Eternal, Firm, And Established
SUNDAY, July 19
Psalm 119:89-91
I met a friend I had not seen for a long while. The friend had changed. He was no longer coming from the perspective I had known. We now had far less in common. It was almost as if this friend was a stranger, now unrecognizable. Maybe this scenario is familiar to you as well. Some friendships pick up where they left off after years of separation. With few mutual interests, however, friendships can stall.
God’s faithfulness stands eternal and secure. We don’t have to wonder what circumstance might cause our God to shift course or become a stranger. Life with our faithful Friend yields familiarity. We can maintain ongoing conversations, rooted in trust. And God’s knowledge of us, conversely, does not wane or diminish. Our God, though lofty and grand and sometimes surprising and creative, will not become unrecognizable to us. Our companionship with God reveals him as available, accessible, and known. May we find joy and rest in our eternal God, secure in the heavens.
Prayer
Lord, you are eternal and steadfast, and we rejoice. Help us to find rest
and calm this day in the safety of your changeless Presence. Amen.
The Light Of Rescue
Monday, July 20
Psalm 119:105-112
The value of God’s law is highlighted throughout the 176 verses of Psalm 119. Light is central in today’s passage: the snare of the wicked, personal affliction, and our lives in God’s hands. Light is needed for our journey.
When standing in Mammoth Cave, the guide turned off the lights, and I was unable to see my hand in front of my face. I remember thinking, with some desperation, that if the lights stayed off, I would stay lost and need a lifeline. The importance of God’s law can be found in the fact that it brings rescue. Today’s passage heralds life and joy for the follower of God’s law. Darkness leaves us lost. God’s law brings light and life. The gospel echoes, as Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”
(John 8:12, NIV).
Prayer
Precious God, you are my light. I hide your word in my heart and treasure it. Your words are life. May your light in me both guide my way and be a beacon to others. Amen.
Shaped For Significance
Tuesday, July 21
Genesis 24:34-49, 58-67
Looking back on my life, I can see how pieces have come together and taken on meaning over time. Yet in the present, I can still feel confused.
The search for Isaac’s wife has many parts. Abraham’s servant is sent to his faraway home country. The plan to identify Isaac’s wife unfolds, and Rebekah fulfills it, revealing that she is the one. She shares the marriage intent with her family and agrees to become Isaac’s wife. All are parts with meaning, both immediate and not yet seen—the line of the Messiah secured.
God redeems the parts of our story as well. We are not just gathered molecules floating through one of many galaxies. The plans and purposes of God have been stamped upon us from eternity past. Although at times we may be puzzled, our God takes the pieces of our lives to shape us for significance.
Prayer
Master Designer, we praise you for giving shape and meaning to our lives. Where we are confounded or hurting, speak your word. Help us to trust you when the pieces seem disjointed. Amen.
A Car With No Reverse
Wednesday, July 22
Genesis 25:29-34
We had to go. My two college friends and I were heading to Mexico for a one-month study program. One friend had a car, so we decided to drive from Minneapolis to Mexico City. We set out on the 2,100-mile journey—even though we knew the car did not go in reverse. The driving difficulties we faced were significant, including once being forced to enter a six-lane highway with traffic coming in our direction.
We like to be captains of our own ship, and it can feel comfortable to bow to the tyranny of the urgent. Esau’s vision was blinded by his misjudging what is necessary and an exaltation of the immediate. It is an easy trap to fall into. Today may be a good day to examine our priorities with God’s guidance. What is really necessary? Stop. Breathe. Pray. Consider. A bowl of stew or a car without reverse may not be the real priorities.
Prayer
Great and awesome God, today we choose to recognize your priorities. We quiet ourselves before you in sacred space. We choose to slow down and listen. We choose not to worship calendar, agenda, or busyness. We choose to worship you. Amen.
Sown And Grown For The Kingdom
Thursday, July 23
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
What’s the deal with weeds? Countless times, over numerous years, I have pulled them, but they grow back, appearing multiple times a year and returning the next spring. In our gospel story, however, we are to avoid weed plucking, lest the good wheat be uprooted.
God tends to the good seed with watchful care—watering, protecting, and resourcing. The abundance of God is poured out on us, the good seed and growing wheat. By contrast, the weeds remain untended and grow wild. God handles the ultimate fate of good and bad seed. The Son of Man sows the good seed into the world, and as we grow, we are cultivated by the Master Gardener. We are sown and tended, with all we need to shine and do God’s righteous work in the world.
Prayer
Marvelous God who watches over our seasons, we rejoice in your watch care. Thank you for giving us what we need to spread your good news and shine for you. Our lives are for your glory. Amen.
Time To Be Real
Friday, July 24
Romans 4:14-25A
I said something I should not have said. It was as if the words were percolating inside me and needed to escape, like steam from a teapot. Such inner conflict, when we succumb to the pressure, leaves a stain of regret.
The Apostle Paul paints a dismal picture of sidestepping the good he wishes to do while engaging the evil he desires to avoid. He uses the word “wretched” to describe his plight, yet he also points to deliverance in Christ.
Our reflex may be to focus on deliverance and not our struggle. But the struggle is the emphasis in our passage today. It is a mistake to ignore our sin and move past it. