Now, on the same day [as the resurrection of Jesus], two disciples (one named Cleopas) were on their way to a village called Emmaus. Together they were discussing everything that had taken place. And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus Himself came near and began to walk along with them. But they were prevented from recognizing Him. It was as he reclined at the table with them that he took the bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. Luke 24:13-17; 30-31
My words…
Praise
Dear Jesus, much of Your humbleness and compassion is on display when, after Your resurrection, You hung around on this lowly planet for forty more days. I would have hightailed it to heaven and been done with this place. But, thankfully, that’s not how You think and act. The private lessons you taught weren’t understood as they should have been, so You had to stick around and keep teaching. Your followers must have slept through the lesson on fulfilled prophesy. They had no idea what was going on. They were expecting one thing only to have their hopes dashed. Discussions and arguments ensued. Who knows how it all would have been sorted out if You hadn’t stuck around a while? But something about You was different; You were no longer recognizable by Your disciples, that is, until You wanted to be. The travelers on the road to Emmaus listened to You interpret scripture while walking for seven miles, and they had no idea it was You. But then You performed a simple act or said a simple phrase, and then they knew! How much more momentous would it have been if they had recognized You right away?
Prayer for me
I don’t want to miss out on opportunities to recognize You. Help me grow to see You where You are in my day, in my work, in my worship.
Forgive me
There are times when I feel like the disciples traveling to Emmaus. You’re close by, but I don’t recognize You. I attribute a success as something I accomplished and not a blessing bestowed by You. I witness the power of medicine and not Your healing hand. I deposit a paycheck without depositing praise for Your provision. I neglect to recognize Your answers to my prayers. (Well, didn’t that turn out nicely?) Forgive me.
Thank You
Thank You for spending forty extra days on earth following Your resurrection. I wouldn’t have been introduced to Cleopas or Rhoda or other followers who were so endearing in their honest reactions when they recognized You!
More praise
It isn’t surprising that when you donned Your servant hat, Your disciples said, “Oh, it’s You!” It was in those moments of close, personal contact that memories were made before Your death and recalled following Your resurrection. You said a blessing over a meal. You shared a loaf of bread. So simple, but so memorable. It’s the same for me. Whenever I read or recall Your words of life, I sit up and say, “There You are!”
When God had finished speaking to Moses on Mt. Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God’s writing, engraved on the tablets. As he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became enraged and threw the tablets out of his hands, smashing them at the base of the mountain. Exodus 31:18; 32:15, 19
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Exodus 34:1
My words…
Praise
You are The God Who Works. You’re not a sit-around-and-wait-to-be-worshipped-god. You worked with Moses to create the tablets of testimony. It doesn’t surprise me that You engraved the words. (I can’t read this without wondering about Your penmanship.) But then Moses got angry and smashed Your work. You didn’t blame him. You just fixed it. You performed the work over again. If Moses would have smashed that set, You would have done it a third time, and so on. You perform wonderous works, and Your children smash them. Then You say, “I will fix what you broke.” You work to create, then You work to fix. The never-ending cycle. Praise to The God Who Works…and Fixes.
Prayer for me
Since I am not a stone tablet, I cannot be fixed as such: Write it again. Done. Fixes of the spirit are a work-in-progress. Your work-in-progress. And You’re still working on me. I pray I will welcome Your repairs even when I contend I’m not broken in the first place.
Forgive me
The other day I complained that a friend was too persistent in her communication with me. Why must she be so needy? Day after day, pouring out her problems and worries. You brought me to the truth that I have not accepted neither your repair of patience to my annoyed spirit nor compassion to my selfish heart. Forgive me.
Prayer for others
I pray a blanket prayer for those looking for fixes in the wrong places: substances, other people, work, distractions. You long to stitch together lives that are unraveling. I pray they allow You to do so.
Thank you
Thank You for mending broken marriages, repairing shattered families, refreshing weary faith, healing diseased spirits, restoring crumbling hope. Thank You for fixing us.
More praise
Write a message to me, Lord! With Your finger on my heart.
