Month: January 2025

“Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words; and He, who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Romans 8:26-27 (NASB)

Some situations are so perplexing that we aren’t sure how to pray. We cannot always know whether we should pray for healing or for endurance, to speak to someone or to be silent, to ask God to drive our enemies away or to help us befriend them. 

Prayer is difficult, and we can reach a point of not knowing how to pray, but even if we don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit always does, and He intercedes for us, by praying for us and through us. 

Whenever we become weakened by sorrow, sickness, discouragement, or fear, the Spirit understands every deep sigh or wordless groan within our hearts. Sometimes He inspires other people to pray for us, but other times, He intercedes for us directly as described in today’s scripture. 

There are over 8,000 different languages in the world, but Paul tells us that there is a language of angels, used in heaven. (1 Corinthians 13:1) 

If there are languages of angels, which the world doesn’t know about, then there are also other languages, like the groans and sighs in our hearts, which are too deep for words. Those groans are a language that is fully understood by the Holy Spirit. Knowing our distress, He intercedes for us. He is our helper, our teacher, the renewer of our minds and best of all, our comforter.

In my relationship with the Lord, He often comforts and reassures me through people. It could be through something that a total stranger says to me. One example is when I went to the bank and a total stranger overheard me explaining my son’s accident to the banker, and she later came to me and asked his name so that she could pray for him. 

Another example is when Jon was still in a coma and I went to pick up his mail from a UPS mail store, and a different clerk was on duty that day. He paused to ask how Jon was, and then told me that he had been praying for him, since he first about it. I was touched, though I never saw that clerk again. God uses the words of others to touch us and say “I am still here, don’t be afraid.”

Sometimes God reassures me by the name of a person sent to help me. It sounds strange, but once in a while, God sends a person with the first name of an angel, as a sign that He is with me, during a particular problem or situation.

I live alone, and once needed a plumber for a leaky pipe. After calling a company I didn’t know much about, I prayed that God would send an angel along with the plumber, to give him the skill to do the job. The plumber arrived at my front door, wearing a name tag that readily caught my eye, because it read “Gabriel.”

When I once needed an electrician, a friend recommended one to me and his name was Raphael. Both Gabriel and Raphael did a great job, and I know that God sent them as a reassurance to my inner groaning at the time.

I’ve been retired for over a year, but I recently received a summons regarding a surgical procedure I worked in, back in 2022. The whole matter shifted me far outside my usual comfort zone, and the prospect of testifying in a deposition is a bit unnerving. 

I was told by the hospital legal department that a defending lawyer would soon be assigned to my case. I prayed that God would give me the right lawyer, with the wisdom to do a good job. 

The next day, I received an email, telling me that a lawyer was assigned to me, and he would be contacting me soon. That lawyer’s first name is “Michael.” I looked up, took a deep breath, and said “Thank you, Lord!”  I have peace, knowing God gave me His usual sign of reassurance through an angel name, and the Spirit calmed my inner distress.

When we need comfort in any way, the Holy Spirit understands the language of our wordless internal anxieties. He comforts His people in different ways, and each person needs to pray and recognize the way that God is reassuring them. 

I think we often underestimate the presence of the Holy Spirit, working on our behalf. He is our helper, our comforter, our healer, our teacher and understands the language of wordless groans and the deepest sighs in our hearts. When we are overwhelmed with stress, He steps up and brings guidance, peace, wisdom and comfort.

Lord, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us, by praying for us and through us, when our groaning is too deep for words.  Amen

“And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.”

Luke 6:31 (RSV)

The verse above is the golden rule, as recited by Jesus. It is a basic reminder to everyone, of any faith, to show the mercy to others that we would want to receive for ourselves. 

Last month, I wrote a meditation titled, “Light of forgiveness and flavor of mercy,” 

In it, I wrote about how I accidentally scratched a car parked next to me, while backing out of a church parking space, and how kind the owner was, in refusing my offer to pay for repairs.

