Daily devotion

An Answer in the Morning

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And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?  Mark 4:13 ESV

When I as a teenager we used to sing the Andre Crouch song, “Jesus is the Answer” with great abandon and joy. We were super confident that life was now simple and our challenges under control because we had met Jesus and He was our Savior. But now that fifty years have passed, I am discovering that the same Jesus who was the answer for my salvation has also been the Jesus who asks me some very uncomfortable questions, like today’s verse. “How will you understand?”

After five decades my answer is, “I have no idea Lord!” I am often baffled like Philip was when he asked Jesus, “We don’t know where you are going, How can we know the way?” Jesus rarely gives us an easy answer. He doesn’t outline three steps to healing, five keys to church growth or six choices leading to prosperity. Instead He comes each day and asks, “Which one was a neighbor? Will you also go away? Who do you say that I am? or Why are you weeping?”

Why does Jesus do that? My best guess is that when I know the answer, I will not be here any longer to tell you! But one morning when the mist is wiped clear from Heaven’s windows we are promised that will see our Jesus who asks every question and is Himself the answer; our Lord and our most intimate friend. That morning we will know as we are known and there we will see Him face to face!

For my younger readers who likely have no clue as to who Andre Crouch is I am posting a link to a live performance. I was blessed to have the chance to see He along with his sister Sandra and the band in Phoenix in 1972. This YouTube video doesn’t really convey the tremendous energy faith hope (and volume!) that ruled during those live concerts. Have a blessed day all.

God’s 911 Number

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Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help. Psalm 31:21-22 ESV

When we lived in the inner city it was not unusual to have to dial 911 once a month. Though the reason for the call was rarely serious crime, there were many traffic accidents in front of our home, and the sound of crunching metal sent us first to the window and then to the phone. We didn’t call our pastor, our family or even our best friends, because we knew that if we dialed 911 that they would pick up the phone right away. In this Psalm, King David’s problem was that the city he was living in was being attacked by an army. Now I would say that’s a real emergency. David wasn’t just a little worried, he was scared to death, but instead of running away, he ran and dialed God’s 911 number because  he needed help and he needed it right away.

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Whether we are facing a critical health issue, a family emergency or a desperate financial situation, our assurance is that if we call on God that He will always answer. David tells us, “He heard the voice of my pleas.” and “he has shown His steadfast love!” Those two great promises were not only for David, in Bible times, they are also for us today. God still loves His people with a steadfast love and He is waiting to answer Heaven’s 911 if we will only call on Him!

Jesus is Knocking at Your Door

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Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20 KJV

I enjoy watching Police Dramas and the popular show Bluebloods is my favorite. I especially love scenes when Detective Danny Reagan stands outside the bad guy’s door shouting. “Police! Open Up or we’re coming in!” Then two seconds later he kicks the door open yelling, “Put your hands where I can see them!”

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In some ways Jesus Christ is like Danny. He has collected all the evidence against us and has obtained a search warrant from the Judge of the universe. But there the similarity ends, because Jesus hasn’t come to arrest us and His plan is not to slap us in handcuffs and drag us down to the station. Even though He is able to knock down even the heaviest door, Jesus chooses to stand outside and knock. That gives us hope in three ways. First, we know that God has our address. He knows where we are and cares enough to come to our door. He has not forgotten us. Secondly, Jesus wants to enter our home. He has been knocking since He came to the manger of Bethlehem and He kept at it all the way to the cross of Calvary. Now He wants to sit down at our table – the one with a few spaghetti sauce stains and a chip or two on its corners. He didn’t come to see how perfect our house is. He came for us, and He is waiting just outside this morning to see if we will hear His voice and open our door.