Category: Daily Prayer

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Luke 13:34

What a heartbreak we must be to Jesus! He longs to bring us together under His love and protection, and we are not willing. God has felt this before, when we turned away in disobedience at the very beginning. But He was willing to come after us with what scholars call “prevenient grace”, God’s love that seeks us out before we even know of it.

Can you feel God reaching out to you today? He is always ready to welcome you as a valued member of His family. While our resolve is weak, God’s is strong and constant, His love for us unchanging. When we turn to God for the peace we so desperately need, He comforts us. Trust God to gather us under His wings of love forever!

Loving Lord, forgive our selfishness and our wayward behavior. We want to return to You, to be part of the work of Your kingdom. Bless us as we go into the world in Your name. Amen.

‘Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’  Luke 13:33

Jesus tells those who have come to warn him of King Herod’s threat against Him that He will be going about His ministry as usual. He also makes reference to the fact that Israel has a poor record when it comes to hearing prophetic wisdom and following it. Additionally, He foretells that His death will come in Jerusalem at their hands.

We don’t like hearing bad news. It makes us unhappy, often indicating we have done something wrong and it usually makes us angry at the one who tells us. I’m sure the Pharisees who came to warn Jesus felt this way. They thought they were helping, but Jesus warns them that they are part of what’s wrong in Jerusalem specifically and Israel generally.

Scripture can make us feel this way sometimes, pointing out our failures, but that’s not the last word! The rest of the glorious story is that we can repent and be forgiven through our relationship with Jesus. He came with a message of hope for us, that God loved us so much He was willing to come to be one of us to make us understand.

Loving Lord, we are grateful and humbled at what You have done for us. Help us to live in ways that are worthy of Your sacrifice for us and share the Good News of Your salvation with all the world. Amen.

Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal. (Luke 13:32)

Some Pharisees had come to warn Jesus that King Herod was plotting to kill Him, but in today’s reading Jesus responds that He will continue His work just the same. Even in the face of threats on His life, Jesus was undeterred. He knew that His mission was more important than any earthly opposition and He would continue to do God’s will.

How do we handle obstacles to our witness? In our society it is rare that we risk our lives for ministry, but there is contention and discord facing us every day, often within the body of Christ itself. Jesus warned us that evil would do its best to prevent us from reaching people, and when we are distracted from our goal, evil succeeds.

Now more than ever, we must focus on the essentials of what we are called to do and not let anything get in our way. As Jesus taught us, we must continue the work in spite of what the world says about us. We are commissioned in His name and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses to everyone.

Heavenly Father, make us bold to go where You send us, telling everyone the Good News of Your salvation in Jesus Christ. When we face trials or temptation, give us Your strength that we may stand firm and accomplish the task You have given us. Amen.

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” (Luke 13:31)

It is no surprise that Herod would be threatened by Jesus and want Him dead. Herod was the King of the Jews by title under Roman rule. His father, the first King Herod, tried to have Jesus killed when He was an infant. What may catch our attention is that some Pharisees come to warn Jesus that He is in danger.

Wait, weren’t the Pharisees bad guys, an evil group that plotted with those who wanted Jesus killed? Maybe God has something He wants us to see here. In the Gospel of John we read of Nicodemus, a Pharisee who came to ask Jesus questions and received the teaching about being born again (John 3:3). Later, he will bring the spices to assist Joseph of Arimithea with Jesus’ burial (John 19).

The lesson is that we are all more than the groups we belong to and the labels we haphazardly place on each other. If that’s all we ever see, we never get to know the people behind that label. If we look past our differences, we’ll find the likeness of God the Father in each one of us.

Loving Lord, help us to see that we are all Your beloved children. You made us differently so that we could each express Your love through our various gifts. Help us see family and not foes when we look at each other. Amen.

When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13)

Jesus had been as sorely tempted as any human in history. The devil thought if he could only cause God’s Son to stumble as had the children of God, he could ruin God’s plan of salvation. The devil offered Jesus power, riches and recognition, things that had drawn people away before. (Footnote – Satan tells Jesus these are his to give and people ask “Is that true?” Why would you ever believe the devil? No they are not and even so, he has never fulfilled a promise!) However, Jesus stood firm against the devil’s lies and put His whole faith in God’s love and strength.

