March 12, 2019 Lent Daily Devotional: You Are Being Prepared

You Are Being Prepared

Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. ~ MATTHEW 4:11 (NKJV)

We are approaching the time of year when we will celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is the Lenten season, which represents the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting for 40 days, and it is there that Jesus was tempted by the devil. Lent is characterized by a time of preparation. It’s a time of the year to spend reflecting on one’s life and a time to get prepared for the things that may come in the near future.

The last few months I have spent hours reflecting on many things. As I reflect, I start to categorize activities in my life. I create a report card with the different things I have done, and I rate them. Now, some things I rate high, with an A. There are other things for which I get a C. And then, finally, there are those things that I failed over the course of the year. You may ask, “Why does it matter?” It matters because I think we also do that with our faith — we rate it. We go through life constantly trying to figure out if what we did was good or bad. Did I make the right decision? Did I do what I was supposed to do?

However, I think when we look at the life of Jesus, we can learn a few things, including the importance of a wilderness experience. So many times we feel as if we have walked right into a dry and barren land and we got there because of something we did or didn’t do. I want to tell you that when we get to those places, it becomes a season of preparation. It becomes a time when the only thing you can do is rely on Jesus. You have to pray your way through. You have to praise your way through. And when it’s over, you will be prepared to face the temptation that is going to come your way.

As we go through the Lenten season and start to prepare for Easter, let’s remember that preparation is essential to our walk as Christians. Your circumstances may be dark and may seem dry. But hold on, because what you’re being prepared for is greater than the wilderness you are in right now.

Father, I thank you for this season of preparation, and I ask that you will strengthen me in this season. God, there are so many unknowns, but I desire to trust you with my whole heart. I will not lean on my own understanding but will trust that where I’m headed is better than where I am today. Amen.

PASTOR TIFFANY MURPHY, ZION COMMUNITY CHURCH

March 11, 2019 Lent Daily Devotional: Awaken to God’s Majesty

Awaken to God’s Majesty

But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here.” ~ LUKE 9:32-33A (NKJV)

From the rising of the sun to its going down
The LORD’s name is to be praised. ~ PSALM 113:3 (NKJV)

I’ve recently started leaving for work about the time the sun is coming up. Several times in the last few months, I have noticed that the entire sky has been lit up with the most majestic colors you could ever imagine. At times I could see every color of the rainbow: the reds, oranges, and yellows as the sun began to show in the east, and the greens, blues, indigos, and violets as the darkness disappeared in the west.

What occurred to me is that although I am observing this miracle now, it has always been there. The difference is that I am awake now! Even when I was up, I was preoccupied with other things. I wasn’t really paying attention, or perhaps I dozed off or went entirely back to sleep. God was always doing great works, but I was sleeping.

Isn’t our faith sometimes like that? How many times are we “sleeping” and failing to acknowledge the daily miracles that God is doing? Our eyes and minds might be closed to seeing the greatness of God because we are so distracted by life and all its chaos. Even when — sometimes especially when — things are going smoothly, we are still asleep to God’s amazing goodness. Yet even as we sleep, God is continuously developing masterpieces in and from the chaos.

Let us remember to wake up and open our eyes so that we may praise Him who was and is and will always be our God!

Dear God, your glory and majesty are astounding! Open our eyes that we may see your presence every day, worship you, and recognize the miracles you are doing in our midst. Amen!

MICHELLE KELLEY, TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Additional Readings

Luke 9:28-36 The Transfiguration (or what Peter, James, and John almost missed while they slept)

Psalm 113:1-6 The Majesty and Condescension of God

March 10, 2019 Lent Daily Devotional: In a World of Distractions

In a World of Distractions

I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” ~ PSALM 16:8 (NKJV)

I’m often all over the place. Sometimes it’s hard to focus on the task at hand. I was going through the clothes in my closet to see what I could donate to the homeless shelter.

During this process, the phone rang three times and it was “Social Security.” (Not!) So I came downstairs to block that number on the computer.

