Weeping with those who weep
Joel 1: Get them into Godās Sanctuary for serious prayer to God.
The event that drives Joelās sermon is a natural disaster. A swarm of millions and millions of locusts have devastated the country. Every green thing has been stripped bare. The result is that famine is most certainly coming to the land. What are they going to do now? One thing Joel calls for is for people to take their fear and pain to the Lord. He says to the priests, āYou, who lead people in worship, lead them in lament.ā This is no time for empty promises that everything will be okay. Rather, this is a time for fasting and crying out to God. Joel takes his own advice and a few lines later he prays, āGod! I pray, I cry out to you!ā Today, I find this passage to be frighteningly instructive. Itās quite likely that our version of the disaster of Joelās day will come. What is the church to do when a hurricane or earthquake or tornado sweeps through the community destroying lives and property? Joel says this is a time for pastors and other leaders to lead the community in lament; a time for āweeping with those who weep.ā Iām not ignoring the good that can be done in practical ways, but I’m reminded here that the church isnāt to just āput on a happy face.ā Itās okay, and even necessary, for Godās people to lead the way in crying out to God, declaring the pain and suffering of a community in the face of disaster.
Take Away: Sometimes itās the role of the people of the Lord to lead the way in crying out to God.
Tag: Prayer
Devotional on Joel
Praying in catastrophes
Joel 2: And hereās why: God is kind of merciful.
The prophet sees the natural catastrophe of the locust infestation as a judgment of God. It may be that the Almighty manufactured these bugs specifically to cause the people to stop their march to wickedness. God is God and he has ability to do stuff like that. On the other hand, it may be that the locusts are just a natural phenomenon that God is using to get their attention. Either way this is all under his authority. Joel tells his people that in the face of all that’s happening itās time for a national turn around. He calls for more than a surface makeover but a real change in which they return to God with their whole hearts. If they do that, Joel promises, they’ll find God to be kind and merciful and they might just see the Lord intervene to cancel the catastrophe that has them reeling. One response to personal disaster should be a reexamination of our lives. If things arenāt as they should be this is a good time to ask the Lord to forgive us and ask him to help us get our act together.
Take Away: One response to personal disaster should be a reexamination of our lives.
Devotional on Jonah
About as low as you can go
Jonah 2: My prayer got through to you.
When heās thrown into the stormy sea he’s sure he’s a gonner. Then this huge fish shows up, mouth open wide, and Jonah thinks this is certainly the end. Now, in the darkness, trying to get the sea weed off of his face he realizes heās still alive. This isnāt Star Trek and he didnāt go āboldlyā but Jonah finds himself āwhere no man has gone before.ā In this predicament Jonah wonders if prayers from the inside of a fish at the bottom of the sea can possibly reach heaven. Since he has no other choice he begins to cry out to the God he fled. Years earlier the suffering Job heard the Lord promise that he visited the āsprings of the sea.ā Now Jonah becomes the first human being to put that statement to a literal test. Later he reports, āMy prayer got through….ā Now, Iāve never been deep under water in the belly of a fish. I tried scuba once but I stayed pretty close to the surface so Iāll just have to take Jonahās testimony at face value. However, Iāve been in some situations in which I felt distant from God and I wondered if my prayers could ever get through ā but they did! In this passage I find hope for every person who thinks theyāre so far from God and have messed up so many times that theyāre gonners. Today I see that the Lord hears prayers, even from the depths of the sea.
Take Away: Thereās hope for every person who thinks theyāre so far from the Lord that thereās no hope for them.
Devotional on Habakkuk
Silent God
Habakkuk 1: God, how long do I have to cry out for help?
Most of the Old Testament prophets have messages from God and usually those messages are calls to repentance with a heaping helping of āor elseā on the side. Habakkuk, who lives 600 years before Jesus is born, brings a different perspective to the ministry of the prophets. His messages start, not with a word from the Lord, but with questions for the Lord. While Habakkuk isnāt the only one to follow this path (we see it a lot in the Psalms) it does set him apart from the average approach of his fellow minor prophets. Thereās some complaining to God in his writings. Habakkuk speaks from his heart as he tries to understand how a righteous God could possibly use an unrighteousness people like the Babylonians to do his will in punishing Israel. This little book is a good one to read when it appears that bad people are getting away with their sin. Itās also a good one to help us work through the unwelcome āsilent Godā times of life.
Take Away: Itās okay to be absolutely honest with the Lord in expressing our disappointment or confusion to him.
Devotional on Habakkuk
Do it again, Lord
Habakkuk 3: Do among us what you did among them.
The prophet of God has the heart of a psalmist. As I started reading Habakkuk and saw his reverent complaint to God I was reminded of the Psalms of complaint in which the writer pours his heart out before the Lord. Now, as Habakkuk experiences God in a fresh way, his words remind me of the Psalms again. He pens a psalm of his own in which he recounts Godās past deliverance and looks to a day of restoration. His opening lines: āDo among us what you did among them. Work among us as you worked among themā is the prayer of many of Godās people through the ages. In this case, Habakkuk is specifically thinking of the deliverance of his ancestors from Egyptian bondage. However, through the centuries, many have looked back to great movements of God: revivals, healings, and other times of special blessing and prayed this prayer. In my life there have been times of extraordinary blessing, some so private and precious that I seldom speak of them. However, I mention them to the Lord, thanking him for what he did and marveling at his grace to me and, in the spirit of Habakkuk, ask the Lord to ādo it again.ā Itās unhealthy to spend our lives talking about the āgood old daysā but we should allow those times of special blessing to remind us of what God can do and to encourage us to seek his best for in our lives in this day and in these circumstances.
Take Away: There are times when we do well to revisit past blessings and allow those blessings to encourage us to expect renewed blessings of God in our lives.
Devotional on Matthew
A wonderful faith experiment
Matthew 14: When he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve.
This is such a neat story! Out on the sea in rough, windy conditions Jesus comes to the disciples, walking on the water. Peter asks for permission to join Jesus out on the waves and Jesus tells him to ācome.ā Peter does it! He climbs out of the boat and steps out onto the water. Canāt you imagine Jesus and Peter laughing together as they do the impossible! However, this is no glassy pond on a summer afternoon. Instead, theyāre in the dark in a wind storm and the waves are high. For Jesus and Peter it must be quite a ride, bobbing up and down, being sprayed by the driven waves. Itās at that point that euphoria drains from Peter. The waterās very real and in no way capable of supporting him. As he begins to sink he looks up to Jesus who remains confidently on top of the water. āSave me!ā Peter cries. Without a secondās hesitation, Jesus reaches out and pulls him back on top, now carrying the weight of both of them. Jesus calls Peter āfaint heartā but I think heās quietly pleased that Peter joined him in this wonderful experiment of faith. I know this is a unique situation: a moment in history. Still, I canāt help but be impressed by the power of faith in very real, impossible situations. Iām also glad to note that Peter didnāt have to cry out but one time. Jesus may have called Peter a āfaint heartā but he saved him first.
Take Away: God responds to our faith in wonderful, sometimes unexpected ways.
Devotional on Mark
Prayer mandate
Mark 11: Pray for absolutely everything.
Jesus is a man of prayer. He prays in public and he prays in private. He teaches his disciples to pray. On this final trip to Jerusalem, he drives the sellers out of the Temple grounds because theyāve turned the Temple into a place of business instead of it being a āhouse of prayer for the nations.ā After the miracle of the fig tree Jesus points the disciples to faith and prayer, remarking that the results can move mountains. Then, he teaches his listeners to not only ask in prayer, but to also forgive that they might be forgiven. Prayer, then, for followers of Jesus is central. Our places of worship are to be focused on prayer. Weāre to deal with problems and disappointments by going to prayer. As we pray, weāre to allow the Lord to help us see our own hearts and to respond as he wants us to. Itās impossible to be truly Christian yet not pray. As the disciples asked we also ask: āLord teach us to pray.ā
Take Away: Prayer is the key.
Devotional on Luke
Exactly, what prayer was that?
Luke 1: Your prayer has been heard.