To the one who lacks sense, Folly says, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten secretly is tasty!” Proverbs 9:16-17
To the one who lacks sense, Wisdom says, “Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave inexperience behind, and you will live; pursue the way of understanding. Proverbs 9:4-5
Jesus said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets to them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country where he squandered his estate in foolish living. He went to work for one of the citizens of that country who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He longed to eat the food the pigs were eating, but no one would give him any. When he came to his senses, he said, ‘I will go to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ So he got up and went to his father. But while his son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.” Luke 15:11-20
My words…
Praise
I wonder: Just how many senses do I have (beyond my five sensing organs)? I can sense fear and contentment, tension and peace, and much more. I have come to rely on my senses. But what happens when I leave my senses behind and forge ahead without them? In other words, what happens when I take leave of my senses? I haven’t done it lately since it tends to be a young person’s choice. It doesn’t need to happen very often before vital lessons are learned and remembered. During those times when I turned toward Folly and left Wisdom at the gate, I could not sense danger or regret, nor could I sense peace or self-worth. After a while, the sparkle of Folly faded, and I came to my senses. Wisdom opened the gate, and I walked through. And there You were. Waiting. Like always.
Prayer for me
Wisdom offers a home for my senses – a safe place where they will mature. There is no doubt that I need more wisdom. I will always need more until the someday when I am with You. Grant me Your wisdom. Just a drop will do.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I turn toward Folly, when I make rash judgments, when I allow my pride too much power, when I keep unwholesome secrets. Wisdom assures me that Folly is my enemy. Forgive me when I don’t listen.
Prayer for others
I pray for all the prodigals who are spending their way toward regret and sorrow. They are skipping alongside Folly, laughing without any sense of where they are headed. Lead them back to their senses, Lord.
Thank you
Thank You for never leaving Your children even when they are living outside of Your wisdom. It doesn’t matter how many times we mess up. It doesn’t matter whether we take leave of just a few or all of our senses. You NEVER leave. You NEVER abandon. There are no words of gratitude worthy enough for Your faithfulness to us – to me. But You take what I offer each time I offer it. I pray that’s enough. For now.
More praise
Your compassion is shouted from the hilltop in this parable. Your heart breaks when Your children lose touch with the spirit You placed in them and waste precious time that could have been spent with You. When You see us from afar, You run to meet us, wrap Your arms around us, and welcome us back home. It’s so much more than a parable. It’s a solemn promise. With all of my senses, I know it to be true.
Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10
My words…
Be Still… In these two words, I hear you say, “Cool it, calm down, relax, chill.” It feels as if the whole planet is tightly wound. Most people convey a calm exterior, but their insides are bound and tense. I, myself, carry a latent package of apprehension deep in my soul, straining at the packing tape, hoping to be set free and run amok. When I feel it banging around, I remember Your words: Be still. I am not alone in my soul. You’re there with me, guiding me, teaching me how to be wholly still, cool, calm, relaxed, chill in my soul. A still soul wipes away the film covering my spiritual eyes. I see You more clearly. A still soul flushes out the wax of my spiritual ears. I hear You more clearly. No pacing, wringing, or fretting. All is still.
and know… I believe You placed these two directives together because they are symbiotic. I can’t have one without the other. I cannot know You in the way You want me to unless I attain stillness of mind, heart, and spirit. It is in this stillness You reveal Your nature – a nature that I can know. For sure. Without a doubt. I should not be still and question. I should not be still and speculate. When all is still, then I know.
that I am God. For me, this is the prize. The treasure. I am not still so I can know that You’re some nebulous, baffling power source. You are GOD, the One Always Being, before the beginning and after the end. You created time, and You’re the only One who understands it completely. You chuckle as we play around with Schrodinger’s cat. The universe stretches at Your command. You hold my heart in Your hand along with the Pleiades. You knew me when stars were forming for the first time. Even now, You see the blood coursing through my veins and hear the thoughts as they form in my mind. You see my life’s end. All of this I know when I am still. You are GOD, and You are exalted!
On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, and it appeared like fire above the tabernacle from evening until morning. Whenever the cloud lifted above the tent, the Israelites would set out; at the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites camped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they camped. Sometimes the cloud stayed over the tabernacle only a few days. Sometimes the cloud remained from only evening until morning. Whether it was two days, a month, or longer, the Israelites camped and did not set out as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle. But when it was lifted, they set out. Numbers 9:15-22 selected
Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. Deuteronomy 8:2
My words…
Praise
Full dependence on You results in a life where true knowledge, wisdom and contentment are realized on earth and in the hereafter. I know that. I also know that full dependence on You does not dwell in a pride-filled heart. There’s not room for both. Pride pushes You out. But how to teach that to Your children? Don’t give them a choice? Yesterday, that’s how I read this history passage. Today, I have a different take on it. If I were an Israelite, camping in the wilderness, and I had my tent all decked out just the way I like it, I may not want to tear it all down when Your cloud lifted from the tabernacle. I may have decided (after a period of grumbling) to stay put and remain in my tent while everyone else moved on. My choice. Maybe a few others would have decided to do the same thing, then we could have formed our own little tribe of misfits. But this scenario could only end one way – death. Either nature or some other hostile tribe would overtake me. But for those who remained dependent on You – those who knew You do not act randomly – claimed their part of the milk-and-honey inheritance and declared boldly: “It was all worth it!”
