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Written by Lewis and Sarah Allen. Lewis is a contemporary pastor and Sarah a teacher and women’s ministry leader. This is an excerpt from their work: “Resilient Faith: Learning to Rely on Jesus in the Struggles of Life.”

We are all called to worship. None of us are passengers, spectators, or critics. So sing wholeheartedly, pray with focus, listen with care. Worship is an act of mind, heart, and body. Yes, body too. Stay focused—raise your voice. If you want to raise your hands, raise your hands. But for your sake, and for your Master’s honor, don’t be a half-hearted worshiper. Worship is Christians delighting in God’s love in Christ, and bringing all that we are, with our thanks, our praise, as well as our struggles and needs, and eagerly coming into God’s presence to find his love and strength for us. Wholehearted worshipers encourage and spur on others. It makes no difference if you’re not at the front, this week or any week. We are all sharers. We all come to encourage, to welcome, to help, and to serve. No one comes without something to share. We come to praise; we also come to get to know others and share burdens. Where else do we want to be? This is our family. This is the church of the living God.

Prayer:

Written by Ryan Cook, a contemporary pastor and professor of theology.

Our God is an awesome God! Fill us with Your joy, Father. Stir our hearts and minds with the power of Your might; may we be too overwhelmed with You to keep silent.

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Written by L. B. Cowman (1870-1960), a missionary and author.

Two painters each painted a picture to illustrate his conception of rest. The first chose for his scene a still, lone lake among the far-off mountains. The second threw on his canvas a thundering waterfall, with a fragile birch tree bending over the foam; and at the fork of the branch, almost wet with the cataract’s spray, sat a robin on its nest. The first was only stagnation; the last was rest. Christ’s life outwardly was one of the most troubled lives that ever lived: tempest and tumult, tumult and tempest, the waves breaking over it all the time until the worn body was laid in the grave. But the inner life was a sea of glass. The great calm was always there. At any moment you might have gone to Him and found rest. And even when the human bloodhounds were dogging Him in the streets of Jerusalem, He turned to His disciples and offered them, as a last legacy, “My peace.”    

Prayer:

Written by Janet Thompson, a contemporary speaker and author.

Oh Lord, I admit that I’m often not living in peace. I let the outside world invade my private world and worry about things that only you have domain over. Help me learn to take my concerns to you in prayer and rest in the knowledge that you are in charge, not me. Amen.

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Written by Dallas Willard (1935-2013), an American philosopher known for his works on Christian spiritual formation. This is an excerpt from his book “The Spirit of the Disciplines.”

We must at some point stop looking for new information or social arrangements or religious experiences that will draw off the evil in the world at large, abolish war, hunger, oppression, and so forth, while letting us continue to be and to live as we have since Adam. This is the illusion of our age, the Holy Grail of modernity, a pleasant dream in the sleep of secularism. The monstrous evils we deplore are in fact the strict causal consequences of the spirit and behavior of “normal” human beings following generally acceptable patterns of life. They are not the result of strange flukes, accidental circumstances, or certain especially mad or bad individuals. The tyrants, satanic forces, and oppressive practices of this world play upon our “merely decent” lives as a master organist dominates his or her instrument but is wholly powerless without it … Establishing the rights of labor and of the various ethnic groups, shifting ownership of the means of production from private to public hands, outlawing various types of discrimination, governmental outlays for welfare and education, and so on, will certainly make a difference – good or bad—but they will not eliminate greed, loneliness, resentment, sexual misery and harm, disappointment with one’s lot in life, hunger for meaning and recognition, fear of sickness, pain, old age and death, or hatred of those of other cultures. They will not bring us to love and accept ourselves and our neighbors or enable us to enjoy our lives with peace of mind …The highest education, as well as the strictest doctrinal views and religious practice, often leave untouched the heart of darkness from which the demons come to perch upon the lacerated back of humankind. Fine laws of the highest social intent and widespread confession of the new birth or of firsthand contact with God still leave an awesome lack in national and international affairs or in the quality of community and family life…We have one hope for dealing with the world’s problems. That is the person and gospel of Jesus Christ, living here and now, in people who are his by total identification found through the spiritual disciplines.     

Prayer:

Today’s prayer is from an ancient collect (short general prayers used in Christian liturgy) from the 5^th century.

Almighty God, you fill all things with your presence. In your great love, keep us near you this day. Grant that in all our ways and doings we may remember that you see us, and may always have the grace to know and perceive what things you would have us do, and give us strength to do the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Written by Oscar Hardman (1880-1964), English priest and author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Ideals of Asceticism.”

True social progress can never be effected solely by programs of reform, organized demand, and legislative action. High wages and abundant leisure, good housing, and improved sanitation, are not able of themselves to guarantee progress or even to check deterioration. It is of far greater importance that people should be clean and sober in their habits, and thrifty in their use of time and money, and that all the relationships of the members of a community should be inspired by love rather than controlled by principles of legal justice and economic equality: and these things are most surely promoted by the presence of earnest Christian living ascetically in the midst of society under various types of organization.

Prayer:

Written by Victoria Riollano, a contemporary author, speaker, and professor.

Dear Lord,  thank you for being a loving and forgiving God. I thank you for your example of how to live and walk in peace and forgiveness. I look forward to opportunities to live at peace with everyone. Although the world may teach me to hold a grudge, I choose to follow your way instead. Lord, search my heart and show me any person that I may have negative feelings towards. I ask for wisdom on how to cultivate peace and walk free from bitterness. Give me a heart for those that I don’t understand and help me to always walk in your love. Help me to do my part in living at peace with everyone.  In Jesus Name. Amen.

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Written by Bart Millard, a contemporary musician, author, and leader of the band Mercy Me. This is an excerpt from his book “I Can Only Imagine: A Memoir.”

I can make a mess of my life all day long, but I cannot mess up my relationship with Christ. To be clear, I’m not saying it is okay to sin. But when I do sin—and I most certainly will—everything is going to be okay because of my relationship with Christ. The power of sin creates a horrible wake that affects me as well as those around me. But even that cannot separate me from Christ. Even when I’m at my worst, my relationship with Christ is unchanged. He still sees me as someone He loves and adores…My identity is not in my guilt and shame, or in the most noble of deeds I could do. My identity is sealed in what Christ has already done on the cross. Christ has chosen to offer this gife, and we must choose to receive it. Every day, I will say yes to Him as well as thank Him…On my absolute worst day, Christ still loves me. I am not a bad person now trying to be good. I’m just me, and Christ always loves me. My identity is wrapped up in the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and now lives inside of me. I can rest in the balance of knowing I live in a love than can never be broken.

Prayer:

Written by Richard Foster, a contemporary author and leader in the spiritual formation movement.

Loving Lord Jesus, I humbly ask that you would…

Purify my heart,

Renew my mind,

Sanctify my imagination, and Enlarge my soul. Amen.

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

When we imagine that there is a heaven, when we envision the day when God’s justice has rolled down completely, when the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord, when all of our brokenness has been healed, when God’s peace fills the earth, and when the world does indeed “live as one,” to quote John Lennon, we are inspired and compelled to live today in light of the future that permeates our imagination. We will be committed to “livin’ life in peace” today because we look forward to the all-encompassing peace of God’s heavenly future.

Prayer:

Written by Mark D. Roberts, author of today’s meditation.

Gracious God, thank you for the promise of your future. Thank you for the fact that what lies ahead for us is more and better than anything we might imagine. Thank you for revealing to us a bit of what lies ahead, even though we cannot see it with our eyes. Thank you for enlivening our imaginations with the truth of heaven.  As I imagine there is a heaven, Lord, keep me from caring less about this world. Help me, instead, to let the assurance that my labor is not in vain energize me for greater investment in the work of your kingdom. Amen.

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Written by L. B. Cowman (1870-1960), a missionary and author.

Faith can change any situation. No matter how dark it is, no matter what the trouble may be, a quick lifting of the heart to God in a moment of real, actual faith in Him, will alter the situation in a moment. God is still on His throne, and He can turn defeat into victory in a second of time, if we really trust Him.

Prayer:

Written by Ina Inonog, a contemporary Christian writer.

Dearest Lord, even Your wisest disciples needed strength to fortify their faith. I pray for the same strength, so that my faith in You may never waver. Increase my faith so that I may share it with others who may need to be shepherded back to You. Strengthen my faith, so that I may be ready to face any doubts that might block my path. Even with faith the size of a mustard seed, I know that anything is possible in Your name. I humbly ask this of you in Christ’s glory, Amen.

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Written by John of Ruysbroeck (1293-1381), a Flemish theologian and philosopher.

Charity and righteousness: these two lay the foundation of the kingdom of the soul where God would dwell. And this foundation is humility. These three virtues prop and bear the whole weight and the whole edifice of all the other virtues and of all transcendence. For charity always confronts man with the unfathomable goodness of God, from which it has flowed forth, that thereby he may live worthily and remain steadfast before God, and grow in true humility and all other virtues. And righteousness places man face to face with the eternal truth of God, that he may know truth, and become enlightened, and may fulfill all virtue without erring. But humility brings man face to face with the most high mightiness of God, that he may always remain little and lowly, and may surrender himself to God, and may not stand upon his selfhood. This is the way in which a man should hold himself before God, that thereby he may grow continually in new virtues.

