Even in the Depth
THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
SUNDAY, January 21
Jonah 1
Jonah received a word from the Lord, a calling to arise and go to Nineveh to preach to the people there. Instead, he “arose” and fled from the face of the Lord (his presence). The Hebrew provides a humorous picture of descent. He went “down” to Joppa, “down” into a ship, and when the sailors looked for him he had gone “down” into the lowest part of the ship. But most remarkable about this story is God’s pursuit of Jonah. There is no place he can go, where God is not, even as the psalmist said, “(If I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Psalm 139:8, NIV). Indeed, the Scriptures are the story of God’s pursuit of Israel, as they turn away again and again—ever God pursues.
Take a moment to stop and consider God’s pursuit of you.
O Lord, truly when I consider your mercy and love, it is too wonderful for me. I am melted before you in humility. What else can I do but lift up the cup of salvation and call on your name? AMEN.
PRAYER FOCUS: A CHURCH THAT REFLECTS GOD’S KINGDOM
Out of the Pit
MONDAY, January 22
Jonah 2
Jonah’s journey away from the Lord continues “down” into the water and then into the belly of a great fish. From there, “from the deep” where he has gone away from the Lord, he prays to the Lord in his distress. And in the dark place, his prayer “rose” to God. From there, the Lord, “brought my life from the pit” (v. 6, NIV). After his prayer, the Lord brings him “up” out of the depths, and up out of the belly of the great fish. There is no place from which we cannot not turn to the Lord. Ever he is willing to save, ever he is willing to hear us, forgive us, deliver us.
O Lord, truly your mercy is from everlasting. As the psalmist says, remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious way, but according to your love remember me. We are as the hymn says, “prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love” but, God, forgive us and keep our hearts near to you always. (“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” Covenant Hymnal: A Worshipbook, #68). AMEN.
Responding to His Voice
TUESDAY, January 23
Jonah 3
In the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus made a Samaritan the hero of the story, which in a sense shames his listeners. Samaritans, who were despised by Israel, did what was pleasing in God’s sight in Jesus’s parable, while the “religious” men in the story did not. The same thing happens here in Jonah 3 as the Ninevites, who are known for their wickedness, become an example of repentance before God—which shames an unrepentant Israel.
Today we very much have the capacity to be like the listeners of both of these texts. We can say we believe in Jesus and follow him, yet too often it is those without God who are living the kind of lives God desires of us. Too often we harden our hearts and we fail to respond to God’s reproofs.
O God, give us clean hands and pure hearts. Let us be ever sensitive and responsive to your voice. We know you discipline those you love. Let us receive that discipline that we might live lives that please you and are a blessing to those around us. AMEN.
PRAYER FOCUS: MIDWINTER CONFERENCE FOR COVENANT MINISTERS
Slippery Footing
WEDNESDAY, January 24
Psalm 62:5-10
Have you ever tried to walk on a slippery floor, almost falling but then you grab onto a railing and you are suddenly stable? It is amazing how a solid hand railing can keep you upright, no matter how slippery the floor. The Scriptures say trusting in God is a bit like that. When our hope is in him, he makes our footsteps firm. Psalm 62 talks of the slippery things we trust in, particularly money. There is always the temptation for us to think that stuff or people will get us through life. But while those distractions may appear stable, ultimately they end up slippery. Rather, we trust in God and pour our hearts out to him. He is the rock upon which we stand. He is our refuge.
O Lord, our soul finds rest in you alone. You are our rock and our fortress. We know when we trust in you, we are safe. Be our only hope and trust this day. AMEN.
Willing to Follow
THURSDAY, January 25
Mark 1:16-20
Jesus found his disciples amid their daily laboring of fishing and called them. They left their work and even their father to follow him. While God does not call us all to immediately drop whatever we are doing to follow him, he does call us amid our labors and activities.
What he is calling us to do does need to be the top priority in our life, and we know it will always involve sacrifice of some kind. But ultimately, following Jesus is not about what we leave behind; it is about what we find and where we go. The disciples had no way of knowing what or where Jesus was calling them. But they knew Jesus, and following him was enough.
Are we willing to follow Jesus?
Lord, give us ears to hear your call no matter where we are in our lives, and give us the courage to go where you are calling us, whatever the cost. AMEN.
PRAYER FOCUS: IRENIC SPIRIT IN OUR CHURCHES AND COMMUNITIES
The Longing of Our Heart
FRIDAY, January 26
Psalm 72:1-7
There is no one among us who doesn’t have a longing for the world as God created it to be. Be they atheist or Christian, every person longs for a world without fear, without oppression, a world of peace and joy. Even a world of justice and righteousness, although an atheist may not understand what a Christian means by that—that longing is in their hearts. Our hearts long for the King of the universe to come, for Jesus to reign over this earth. As the psalm says, it will be like the waters raining down on the earth to water it, so all of life can flourish.
Are you longing for Jesus to come?
O God, it seems at the bottom of all our prayers is really a longing for you to come and make all things right. Maranatha! Lord, come quickly. AMEN.
A King Who Sees and Hears
SATURDAY, January 27
Psalm 72:8-14
If we are honest with ourselves, we often don’t long for Jesus to return in the way we know we should. One reason may be that we don’t feel the need for his imminent return. Many of us live lives that are somewhat insulated against encountering real oppression and hearing the cries of the needy and afflicted. When you personally encounter such horrors or live among those who do, there is no sense that the world is okay the way it is. No, there is a cry for the true and living God to come and make all things right, to punish the oppressors and to answer the cries of those in need. To live in the midst of such hardship, we need confidence that the true King sees and hears us now and has promised to come. “See the Sovereign Lord comes with power…and his recompense accompanies him” (Isaiah 40:10).
Are you crying out with the oppressed to the Lord?
Thank you, Lord, that you hear the cries of the oppressed and promise to deliver them and save them. O Lord, come quickly and help me to be your hands in the present until you come. AMEN.
PRAYER FOCUS: TO BE GENEROUS STEWARDS
