Category: Devotions

Read Psalm 71:1-6.

In this prayer, the psalmist cries out for God to rescue and protect. This is someone who was raised in the faith, leaning on God from their earliest days. They have an assurance that God’s mercy and care extend beyond the limits of this life on earth. It is someone who is confident in God’s presence even when they are in danger of harm or heartbreak.

When did your faith journey begin? Can you see evidence that God was at work on your behalf even before your birth? When, in your life, have you needed to lean on God? To what degree did it help you to move through that difficulty?

Today, offer a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s everlasting love and intervention for your well-being.

Read Jeremiah 1:4-10.

In these verses, we read of the prophet Jeremiah’s call story. God, who knows more about Jeremiah than he knows about himself, has uniquely equipped Jeremiah for this work. He is admonished not to be afraid and not to question his ability. God will accompany him, guide him, and place within his mouth the message he is to speak.

Imagine God speaking these words to you. How comfortable are you with the idea that God knows you down to the very depths of your soul? For what do you think God has uniquely equipped you? Do you, like Jeremiah, feel insecure about your ability or do you feel confident you are up to the task? What message do you think the world today most needs to hear? How can you partner with God in sharing that message?

In prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern God’s call upon your life, and for the will and the confidence to answer.

Read Luke 12:49-56.

In this reading, Jesus reminds his hearers that following him and aligning your life with his can be costly. The world tells us that we should be merciless and self-sufficient – that the one with the loudest voice and the most toys wins. Jesus insists on mercy, dependence on God and on each other. He advocates for humility and justice and concern for the well-being of our neighbor. He elevates the least and calls out the elite.

To align yourself with these values has the potential to put you in conflict with those who don’t. Living the life Jesus calls you to may put a strain on even your closest relationships. And yet, living this way not only leads to a deeper understanding and experience of God, it has the potential to impact the world around us in positive ways.

Has your faith in Christ ever caused difficulty in your relationships? Are you willing to endure fractured relationships on behalf of your faith in Jesus? What kind of division do you see in the family of Christ? How might aligning ourselves with Jesus make us better able to view things from another’s perspective?

In prayer, commit yourself to following the way of Jesus, even if it is not the easiest path.

Read Hebrews 11:29-12:2.

The eleventh chapter in the letter to the Hebrews is a “who’s who” of the faithful heroes. We have Noah and Abraham and Moses, who persevered through difficulties and dangers to bring God’s people to safety, trusting God to guide them. We have Rahab and Samson, David and Samuel, showing courage despite any threats. We have countless others who were subjected to great violence, torture, and even death all because they were faithful to God’s call on their life. Jesus follows in that line, offering redemption for all people for all time in his obedience, suffering, and sacrifice.

The author of this letter paints a picture of these heroes as part of the great cloud of witnesses who are cheering us on as we run the course God has set before us. When we feel discouraged or we become tired of trying to do the right thing, we can imagine these heroes encouraging us and urging us to continue pressing forward in our faith. Who would you add to the author’s list in terms of your heroes of faith? How did these heroes live out their faith in big and small ways? How has their faith shaped yours? Who could use a word of encouragement today?

Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for those who have mentored you in your faith.

Read Psalm 80.

Clearly, the psalmist’s community is going through a difficult time, blaming God for not interceding. The psalmist is reminding God of the days when Israel flourished, providing safety and rest for those already established among the people and for those seeking refuge. And then they ask, essentially, “What happened?”

Given the recurring theme throughout the scriptures and throughout the history of God’s people, a good guess would be that they turned inwardly, away from God and away from the values of God’s kingdom. In vs. 17-18, the psalmist tries to strike a deal. “Let your hand be upon [us]…and we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name.”

How often do we want to attach strings to our devotion to God? How much easier is it to offer praise when things are going well? When have we been tempted to blame God when something bad happens? How can we better “own up” to our part in the problem?

Offer a prayer of confession and find assurance in God’s forgiveness and provision.

Read Isaiah 5:1-7.