In that meditation, I wrote “Some day it will be my turn, to pay it forward and show mercy to someone else who has wronged me, whether it’s something done deliberately or by mistake.” 

Well, that day came, this week.

I went to an evening function at my church on Monday, and afterward, while walking back to my car, a lady came up to me to apologize for hitting my rear bumper as she parked behind me. Then she offered me her insurance information. 

I immediately recalled that only a month ago, I was in that same position, apologizing to the owner of the car I scratched, who refused my offer of insurance information, saying it was a minor scratch, and nothing to worry about. 

Now it was my turn to pay it forward, so I told the lady not to worry, that it was a minor scratch, and I have caused worse scratches on the car. I refused her insurance information, but thanked her for being honest enough to tell me about it. 

During my drive home, I said, “Thank you, Lord, for giving me a chance to pay it forward.”  The next day she emailed me and offered once more to repair the scratch at her local mechanic. I reassured her that it wasn’t necessary. Then she thanked me, and we both expressed looking forward to seeing each other at the next church meeting.

It seems that this whole event was meant to bring me and this lady together for some reason, which I will probably learn later. God works in amazing ways, and His blessings are usually beyond what we could ever ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

Good things happen when we pay it forward, showing mercy to others as we remember the mercy shown to us. What if everyone everywhere found the simple joy in doing what Jesus said?

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

Lord, let others see you in us, as we abide in your golden rule, and remind us to always pay forward the grace and mercy that we have received. Amen

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, and those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”  Proverbs 3:13-15 (NIV)

I had a vivid dream several months ago, which I wrote down as soon as I awoke. Dreams don’t always make sense, or leave us with a special meaning. In fact, I hardly ever remember my dreams, but once in a while, a dream stays with me and leaves a lasting impression. I have found this dream to be relevant in meaning for months to follow.

I dreamed I was talking with some new people at church. It became late and everyone said goodbye and one new lady named Sophia, showed me her watch and it was 11:30 pm. I am never awake at that hour of the night, and I remember being surprised at the late hour. We headed out the door together to walk home. Sophia said she lived in my neighborhood, so we walked home together. 

It was very dark outside, and we had to walk in the street since there was no sidewalk. Walking in a dark street at night was dangerous, and as I looked down at my clothing, which was also dark in color, I felt very vulnerable as cars drove past us. Then I looked at Sophia’s clothing and they were brightly lit up. As we walked, I felt safe with her walking by my side. She lit up my path as we walked down the dark streets.

She disappeared briefly as we passed some tall bushes, so I called out to her, “Sophia, where are you?” She answered me and reappeared, coming out from behind the tall bushes. I was relieved to hear her answer me, and then we continued walking along her lighted path.

Before arriving home, I woke up from the dream, and wondered what it could mean, as I reviewed the details that were fresh in my mind. That’s when I came across the beautiful scripture in Proverbs today. I know that the name Sophia in Greek translates to “Wisdom.” I believe that Sophia, in my dream, represented the wisdom of God.

In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is always referred to as a woman, as a “she” or “her” throughout the whole book. The Hebrew word for wisdom, “Khachmah” is even a grammatically feminine word. I was convinced that Sophia, in my dream, was a symbol or a personification of wisdom. God wants us to seek His wisdom and let “her”  light up our path.

Walking in the dark feels like so many experiences that we all go through in our lives. Everyone encounters unexpected trials, as we desperately seek God’s guidance to make the right decisions. It can feel like we are finding our way through a dark street. That’s how I once felt in becoming a caregiver for my terminally ill husband, or the legal guardian for my brain injured adult son. 

Everyone at some time in their life, will find themselves walking on a dark street, where we desperately need God’s wisdom to walk beside us, and light up our path. Wisdom is the most valuable of gifts because it gives us understanding, long before our prayers for help, deliverance and healing are answered. Wisdom changes our perspective of how we see problems and people. It builds up our faith and helps us to find peace in the midst of the problem. 

