Daily devotion

Prayers That Last Generations

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For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,   Ephesians 3:14-17 ESV

I confess that usually I pray small prayers like, “Please Lord, don’t let it rain on the church picnic!” or “Father, we’re broke, please help us pay the bills this month!” Now, there is nothing wrong with those prayers. After all, Jesus taught us to ask for daily bread, and our loving Father gladly opens His hand to bless us with answers to even small needs. But I am humbled when I read this prayer of Saint Paul, recalling that he wrote it while kneeling down on the stone floor of his cell and praying for his friends to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit. Wow! In those circumstances, my first request would be, “Lord get me out of here!” Yes, Paul was human, and in other places he does talk about wanting to be released. But his deepest desire was not for God to liberate him from his situation, but for others to know Jesus. Even more amazing to me, is that Paul’s prayers are still being answered in our lives today. What about us? Are we asking blessings for ourselves or are we moved by the needs of others? Am I seeking good but only temporary blessings, or am I praying for others to know Jesus and have a love for Him in generations to come? Am I praying prayers that God’s answer will only be that the rain holds off during our picnic or am I asking for people to know the love of Christ because only that will last forever?!

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Breakfast With Jesus

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Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. John 21:12 ESV

It is curious to me that like two bookends, the disciples’ experiences with Jesus were bracketed by two unlucky fishing trips. The first day with Him as well as the last, began with a morning meeting. In the first, (Luke 5:10), Jesus tells them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Then, for three and a half years, as they followed, Jesus taught them about heaven and showed them what it looked like, as He gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, and fed the crowds with only a few loaves of bread.

In the same way, Jesus calls us to follow and to fish for Him. But it does seem that a lot of our fishing, just like the disciples, looks like pulling in empty nets. But Jesus also taught about planting seeds, and He said that good seed in good soil would yield a good harvest. Now harvest time is great, but most of the year on a farm is not about picking apples, grapes, or corn. A farmer’s days are filled by waiting for seeds to germinate, watering them, and then pulling weeds. Yes, the corn gets taller, the apples grow larger, and grapes begin to fill the vines, but harvest time comes at the end, not the beginning of the season. But if we faithfully follow Jesus, casting nets and pulling weeds, our harvest or catch of fish will one day come. Though our labors may seem to be unrewarded, Jesus is working all night as well and He is waiting for our arrival. As Christians, our end comes not at night, but at dawn. So, listen, He is calling you, “Come my child, bring what you have caught, sit by my side and let’s have breakfast together in Heaven!”

His Rod and Staff Comfort Me

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“...I will fear no evil for you are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me.” Psalm 23:4b

I have often wondered exactly what this part of the Twenty-Third Psalm meant. Thinking back to my own childhood, a rod and staff were not a source of comfort, rather dread, because they were used by my parents to administer needed correction to me on occasion. But then I came the seventeenth chapter of Exodus. In this story, while the people of Israel were being led by Moses around the desert for forty years, they were thirsty. Deserts are not hospitable places. No one says, “Hey let’s go and hang out in the desert for a month!” As we might expect while the Israelites were there, they ran out water, and things were looking pretty bleak. But these folks had also experienced many major miracles. They had seen the Nile turning to blood, and the parting of the Red Sea. Yet, though they had seen God taking care of their needs time after time, they didn’t go to Moses asking, “What miracle will God do this time?” Instead, they showed up at his tent door shouting, “Did you lead us here to kill us all with thirst?”

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But God was patient, and instead of telling Moses to whack them over the head with his staff, he commanded him to strike a large rock. When Moses did that, suddenly fresh cool water poured out. Later on, when things began looking up, an enemy army showed up to attack them. During the battle, Moses took his staff, climbed a hill, and held it up. While he did that, Israel’s soldiers begin beating back their enemies, but when he was tired and his arms begin falling, they started losing, until his brothers came and held his hands up.

And then I thought that, just like those people, when we are in our dry places, God’s staff struck the rock at Calvary and from that source of Christ’s suffering, God refreshes our souls with mercy. And in our own desert journey when we find ourselves under attack God is not absent, He is watching over us, and lifting up the rod and staff of His Word over us. But, unlike Moses, God’s arms never grow tired. He never wearies, and no matter what we lack or are fighting, God promises to be with us. He comforts us with His rod and His staff and with His Spirit gives us victory over every enemy. Then, at the end of our journey He promises that those who are faithful to Him will be welcomed into His presence where His goodness and mercy will follow us for all eternity!