For Zechariah itās an once-in-a-lifetime event. Heās the priest whoāll enter the sanctuary and burn incense before the Lord. As he carefully and reverently goes about this task he sees movement to the right of the altar, then, out of nowhere an angel of the Lord appears. Zechariah would run if he could, but instead just stands there, eyes wide, mouth open, face to face with an archangel. The angel speaks reassuringly, and, to the old priestās surprise, calls him by name. Then this angel adds, āYour prayer has been heard.ā I wonder what thoughts raced through Zechariahās mind in that instant. Hereās what I think: I imagine the old priest thinking, āWhat prayer is that?ā You see, there was a time in his and Elizabethās lives when they prayed for a child most every day. They were young then and all the other couples they knew were having babies. However, time was passing and they remained childless. The years passed and they were no longer a young couple. They prayed about this less and then they gave up, disappointed but trusting God with their emptiness. Now, years later, when Gabriel says, āYour prayer has been answeredā my guess is that the ābaby prayerā is the farthest thing from Zechariahās mind. Zachariah might have forgotten the prayer, but God hasnāt. Now, at the time that seems way too late for this senior adult couple, God is about to move. Once again Iām reminded that Godās ways arenāt my ways and his schedule isnāt my schedule. Beyond that, I see that Godās ways are the right ways and his time is always the right time. This realization has plenty of practical applications in my life today.
Take Away: Never doubt the power of prayer.
Devotional on Luke
So whereās Jesus now?
Luke 5: As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.
This statement about the prayer habit of Jesus sticks out like a sore thumb in this passage. It feels as if it was just tossed in after the fact, maybe written while Luke was thinking of what to next tell us about the ministry of Jesus. Weāve just heard Jesus preach while sitting in Simonās boat and then watched as, under the command of Jesus, Simon and partners have caught a huge haul of fish. Now Jesus is healing a man with leprosy and soon heāll be surrounded by people seeking healing and with Pharisees seeking arguments. Right in the middle of all this action is this one liner about Jesus slipping away for prayer. Obviously, this is more than random filler from Luke. He wants me to connect the mighty acts of Jesus with his secret prayer life. As he teaches and heals Godās power flows out of him. In his secret prayer life Godās power is replenished in him. This is no chance thought of Lukeās. Rather, heās providing me with insight into the power source of our Lord. Another devotional thought here is that in spite of the fact that Jesus is a busy man he makes time for prayer. When the last needy person has been satisfied and these new disciples find themselves and Jesus finally alone they expect to enjoy some quality time with their Lord, or at least some down time before it all starts again in the morning. James and John look around and realize Jesus isnāt there. āWhereās Jesus?ā they ask. āHeās down by the lake,ā Peter answers, adding, āHe said something about needing some time alone.ā This is to become a daily pattern that the disciples will come to expect. If itās good for Jesus itās good for me too.
Take Away: Thereās always time, and the necessity, for prayer.
Devotional on Luke
Drinking from a fire hose
Luke 6: Our Father is kind; you be kind.
Reading the Sermon on the Mount is like trying to get a drink from a fire hose. Itās not like the parables in which thereās a story followed by the lesson. Instead, thereās one wonderful, challenging, powerful concept after another. As I try to write a devotional for each chapter of the New Testament the challenge is not finding something to write about. Rather, itās trying to dip into the huge stream of material and grab just one concept out of all the concepts and get my mind and heart around it. Right now Iām focusing in on how our Lord says weāre to relate to our enemies. I canāt help but note that Jesus doesnāt talk about how weāre to respond āifā we have enemies. He apparently takes it for granted that some folks arenāt going to like us and some will go so far as to wish us harm. What am I to do about such people? First, Jesus says, Iām to pray for them (ārespond with the energies of prayerā). Second, Iām to return good for evil (āpractice the servant lifeā). Third, Iām to have genuine love for them (ālove your enemiesā). Fourth, Iām to go easy on them (ābe easy on peopleā). Fifth, Iām to realize Iām not so wonderful myself (āwipe that ugly sneer off your own faceā). The key to my relationship to my enemy, according to Jesus is ākindness.ā The measure of that kindness is the kindness our Father shows to us. āOh Lord, let me live a life that reflects your kindness to me, even when I deal with people who arenāt very kind to me.ā
Take Away: The Lord is quite interested in how we treat people who donāt treat us well.
Devotional on Luke
Persisting in prayer
Luke 11: Ask and youāll get; Seek and youāll find; Knock and the door will open.
