If we are going to have full disclosure, we are more like my daughter than we sometimes want to admit. Even after praying, we can still find ourselves afraid, anxious, or worried. Many times, this results from not knowing what will happen or how things are going to work out. It is in these moments we need to do like my daughter did. What she desired was the comfort of my presence, and because she knew I was there, it changed her mind set and gave her peace. This is exactly what we must do.

Prayer:

This prayer is from the “Carmina Gadelica,” from the Gaelic regions of Scotland.

I lie down this night with God,

And God will lie down with me ;

I lie down this night with Christ,

And Christ will lie down with me ;

I lie down this night with Spirit,

And the Spirit will lie down with me

God and Christ and the Spirit

Be lying down with me.

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Written by Richard Foster, a contemporary Christian theologian and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Learning Humility.”

Authentic Christian community is shaped by virtues that the world cannot grasp. And humility in particular is central for such community life to function. This is especially critical for today when we are witnessing a shrinking moral vocabulary in public life. These thoughts draw me to Dallas Willard’s final work, “The Disappearance of Moral Knowledge.” Are we slipping into a dark age? I’m not sure. Regardless, one contribution we can make in these dark days is to create new expressions of Christian community life where a rich moral vocabulary can be preserved. Even more, we want to take such a vocabulary and incarnate it into the push and shove of daily life.

Prayer:

Written by Mark D. Roberts, a contemporary author and speaker.

Gracious God, thank you for the example of Jesus. Thank you for how he called the twelve to be with him in a special way, to share in life and work together.

Thank you, Lord, for calling me into relationship with you and into your ministry. Help me to “be with you” even as your first disciples were with you. By your grace, may I discover how to know you better as I live my life in relationship with you.

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Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary teacher, writer, and speaker and president of Reflections Ministry.  This is an excerpt from his work “How to Be a Hopeful Realist.”

In its healthy expressions, desire is the impetus for change and transformation. It’s the force that helps us to drag our weary limbs to the gym every morning, or to have a loving confrontation in the hopes of restoring a relationship. Notice that in both of these cases the wish must outstrip the lower desire of comfort and ease. It’s easier to hit the snooze button and roll back over. It’s easier to sweep tensions under the rug and allow faltering relationships to die a slow death. Both examples present us with a need for bigger, rather than smaller wishes. We wouldn’t tell the person pursuing a healthier lifestyle to face reality by quitting the gym because of its threat to superficial comfort levels. Nor would we counsel someone seeking to mend a broken friendship that the difficulty entailed by such an undertaking is just too great. Poor health and estrangement are not more realistic options. As C.S. Lewis observed so well, it’s not that our Lord finds our desires excessive, but rather that he finds them too meager. “We are far too easily pleased.” One of the great tragedies that befalls so many Christians is that they misplace their hopes in the kingdom of this world and then become afraid to wish for more. In their disappointment and dismay, they settle for the small comforts of money, power, fame, or a Hallmark Christmas movie and a glass of wine. In each of these cases, the ceiling of hope has been drastically lowered. This is not a description of realism, but one of chronic spiritual immaturity. If we want to be both hopeful and realistic, we must allow Christ to transform our wishes—to make them infinitely larger and more capacious, so that we can eagerly await His return to wipe away every tear and to make all things new. 

Prayer:

Today’s prayer is from the Book of Common Prayer used by the Anglican church.

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from thy ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of thy Word, Jesus Christ thy Son; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Written by Anne Graham Lotz, a contemporary American evangelist and daughter of Billy Graham.  This is an excerpt from her book “On Wings of Faith.”

I understand that a turkey and an eagle react differently to the threat of a storm. A turkey reacts by running under the barn, hoping the storm won’t come near. On the other hand, an eagle leaves the security of its nest and spreads its wings to ride the air currents of the approaching storm, knowing they will carry it higher in the sky than it could soar on its own. Based on your reaction to the storms of life, which are you? A turkey or an eagle? It’s natural for me to be a turkey in my emotions, but I have chosen to be an eagle in my spirit. And as I have spread my wings of faith to embrace the ‘Wind’, placing my trust in Jesus and Jesus alone, I have experienced quiet, “everyday” miracles: His joy has balanced my pain. His power has lifted my burden. His peace has calmed my worries. So . . . would you spread your wings of faith and soar?!

Prayer:

Written by an unknown author.

May you be wrapped up in God’s love. Found deep in his everlasting wings. Carried and kept, safe and cherished. May the healing power of Christ breathe across your being now. Amen.

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