Tag Archives: Devotional

Seeing… and Responding

Then [Jesus] turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.”
Luke 7:45, NIV*

Simon the Pharisee certainly does see the woman, and he’s offended that someone “of that sort” would invade his righteous household. But he doesn’t see her at all: drawn to Jesus, hoping, trusting, desperately needing a miracle.

I remember Mark Buchanan reading this story a few years ago at Write! Canada. “Do you see this woman?” He challenged us with this: do we see an individual’s heart, or just skim over the surface?

Do we see?

Are we free to make a difference, or do we hold back in fear? What if we’re rebuffed? What would the onlookers say?

The Gospel of Luke also tells how Jesus interrupts a mission to heal a dying child. Someone in the crowd has sneaked a healing by touching His robe. As the desperate father is nearing wits’ end, Jesus looks around and asks “Who touched Me?”

He knows full well which of the many bumps and jostles made the difference, and He knows the woman’s story: the 12 years’ incurable bleeding, the physicians’ helplessness, the woman’s despair. Under the Jewish law, she would have been considered unclean for all this time, outcast, feeling defeated and unworthy.

Jesus could let her slip away, healed and filled with wondrous hope. But He stops the whole progression and singles her out. Not to chastise her as she might fear, but to acknowledge her worth. He’s not about to let her go whole in body but wounded in soul.

Who will we meet today who needs some kindness?

Lord, grant us to really see the people you bring our way.

∞

We’ve had this song before, but I don’t think there’s a better one for this topic than Brandon Heath’s “Give me Your Eyes”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mhpLjPslbM

Satisfied by God’s Goodness

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Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Isaiah 55:2, NIV*

At Whatever He Says, Susan wrote, “I can only imagine what it would mean to [God] that we his children, the objects of his love, would be satisfied with his goodness alone. Not running to and fro and here and there looking for satisfaction or fulfillment in anything else.” You can read the full post here: Short and Sweet.

I wonder if this latent sense of dissatisfaction, this always reaching for something more, is a root of the vague fear that many of us carry. Or maybe that fear is what breeds the never-ending quest for “something more”.

Maybe deep down we’re afraid that God isn’t really good, isn’t really enough?

It’s easy to say God is good. To affirm His love for us. But sometimes if we’d listen closely we’d hear our hearts telling a different story.

We make contingency plans on top of backup plans, we try to cover all the angles, as if we’re facing the future alone. But as I said last week, God will be with us when we get to the future. We won’t have to face anything without Him.

The Psalmist says “The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.” (Psalm 145:13b, NIV*)

Father, as Your children we believe You are good. We believe You love us and are mighty to save. Please trickle this head knowledge into our hearts and help our unbelief. Help us develop a spirit of gratitude, and to be truly satisfied with Your goodness. You are enough.

What better song than one of praise? This week it’s “Sing to the King” done here by the Passion Worship Band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpGk6ugV90A

God’s Presence with Us

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The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV*

I’m rarely beset by nightmares, but the other night I had a scare right at bedtime. I was already overtired and a bit stressed, and now I was afraid of what I might see in my sleep.

Then I remembered one of the questions raised in The Shack: When we think of the future—of possible dangers and things that could go wrong—why do we see ourselves facing it alone?

I’d never thought of it before reading the novel, but it’s true. At least for me.

It’s also kind of silly. God is with us in the present. He sees what’s coming, and will be with us each step of the way. Nothing will catch Him by surprise.

With that reassurance, I decided to lie in bed and pray quietly, committing my sleep to Him. “You’ll be with me. You are good.” I repeated it as I relaxed into sleep. Next morning I woke thankful—and nightmare-free.

Today, tomorrow, He’ll be with us. And He is good.

Father, help me fully trust in your promise to never leave nor forsake me. You know the end from the beginning. You are good, and You are all I need.

∞

I chose this week’s song because it speaks of God being there after everything, and about how He repairs, forgives and makes us new. Here’s “The Glory of it All” from the David Crowder*Band.