The tea I’d been drinking was cold so I heated it in the microwave. The microwave was dirty, so I had to clean it, of course.

Jackson, our dog, was begging for a treat, and his treat containers were almost empty. So I went down to the basement to get treats.

Then I saw some bags I had previously filled with items to take to the shelter later. So I took them upstairs and loaded them into my car.

I had yet to get back to my clothes in the closet!

I laughed when I realized all that had happened. Perhaps my activities were trivial ones, but how much more productive I could be if I focused better!

In a world of distractions, when we identify a purpose — large or small — we may be able to focus on it more clearly.

With the goal of serving God, maybe your purpose is visiting others, cooking for others, or praying for others. When you know how you can serve God, focus on Him and the task at hand and go for it!

Dear Lord, the world is full of distractions. Please help me stay focused on the task at hand, whether it’s reading my Bible, having a conversation with a friend, or even cleaning out my closet, all the while serving you and focusing on you.

DENISE MOLINO, BETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH

March 9, 2019 Lent Daily Devotional: Don't Be Anxious, Pray

Don’t Be Anxious, Pray

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ~ PHILIPPIANS 4:6 (NIV)

About a year ago, my sister Ruth and I visited our other sister, Barbara, who lives in Goodyear, Arizona, just east of Phoenix. Sky Harbor airport is huge, and the walk from our gate to the car rental was very long. Ruth needed a wheelchair, so while an attendant pushed her, I followed along pulling both of our suitcases. By the time we got to our hotel, my left knee (the one I haven’t had replaced) was hurting.

On the morning we were to return home, I woke up with my knee hurting. I knew the walk from the car rental to the Southwest terminal was going to be long, so I asked God to tell the car rental people to drive us to the terminal so I wouldn’t have to walk so far. (They don’t normally do that, but God was listening.) We returned the car and told the attendant that we needed a wheelchair for Ruth. We waited for at least 15 minutes, and then he finally returned and said they had no wheelchairs, but he would have another attendant drive us to the terminal!

I remember thinking, “O, ye of little faith” because I had doubted that God would answer my prayer, and I was dreading the long walk. On the way, I told Ruth about my prayer, and her response was “Praise the Lord!” The driver also seemed impressed at the answered prayer, because he knew that his car rental agency doesn’t usually drive people to the terminal. I don’t know where that gentleman was in his faith, but I hope he remembers that God answers prayer, even little ones like mine. Besides the tip about prayer, we also gave him a very nice monetary tip!

Dear Lord, thank you for the opportunity you give us to ask for anything in Jesus’ name. Help us not to be anxious but to remember that we can trust you with all of our problems and worries. Amen.

EVELYN HANEY, TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

March 8, 2019 Lent Daily Devotional: What Do You Want Me to Learn, God?

What Do You Want Me to Learn, God?

My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing. ~ JAMES 1:2-4 (CEB)

Surprise! I tried to stand up to go eat dinner one Saturday evening, and I could not get out of the chair without help. Hmmm. I decided to eat dinner and see if the problem would go away. Nope. OK, I guess it was time to call an ambulance. We headed to Inspira to find out what was happening to me. The answer came the next day — I had suffered a stroke. What were we going to do now?

In the hospital, there is always plenty going on. I had a whole alphabet of tests — MRI, MRA, x-rays, and so on. The nurses were great, as always. My family and others visited. Many people were praying for me, and I prayed too, asking God what I should be learning from this. The entire time I was in the hospital, my attitude was positive. I was feeling better each day, doing therapy, and getting stronger. I went home four days after I was admitted. I still had weakness on my left side, but all things considered, I was doing pretty well.

Once at home, my job, according to Jim, my physical therapist, was to rest and get stronger. I worked on the exercises, and they wore me out! I realize I am getting older, and I take a lot more naps than I used to, but I was not used to not being able to do much of anything. I couldn’t take my wife Christmas shopping. I couldn’t go help out at the church. I couldn’t do many of the little jobs that needed to be done around the house. All I could do was follow instructions — rest, rest, and more rest. I was bored and miserable.