We face the same trials Jesus did, and we can rely on the same Heavenly Father. God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to be our model and our sacrifice for all sin, for all time. Count on that truth and don’t fall for the lies evil tells us!

Loving Lord, we pray “lead us not into temptation”, and we know You never will, but give us strength to hear Your truth and avoid the traps the world sets for us. May we follow Jesus’ example and trust in You for all things. Amen.

Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Luke 4:8

God had something special in mind when He created us, a unique relationship based on love and caring. Everything we see, everything we have, and everything we are comes as a gift from Him, and without Him we are nothing.

Why then are we so afraid to connect with God? We become absorbed in ourselves, our busy lives and the things we desire – forgetting that nothing we make or do is ours, it’s all God’s. When we are in a right relationship with Him, we can share that joy with others, showing them what being part of God’s family means to each of us and to the world.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings of creation, the way that we were made to play a special part in Your kingdom. Help us to recognize Your call on our lives, and bless us to serve You and our brothers and sisters in love.

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ Luke 4:9-10

Satan comes to us in a variety of ways. Jesus warned that evil would use any tool it could to draw us away from God. In the beginning Satan convinced us that we could be like God, and in our ignorance, we believed it. Satan tried to tempt Jesus into sin by using a scripture reference, but Jesus stood firm in His relationship with God.

Isn’t it a little sad that Satan and the demons recognize Jesus immediately, and we don’t? Evil was ready to try to cause Jesus to stumble, just as it has caused our fall. We need to be aware of the peril we face when we allow evil to distract us from the reason we were created – to be connected in love with our Heavenly Father.

Loving Lord, help us to be strong when the devil whispers in our ears. Keep us from temptation and trial and let us live by Your holy word. May we stand against the evil we find in the world by spreading the Good News of salvation in Jesus. Amen.

Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Luke 4:12)

There is a difference between asking God for help and asking Him to prove Himself. Satan challenges Jesus in this way when he says “if you’re really the son of God…”. We hear Jesus similarly challenged by the mob when they taunt him on the cross. These are cases of “my will be done” rather than “Thy will be done”.

God hears our prayers when we ask for things earnestly, but sometimes the answer is “not yet” or “no”. Our loving Father knows what we need and provides for us, even when we don’t see His hand in our lives. Don’t put God to the test, no matter what the situation, He is there for us.

Gracious God, we know we can rely on Your love and care for us. Help us to be more faithful and place our trust only in You.

Ash Wednesday

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalms 51:10‭-‬12)

As we begin our observance of Lent, we recognize our sins, and in repentance, deny ourselves and turn to God. It’s not hard for us to recognize sin – we’re very good at pointing out the sin of others, but perhaps not as adept or willing to admit our own faults. Repenting and turning to God is sometimes difficult because it requires us to confess our weakness. However, for most of us the hardest part is to deny ourselves. As individuals and a society we are not very good at this.

We are used to having our own way so often. The free will God gave us to make our own choices allows us to do wrong. We are called to see ourselves as the wayward children we are and by realizing our own faults, accept the forgiveness God offers us through Christ.

The Lenten practice of denying ourselves by fasting or avoiding certain things can help us to become more obedient to God’s will, but I have an additional suggestion – as we turn away from sin, turn toward God by doing something positive in its place. Use the time or money you are saving to donate to a cause you support, rest in the Lord by spending time in Scripture and prayer. Make your Lenten fast more than just giving up something for six weeks, instead give in to God.

Loving Lord, while we recognize our sins and are sorry, You blot them out through the cleansing gift of Jesus’s sacrifice for us. Bless us to be Your servants, aware of our weakness but empowered by You to share the Good News. Amen.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. (Luke 4:1-2)

One of the reasons we can relate to Jesus is that like us, He was human, and susceptible to human issues, like hunger. When we are in situations of weakness, we are more likely to make bad decisions, trying to satisfy whatever need we are facing. Jesus has been in similar situations and knows how we feel. However, Jesus knows that the only answer is to give our weakness to God and let Him meet our needs. When things are so difficult we don’t know if we can go on, we are to turn to God in prayer. Only God is strong enough to face down the evil we encounter and without His strength, we are lost.

Mighty Lord, when we feel we can’t cope with what the world is doing to us, let us rest in Your power and love. Help us to give up our issues to You in prayer, that we may pass through our trouble knowing You are God and You hold all things. Amen.