Category: Daily Prayer

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:3-6

The account of Saul’s experience on the Damascus Road is one of the greatest conversion stories of the Bible. Here is a man on his way to stamp out this new sect that follows Jesus, believing it to be a threat to his religious heritage. He is completely changed by his encounter with Christ, and becomes one of the most prolific evangelists of his time.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could have such a conversation with Jesus? Well, maybe not the blinding, and perhaps not getting sent to every settlement all over, often beaten, sometimes imprisoned. Saul who became known as Paul suffered much for Christ and His ministry after his conversion. Are we ready and willing to do as much if asked?

We often want the experience without the responsibility that goes with it, but Jesus doesn’t work that way. If we call Him Lord and claim to be His followers, we must be ready to do what we are asked and endure the opposition that will surely come from earthly powers.

Lord of all, we are weak and self focused. We want the benefits without the work. Help us to see that Your call on our lives will not be easy, but by turning from evil and returning to You, we can be saved, and be part of Your work in eternity. Amen.

In John 20:19-31 we hear of Jesus appearing to the disciples following His resurrection. This gospel account teaches many things in a fairly short passage: Jesus has been raised and has a mission for His disciples (“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” John 20:21) and that Christ’s sacrifice is for everyone’s salvation (But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31).

This passage also illustrates the difficulty some will have in believing in Jesus without having seen him, using Thomas as the example. It may sound like Jesus is reprimanding Thomas when He says “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29), but He is telling the disciples (and us) how it will be from then on – He will be returning to the Father, and it will be up to us to make Jesus real to all our brothers and sisters without them seeing Him.

Jesus calls each one of us to believe without seeing, having faith that God loves us and was willing to sacrifice Himself to save us. We are now part of building the kingdom, not because we deserve it or have any power of our own, but because we are His beloved children.

Heavenly Father, we are ashamed by our lack of faith, and humbled by what You have done in order to save us. Make us whole again, energetic bearers of the Good News to all the world. Amen.

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” John 20:26-27

Poor Doubting Thomas, we always remember his reluctance to believe that Christ had been raised. Do we remember his brave statement of faith earlier in the gospel when he said “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” ( John 11:16) Could the same be said of us? Are we vacillating in our belief, alternately faithful and failing?

Of course we are all like Thomas, we are imperfect because of sin, and our faith sometimes needs a boost. That’s what Jesus came to do, to teach us to be more confident of God’s love and forgiveness. It’s available to everyone who confesses and repents, and the Lord is ready to receive each one of us as His returning children.

Like Thomas, it is sometimes difficult for us to believe in the marvelous gift we have been given. Our human minds have trouble grasping a love so deep that He would be willing to give Himself for us. We can always trust the promise Jesus made, that if we “stop doubting and believe” we can be saved!

Gracious God, we are often weak and it is difficult for us to accept the wonder of Your love for us. Help us to be strong in the truth of Christ, believing the promise of the resurrection and eternal life with You. Amen.

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31

John tells us there were more things Jesus did that are not recorded here. While the gospels are the inspired witness of those who experienced these events, they are not a complete record, only those things the Holy Spirit chose to make significant to them. It’s like that for us today – some things may be vitally important to us, but not to others, and vice versa. All Scripture is important, but it may speak to us differently in different situations, and at different times in our lives.

What is vitally important to all of us is the fact that “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name“. A good friend of mine used to counsel that it was essential to “keep the main thing the main thing”, meaning not to get distracted by issues that are not part of our mission – to love one another and to make disciples of all the world.

God gave us the gift of knowledge in His Word that we could learn and share with each other. Studying Scripture, praying for understanding and the fellowship of gathering to share are all essential for Scripture to become real in our lives. Practicing these disciplines will bring us closer to God and our brothers and sisters.

Gracious God, we are blessed by Your Word and Your love. Help us to study, understand and share this precious gift with the world that all may come to know You as their Creator and live in the hope of being with You eternally. Amen.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” John 21:15

Peter, the disciple who denied Jesus not only received forgiveness, but a charge from Him to continue His work, caring for those who followed Him. Peter was reconciled to Christ through his repentance, acknowledging his failure and weakness.

We are all like Peter, alternately brave and eager, but often afraid and denying our part in Christ’s ministry. It has been asked “Why does God use imperfect people?” and the answer is “Because that’s all He has”. When we stumble, we must ask for pardon and blessing, being aware that we have made wrong choices.

