DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - JANUARY 20

JANUARY 20

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child,

the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:4

Bless the children, God of little ones, with their giggles and wide-eyed awe, their assumption that today will be chock-full of surprises, learning, and love.  Neither missing nor wasting a minute, they take nothing for granted.  Their example lesses us.  We will go and do likewise.

CAN WE REJOICE?

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

CAN WE REJOICE?

READ:  Habakkuk 3:17-19

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord…The Lord god is my strength.

Habakkuk 3:18, 19

I’ll never forget the question our Bible-study leader asked:  “What do you fear would test your faith in God the most?”  We were studying Habakkuk 3:17-18, where the prophet said that even if God sent suffering or loss, he would still rejoice.

As a single woman in my twenties, my answer was “I don’t know if I could stand the pain of losing my parents.”  But I told God  that day that even when they died I would rejoice in Him.  I found out too soon that it’s easier said than done.

A month later, Dad learned he had heart disease and didn’t have long to live.  He didn’t know Jesus as his Savior, so I begged God not to let him die without coming to know Him.  Not only did he die that year, so did Mom, who was a believer.  I didn’t know if my prayer for Dad was answered.  I couldn’t rejoice; I wondered if God had even heard my prayer.

As I wrestled with Him about my questions, I experienced the Lord as my “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).  I found hope in the truth that God, “the Judge of all the earth,” would do what was right by everyone (Genesis 18:25).

We can rejoice-when we are rejoicing in the Lord, our strong refuge and righteous Judge.      AC

Why must I bear this pain?  I cannot tell;

I only know my Lord does all things well.

And so I trust in God, my all in all,

For He will bring me through, whate’er befall. -Smith

God tries our faith so that we may try His faithfulness.   

CLEAN CONTAINERS

Clean Containers

Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.

Proverbs 10:12

READ 1 PETER 4:7–11

“Hatred corrodes the container that carries it.” These words were spoken by former Senator Alan Simpson at the funeral of George H. W. Bush. Attempting to describe his dear friend’s kindness, Senator Simpson recalled how the forty-first president of the United States embraced humor and love rather than hatred in his professional leadership and personal relationships.

I relate to the senator’s quote, don’t you? Oh, the damage done to me when I harbor hatred!

Medical research reveals the damage done to our bodies when we cling to the negative or release bursts of anger. Our blood pressure rises. Our hearts pound. Our spirits sag. Our containers corrode.

In Proverbs 10:12, King Solomon observes, “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” The conflict that results from hatred here is a blood feud between rivaling peoples of different tribes and races. Such hatred fuels the drive for revenge so that people who despise each other can’t connect.

By contrast, God’s way of love covers—draws a veil over, conceals, or forgives—all wrongs. That doesn’t mean we overlook errors or enable a wrongdoer. But we don’t nurse the wrong when someone is truly remorseful. And if they never apologize, we still release our feelings to God. We who know the Great Lover are to “love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

By Elisa Morgan

REFLECT & PRAY

O God, help me surrender to Your great love that covers all sins and makes me into a clean container in which You dwell in love.

What things cause you to hate? How might the hard-hearted heat of hostility eat away at our personal joy and our world’s peace?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Ancient letter-writing followed a general formula: opening/greeting, thanksgiving, body, and closing. Each of these sections has distinct subsections and characteristics, and each serves an important function in delivering the message of the writer.

Today’s passage is part of the closing section. It’s also what’s known as a hortatory (“to exhort”) section. Here the writer gives last-minute instructions to the reader. This section isn’t always a well-organized and progressive argument; rather, it’s more like random-fire instructions of everything the writer, through the inspiration of the Spirit, wanted to say but didn’t find a place to say in the body of the letter. Here at the end of his first letter, Peter urges his readers to pray, love, be hospitable, use their gifts, speak God’s words, and serve. J.R. Hudberg

DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - JANUARY 19

JANUARY 19

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;  save me,

and I shall be saved:  for thou art my praise.