Prayer for me
Like the rest of the world, I am living six feet from everyone. I am a wanderer in a strange wilderness, a place I have never been. News of death and illness pervades all other news. Confusion among world leaders is evident. Which expert opinion do I trust? Remind me of the One on whom I should be dependent. It is You. It should always be You.
Forgive me
There are times when I allow the crush of speculation and forecast to push my spirit away from Yours and question Your care. There are also times when I want to stay put when You are calling me to move. My pride pushes You out. Forgive me.
Prayer for others
I pray for Your continual presence in the lives of those who are examples of how to stay the course and stand firm under the cloud of your provision. Give them an extra portion of Your Spirit to share with others.
Thank you
Thank you for turning the hearts of Your children toward You in this time of uncertainty. I read so many messages of hope and deliverance from those living under Your cloud by day and Your fire in the dark times. We’re all living under Your cloud of dependency, and You’re bringing out the best in us!
More praise
Satan is on the prowl; he’s wily, and he knows when to pounce. But here’s one thing I’ve noticed: I recognize him more clearly during times of adversity. He’s like a bear trying to hide behind a twig. Perhaps it’s a renewed dependence on You that turns the spotlight on him. His weaknesses are being revealed in this time. And Your power is being glorified.
God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1
My words…
Praise
I don’t know how many spoken languages are used by those living on this planet. Thousands, I would imagine. My guess is that the word “virus” is being spoken by 99% of them on a daily, if not hourly basis. (You would know, which reminds me of how incredibly powerful You are.) That microscopic, infectious agent sure does pack a punch, though. It may be metabolically inert, but it’s socially and economically active. It’s already caused more than its share of sorrow, and it’s just getting ramped up. I think the greatest power of a virus is the fact that we can’t see it coming. It blindsides. It doesn’t play fair. And so we begin to feel anxious and panicky and helpless – deep in our spirits. You expect that, so You provide for that. You will not leave us alone in times of trouble. You are the Light in the storm. So when I allow the “v-word” to zap my faith and my confidence in Your plans for me, I look to the Light where I find refuge and strength. After all, it’s a virus formed from what You created. And what is created will never be more powerful that its Creator.
Prayer for others
Lord, there are so many around the globe who are suffering illness. There are those who are grieving loved ones who have succumbed to this virus. I pray You lay Your comforting hand on them. Blanket them in Your peace. I pray this global event will bring out the very best in Your children.
More Praise
This virus reminds me of another contagious agent brought to earth beginning with a Roman crucifixion and spreading, unchecked, across the globe. Coming in contact did not end in death but life. The message was not built on fear but hope. I am part of those infected. We are a mighty agent, and neither the gates of hell nor any virus is able to stand against us!
Lord, how long will You forget me? Forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long will I store up anxious concerns within me, agony in my mind every day? How long will my enemy dominate me? Consider me and answer, Lord my God. Restore brightness to my eyes; otherwise, I will sleep in death. My enemy will say, I have triumphed over him,” and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously. Psalm 13, a psalm of David
My words…
Praise
I view my prayers as offerings of time and thought and faith. I bring before You various expressions as responses to Your words to me. You speak. I listen. I respond. Being Omniscient God, You know my prayer before I pray it. You know my prayer without me having to say it out loud; I can just think it, and it’s a prayer. Which got me thinking. The prayers I verbalize (write) are only honest to a point because I am only honest with everyone to a point. It’s a defense mechanism (A human term for humans!). Being completely open with others can cause all sorts of drama and trauma. But is that true with You? David obviously didn’t have a problem being completely open with You. He filled some of his prayers with barbs and complaints that make me wince. How dare he speak to You that way? Who does he think he is anyway? Oh yeah, he’s the man after Your own heart. He stood firm in the shadow of a giant. He was anointed king then spent years on the run for his life. He faced danger as a shepherd, as a solider, as a king. When you rescued him, he wrote songs about it. He knew You could stand up against his brutal honesty because it was always surrounded by declarations of adoration and gratitude. And I read that although David ranted and railed, he ranted and railed to You – the only God in existence. You were his only Savior. You were his only Deliverer. That’s honesty robed in faith.
Prayer for me
I have yet to stand in the shadow of a giant or flee for my life. Do I have the same right to be honest with You? If I understand correctly “no respecter of persons” then I believe that I hold that same right. I’m not sure I have put into thought what I truly feel, let alone verbalize it. (Is this even a good idea? Not sure.) But here goes: I don’t have a question of You forgetting about me or turning Your face from me, which is the basis for my first complaint. If You know who I am, and You know my struggle, then why the wait? Where’s Your answer? Sure, I realize that You are not a gumball machine, but I’m talking decades here! Will I even see the answers before I die? (Whew. This is not easy. How did David do it?) And another thing. Evil is everywhere. In every crevice and cranny. Are the archangels being overrun? Has the trumpet of the Lord gone silent? I don’t expect holy behavior from the world. Civilized is close enough. How much longer will the rapes, mutilations, torture, and murders persist around the globe? The planet has been spinning for a gazillion years. I would have thought we’d have gotten farther along by now. (Okay, I’m done.)
More praise
Well, that wasn’t as cathartic as I thought it would be. I pray with the weight of my entire spirit that You are not offended with me. I couldn’t handle that. Was it honest? Yep. Was it necessary? Nope. And truthfully, I think I know the answers to all of my ranting questions. One can’t be a follower of Christ for as long as I have and not know a little of how You work. So, I will wait on You while I continue my petitions. You are my only Savior, my only Deliverer. It may sound like a cop-out to some, but it’s actually honesty robed in faith.
“You are my witnesses” – this is the Lord’s declaration – “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. No god was formed before Me, and there will be none after Me. I, I am Yahweh, and there is no other Savior but Me. I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed – and not some foreign god among you. So you are My witnesses” – this is the Lord’s declaration – “and I am God. Also, from today on I am He alone, and none can deliver from My hand. I act, and who can reverse it?” Isaiah 43:10-13
My words…
Praise
In this turbulent world in which I live, I find absolute comfort in the fact that there is only one God, and You are that God. It’s really that simple. I have visited temples and seen man-made gods of stone and gold where worshippers offered gifts of food and flowers. I left wondering who eventually ate the food and smelled the flowers? The gods were formed by the hands, gold, and stone You created. The offering of food spoiled and the flowers wilted. It’s not that the god is dead; the god never lived. You are a living God. You are the only God. Now that is something to declare.
Prayer for me
You didn’t ask Israel to be a witness just as You haven’t asked me. You didn’t say, “Won’t you be my witness?” No, You declared us as witnesses, proclaimed us, announced us, honored us. I, who hold You up as the only God, Yahweh, am called to witness about You. I should declare the truth about You to others, proclaim Your wonders in my life, announce You to those who have never met You. And I do…sometimes. But not enough, and not as I should. And it’s not because I have nothing to witness about – I have plenty. I am a weak witness, and today I pray for holy strength.
Forgive me
You deserve a much better witness than I am. Forgive me when I turn my back on the call to the stand. I have a dirty laundry list of excuses. Cleanse me.
Prayer for others
I pray for a measure of Your power to rain down on those who have devotedly declared, proclaimed, and announced You to innumerable thirsty souls. They hold their opportunities to witness as precious as a handful of gems. Many have been harmed because of it. Some have traded their lives for a chance to witness. Yet, they proudly stand in the box and tell of Your wonders.
Thank You
Thank You for giving me so much to witness about: hope for today and tomorrow, peace like a sleeping baby, heavenly citizenship, epiphanies through prayer, joy through worship, Your promises kept, Royal adoption, the path to wisdom, servant vision, Scripture, existential answers, unconditional love, faith in the One and Only. That should give me enough to witness about for the rest of my earthly life.
More praise
Today I join with the holy angels, the ocean waves, the singing birds, the swirling wind, the rustling leaves, the exploding stars – all in witness of You, the Only God, Mighty God, Maker of us all.
So David went and had the ark of God brought up from Obed-edom’s house to the city of David with rejoicing. When those carrying the ark of the Lord advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. David was dancing with all his might before the Lord wearing a linen ephod. He and the whole house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of the ram’s horn. As the ark of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michel looked down from the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. 2 Samuel 6:12-16
My words…
Praise
You created us to dance. When pure and perfect joy wells within us, it reverberates through our arms, legs, shoulders and spine. We can’t sit still. We must move. It’s the joy coming out. Some of us look absolutely ridiculous when the joy comes out, and so we suppress it and sit on our hands. We wouldn’t want to look foolish, now would we? David had no qualms about how he looked. He didn’t consider his reputation or position. He was bringing the ark that was called by Your Name, the Name of Yahweh of Hosts who dwells between the cherubim, into his new capital city, Jerusalem. The Ark was coming home. Joy abounded! David bounded! You created him that way, and he danced for You. No more running for his life. No more sleeping in caves on the cold ground. He was king, but his joy was grounded in the truth that You are King. He was determined to celebrate, and nothing would stop him.
Prayer for me
I have never made dancing a part of my joyful celebration of worship. I hope that’s all right. I really stink at dancing, and You are worthy of a more excellent act of worship. I use writing and singing and laughing and crying. And the occasional clapping. I’m very good at clapping. But maybe I could do more. If my inhibitions are keeping me from growing, keeping me from experiencing a deeper level of joy, show me how to throw them off. I’ll work on doing it. With Your help, of course.
Forgive me
Forgive me when I refrain from expressing my joyful praise because of what others may think. It only matters what You think. The imaginary audience remains after all these years. It’s time it disappeared.
Prayer for others
I pray for the Michels in the churches. Is there a church without one? I doubt it. Just as there are those who refuse to suppress their joy, there are those who condemn them for it. Soften their hearts, Lord. Open their eyes to what true joy looks like. And I pray for the Davids. May they always be dancing!
More praise
Joyful praise of You runs deep, deeper than wedding joy or birthday joy. A heart full of gratitude for Your sacrifice, love for being first loved by You, wonder of Your boundless creation, and sheer delight in being Your child gushes unchecked by those who really believe it. And I really believe it. (I’ve broken out in foot tapping.)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, for the promise of life in Christ Jesus: To Timothy, my dearly loved son. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy, clearly recalling your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice, and that I am convinced is in you also. 2 Timothy 1:1-5
My words…
Praise
You have convicted me of the clear fact that my praise of You is just as vital to my life as the food I eat and water I drink. The more I praise You, the stronger I become, in my spirit. Praise equals strength. Praise equals breakthroughs. I have become more enlightened through my praise of You than in any other spiritual communication. How did I learn this? Through Your Spirit. How did I know where to find Your Spirit? Through Your words. What words? The ones written on the thin onion skin paper, bound in leather, given to me by my mom. I still have that Bible. It was made with a zipper closure. After a while, the zipper band tore away from the cover, so I stitched it back together with red embroidery thread. I didn’t know the full impact those pages would have on my life. (I still don’t, really.) But I did know the words were important. I knew they were Your words. And who, in their right mind, wouldn’t want to listen to You? It just made sense to me. And over the decades, I learned to praise. And that has made all the difference. Thanks, Mom.
Forgive me
When I had children, I became part of the Legacy. I don’t think I have ever asked You to forgive my weakness in upholding it. So I am asking You now. I didn’t spend enough time growing a sincere faith to pass down. I spent more time making sure my kids were in a pew. Wearing clean clothes. Being quiet. Who would want that Legacy?
Prayer for me
I rely on Your Spirit to grow my faith, make it more sincere, more genuine. One day, perhaps, it will have become a beautiful Legacy I can leave behind, as did Lois and Eunice.
Prayer for others
I pray that You will strengthen every mother and grandmother who is raising children alone, especially those who are sharing Your words, written on thin paper bound in a book. I know how tiring and discouraging it can be. But I also know the joy of seeing Your words penetrate a young spirit and set it walking on a well-lit path.
Thank You
Thank you for placing me in my Legacy. Of all the families I could have been born into, I praise You that I was born into mine!
More praise
Praise is all about knowing who I am in respect to who You are, where I am in respect to where You are, what I know in respect to what You know. I am just a small carbon life-form with a limited intelligence (very limited) existing on just one of a gazillion planets in the universe. But that’s not praise. I am a daughter of The King, living in Your kingdom among the stars You spoke into twinkling, knowing You created the whole thing for me. And I am prostrate. In praise.