The readings for this week are ones we would sometimes rather ignore, but it’s good for our growth to be challenged by God through difficult passages. This one from the prophet Isaiah begins with the image of a vineyard, carefully attended to by God. When we plant a garden, we have visions of beauty and order and fruitfulness. God’s expectations would have been no different for Israel. God would have expected the people to bear the fruit of peace, gratitude, and mutual care. Instead, they turned their backs on God and on each other.

In terms of Christian community, to what extent does the spiritual health of each individual “vine” contribute to the health of the “vineyard” as a whole? How has God cleared away the stones, prepared the soil, and planted good things in your life as if it were a vineyard? What vines are flourishing in your life by the grace of God? Which vines might be resisting God’s gifts and calls, and therefore might be withering?

In prayer, ask God to show you the nature of your resistance and pray for the Spirit to help you let go of that resistance.

Read Luke 12:32-40.

Because of how the paragraphs are split up in this reading, it would seem Jesus is giving us two, unrelated teachings. He says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He then goes on to advise living each day as if this is the moment Christ will return – to living each day as if it were our last. If we truly practiced that: savoring each moment; not leaving things unsaid; doing what we could to repair any damage we’ve done; choosing to use words that are peaceful and life-giving and healing…it would be a powerful statement of where our treasure is. It would reveal a heart in line with Jesus’.

What does the way you spend a majority of your time say about where your heart is? Are your priorities in line with your heart? What steps might you take to reconcile that difference? If Jesus returned today, how prepared would you be? What changes would you want to make before that happened?

In prayer, ask God to show you where changes need to be made and to give you the strength and courage you need to make them.

Read Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16.

In these verses, we find the definition of faith: the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen. The author goes on to give examples of those heroes of the faith who continued to trust that God would fulfill God’s promises, even if they never saw it with their own eyes. Abraham trusted that God had a plan for his life, gathered up his life, and set off for the promised land. He didn’t know where he was going, how he would get there, or when he would get there. He just knew that God would accompany and lead him.

What are the things that you hope for in your life, in the church, in your community, or in the world? To what degree do you believe that these things will actually happen? What does this say about your faith? What evidence have you seen that God is, in fact, faithful? In what situation might God be calling you to step out in faith, even now?

Offer this situation to God and ask for the courage to act with faithfulness.

Read Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23.

In this psalm, we are reminded that God continues to honor the covenant which is made over and over throughout the Old Testament: “I will be your God and you will be my people.” God speaks through the beauty of a sunset and the whisper of the wind, and continues to rescue and redeem us from troubles of our own making. We, as God’s people, have not always held up our end of the covenant, though. We have turned from God’s call to care for the poor, the ill, the lonely, the imprisoned, and the foreigner.

If we are to be God’s people, the expectation is that we should live like God’s people. An important step in living as God’s people is giving thanks. Gratitude for God’s mercy and provision helps us to remember that we depend on God for all that is good in this life. Offering gratitude leads to a spirit of generosity. It helps us to be more generous with our resources, but also with our time and our empathy and compassion. When we are grateful for the mercy God has given us, we become more merciful ourselves.

Today offer a prayer of thanksgiving and commit yourself to living with more gratitude.

Read Isaiah 1:1, 10-20.

Speaking through the prophet, God expresses disappointment with the people of Judah. Their acts of sacrifice and worship practices are meaningless to God when the people continue to live in ways that are contrary to God’s. God reminds the faithful that prayer and praise is not about changing God’s heart, but about changing ours. It’s about turning away from sin however it manifests in our lives and turning towards God.

When we are caught up in sin, it’s impossible to live in the wholeness and healing that God graciously offers. “Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow,” says God. In doing this, we find ourselves at one with God, with each other, and with the world that God so loves.

Have there been times when you have worshiped God half-heartedly or apathetically? What sins remain in your life even as you profess your faith? What practices might be helpful in turning from those sins and turning towards God?

In prayer, offer a confession for your sin and commit yourself to walking in God’s ways of justice and care for “the least of these.”