King Solomon considered wisdom to be life’s most profitable investment, saying that wisdom yields a better return than gold, and is more profitable than silver. I hope to invest in it for the remainder of my days.

Asking for wisdom is not the first thing I usually ask for, but scripture tells us if we ask for it, God will give it to us generously. Sophia was a personification of wisdom, reminding me to ask for it each and every day. 

The tall bushes in my dream are like the emotions that distract and blind us from God’s wisdom during times of distress and trouble. Instead of letting our emotions take over in the moment, if we keep calling out to God for wisdom, our path will remain well lit. 

God’s wisdom makes us wiser than what our emotions dictate. Feelings will mislead us but wisdom is greater than any feelings and emotions. James wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously.”  (James 1:5)

As Sophia and I left the church to start walking home, she looked at her watch and it was 11:30 at night. In seeing that time on her watch, God revealed that wisdom reminds us to live each day as if it is the 11th hour. It’s like asking ourself, “What would I do different, if I was meeting Jesus later today?”

It reminds me of Paul’s words to the Romans, to put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:12)

No one knows the day or the hour of Jesus’ second coming, but if we pray for 11th hour wisdom, we will walk in His light. Nothing is needed more today, in the 11th hour, than to walk in a path lit up by God’s wisdom, until Jesus returns again. 

I woke up before ever reaching my home in that dream, probably because wisdom is meant to guide us on the journey, which we are all still traveling on.

Lord, help us see the high value of your wisdom in our everyday lives. Let us walk in the armor of your light, always seeing things through your perspective, and grant us the peace, which surpasses all understanding. Amen

“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”

2 Samuel 9:7 (NIV)

Children are the innocent victims of  so much suffering resulting from the devastation of wars. It reminds me of this Old Testament story about a young handicapped orphan, and how God changed his destiny, giving him new life, hope and restoration. 

Mephibosheth was a healthy little boy, born into the royal family of King Saul. He was the grandson of King Saul, and the son of Jonathan, David’s closest friend. The little boy became crippled from a fall at five years old, and during a war, his entire royal family was killed, leaving him as a disabled orphan. The enemy confiscated any wealth or lands that were his by inheritance, so that he was not only handicapped and orphaned, but homeless as well. 

A family friend took Mephibosheth into their home, in a city called Lodebar. It was a place of desolation after the war, and the very word, Lodebar, translates to mean “Nothing”. So he was literally living in the land of “Nothing” as a nobody, who went from being a royal prince to a disabled pauper. It all happened through a series of events that the little boy had no control of. 

Anyone who has ever lost their health, a loved one, a home, their income or even their sense of self worth, can probably relate to the misfortune of this young boy. We probably all know someone who desperately needs some type of restoration, whether it be physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, or financial. 

Mephibosheth was completely helpless and left with nothing, but the Lord is fully attentive to the prayers of the destitute, and would later turn the little boy’s destiny around for the good.  (Psalm 102:17)

Eight years later, after David became king and freed his nation from their enemies, a period of peace was in the land. David wanted to show kindness to any surviving relative of his beloved friend, Jonathan, so he sent out a search party to find any surviving relatives. Mephibosheth was found in Lodebar, and brought to the king’s palace. 

King David adopted him as his own son, and restored all the lands of his inheritance. He lived in the royal palace, and his dignity was restored as he dined at the king’s table with the king’s children, for the remainder of his life. He went from prince to pauper, but was restored to royal prince again, adopted by King David.

God is our King, who searches for all those who feel like they are living in the land of Nothing, as a nobody. He has prepared a place for His children in His heavenly kingdom, seating us at His table, as His own adopted sons and daughters.

He has also given us a purpose to fulfill here and now, by being a part of His search party to find all those who feel like nobodies living in a land of Nothing. We are to go out on the highways and the byways, and bring dignity to others, inviting them to God’s kingdom, as His sons and daughters. Whatever they have lost, is restored by becoming joint heirs with His son, Jesus Christ. 

(Romans 8:17)

King David had compassion on Jonathan’s boy, Mephibosheth, and he saw great worth in him as a person. Jesus, who is called the Son of David, sees great worth in each of us, looking beyond our flaws and shortcomings. He restores our dignity, baptizes us into His family, and then calls us by His name-Christians.

God is always looking for ways to show His kindness to us, since His very nature is to restore and show mercy, asking, “How may I show My kindness to you?“  (2 Samuel 9:1)

God has been described as a good King, a good Father and a good Shepherd, searching the world over for the lost ones, who feel like nobodies in a land of Nothing. He restores and makes them a part of His family. All that God does for us is for our eternal good as Peter wrote,

“The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

Lord, We pray for all those today who have lost everything due to war, wildfires, hurricanes, or other disasters. As children of the King, help us to search for and comfort those who feel like nobodies, to share the love of God with them, so that they find restoration in you. Amen

“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”

2 Samuel 9:7 (NIV)

Children are the innocent victims of  so much suffering resulting from the devastation of wars. It reminds me of this Old Testament story about a young handicapped orphan, and how God changed his destiny, giving him new life, hope and restoration. 

Mephibosheth was a healthy little boy, born into the royal family of King Saul. He was the son of Jonathan, David’s closest friend, but he became crippled from a fall at five years old. Soon afterward, there was a war and his entire royal family was killed, leaving him as a disabled orphan. The enemy took over any wealth or land that was his by inheritance, so that he was not only handicapped and orphaned, but homeless as well. 

A friend cared for Mephibosheth in their home, in a city called Lodebar. It was a place of desolation after the war, and the very word, Lodebar, translates to mean “nothing”. So he was literally living in the land of “Nothing” as a nobody, and went from being a royal prince to a disabled pauper. It all happened through a series of events that the little boy had no control of. 

Anyone who has ever lost their health, a loved one, an income, a home or even their sense of self worth, can probably relate to the misfortune of this young boy. We probably all know someone who desperately needs some type of restoration. It could be physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, or financial. 

Mephibosheth was completely helpless and left with nothing, but the Lord is fully attentive to the prayers of the destitute, and would later turn the little boy’s destiny around for the good.  (Psalm 102:17)

Eight years later, after David became king and freed his nation from their enemies, there was peace in the land. David wanted to show kindness to any surviving relative of his beloved friend, Jonathan, so he sent out a search party to find Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. He was 13 years old by the time they found him in Lodebar, and brought him to the king’s palace. 

King David adopted him as his own son, and restored all the lands of his inheritance. Mephibosheth lived in the royal palace, with the royal family for the rest of his life. He dined at the king’s table with his children, having gone from prince to pauper, and then restored to royal prince again and son of the king.

God is our King, who searches for all those who feel like they are living in the land of Nothing, as a nobody. He has prepared a place for His children in His heavenly kingdom, seating us at His table, as His own adopted sons and daughters.

He has also given us a purpose to fulfill here and now, by being a part of His search party to find all those who feel like nobodies in a land of Nothing. We are to go out on the highways and the byways, and  invite others to become God’s sons and daughters. Whatever they have lost, is restored by becoming joint heirs with His son, Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:17)

David had compassion on Jonathan’s boy, Mephibosheth, and he saw great value in him as a person, just as God sees great value in us, beyond our flaws and shortcomings. He lifts us up, restores our dignity, baptizes us into His family, and names us after His own son, so we are called Christians.