After teaching the disciples to pray Jesus tells them a story to illustrate how persistence in prayer works. A man goes to his neighborās door in the middle of the night asking to borrow some food so he can feed an unexpected guest. However, the neighbor calls out through the closed door that heās in bed and he doesnāt want to wake up the whole family to answer the request. The man at the door, though, is persistent and is also somewhat perplexed. His need is real and his friendship with his neighbor is genuine. Not only that, but he knows his friend has the resources to meet his need. Perplexed or not, his faith in the good will and resources of his friend is unshaken. He doesnāt know why his friend doesnāt respond right off, but he persists, knocking again and again until his neighbor responds. Now, this story is told by our Lord to teach us to stay with it when we pray. The minor detail of the reluctant neighbor being in bed, etc. isnāt what this story is about. Obviously, unanswered prayer isnāt the result of the Lord taking a nap. The role of the Almighty is not in play here. This little illustration is about us. When I have a need, I can go directly to the Lord with that need. I go in assurance that he welcomes me to do so, and in faith that he has all the resources necessary to meet that need. With good will and faith I ask. On those occasions when the answer doesnāt come, Jesus tells me that itās not against the rules for me to ask again. After all, like the man in the story, my need is real and Iām certain that my Neighbor can meet that need and that heās my friend. I donāt understand why he hasnāt yet responded, but I do understand his good will toward me. So what do I do? I ask again: humbly, in faith, and probably with a bit more urgency. Asking again doesnāt show a lack of faith. In fact, itās an affirmation of it.
Take Away: Itās nice when prayers are answered immediately, but when they arenāt it is okay for me to ask again, and again, if necessary.
Devotional on Luke
Do you think copiers pick up on our stress level?
Luke 12: What Iām trying to do here is get you to relax.
Most Sundays I arrive at church early, meeting with friends for coffee and prayer. Usually, as weāre praying I can hear the church āwaking upā as folks start arriving. Generally, I like what I hear. Iām a real fan of happy chatter, children playing, folks sounding glad to see one another. Sometimes, though, I can tell that the morning isnāt going well for some. Theyāve met with some issue or another on the way to church. Maybe thereās some family argument going on. Others have things to take care of when they get to church. They arrive and want to get past the friendly greetings as quickly as possible so they can hurry and make copies before their class begins. I appreciate their dedication but wish I could get them to relax a bit. In the passage Iām reading today Jesus notes that some people are always worried about one thing or another. His examples arenāt just frivolous stuff either. Theyāre concerned about having food to eat and clothes to wear. In soothing tones our Lord points to how God supplies the needs of nature and assures them that theyāre more valuable to him than all else. I understand that life brings unexpected, last minute concerns to us so Iām not being critical of those folks who anxiously wait for the copier to warm up. Still, I have the idea that their day will go much better if theyāll make it their practice to join us in prayer, enjoying some quiet time in the presence of the Lord before launching into a busy Sunday morning.
Take Away: If I view the Lord as a stern unyielding judge I have every reason to be stressed ā if I see him as my loving Heavenly Father I can rest in the assurance of his provision for me.
Devotional on John
Bible studies and prayer meetings
John 5: These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you.
It all starts when Jesus heals a lame man with the order to pick up his bed roll and walk. The wonderful miracle is lost on the religious leaders because it takes place on the Sabbath. Never mind the miracle, they insist, whatās this about telling people to carry things on the Sabbath? Pitiful, isnāt it. When these leaders angrily challenge Jesus he does nothing to calm them down. Rather, he identifies himself with his Heavenly Father and claims his support and direction in all he does. How in the world do they think they can win an argument with the man who just worked a miracle? Jesus moves on to point out that they, Bible scholars that they are, know all about what the Scriptures say about the Messiah. He tells them itās time to get their heads out of their Bibles and look in the eye the one testified about by those very Scriptures. Silly religious leaders! Theyāve given their lives to knowing Godās Word and have now missed the Living Word of God standing right in front of them. How could they ever think that Bible study is better than fellowship with the Lord who is right there with them? Iām glad we Christians today know better. Weād rather spend five minutes in the literal presence of the Lord than an hour of debating some obscure term from the Bible. Right? I know, I know, thereās a place for both. Still, I canāt help but note that Bible studies are generally better attended than prayer meetings.
Take Away: Itās better, if one must decide between the two, to know Jesus than to know the Bible. Happily, we donāt have to decide.
Devotional on John
Donāt leave home without it
John 14: Whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, Iāll do it.
