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MEDITATION:

Written by Laura Georgakakos, a contemporary editor, writer, and speaker. This is an excerpt from her book “Grace Notes.”

After missing a shot in an important water polo game, my son angrily yelled at himself, “You idiot!” and was promptly thrown out of the game for misconduct. “I was talking to myself!” he protested to the ref. “You were disrespecting a player in this game. You are a player, are you not?” And out he went. How do you respond when you mis a shot? Does your reaction take you out of the game? Mind did recently. I had asked the Lord to show me anything in me that needed confessing. And then He did! And I was so surprised and distraught by what He showed me that instead of taking it right to Him in confession, I curled up in shame and for days refused even to look in His direction. When my eyes dropped from Who God is and settled firmly onto who I am in my sin, my prayer life and effectiveness for the Lord came to a grinding halt. Days later, with eagerness and relief, I was able to hurry to Him in confession only when I remembered that God’s love for me is undiminished by my sin; His love for me is not linked to my performance.

If you make a mistake do you get locked into regret? Where do you allow your thoughts to settle? We need to be as quick and careful to force our minds away from dwelling on our confessed sin as we are quick to turn our minds from inappropriate sexual thoughts or hateful thoughts of others. All are equally unworthy of God, all are equally unfaithful and dishonorable to Him. When the Lord shows us something unlovely in ourselves, it can be tempting to give in to hopelessness or self-recrimination or breast beating. But we have to keep our focus on Him and remind ourselves of Who He is. His ways are not our ways. The Lord points out our faults not with the voice of condemnation but with the compassionate intention of empowering us to overcome them. He is reaching out a hand and offering to pull us up to a new level of living without that particular encumbrance. His pointing it out to us now says, “It is time. You are ready to face this. Together, My hand in yours, let’s lay it down.” May each revelation of our sin lead us into immediate confession, and then praise at Who He is and at His great love rather than despair over how unfit we are for that love, or how undeserving. Be faithful to confess. As soon as we do so, He has moved on and He graciously invites us to do the same. Let us not hang back in regret, but keep in step with Him Who is our Life.

PRAYER:

Written by Laura Georgakakos, author of today’s meditation.

Father, help me to trust Your love for me and to rest in it. Protect me from the enemy who so longs to entrap me in despair and hopelessness. May I be quick to confess what You bring to my mind and to leave that sin behind as I walk on with You in new life. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Dania Yadago, a contemporary spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse and author. Dania grew up in the Middle East before her family moved to the United States.

I spent most of my childhood doing my homework in the dark under a burning gas lamp. As war erupted in my Middle Eastern country, we had electricity only 8 hours a day, and then it was dark. Not only was my country physically dark, it was also spiritually dark. We were the only Christians in our village. When we shared the gospel with our neighbors, we received heavy persecution and death threats urging us to stop, or my father would be killed. I experienced darkness at my school as well, where I was bullied for my faith. Often, my heart sank deep within me as I felt the rejection from those around me. Persecution was affecting my family from the outside, but from the inside, poverty was taking over. We often lacked food. We lived in a small apartment with no furniture or beds… Yet, my parents continuously encouraged me to be content and to keep my eyes on Jesus… During this season of darkness, Christian resources were limited. Aside from finding other Christians to meet, a Christian radio station broadcasted two hours a day. My family desired to have access to the station, but we could not afford a radio. Being a family of prayer, we brought this need to God. Then God pierced through our darkness. Amid the war, poverty, and persecution, I was given the gift of a beautifully wrapped shoebox packed by someone halfway across the world who wanted to show me God’s love. My family gathered to open the shoebox. As I opened it, my heart was filled with joy! I found many things that were an answer to my prayers and reflected my innermost self so well. As we rejoiced over each item inside the box, there was another surprise awaiting us. Inside the shoebox was a smaller box, and inside that box we found a mini radio! Out of millions of boxes, God orchestrated that box to come specifically to my family with what we needed and had prayed for. That day, as I sat in our room holding my box, the darkness did not go away, but it was overcome by God’s light…From that day forward, every time I turned on the radio, I was reminded that God is the God of details. In a unique yet ordinary way, He pierced through the surrounding darkness and showed me that I am seen and loved by Him, even when rejected by many. There are times when darkness seems too overwhelming and blinds us from seeing God’s presence in our lives…But God is not deterred by the darkness around us. Continue to seek God even when everything is dark. God is actively working behind the scenes. He is still the God of love, the God of peace and the God of answered prayers.

PRAYER:

Written by Dania Yadago, author of today’s meditation.

Heavenly Father, sometimes I am too overwhelmed by my situations and don’t see or feel You. Would You pull me into Your light and allow me to see You shine through my darkness? Help me trust what You’re doing in my life even when I do not know all the details. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

MEDITATION:

The meditation is from Reflections (October, 2003), which is published monthly by the C.S. Lewis Institute.

Prayer is God’s idea, not ours. It is his gift to us, and it has a specific role in his plan for our lives and the world. C.S. Lewis certainly believed and taught this. On several occasions, when talking of prayer, he quoted with approval the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal’s famous statement that God “instituted prayer in order to give his creatures the dignity of causality.”  Some of us may find it hard to believe that God allows human beings to cause real events to happen through prayer. Lewis had no such misgivings. “It may be a mystery why he should allow us to cause real events at all; but it is no odder that he should allow us to cause them by praying than by any other method.” We may well ask: How can God answer our prayers without introducing chaos into his plans for the world? After all, he alone knows what is best in all circumstances and has set his plan accordingly. But, as Lewis notes, “He made his own plan or plot of history such that it admits of a certain amount of free play and can be modified according to our prayers.” Lewis, of course, is just telling us in his own words what the Bible has long told us about prayer. He is also telling us what he had discovered about prayer in his own experience. And it was mainly from his experiences that he learned about prayer, for he found little help in books on prayer. We, too, can discover these things in our experience if we will learn to pray. Developing a healthy prayer life is not easy in the modern world; but neither is it impossible. Busyness, distractions, spiritual laziness, material abundance, self-sufficiency and a host of other things tend to push prayer to the margins of life. But there is a sure way forward. If we wish to embrace the “dignity of causality” and discover the power of prayer in our lives and the world, we will need first of all to recognize afresh the importance of prayer—not just in emergencies but also for all of life. Reading what the Bible says about prayer can help us here. Then we will need to come to a firm decision to make time for daily prayer—not just two or three minutes before rushing off to our busy day but quiet, unhurried time in God’s presence each day. Finally, we will want to follow the example of Jesus’ disciples, and ask, “Lord, teach us to pray…”

PRAYER:

Written by Debbie Przybylski, founder and director of Intercessors Arise International.

Lord, I pray that I might realize my authority in prayer. Teach me to pray with Your strength and power. I want to work together with You in prayer. I want to pray with authority.I thank You that there is hope for the future because You are seated at God’s right hand. Teach us to take hold of prayer and pray down blessings on our world. Thank You for the power of prayer that is available to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Rick Warren, a contemporary evangelical pastor, author, and speaker.

God’s timetable is rarely the same as yours. You’re often in a hurry—but God isn’t. It can be frustrating when it feels like the progress you’re making is slow. But remember this: God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time. He will use your entire lifetime to prepare you for your role in eternity. The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a long process to develop character, especially in leaders. He took 80 years to prepare Moses, including 40 in the wilderness. For those 14,600 wilderness days, Moses kept waiting and wondering, “Is it time?” But God kept saying, “Not yet.” Great souls are grown through struggles, storms, and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process. James advised, “Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed” (James 1:4 The Message).

Don’t get discouraged. When Habakkuk became depressed because he didn’t think God was acting quickly enough, God said: “These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” (Habakkuk 2:3 TLB). Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. Years ago people wore a popular button with the letters PBPGINFWMY. It stood for “Please be patient. God is not finished with me yet.” God isn’t finished with you either. Be patient with him and with yourself. And keep on moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering!

PRAYER:

Written by Alicia Bruxvoort, a contemporary writer and speaker.

Dear Jesus, I know Your timing is perfect, but my faith is not. Help me to trust You more. I want to experience Your nearness in my waiting and Your comfort in my aching. Help me to recognize Your presence today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by N. T. Wright, a contemporary New Testament scholar, theologian, and Anglican bishop. This is an excerpt from this book “Simply Christian.”

Despite what many people think, within the Christian family and outside it, the point of Christianity isn’t “to go to heaven when you die.” The New Testament picks up from the Old the theme that God intends, in the end, to put the whole creation to rights. Earth and heaven were made to overlap with one another, not fitfully, mysteriously, and partially as they do at the moment, but completely, gloriously, and utterly. “The earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.” That is the promise which resonates throughout the Bible story, from Isaiah (and behind him, by implication from Genesis itself) all the way through to Paul’s greatest visionary moments and the final chapters of the book of Revelation. The great drama will end, not with “saved souls” being snatched up into heaven, away from the wicked earth and the mortal bodies which have dragged them down into sin, but with the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth, so that “the dwelling of God is with humans.” (Revelation 21:3).

PRAYER:

Written by Kathryn Shirey, a contemporary Christian author.

My Father, who art in heaven, I submit myself to you as the ruler of my life. All I have is yours, Lord. Help me to live according to your rules. Establish your kingdom here on earth, Lord, so others may know you too. May your kingdom spread throughout our land and bring more of you to this world so in need of  your loving rule. Help me to be faithful in helping advance your kingdom here. Show me the path you have set before me, so I may follow in your way. Lord, may thy kingdom come. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), a German-Dutch priest and author of one of the most popular and best known Christian devotional book, “The Imitation of Christ” of which this is an excerpt.

When Jesus is near, all is well and nothing seems difficult. When He is absent, all is hard. When Jesus does not speak within, all other comfort is empty, but if He says only a word, it brings great consolation…Of all those who are dear to you, let Him be your special love. Let all things be loved for the sake of Jesus, but Jesus for His own sake. Jesus Christ must be loved alone with a special love, for He alone, of all friends, is good and faithful. Love Him, therefore, and keep Him as your friend; for when all others desert you, He will not abandon you, nor allow you to perish at the last. Whether you wish it or not, you must in the end be parted from them all. Hold fast to Jesus, both in life and death, and trust yourself to His faithfulness, for He alone can aid you when all others fail…He desires your heart for Himself alone, and to reign there as King on His throne.

PRAYER:

Written by Emilie Griffin, a contemporary American author who writes about religious experience and spiritual life.

 Father in Heaven, thank you for the deep friendships you have given me, and for the wisdom to appreciate them. Thank you also for the presence of your Son. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Pete Greig, a contemporary writer and church planter. This is an excerpt from his book “How to Pray.”

Long before anyone talked about human trafficking, a remarkable Irish missionary called Amy Carmichael was rescuing children from forced prostitution in India’s Hindu temples. With extraordinary resilience, this single woman, who described herself as a “wild-bird child,” stood up to the powerful temple priests and established two homes—for girls and boys—in the city of Dohnavur, in the Tamil Nadu state. She also started a hospital funded by the Queen of England. Amy Carmichael lived in India for 55 years and died there without returning to Northern Ireland.

She was also a prolific writer, and poet, penning some 35 books. Her devotional works, which are mystical and challenging, are also startlingly honest about her own personal struggles. They often take the form of conversations with God. As a little girl, Amy would sometimes spread out her sheets at bedtime and invite the Lord to come and sit down beside her. These intimate moments with God only seemed to deepen throughout Amy’s influential life as she became increasingly acquainted with the voice of God. Her writings have inspired countless others to further their own daily rhythms of prayer and listening. Amy Carmichael teaches us that listening to God does not cloister us away from reality but rather propels us out into wild adventures abandoned to what she referred to as “Calvary Love.”  She was buried in Dohnavur in a grave without a headstone, at her own request. But the children she had rescued placed a birdbath over her grave, inscribed with a single Tamil word: Amma, which means mother.

PRAYER:

The  prayer is written by Amy Carmichael and is from her book “If.”

Let us listen to simple words: our Lord speaks simply: “Trust Me, My child,” He says. “Trust Me with a humbler heart and a fuller abandon to My will than ever thou didst before. Trust Me to pour My love through thee, as minute succeeds minute.

MEDITATION:

Written by R. C. Sproul (1939-2017), an American Reformed theologian, broadcaster, and pastor. He was the founder of Ligonier Ministries. This is an excerpt from his book “The Race of Faith.”