God looks for ways to show His kindness to us, just as David did for Mephibosheth. God’s very nature is to restore and show mercy, just as David did for the young man, asking, “How may I show My kindness to you?“  (2 Samuel 9:1)

The Lord, being a good shepherd, is always searching the world for the lost, who feel like nobodies in a land of Nothing. He restores and makes them a part of His family. All that God does for us is for our eternal good as Peter wrote,

“The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

Lord, We pray for all those today who have lost everything due to war, wildfires, hurricanes, or other disasters. Help us to search for and comfort those who feel like nobodies, and share the love of God with them. Give restoration to all who need it, especially the innocent children. Amen

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

God’s plans for us are always good. We might feel that something was missing, that we lacked an essential relationship or missed out on some advantage in our life, but God was with us all along and He doesn’t make mistakes. His plan has always been to prosper us spiritually, and to give us hope and a future.

When my mother was eight months pregnant with me, my father had a major stroke but survived. He was much older when they married and being their last child, I grew up with an elderly father, who had emotional and cognitive deficits resulting from his stroke. He was more like a grandfather, who was physically present, but emotionally absent. 

The father I knew was emotionally disconnected from the family, through no fault of his own, and so we never had a personal relationship. 

My mother handled this lack by staying upbeat and strong in her Christian faith. She filled the role of being both a mother and a father, by taking us to church, baseball games, theaters and vacations. When she observed my older brothers’ interest in science, she bought them chemistry sets and a high quality telescope. I remember looking through that telescope one summer night and seeing Saturn’s rings. Through her example of faith and love, I always felt that my brothers and I had a great childhood, being nurtured and encouraged to pursue our own gifts and talents. 

Still, I must have had a subconscious longing for a father relationship, which was evident by a recurring dream I had as a child. I dreamed that I was lost in a crowded room full of strangers. I finally was relieved to see my father across the room, at a distance, so I ran through the crowd to him, but when I got to him, he didn’t know who I was. I woke up feeling a strange emptiness and lack of a father’s affection. I dreamed this disturbing dream more than once during my childhood.

Later, as a young adult, I opened that door of my life to God and came to know Him as my true father. Now, I  am confident that He is the one who truly knows me and would greet me with open arms in a crowded room full of strangers. When I run to Him, He is the Father who is happy to see me, and always loves me as I am. 

He loves us not because we are good, but because He is good. I have been blessed to finally know the security of a father’s love, because of my relationship with Jesus. Whatever I lacked growing up, has been restored through Him, the One who was knocking on my door from the start. 

Whether we’ve lost something we once had or we never had it at all, God knows exactly what we are lacking. If we listen, we will hear His Son’s voice at our door, knocking, whispering and calling us by name. 

I have learned that the Lord is as patient as He is generous. Jesus knocked on my door for years, until I finally heard Him and invited Him in. When we offer Him all that is empty within us, He heals, restores and fills us with more of Himself. 

He is the same Lord who filled the widow’s empty jars, and sent down heavenly bread to His hungry people in the wilderness. He opened wombs that were once closed, healed every type of disease, and gave sight to those born blind. It’s never too late for the Lord to bring healing and deep restoration to an area that we are most lacking in. 

He is a good Father, who stands before us today with open arms, overflowing with “Paternal love” for us. All we need to do is open our door and run into our Father’s arms.

Lord, refresh our image of you, standing and knocking on the door of our lives. Come inside any area that is lacking in us and fill every empty place with the abundance of your love and grace. Amen

“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.”

Matthew 26:36-38 (NAB)

Holy Week is probably the only time each year that we are all reminded of the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus said to His friends, “Stay with me, my soul is sorrowful to death.” The garden is the one time, that everyone dwells on the sorrow of Jesus, and the human side of His emotional suffering. 

The word Gethsemane, in Hebrew means, an olive press. An olive press crushes olives, squeezing all the oil out of them. Jesus was emotionally and spiritually crushed, in the garden of Gethsemane, having so much squeezed out of Him, and He did it willingly for all of us. 

In our own lives, we experience something like a garden of Gethsemane, through sorrows that happen, which we have no control over. Jesus knows what it feels like to be emotionally squeezed and He can relate to us, in our olive press. We cannot control the events that happen, but we can know that Jesus is with us and leading us in our garden of Gethsemane. 