Jeremiah 17:14

Lord, bless all those today who need healing of any kind.  Whether it be physical, emotion, or mental, bless them with your merciful grace and eternal love.  Let each one know that they are special in your eyes and that, in the realm of spirit, there is only perfection, wholeness, and joy.  Amen.

NAOMI

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

NAOMI

READ:  Ruth 4:13-22

The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has

not left you this day without a close relative.”  Ruth 4:14

A wise person once told me, “Never be quick to judge whether something is a blessing or a curse.”  The story of Naomi reminds me of this.

The name Naomi means “my delight.”  But when bad things happened to her, Naomi wanted to change her name to match her circumstances.  After her husband and sons died, Naomi concluded, “The hand of the Lord has gone out against me!”  (Ruth 1:13).  When people greeted her, she said, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (v.20).

Rather than judge her circumstances in light of her identity as a follower of the one true God who had proclaimed unfailing love for His people, Naomi did what most of us tend to do:  She judged God in light of her circumstances.  And she judged wrongly.  The hand of the Lord had not gone out against her.  In fact, Naomi had a God-given treasure she had not yet discovered.  Although Naomi lost her husband and two sons, she was given something totally unexpected - a devoted daughter-in-law and a grandchild who would be in the lineage of the Messiah.

As Naomi’s life shows us, sometimes the worst thing that happens to us can open the door for the best that God has to give us.  JAL

Loving Father, help me not to judge your love for me

on the basis of whether today brings good news

or bad.  Help me remember that you desire to use

my circumstances to make me more like Jesus.  Amen.

God’s purpose for today’s events may

not be seen till tomorrow.     

WHEN GOD INTERVENES

When God Intervenes

Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.

Psalm 105:15

READ NUMBERS 23:13–23

In a poem titled “This Child Is Beloved,” Omawumi Efueye, known affectionately as Pastor O, writes about his parents’ attempts to end the pregnancy that would result in his birth. After several unusual events that prevented them from aborting him, they decided to welcome their child instead. The knowledge of God’s preservation of his life motivated Omawumi to give up a lucrative career in favor of full-time ministry. Today, he faithfully pastors a London church.

Like Pastor O, the Israelites experienced God’s intervention at a vulnerable time in their history. While traveling through the wilderness, they came within sight of King Balak of Moab. Terrified of their conquests and their vast population, Balak engaged a seer named Balaam to place a curse on the unsuspecting travelers (Numbers 22:2-6).

But something amazing happened. Whenever Balaam opened his mouth to curse, a blessing issued instead. “I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it,” he declared. “No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; . . . God brought them out of Egypt” (Numbers 23:20-22). God preserved the Israelites from a battle they didn’t even know was raging!

Whether we see it or not, God still watches over His people today. May we worship in gratitude and awe the One who calls us blessed.

By Remi Oyedele

REFLECT & PRAY

Father in heaven, forgive us for the many times we take Your care and protection for granted. Give us eyes to see how much You bless us.

How often do you stop to consider the daily protection God extends over you? What does the knowledge that He saves you from unseen dangers mean to you?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Balaam was a prophet for hire (Numbers 22:7; Deuteronomy 23:4; Joshua 13:22)—a sin that remains prevalent even today. Peter warns of false teachers who “followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong” (2 Peter 2:15-16 nlt). Jude likewise warns of ungodly people who abuse their positions and misuse their giftedness for monetary gain (Jude 1:11). And John warns of greedy leaders, who, like Balaam, entice people to commit spiritual adultery and sexual immorality (Revelation 2:14). K. T. Sim

DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - JANUARY 18

JANUARY 18

Who is he that condemneth?  It is Christ that died, yea

rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand

of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Romans 8:34

Lord, how unworthy we feel of your son’s prayers on our behalf, but how grateful we are for his intercessions!  It’s all more marvelous, more mysterious than we can grasp, but because we trust your and your heart, we humbly thank him for caring so much about us.  Surely his prayers are heard above all others!