Weekly Devotion

This devotion was written on September 11th. It’s a day with gut-wrenching importance for many Americans and people around the world. 19 years ago, a group of terrorists hijacked planes and crashed them into majestic skyscrapers, an iconic government building, and into country fields in Pennsylvania. It was a day that changed a multitude of lives. 9/11 catapulted the Mideast and west into lengthy wars, escalated tensions between Muslims and non-muslims, and brought me closer to Jesus Christ.

This month, we are going to focus on devotionals about healing. At different times in our lives, we are urging to be lifted up from physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. We can get relief from family, friends, professionals, and even the internet, but we can’t receive the same level of hope and promise that is extended by God.

This Psalm is often recited during the Jewish penitential season of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur because it contains a strong theme of encouragement during a period of time when Jewish people are concerned about their fate. It’s emphasis on answered prayers and tones of salvation provides deep comfort for Jews and Christians alike.

Psalm 119 is not only the longest of the Psalters but it’s also the longest chapter of the Bible. It speaks so powerfully of God’s word that it is one of the most discussed passages of all Biblical scripture. Martin Luther had claimed he wouldn’t trade the whole world for “one leaf of it.”

There is such profound adoration in this passage (Psalm 9), it reminded me of our ongoing relationship with our God. Wow, I thought after reading this again and again. It is not a relationship on merit or successful trials. Psalm 9 is not based on a relationship of you did this so I’ll do this. It is simply based on a relationship of love.

Psalm 51 was David’s direct plea to God for mercy. For this devotion, it’s good to know a little background about how David got to this point. David’s sins included: adultery with Bathsheba, murder of her husband Uriah, and in covering his sin from others. Of course, there is no covering any sins from God. He is aware of our transgressions and feels the pain from our behavior. Sometimes he breaks in on our lives to help us recognize the gravity of our sin in order to provide an opportunity for redemption.

After unpacking the “Lord’s Prayer” for several weeks, hopefully we’ve realized that Jesus wasn’t giving his disciples another ritual to follow, he was giving them a pattern of prayer to follow. Jesus exhorted his disciples to pray “in this manner” (NKJV) or “like this” (ESV). Jesus never asked his followers to memorize the words or to adopt another ritual to follow. He was showing his believers how to observe and how to pray.

This month, we’re going to study the “Lord’s Prayer” as many people call it. The label of “Lord’s Prayer” is a little bit of a misnomer. It’s actually a prayer that Jesus taught the disciples to use rather than a prayer Jesus made to God, the father (John 17:1-5). The disciples needed to see a proper example of humility and simplicity in prayer.

Since Jesus was both man and God, he knew our human needs, cravings, and longings. It is fair to say that he also knew how God would respond. Prayer is a way of asking God for things and for listening to his will. Good prayers present to God requests for specific needs. The Lord’s prayer suggest requests for daily provisions, forgiveness, and strength for resistance to temptation.

13 books in the New Testament are attributed to the Apostle Paul. Before his conversion to being a prolific and passionate Christian, he was a Jewish leader zealous for the persecution of Christians. What a twist. He hated followers of Jesus. He ordered the death and destruction of many of them. According to Acts, he approved the stoning of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr.