Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)
Lay down. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and relax your muscles from head to toe. Keep your eyes closed, what do you see? Nothing. Darkness. Black. How do you feel? (pause) Now invite Jesus to join you as your eyes are still closed. How do you feel now? Ask Jesus, the Light of the World, to illuminate anything in your life that you two need to sort out. He is kind and gracious and loves to help us see and understand better. You are safe in His company, go ahead and ask Him anything at all.
Scripture Reading
When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this to indicate how he was going to die. The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?” Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.
Devotional
Have you ever asked hard questions? The ones that make you question your faith or aspects of your faith? You are not alone. About a year after John baptized Jesus and pointed everyone towards him John was imprisoned. From within those prison walls John began to ask hard questions, one being, “Are you the one who has come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:3) John couldn’t see or understand what Jesus was doing. “Jesus’ actions were not matching John’s expectations (which) was straining John’s certainty of who Jesus was. In this sense, Lent came early for John. He experienced from prison what the first disciples later would experience throughout Jesus’ Passion, and what we still ponder two millennia later.”
Questions like this make us stop and search for answers to make our faith our own. Questions like this “are signs of a living, growing, active faith, not evidence of a dying (faith).” Be diligent in your faith journey to ask questions, to seek Truth in the Word and invite Holy Spirit to reveal the answers to you in His time. He will illuminate your path and lead you onward. “Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season you will reap a great harvest if you do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). Keep pressing into the Father, He is listening and He will walk with you throughout your life. Jesus is the Light of the world, walk in the light with Him in good times and bad. Trust that He is who He says He is.
Questions to consider
Are you more apt to look for answers from other people or go directly to God for answers? Why? Do you feel safe asking God the hard questions? Why or why not?
Picture John the Baptist in prison. Imagine what he might have seen, heard, and felt. Then unplug from the power grid and read Hebrews 11 out loud by candlelight. How do you feel?
Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, that You are the Light of the World. Thank you that I can ask the hard questions and feel safe and secure in You as you illuminate your Truth to my soul. Lord, I pray that you would help me to trust you more, to know you more, to hunger for more of You. Lord help me to stop bottling up my fears, my insecurities, and my hard questions and take them directly to You. The more I know You, the more I love You. Thank you for knowing me and loving me. Thank you for helping me navigate this journey of life. Thank you for your grace upon grace in my life. I love you, Jesus. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)
The 40 days of decrease blogs have been inspired by the book “40 Days of Decrease” by Alicia Britt Chole.
Expressions from Summerside Community Church 