Since pressed olives produce oil, the oil that comes from the time spent in our garden is a healing oil. The garden prepared Jesus to go on and it also strengthens us to go on to the next phase in our life. There is a type of healing balm that comes from the olive press in our own lives. It is a balm of healing that can only come from God.

I experienced a Gethsemane when my son Jon, suffered a traumatic brain injury from a motorcycle accident in 2023. To observe how his adult life became crushed by a disability, not able to talk or walk, I felt that same sense of crushing, like olives in an olive press. Within that olive press, I came to realize that there is also an oil of healing and peace. 

There is a peace in knowing that God loves my children more than I do, and He is still the One in control over all of our lives. That truth brought the first effect of healing balm for me. 

The oil of healing that comes through the garden of Gethsemane is a personal realization that God is love, and because He loves us, everything that He permits us to go through, is for our eternal good. We may never know in this life, how it is working toward our eternal good, but one day we will. 

Jesus told us to let the children come to Him, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. So we entrust our babies, our young children and our adult children to come to Jesus, who has His own ways of drawing all children to Himself. God understands grief and loss more than any of us, since He watched His only son suffer and die a cruel death. 

Whether we are parents or not, our strength comes through our trials and adversity, which is our personal Gethsemane. Any way we look at this difficult topic, God’s healing balm is released in us by being squeezed in the Gethsemane olive press. It is there that we receive the strength to overcome by trusting in His love for us. 

Jesus received the strength in the garden, helping Him the next day to walk all the way to the cross. 

Whatever appears to be a loss, we can know that God is working out all things for the eternal benefit of every soul involved. 

Jesus didn’t ask much of Peter, James and John. He only asked them to “remain here and keep watch with Me.” He had a reason for asking them to just be there with Him. It is a gift to be with someone who is going through their Gethsemane. Maybe Jon can see that his family is there with him. 

I found comfort in knowing that others were with me in my garden. Each time someone told me that they were praying for Jon, it was another drop of healing balm to my soul. We can be a blessing to others by simply being there and keeping watch with them. Knowing others are there with us is another effect of the healing balm in the garden of Gethsemane.

There is no place where Jesus leads us, which isn’t safe for us to go. The Shepherd’s feet form the path for His sheep to follow. We have nothing to fear if we keep following those nail pierced feet. He promised to take us to green pastures and we can trust Him for that destination. 

Lord, bring your healing balm to all who are being pressed or are grieving in their garden today. Help us to be there with someone else and strengthen our faith and hope in your eternal love for all of us. Amen

“Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

”Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
 and the glory of your people Israel.”

Luke 2:27-32 (NIV)

Simeon was very advanced in age, but he had been waiting and praying his whole life, to behold the Messiah with his own eyes, before he dies. 

With faithful anticipation, Simeon praised God in the temple, year after year, although no Messiah appeared. 

Over the years, his sense of anticipation never ceased. He kept coming to the temple expecting that perhaps this is the day, that he would behold the Messiah.

One day, he spotted a certain couple carrying an infant who was a little over a month old. He was moved by the Holy Spirit, that this was not just any baby boy, but the One he was waiting for. Simeon walked straight over to Mary and took the infant from her arms into his, looking at Him in amazement. Then he worshipped and praised God, to finally behold His Son, the Savior and gift to the world.

If we could only go to church every week with the same sense of awe and anticipation that Simeon had, it would enrich our church experience. Simeon knew that the Messiah would come one day, but he wanted more than knowledge. He wanted to experience Him, by touching and being touched by Him. It was a life changing moment for Simeon to behold Jesus, the Messiah.

Maybe we could go to church with Simeon’s attitude, wanting more than the knowledge that God is there. Maybe we could take our faith a step further, and have the same anticipation that this is the day that we will experience Jesus in a new and deeper way, to spiritually touch Him and be touched by Him, as Simeon did, by beholding Him.