Some of the most empowering words ever spoken are those of our Lord as he prepares his disciples for the soon coming events in these closing days of his earthly ministry. The clock is ticking and soon their world will be rocked in ways they canāt imagine. Still, thereās a light at the end of the tunnel. As a result of all thatās coming theyāll do even greater things than what theyāve seen Jesus do. I think Jesus is speaking to them as a cooperate group and not as individuals. They wonāt all go out and be messiahs in the world, but together, as the Church, theyāll transform the world in the Name of Jesus. They wonāt be alone in their task. Jesus is sending the Holy Spirit, his Spirit, whoāll not only be with them but will be in them, empowering them to do his work. When they run up against impossible situations that threaten to stop them from carrying on his work, all theyāll need to do is call out to him and heāll make the impossible possible for them. This āasking in Jesusā Nameā isnāt an open credit card that they can use for doing anything they want. Rather, this is all about ministry empowerment. Jesus wants them to carry on his work in this world, bringing the Good News of the Gospel to every nation. He promises them power for the task and he tells them that heāll never be more than a prayer away. This may not be an all-purpose ācredit cardā but it is, I think, a mighty fine āMasterās Cardā that I need to use more often.
Take Away: Jesus has provided us exactly what we need to do his work in this world.
Devotional on John
Loved by God
John 16: The Father loves you directly.
Jesus has prayed for his disciples and heās going to pray for them again. In fact, his great High Priestly prayer is about to begin. Still, he encourages his disciples to āmake your requests directly to himā promising that the Father is ready and willing to hear and answer their prayers. The reason for this is because of their relationship with Jesus. Three years earlier they met Jesus. Some were out in the wilderness where John was baptizing; others were in Galilee as they went about their daily activities. Theyāve now followed him for three years and during that time theyāve come to believe Jesus is the Son of God. In these final hours before everything changes, Jesus tells his disciples that the Father is quite pleased with them for believing in his Son. Theyāve left all to follow him and theyāve loved Jesus and trusted in him and, because of that, their relationship with the Heavenly Father has changed in a wonderful way. From now on, when they pray to the Father, theyāre authorized by the Father, himself, to pray in the Name of Jesus. Theyāve loved Jesus, and now, the Father loves them all the more for it and theyāre about to reap the benefits of being people who please the Father. Iām nothing close to equal to Peter or James or John, but I have this in common with them: I too love, trust, and follow Jesus. Because of that, in spite of my unworthiness and failure to really understand all that it means to me, I have the assurance that the Father āloves me directly.ā Iām not sure exactly what that means, but Iāve had just a taste of it and what Iāve tasted is very good.
Take Away: Itās a powerful thing to be a person with whom the Father is pleased.
Devotional on John
Listening to Jesus pray
John 17: Father, itās time.
This great prayer of Jesus has three parts. The first section concerns our Lordās relationship with his Father. All that has happened and will happen is done for the purpose of displaying the glory of God, a glory shared by Father and Son; a glory that has existed since before the world began. Second, Jesus prays for his disciples. Heās going to depart, but theyāre going to stay. His purpose of bringing glory to the Father will now be their purpose. Jesus prays that everything about his disciples will accomplish that purpose and that theyāll be protected from all that might distract from their mission. Third, Jesus prays for future believers. Again, thereās a prayer for unity of heart and purpose. Our Lord prays that the believers will give evidence that Jesus is the one sent from God because of his love for us. Jesus concludes his prayer by asking the Father to gather all believers to himself, where they can bask in the glory of the Lord, united in love for God and for one another. This passage, my friend, is holy ground. Weāre allowed to listen in to a conversation within the Godhead. We witness the Sonās communion with the Father and then, weāre invited into the conversation. Itās humbling to be allowed in this place today.
Take Away: Godās people are considered āinsiders.ā What an honor!
Devotional on Acts
Pentecost 1b
Acts 4: Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message.
The āsilver and gold have I noneā healing of the lame man gets the attention of everyone, including the religious leaders. Peter and John are arrested for starting a riot, but the city has caught āmiracle feverā and the leaders are in danger of having a real riot on their hands if they donāt let the āmiracle workersā go. The disciples are seriously warned to stop talking about Jesus and then let go. Victoriously, they return to the gathering of believers, telling all that has happened. Knowing that these leaders donāt make idle threats, the Church goes to prayer. On one hand, they ask the Lord to deal with their threats. On the other hand, they ask him to fill them with āfearless confidence in preaching.ā If the Lord will, then, they seek an easy path in proclaiming Jesus. However, easy or not, they ask for boldness in telling about him. Luke reports that as they pray thereās a āmini-Pentecostā as the ground trembles and the Holy Spirit re-fills them. Out the doors they go in Pentecostal power to tell the story of Jesus. It may be that we go about this ātellingā business all wrong. We tend to focus on the āmake it easy for meā part rather than the āmake me boldā part. Thereās nothing wrong with asking the Lord to open the way, after all, thatās what happens in this passage. However, we might just see a more powerful display of the Holy Spirit in our lives if we backed it up by praying the āeasy or not, make me more boldā part of the prayer.