Praise God in the Now

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I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.
Psalm 104:33-34 NIV*

I’ve been asking God to renew my heart, and trusting He’s at work although there’s no visible evidence yet. Wondering when I’d start to see some change.

Like the child who digs up a seed every day to see if it’s sprouted yet.

This morning these verses from Psalm 104 changed my focus: Forget what’s seen or unseen, present or future. Praise God in the now.

Sure, I’ll praise Him when He’s renewed my heart. But why wait until then?

It’s not just about praising God for what He’s done. It’s about praising Him for who He is: God, majestic and powerful, loving and compassionate, Creator and Restorer. What He does only shows glimpses of who He is.

There’s plenty to praise Him for now, while I’m waiting, and His praise is to be the song of my life.

Father, help me be confident in who You are – Your character – not in what You do. Thank You for what You’re doing in my heart. Whether that goes fast or slow, help me live each day in praise to You because You are good, and because You love me.

∞

This week’s song has meant a lot to me over the past couple months: “Glorious,” by the Newsboys.

Waiting, Hoping… and Walking

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…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31, NIV*

In one of his books, Mark Buchanan points out the progression in these verses: The eagle rides the wind currents, the runner has a limited distance expectation (even if it’s marathon length) but the walker might be expected to carry on for a long time.

He said it better than that, and it sounded more logical, but the idea is that the walking is both the least glamorous and perhaps the hardest because it’s such a long, slow slog.

I’m back in a quiet state again. It comes every so often, when I’m empty of the usual plans and enthusiasm. I used to try to psych myself back into action, but now I think it’s a necessary part of the rhythm of my life with God.

It’s not so much low energy as a holy hush. A call to wait. To hope in God.

Today I’m embracing the quiet. With my inner clamour stilled, I feel like I’m waiting… in hope… for God. There’s nothing big going on in my life right now, and I’m not expecting some great gust of Spirit wind to set me soaring, but a greater sense of His presence would definitely renew my strength for the next steps of the walk.

Maybe that’s why they call it “walking with God”?

Father God, thank You that You don’t set us on the road and leave us alone. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, with us to comfort and to guide. Thank You that anytime, anywhere, we can quiet our own spirits and rest in You. Please help us learn to do this more and more, so we can grow strong in relationship with You and follow You without growing weary or fainting.

Our song this week is “You Raise Me Up,” performed here by the group Selah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hArAHVWps70&feature=related

Rescue

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Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV*

For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV*

David Crowder talks about “living the rescue” in his book, Praise Habit: about how accepting God’s gift with open arms, embracing it and living it, is praise to the Giver. (page 40)

As I was praying this morning, it seemed to me that when I live confident in God, that’s praise, because it’s a testimony to His trustworthiness and power. That was how the God wanted the people of Israel to live, in the Old Testament. And its how the early Christians lived: openly dependent on God. If He let them down, they’d fall. Of course, He didn’t. But the point is, they were living examples, testimonies, God’s “Exhibit A”.

God has been reminding me that I need to see what He does, and to praise Him with my words, both private and public, spoken and sung. Today I’m realizing that public praise may not involve words.

If I’m living confidently, secure in God’s hand, that says something. I can tell people who ask (“always be ready to give the reason for the hope that is within you,” says 1 Peter 3:15) and I can speak naturally about God, but it’s the living by faith – calm and at peace – that’s going to demonstrate God’s power. It’s living proof of God’s goodness.

Father, please help me understand this and apply it even in the deepest levels. Help me walk by faith, trusting in You with all my heart, and help me not lean on my own understanding. Help me to acknowledge You in all my ways. Thank You that You will direct my path – please help me walk in it by faith, not by my limited sight. Because of Jesus, who rescued me. Amen.

Let’s make this week’s song our prayer: Walk By Faith, by Jeremy Camp.

*King James Version (KJV) Public Domain

Janet Sketchley

Writing Christian Mysteries & Suspense