Going to church with Simeon’s  anticipation, means more than hoping to hear a good sermon or sing a favorite song or hymn. It’s more than knowing we are in God’s house. It’s about coming to church, and anticipating the Presence of Jesus, as if for the first time. 

I asked myself if I ever come to church with Simeon’s anticipation. 

I think I come in obedience and in gratitude, and with my many needs for God to meet, but Simeon’s mindset was much different than that. He came to the temple with an attitude of praise, yet always seeking to behold the Presence of the Savior.

Meditating on Simeon, reminds us to continually expect to behold Jesus in a new way. As we sit in our pew, do we consider that this is the day that the Lord might show up in a way that we have never beheld Him before? 

That is Simeon anticipation. 

To behold Jesus is to adore Him for who He is, and not for what we need from Him. To behold Him is to desire Him even when we have no answers to difficult questions in our lives. By faith we say, “I don’t understand much of what is happening Lord, but help me to behold you, like Simeon.”

I heard of a man who told his story  of living as an atheist, making many wrong choices over the past thirty years of his life. One day he walked into an empty church, looked up and said, “I don’t know who you are; I don’t know how this works; but I’m a mess. Please help me.” 

Jesus responds to that kind of plea. 

The man didn’t come to church to hear great preaching or great music, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but he came there seeking one great person. He spiritually reached out for Jesus, and was touched by Him. Like Simeon, he beheld the Lord for the first time, experiencing His love and mercy, and his life was changed forever.

Jesus said “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

(John 20:29)

We are the blessed ones, if we are  coming to church, without physically seeing Jesus, yet believing in Him. We can follow Simeon’s example, by coming into the temple with life changing anticipation, to behold Jesus, in a new way. 

Lord, give us Simeon’s anticipation  that this is will be the day we behold you as if for the first time, and be touched in a new way by your loving and merciful Presence, as we enter your house with praise. Amen

“Let those who seek my life be put to shame and disgrace. Let those who plot evil against me be turned back and confounded. Make them like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them on. Make their way slippery and dark, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.”

Psalm 35:4-6 (NAB)

When I graduated from 8th grade, my great aunt gave me my first bible. It was white leather with a gold zipper, gold letters on the front, and all the words of Jesus were printed in red. I thanked her and put it on a bookshelf in my bedroom, where it remained unopened for six years. 

I never knew that the powerful treasure hidden within those white leather binders would eventually transform my mind, soul and spirit. After pursuing my own path, eliminating God from my life, during my teenage years, at the age of eighteen, He gave me a wake up call one night, through a dream.

I dreamed I was running anxiously to catch a train. I finally got there, and feeling relieved, I jumped on board, but discovered I had jumped aboard a train of coffins, traveling through a cemetery. I woke up with my heart racing, but had a new respect for God and a curiosity for His truth. I remember wondering, if there is a God, what does He expect of me? My heart opened up and the Holy Spirit started guiding me on a new path, closer to Him.

The following year I had a life altering experience by praying and surrendering my life to Jesus. From that moment on, that white leather Bible became my love letter from God, and I haven’t stopped reading scripture since. I later discovered the treasure and power of combining prayer and scripture. 

A day came when I needed to use that powerful tool for the same great aunt, who gave me the bible in the first place. She and my mother moved in together in sunny California, since they were both elderly widows, and decided to spend the rest of their retirement together. 

They were living peacefully until the estranged schizophrenic adult son of my great aunt started to regularly visit and harass them, asking for money. He was frequenting their home, asking for money. After giving him meals and money out of their kindness, they finally told him they had no more money to give. The day they refused him, he became angry and started kicking at their front door. Thankfully, he left and though they were unharmed, the threat of him returning was very stressful. 

The day my mother told me about this, I was so worried, but also felt so helpless, living in another state. They knew to call the police if he returned, but I had a bad feeling about it and really didn’t want him to ever return again. 

While I was unable to protect them, I began praying and reading Psalm 35. I could not protect them, but I knew God was able to. I lived far away from them, but God was near them, so I decided to put all of my worries and anxieties in God’s hands. 