But God is always good. I had stopped talking to Him about it, and my positive attitude had slipped away. I forgot to keep asking what I was supposed to be learning from all this. It is such a slow process that I forgot to keep looking for the good. However, God never forgot about me, and I am working on remembering that every day. I do not know what the final outcome will eventually be, but I know that I have to trust God and His plans for me.

God, thank you for the life you have given me and the plans you have for my future. Help me to trust you more every day. Amen.

JOHN PRICE, ZION COMMUNITY CHURCH

March 7, 2019 Lent Daily Devotional: Speaking and Listening

Speaking and Listening

I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy.

Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath! ~ PSALM 116:1-2 (NLT)

There have been times in my life when I’ve desperately needed someone to listen to me. But sometimes the things I have to say are too shocking or I’m just not ready to share them with another set of ears at that moment. However, to paraphrase the psalmist, the Lord hears my voice and He bends down to listen to me. He’s unconcerned with Himself in that moment; His only wish is to hear what His child has to say and to hear me voice my struggles. He already knows my heart; therefore, He knows exactly where I’m coming from.

I recently went through an extremely tough time and I couldn’t grasp the reason for it. I asked Him for mercy and understanding. He bent down as I spoke, and He listened to me intently. He listened to me voice my dissatisfaction with Him, my questions, my unbelief. And through it all, I could hear only a still whisper telling me to follow His will, to stay on the narrow path and not drift left or right.

God knows our hearts. He knows we want to speak to Him, but sometimes we just can’t humble ourselves. All we have to do is speak. God will bend down from heaven just for us — to listen to our most trivial desires and deepest hopes. God is the one who makes the trek from heaven to earth to listen to us. We just have to meet Him right where we are.

God, please give me the humility to seek you and know in my heart that you’re only a prayer away at any given time.

SEAN FULLERTON, TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

March 6, 2019 Lent Daily Devotional: The Mark

The Mark

As I looked at the foreheads of the congregation on Ash Wednesday, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Paul’s closing words in his letter to the Galatians when he said, “for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.”

In a few moments we were going back out into the world, marked with ashes, claiming to be disciples of Jesus, and yet in reality, within a couple of hours most of us would be washing this mark off and going to bed. Which made me wonder how any of us were going to bear the marks of Jesus on our lives over the next 40 days.

Will there be marks of aching knees from all the pestering and pleading, like the women before the judge that Jesus spoke of, as we pray for our churches, pastors, congregations, or that lost and lonely soul we pass each day?

Will there be marks of sore muscles and tired bodies that have spent hours cooking, cleaning, building, and discovering what it meant when Jesus said to be great is to serve one another?

Will there be marks in our wallets, purses, and checkbooks where we have shown generosity like the Good Samaritan, where our right hand doesn’t need to know what our left is doing, and the only recognition we seek is to have done this for our Lord?

Will there be marks of broken hearts and tear stains where we have wept like Jesus because once again we, as a nation, live through the horror of watching our children lose their lives just going to school?

Will there be marks of boldness where we will stand up against evil, injustice, and oppression as we have affirmed in our profession of faith and baptism vows?

Will there be marks of bruised cheeks where we have offered forgiveness and reconciliation only to find ourselves once again rejected and knowing that Christ calls us to love not by emotion but with resolve?

Will there be marks of improvement in our souls as we walk away in silence and solitude as Jesus did on a mountainside? Will we reconnect as He did in devotion to ask, seek, and knock to hear the voice of God?

And even in our churches, will there be marks of hospitality with a coffee stain on the carpet from fellowship, someone giving up a seat for a visitor, or those blessed children’s handprints on a freshly painted wall?

How will our body, both individually and the church, bear the marks of Jesus Christ by the time we get to Easter morning? After all, it is a bit difficult to sing “He lives within my heart” unless you are willing to let this Christ put marks on more than just your forehead.

PASTOR GLENN CONAWAY, DELAWARE BAY DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT