Wednesday Praying the Name I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Genesis 28:15 You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. Isaiah 25:4 Reflect On: Genesis 28:15 and Isaiah 25:4. Praise God: Because he is present, even in the midst of great suffering. Offer Thanks: For all the ways the Lord has watched over you. Confess: Your inability to reflect Christs presence without his grace. Ask God: To open your eyes to the ways he is at work in the world and in your own life. What if God had jurisdiction only in your city, county, or state? Leaving the area would mean leaving behind his protection and care, putting yourself outside the circle of his influence. At such times you wouldnt even bother praying to him because he could neither hear nor help you. Odd as it sounds, thats precisely how many ancient people thought about their gods. They believed in gods whose power was limited to a particular region or locality. But listen to what God said to Jacob when he was on the run from Esau, the brother whose birthright he had stolen: I will watch over you wherever you go. Clearly, this God was not confined to a particular territory or region. His protection and power were available wherever his people went. Indeed, as they were to discover, his power extended over the whole earth. Many of us are taught this truth as little children, barely able to mouth the bulky words — God is omnipresent and omnipotent, everywhere and all-powerful. Yet as we grow older, some of us find ourselves restricting him, shrinking him down, setting boundaries around his ability and his love. I caught myself doing this as I listened to media reports of a tropical storm that slammed into Haiti a few days ago. More than 1,500 people drowned, and another 1,300 were missing, many of them swept out to sea or buried beneath debris. Of those who survived, many of the 300,000 homeless were perching on rooftops or living on debris-strewn sidewalks where the water had subsided. But it got worse. Unburied bodies, raw sewage, and animal carcasses were everywhere, and there was not enough food to feed the living. Without adequate roads and supplies, relief efforts seemed like Band-Aids pasted over gaping wounds. How could anyone, I wondered, solve Haitis intractable problems? It seemed like such a God-forsaken place. As I prayed, I began to realize that God isnt the one who is absent in Haiti or in any other part of the world. It may only seem that way because so many of us are absent, withholding our prayers because of our little faith, withholding our gifts because of our little love. True, we cant do everything, but we can do something. We can tackle the problem that is in front of us, helping to bring Gods presence to those who suffer. If we want to experience Immanuel, God with us, we need to be where he is, to do what his love compels, to reflect his image to the rest of the world. Today, I pray that Christ will pierce my heart with the things that pierce his. I ask for the grace to look for him in the midst of the worlds suffering, whether close to home or far away. I pray that he will give you and me the faith to join him there, transforming our prayers, our time, our talents, and our financial resources into evidence of his presence in the world — Immanuel, a God who is truly with us.(Ann Spangler)
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 23:21:24 +0000
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