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Written by L.B. Cowman (1870-1960), an American writer and author of devotional books.

Should Sorrow lay her hand upon thy shoulder,
And walk with thee in silence on life’s way,
While Joy, thy bright companion once, grown colder,
Becomes to thee more distant day by day?
Shrink not from the companionship of Sorrow,
She is the messenger of God to thee;
And thou wilt thank Him in His great tomorrow
For what thou knowest not now, thou then shalt see;
She is God’s angel, clad in weeds of night,
With ‘whom we walk by faith and not by sight.’

Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing [2 Corinthians 6:10]

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Written by Tom Tarrants, a contemporary minister, author, and mentor.

We’ve got enough troublemakers. We need some peacemakers…We need to seek truth. We need to pray, “God show me the truth. Open my eyes to see.” And we need to be agents of truth, to speak truth, and we need to do what Jesus said and what Moses recorded for us: Love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus illustrated it in Luke 10, the parable of the Good Samaritan. What can we do that is concrete, practical? Love is not some emotional kind of buzz or something in the Bible. It’s practical, serving and helping people that are in need, doing for them what you’d want them to do for you if you were in their shoes. That’s very simple. There’s nothing complicated at all about that. And so pray. “God help me to love You with all my heart and help me to love my neighbor.” And to remember, too, that there’s not a back door that says, “Okay, I’ll love my neighbor, but I’m going to hate my enemies. I’m going to hate whoever our enemy happens to be.” Jesus said, love your enemies, too. We’re kind of boxed in with Jesus. And become people of love. That’s what we’re called to be if we truly know Jesus.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. [John 14:6]

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Today’s prayer is from the Book of Common Prayer

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Ephesians 5:15-20]

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Written by Ruth Chou Simons, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “Now and Not Yet.”

In the Old Testament, we read of the forty-year journey God’s people, the Israelites, took in the desert due to their disbelief and disobedience even after God led them out of slavery in Egypt. While some deserts are the result of waywardness (like Israel experienced), oftentimes we find ourselves in parched and weary places unexpectedly. For some, it’s the wilderness of a chronic illness, a lifelong battle, or a life circumstance that feels like an endless desert with no oasis. For some, the desert is a spiritually dry place you wish didn’t exist. A barren place that tempts you to doubt and fear. A place that reads only lack and loss instead of freedom and flourishing…Each and every way God met the Israelites in the desert was for the purpose of showing them that they were secure in His care. That they need only to surrender their self-sufficiency and believe God to be who He claimed to be. To trust that He would do what He said He would do and, in response, obey Him because they trusted Him more than they believed in their own ways.

And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. [Deuteronomy 8:3]

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Written by Laura Bailey, a contemporary author.

Growing up in church, I often heard that God desires children to obey their parents. These verses were usually used to encourage good behavior, focusing on a child’s outward actions rather than the inward heart’s motivation…Children are to exhibit godly obedience, one that is not rooted in blind submission but in the heart’s desire to submit to the Lord and those whom the Lord places in authority over their lives. The family dynamic between parental authority and child submission is an allegory for the relationship we all should have with our Father in Heaven. Why should children obey their parents? Because it’s the right thing to do! … Children following their parents’ instructions isn’t just a suggestion; it’s an expectation. Yes, there will be times, countless times, when it will be difficult to submit to their leadership. Parents often give instructions, guidelines, and rules that are difficult for children to digest; they want to know why, and it’s in our human nature to rebel against authority.  But this command is given under the premise that parents love and protect their children and that children obey them until they live independently…The fifth commandment is the first one that comes with a promise—precisely when it was first given, the promise was to the children of Israel that they would live a long, blessed life in the promised land. However, in a broader application for us today, children who respect and honor their parents will likely have an easier time in life, as obeying our parents is the cornerstone of understanding submission to authority. 

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first
commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth. [Ephesians 6:1-3]

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Written by Annie Johnson Flint (1866-1932), a writer of Christian poems.

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercies,
To multiplied trials His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will
boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. [2 Corinthians 12:9].

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Written by Jennifer Tucker, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “Breath as Prayer.”

Sometimes we get this idea that if only we had more faith or if we just prayed enough or in the right way, all our suffering would go away, our sickness would be healed, and we wouldn’t struggle anymore. But God never promised this.  In fact, Jesus said that we will have suffering; we will have trouble. What He promises isn’t freedom from suffering but His presence and peace in the midst of it. We can have ultimate peace because He has already ultimately conquered the world.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.  [John 16:33]

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Written by Stormie Omartian, a contemporary author and speaker.

God, I acknowledge You as Lord over every area of my life this day. Help me walk in Your perfect will in all that I do and everything that I say. Amen.

I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. [Isaiah 43:11]

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Written by Timothy Keller (1950-2023), an American Calvinist pastor, preacher, theologian, and Christian apologist.

In 1971 I heard a talk—two illustrations—that changed my life. The woman, named Barbara Boyd, said, “If somebody says to me, ‘Come on in, Barbara, but stay out, Boyd,’ it’s a bit of a problem because I can’t separate them. It’s not like the top half of me is Barbara, and the bottom half of me is Boyd. So if you won’t have Boyd, you can’t get Barbara. If you’re going to keep the Boyd out, I can’t come in at all!” She continued: “To say, ‘Jesus, come into my life, forgive my sins, answer my prayers; do this for me, do that for me—but don’t be the absolute master of my life; Jesus, Savior, come in; but Lord, stay out,’ how can he come in at all? Because he’s all Savior, and he’s all Lord. He’s Lord because he’s Savior. He’s Savior because he’s Lord.”

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.  [2 Peter 3:18]

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Written by Bryan O’Keefe, a contemporary lawyer and writer.

When you have true faith in Jesus, everything flips. Your life is no longer about your record or your achievement or trying harder but about HIS record and what HE did for you. And when you intellectually recognize the enormity of the sacrifice, you then more willingly obey the law, out of fullness of heart, to show love for the one who loved and died for you – despite all of your imperfections. This is the central message of Christianity. Its radical. It’s astounding. It’s different from every other religion which says “just try harder and God might reward you.” It might be different from the Christianity that you thought you knew…But this is the heart of the Gospel and it’s tremendously liberating…The secret to a better life is not endlessly trying harder—it is resting in the glory of what has already been done for you

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. [Romans 8:1]

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