INCONSEQUENTIAL PEOPLE PRAISING GOD

1 SAMUEL 1:11 (CEB)
Then Hannah made this promise: “LORD of heavenly forces, just look at your servant’s pain and remember me! Don’t forget your servant! Give her a boy! Then I’ll give him to the Lord for his entire life. No razor will ever touch his head.”

LUKE 1:46-48 (CEV)
Mary said: 

With all my heart
I praise the Lord,
and I am glad because of God my Savior.
He cares for me,
his humble servant.
From now on,
all people will say
God has blessed me.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God does some of his greatest miracles through humble people who turn to him.

PRAYER
I'm grateful, Lord, that you care for the people who are inconsequential to the rest of the world. Forgive me for thinking that only big shots make a difference. Give me a humble heart willing to call on you. I'm going to be the one who blesses you even if I remain unknown. Amen.

CREATING AND SUSTAINING

The First Sunday in Lent

PSALM 102:25 (CEB)
You laid the earth’s foundations long ago;
the skies are your handiwork.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:8 (CEB)
He will also confirm your testimony about Christ until the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God is at work creating and sustaining.

PRAYER
Creator God, in spite of the fact that we are prone to tear things apart, you continue to hold things together. Reassure me of your sustaining involvement when I start to feel frustrated by my own failures and those of the world around me. I can see that it is all about you. Amen.

CARRIED

ISAIAH 63:9 (CEV)
The LORD was truly merciful,
so he rescued his people.
He took them in his arms
and carried them all those years.

LUKE 15:5 (ABP)
When the shephard finds the lost sheep, he is thrilled as he lifts it onto his shoulders and carries it to safety.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God carries us to safety.

PRAYER
Shepherding God, thank you for your love that carries us into life. You do not give up on your lost sheep. You pursue us and lift us out of our fears. Raise our vision that is stuck in the mire of our wants. Free us for wanting your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

THE MYSTERY

DEUTERONOMY 3:24 (MSG)
GOD, my Master, you let me in on the beginnings, you let me see your greatness, you let me see your might...

COLOSSIANS 1:27 (CEV)
God did this because he wanted you Gentiles to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God’s glory.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God is full of wonderful mystery, some of which he shares with us.

PRAYER
Glorious God, thank you for sending Christ to live in us. I can't pretend to understand how that works nor all the implications of his presence. But it fills me with hope. Help me to slow down enough so that I can begin to see the wonder of your plan as you slowly pull back the curtain. I'm going to rely on you to show me exactly what I need to see. Amen.