Take Away: Maybe we lack boldness because we donāt ask for it.
Devotional on Acts
Sometimes God answers right now!
Acts 12: The house was packed with praying friends.
Herod decides itās time to put the followers of Jesus in their place. He murders one of them, James, brother of John. Then he arrests Peter, intending to publicly execute him. However, Herod has heard some of the stories of miracles and he well remembers how the body of Jesus somehow escaped the tomb so he assigns sixteen guards to the fisherman. Two are actually chained to him. Meanwhile, the Church prays like itās never prayed before. God hears and sends an angel to rescue Peter from the jail and the clutches of wicked Herod. Poor servant Rhonda gets the laugh line every time this story is told. She gets so excited that their prayers are answered that she leaves Peter standing in the street. Iām sure she laughed about it herself in the years to come. When God answers prayer like that, in such a surprising and timely way, even the most faith filled prayer warrior might get a bit confused. I can just imagine years later as various people who were present at that prayer meeting gather with friends for prayer. Someone brings a seeming impossible request, maybe with a bit of defeat already mixed in. Thatās when one of those prayer warriors from this passage speaks up. āDonāt count God out. Why, I remember a time when Peter was being guarded by sixteen soldiers….ā Everyone already knows the story but no one wants it to stop. Answered prayers feed faith. We need to cherish some of the really good answers and draw strength from them. In fact, we need to use them to encourage those who need a āfaith-liftā as they pray over some difficult situation.
Take Away: Answered prayers feed faith.
Devotional on 1 Timothy
Pastoral priority
1Timothy 2: The first thing I want you to do is pray.
So, Paul, that seasoned Apostle, missionary, and pastor has some advice for his young pastor friend Timothy. Everyone, pastor-types and regular church folks, leans forward to listen to what he has to say. What’s of first importance? What is Timothy to believe in first of all? Paul zeros in on prayer. For this young pastor the lynchpin of his ministry isnāt preaching well-constructed, well-delivered sermons. Itās not church administration or solid doctrine or even visitation. Heās to be a man of prayer — an expert at it. Paul wants him to pray for people he knows and for people he doesnāt know. Heās to pray for their salvation and, if they have authority, to pray that theyāll rule successfully, maintaining peace in the land. Paul sets for Timothy an example and now Timothy is to set an example for his congregation at Ephesus. As a result, the men and the women in his congregation will focus on prayer. Letās take these instructions to heart. Letās āpray every way we know how.ā Letās remember that prayer āis at the bottomā of everything we do. Who knows what might happen as Godās called ministers and their congregations give themselves to fervent, persistent, faith-filled prayer!
Take Away: Prayer is to be our number one agenda item.
Devotional on James
Praying in times of pain or confusion
James 1: If you donāt know what youāre doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help.
James writes his letter to Christians in general, scattered throughout the region. His writings might be labeled ācommon sense Christianityā because he covers many topics and always in a reasonable, ātell it like it isā way. For instance, he doesnāt deny that hard times have come to many of them but at the same time he tells them that such an unwelcome set of circumstances isnāt all bad. In fact, they can rejoice when, in the midst of trials they catch themselves responding as genuine people of faith. As hard times continue they can be pleased as they realize that theyāre handing such times better than they would have earlier on. It isnāt fun to go through hardship, but thereās reason to rejoice when I realize Iām responding as I think Jesus would and that Iām maturing in my relationship with him. James knows this sounds like so much gibberish to many people; outsiders for sure, but also to some believers who’ve concluded that if theyāre faithful to the Lord and trust in him things will always go well for them. The Apostle has some advice for that crowd too: pray about it. If Iām in a fix and canāt imagine how God can work in such a disaster, I donāt have to pretend Iām handling things just fine. Instead, I can turn to the Lord and confess that Iām having a hard time seeing him anywhere in all this mess. James is absolutely sure that the Father will hear and respond to such a prayer. I guess it would be better if my first response was the best one, but if that doesnāt happen, the next choice is a good one too as in absolute honesty I run to the Father, telling him I just donāt get it and I sure donāt like it. After all, James assures me, āGod loves to help.ā
Take Away: Itās encouraging to catch oneself responding to an unwelcome situation as we believe Jesus would respond.