The quest for glory is highly motivating. How often we will try harder or run farther when glory seems within reach. We are even willing to sacrifice personal comfort for a chance at glory. Repeating “No pain, no gain!”, we will fight to push further. We want our lives to count. We want to be celebrated for pursuing something worthwhile. There is a reason we experience this deep thirst for glory. In God’s Word, we discover that we were created for glory. He formed our bodies and breathed life into us so that we might know the greatness of His holiness and stand in awe of it. Our hearts and minds were meant to be so impressed with God’s goodness, that we would readily worship and obey Him. In this way, we would reflect the amazing glory of God. Yet, look around you. The world doesn’t shine with the glory of holiness, does it? Perhaps you have noticed how evil has deformed our world. There is suffering, bitterness, deceit and death. If we were created to know the glory of God, what went wrong? The answer provided by God’s Word points to our own hearts. We were created to rely on God and give Him glory. But we insist on seeking our own glory instead. We have substituted God’s will for our own desires and set out to make a name for ourselves. This is what the Bible calls ‘sin’ and it is the disobedience of God’s purpose for us. Sin tempts us to find satisfaction in our own frailty instead of God’s greatness.  Mistakenly, we try to find enduring glory in our identity, our work, or our dreams. But again and again, we find ourselves both empty and unsatisfied.

But the message of the Gospel is gloriously good news! “God so loved the world”, the Bible says, “that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”. Jesus Christ, the perfect son of God, took the form of man but without the sin of man. He lived among men yet without participating in their disobedience. He did not waver from pursuing God’s will and glorifying God’s name. He perfectly reflected God’s glory…The Bible phrases the good news like this: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” In Jesus, we are gifted with forgiveness, hope, peace and satisfaction. In Jesus, we are readily accepted before God’s presence and discover anew the beauty of His love and holiness. This is salvation. This is truly glorious. This is the Gospel.

PRAYER:

The  prayer is from the Mozarabic Breviary, a liturgical rite of the Latin Church in the 500s and  used generally in the Iberian Peninsula (Hispania), in what is now Spain and Portugal.

O Christ our God, you will come to judge the world in the humanity you have taken on yourself. Sanctify us wholly, that in the day of your coming our whole spirit, soul, and body may arise to a fresh life in you, that we may live and reign with you forever, to your honor and glory; you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Max Lucado, a contemporary pastor, author, and speaker. This is an excerpt from his book “Outlive Your Life.”

Jim Wallis took some scissors to his Bible. He was a seminary student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School when he and some classmates decided to eliminate a few verses. They performed surgery on all sixty-six books, beginning with Genesis and not stopping until Revelation. Each time a verse spoke to the topic of poverty, wealth, justice, or oppression, they cut it ou. They wanted to see what a compassionless Bible looked like. By the time they finished, nearly two thousand verses lay on the floor, and a book of tattered pages remained.  Cut concern for the poor out of the Bible, and you cut the heart out of it. God makes the poor his priority. When the hungry pray, he listens. When orphans cry, he sees. And when the widows in Jerusalem were neglected, he commissioned his best and brightest disciples to help them…Jesus had a target audience. The poor. The brokenhearted. Captives. The blind and oppressed. His to-do list? Help for the body and soul, strength for the physical and the spiritual, therapy for the temporal and eternal.

PRAYER:

The  prayer is written by Max Lucado, author of today’s meditation.

Dear Lord, you promised we would always have the poor among us. Help me to make sure that the reverse is also true, that I am always among the poor – helping, encouraging, and lending a hand wherever I can. Enable me to love the invisible God by serving the very visible poor in my corner of the world. Help me to be creative without being condescending, encouraging without being egotistic, and fearless without being foolish. May the poor bless you because of me, and may my efforts somehow reduce the number of the poor. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Charles F. Stanley, contemporary pastor and broadcaster. He is the founder of In Touch Ministries. This is an excerpt from his book “Becoming Emotionally Whole.”

Everything that Jesus did was revealed to Him by the Father. We must ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the Father’s will to us. The emotionally healthy person may feel anger, for example, but by asking the Holy Spirit for guidance in how to channel that anger into positive behavior, the person is going to find an outlet for anger that results in blessing, not harm. The emotionally healthy person may feel disappointment or discouragement, but by asking the Holy Spirit for guidance, he will be led to new opportunities that result in hope. Continual reliance on the Holy Spirit takes the form of continual prayer. To pray is to talk to God, and you are wise to talk to God around the clock, every day of the week.

PRAYER:

Today’s prayer is written by an unknown author.

Heavenly Father, in your love you have called us to know you, led us to trust you, and bound our life with yours. Surround us with love and protect us from evil. Fill us with the holy spirit so we walk in the way of Christ and grow in our knowledge of your love.