Then like Peter, we may be made vital again, ready to meet the challenges that following Jesus brings, saved by His grace and part of His mission of salvation.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for the gift of Your Son by which we are brought back into relationship with You. Help us to follow the lessons we are given and know that when we stray, there is mercy and forgiveness when we come to You in repentance. Amen.

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

Those who had walked with Jesus while He was on earth had a need to see Him after the resurrection. It’s not hard to understand from a human perspective, but Jesus calls us to believe from a spiritual perspective. This is the next step of our faith, to believe without seeing, to trust the promise Jesus made even without seeing the effect personally; at least not yet.

Let’s not be too hard on Thomas when he says “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” ( John 20:25). Remember the other disciples didn’t believe the testimony of the women returning from the tomb. Only after Jesus appears to them are they completely convinced. Thomas wasn’t with them for whatever reason, and now is only asking for the same experience they had. Jesus appears again and Thomas is now a believer.

Jesus said “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”, which includes all of us. We are called to believe the witness that has been passed down to us even though we didn’t have the chance to see Jesus while He was on earth. We are also called to share our “believing without seeing” with others in order to make disciples of all the world.

Loving Lord, we are blessed to know You through the presence of Your Holy Spirit and the lessons we have been taught. Help us to believe without seeing, not needing a sign but trusting in Your everlasting love. Amen.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
John 20:21-22

In John’s gospel, Jesus himself breathes the Holy Spirit onto His disciples as He appears to them after His resurrection. This is also John’s account of the Great Commission, Jesus sending the disciples out as He was sent by God. Each of the four gospels tells the same truth of Jesus coming to us, but interpreted by their own experiences.

The most important parts of their witness are in complete agreement – Jesus came to show us God’s love and how to live in connection with Him. He called us to follow, loving God and each other, making sure everyone heard the Good News of salvation. All the other details about where He went, who He healed and the miracles He performed are just that – details.

Do they teach us about our relationship with God and each other? Certainly, but just because one person remembered one thing vividly and another heard something else they thought was important doesn’t make either account untrue, just differently inspired to reach different groups of people. When we read scripture we should learn from each writer what they found essential for their relationship with God and how it can teach us to better connect with God and each other.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of Your Son, who came to love and teach us, and for Scripture that guides and inspires us. Help us to keep the lessons we have been taught in our hearts and use them daily. Amen.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. John 20:19-20

Jesus appeared to the disciples that they might more fully understand what had happened and why. It was necessary for those who knew Him in human form to see Him risen in human form to complete the lesson. From this time on it would be their task to share the Good News and teach a new generation of believers.

Through them, Jesus has given us the same task to accomplish – to make disciples of all the world. We may not have been blessed to see Jesus while He lived on earth, but our call is identical to those He called in years past, to teach others of His love and the plan God has for us.

What are we doing to be better disciples and to help others know His story? We need the strength of fellowship, the knowledge Scripture provides and the power of daily prayer to connect with God. Our spiritual practices help us to be there for others when they are in need.

Loving Lord, now the work of Easter begins. Help us to be the messengers of Your truth, sharing the love and light Christ brought us with all the world. Amen.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.
Luke 24:1-8

Christ the Lord is risen; He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Today we raise our voices together in joy, celebrating the wonderful truth of His resurrection. Jesus died and rose again that we might be saved from death to eternal life.

We didn’t understand at first, and it still amazes us. We can’t fully grasp the reality of His love and the incredible way He has proved it to us. Jesus taught that we must love God and one another not just as ourselves, but more than ourselves, to be willing to lay down our mortal lives for those we love. He didn’t just say it, He did it, and calls us to serve in the same way.

Today as we remember His sacrifice, we celebrate that He has broken death’s power over us, and we live in His light, a new creation called to be reconciled to God and part of His holy work.

Heavenly Father, thanks to You we are free from the slavery of sin and the fear of death. Make us bold bearers of the truth of Christ, sharing the Good News of His coming with all the world. Alleluia, Amen!

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. John 19:38-42

If we had listened carefully to Jesus, we would have known this was coming. He told us everything, if only we’d paid attention. At supper we heard Peter ask “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” ( John 13:36), but we were still muttering among ourselves about who was going to betray Him and missed the lesson.

Peter said he’d never betray the Lord, and yet he did; in many ways we all did. We were afraid, we were in shock, we all had good excuses, but none of us spoke, none of us acted. He went in our place, a sacrifice for our sin who had none of His own. Christ paid the price that we might be free.

Gracious God, we share the pain of loss and the hurt of separation. Our guilt is the cause of this, but Jesus was willing to take it all to the cross to wash us clean. May we be thankful for this act that reconciles us to You eternally. Amen.