WATCHWORD:
“We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is.[c] From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.
12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! John 14:5b-14
Meditation:
Wake Up!
We wake up to another day. Is this the day the Lord has given us? Yes. Do we rejoice? Do we? Are we glad? Or, do we take one look at the TV and realize things have not changed, or if they have, we cannot see it.
We pray for security and safety for our family, for our children, for our circle of friends, for the nation, for those we do not know, in places where we’ve never been. The thought may occur to us, that our prayers to God cannot be heard above the cries of the crowds that fill our streets in protest of injustice, or above the crash of breaking glass, and the emptiness of words spoken by our so-called leaders. And we may wonder where are you, Jesus?
If we listen carefully with our heart and our faith, we will hear our Lord and Savior saying: “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. (Hebrews 13:5). That is a promise that allows us to say: the Lord is my helper, the Lord is my savior, the Lord is my shepherd I will not fear. I will not fear the shouts of the evil ones stirring hatred, nor the injustice that has wormed its way into our not-perfect democracy, not even the crash of breaking glass.
We watch the news, we see what is happening in so many areas of our country, and it is spreading to the world. We keep waiting for God to do something exceptional, we trust that He is preparing us for some extraordinary work in the future that will calm our hearts, that will resolve what seems to be so intertwined and confusing. And the evil one is knocking on our door with a slimy gift of fear, and a sense of hopelessness that denies God.
Do you believe that He will never leave you? I’ve often wondered about my own sin, my own selfishness, my own stubbornness, my failure to act in the face of injustice or my failure to speak out in the face of persecution. If I truly trusted that He will never leave me why don’t I have the confidence to step forward at this time, with all that is happening around me, to say with trust and assurance that God is in charge, that God loves us, and God has a plan that we know nothing of? Nevertheless, I will trust him.
If ever there was a time when our faith and trust in the promises of Jesus is called for, it is now. And He says to us: “Do you believe I can do this? 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart”.(Mark 11:22-23)
That, exceptional work of God? That is trust, my friends, that is the “extraordinary work” that He has prepared us to do, right here, right now. Do you believe He can do this, in you? Amen.
Stan
Words from Pete Gano: “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is a great tune. Even right now is at the top of the charts in the UK because of the work of Tom Moore, who at the age of 100 years, raised over £32,000,000 by walking 100 laps within his backyard for charities dealing with Co-Vid 19. That song has been covered almost as much as “White Christmas” and in almost as many different musical styles.
Yesterday’s Watchword is great comfort for these current “Storms!”
Bulletin Board:
From Stan – My apology for the darkness in today’s Meditation. Each morning as part of my prayers, I call upon the Lord to help me be committed to what has been placed on my heart…and so be it.
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before you with grateful hearts, and rejoice at the birth of another day that You have given to us. We know that You have prepared this day for us, and we pray for the strength to follow your will in all ways throughout this day. We pray for forgiveness for thoughts that we may be entertaining, those times when we seem to slip away from trusting you, Lord. Bring us back, give us courage and strength for this day. Help us, Lord to be your hands and your voice in this little circle of world that you’ve given us. So, we do come before you Lord with a grateful heart, thanking you for the blessings that have fallen all around us. We pray for Your continued guidance in all things. We give You all the honor and glory, Lord, in the name of Your dear son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, for it’s in His name that we pray all of this. Amen