Prayer:

Written by William Barclay (1907-1978), a Scottish author, radio and television presenter, professor of Divinity, and minister in the Church of Scotland.

O Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance,

Admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice,

Accepts rebuke.

Help us always to praise rather than to criticize,

To sympathize rather than to discourage, to build rather than to destroy,

And to think of people at their best rather than at their worst. This we ask for thy name’s sake. Amen.

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Written by Whitney Hopler, a contemporary author and editor.

I used to follow a long and complicated routine for my devotional time with God each morning. By incorporating various prayer and meditation methods I’d learned about into that routine, I was trying to maximize my spiritual growth. One day, however, I had to cast my entire routine aside to get to an early morning work appointment. All I had time to do was talk to God from my heart as I drove to the appointment. My prayers poured out naturally, even though I didn’t use a single method to express them. Then, a few minutes before arriving at my appointment, I stopped talking, asked God to speak, and just listened. God’s love flowed into my heart, and God’s guidance flowed into my mind – right there in the car. The wonder of experiencing pure, unforced communication with God filled me with joy. So, the next morning, I let go of all my formulaic prayer and meditation methods and enjoyed communicating with God naturally. It was refreshing to realize I didn’t need to pray or meditate in specific ways for my communication to count with God. I discovered I could notice God’s presence with me more by just communicating naturally. God will meet us wherever we are when we communicate with him…God places no limitations on our conversations with him. So, we can pray in all sorts of ways. Prayer is simply talking with God, while meditation is listening to God. If we’re focusing our energy on communicating with God, that counts as valid prayer and meditation… Communicating with God is an opportunity, not an obligation.

Prayer:

The author of today’s prayer is unknown.

Dear Lord help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that You and I together can’t handle. Amen.

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Written by William Kynes, a contemporary pastor and theology professor.

Why would a good God allow so much suffering? T his is a question we all ask at some point in our lives. I believe it’s the chief obstacle to faith. We all suffer. Our bodies are frail, they will fail us, and we will die. And until we do, we all hover over a pit of tragedy, every single day. A mass shooting kills dozens. A drunk driver kills a whole family. A sudden tornado destroys a whole town. An earthquake rocks a nation. What sort of world is this? The case against God can be very strong indeed. In philosophical terms, it can be stated like this: Premise one: A God who is all-powerful would be able to prevent evil in the world. Premise two: A God who is all-good would want to prevent evil in the world. Three: Evil exists in the world. This results in a logical conclusion: Therefore, an all-powerful, all-good God cannot exist. That seems a pretty airtight syllogism, doesn’t it? How do you respond to such a thing? … As Os Guinness observed, the biblical response to this challenge to faith is not to minimize the premises underlying the apparent contraction that this argument poses, but to reinforce them while also seeing how the Bible provides reassurances. The Bible declares that evil is far worse than we realize. Evil is an invader, a parasite, a rot. It’s a malignant cancer that has spread, a rupture in the cosmic order. Evil is so real that it has a personal focus — a focus in the one Jesus called the Devil — the one who stands opposed to the purposes of God and all that is good, true, and beautiful. The good material world God created has been corrupted. The root of evil in this world is not material, it is moral. It is found in rebellion against God’s good rule. And from the beginning of humanity we have all participated in that rebellion and evil is embodied in our own hearts. At the same time, the Bible affirms that God is far more loving than we could ever hope. Though God could rightly do away with us all, in His love and mercy, He seeks us out to save us from the evil in this world and from the evil in ourselves. And in the gospel we see that God shares in our suffering even as He acts to bring victory over evil. The cross and resurrection of Jesus become God’s own response to evil in this world. God works in mysterious ways to work out His good purpose, but there is one thing He wants us to understand clearly. The struggle with evil and suffering in this fallen world is only temporary. For God has already won the decisive battle in this war, and His ultimate and complete victory is absolutely certain. And if the cross of Jesus Christ shows us that our God shares in our suffering, then the resurrection of Jesus Christ demonstrates that God’s triumph over evil is assured. Though we can never give a full explanation of evil in this world, we do have God’s response to it. The Bible reveals a God Who is worthy of our trust even in the midst of our pain.

Prayer:

Written by Emily Massey, a contemporary author.

Father, please help us find your mercy and goodness when trials and the storms of life come our way. If we are prone to grumble and complain, may the Holy Spirit convict our hearts and remind us to be thankful for your promise of eternity because of the cross. May we look for opportunities to comfort those around us who are suffering as well, so we can help hold each other up. We live in a fallen world, and although we cannot escape suffering, we know that heaven is our home and that the crown of life awaits those who stand firm in the faith, trusting that you have overcome the world and there is no reason to fear. We give you praise and thanksgiving that you will never leave us alone to walk through suffering alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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