I prayed, reading out loud what God promises us in Psalm 35.  I prayed that psalm, saying, “Lord, send your angel and drive him away like chaff in the wind.” I asked God to do exactly what the psalm says He would do, and a few days later, my mother called me. She told me that he ended up in a nursing home due to a double foot amputation, resulting from diabetes. 

I was shocked, but relieved and thankful that my mother and great aunt were safe. He was alive and well cared for, and could no longer harm two helpless old ladies. God worked it out with a fair and just solution for all. 

I have prayed this Psalm many times since then, and sometimes it’s not necessary for an angel to drive an enemy away. Sometimes God makes a way for us to be at peace with our enemies. Whatever the situation is, God will send His angels to protect us. When we pray God’s words, from scripture, we will see amazing and powerful results.

The words written in a white leather bible, which for years sat neglected on a book shelf, opened my heart to a mighty God, who fulfills His own promises, when we dare to believe Him for it. 

Lord, you are a shield of protection for us, and your word is filled with promises, wisdom and expressions of your love. Thank you for angels who execute your faithfulness according to what is written in your word. Amen

“Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’ She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.“

1 Kings 17: 13-15 (NIV)

The Lord told the prophet Elijah to go to a certain widow’s house, because He had already directed her to supply him with food. We don’t know how God directed her, but she heard from God, and was willing to obey what He told her, even though she still had anxiety about it. 

She was at the absolute end of her  food supply during a famine and a drought. The whole land was in an economic crisis, and she only had enough flour and oil for one last meal. Elijah saw her anxiety and in greeting her, he told her not to be afraid. He assured her that her jars would never be empty for as long as the drought lasted. She then used up the last of her flour and oil, to make bread for the prophet. 

After she used the last of her food, she probably wondered how she would feed her son tomorrow, since her jars still looked empty. 

God didn’t give her the details of His plan, nor did He give her a lump sum supply to last for her lifetime. She was told through Elijah that her oil and flour would not run out, and she  had to trust God, based on His words, and not what she saw with her eyes. 

We face similar testing like this all the time. What we see doesn’t match up immediately with what we know God has promised us. As fear and anxiety start to take hold, it takes faith to trust Him at His word, when the jars we see, still look empty. 

Elijah told her the supply would not run out. Just as she put her trust in the promise of Elijah, we put ours in the promises of Jesus through His word in scripture. We may see empty jars, but we hold on to His promises by faith in His word.

The next day her jar of flour and her jug of oil were refilled. It continued to be refilled, day by day, with enough to last her until the famine was over.

The miracle happened as God promised, by refilling just enough for each day. The way God works is to give us what we need one day at a time, and He expects us not to depend on what we see, but what He promised. 

God blessed the widow in her scarcity and He provided for her as long as the famine and drought lasted. If we prioritize God, and put Him first in our lives, He will always supply us according to our needs, one day at a time, and His provision will last as long as we need it. 

Lessons like this one teach us to trust God even beyond our financial or material needs. We can apply this story to trusting God to refill any area of our life that is empty or depleted. We may be emptied of patience, love, peace, faith, or have reached our limit on forgiveness toward someone who has repeatedly hurt us. If we open our heart and our home to God, we never have to remain empty.

I remember once going through what felt like a famine of virtue, because I needed to be replenished with patience, faith, hope and love. Stress and trials left me depleted, but when I brought all my emptiness to Jesus, He started to refill me, one day at a time. 

We all have a holy man dwelling in our home, and He is greater than Elijah. As we welcome Jesus into our home, through all of the famines, droughts, pandemics or any crisis of scarcity, we can trust Him each day to keep us in peace and fill what is lacking. 

Lord, we believe you are the Holy one who is with us every day. We lift all of our empty jars to you, and trust you to refill what we need. We ask in faith, not by sight, and will expect to receive it from you one day at a time. Amen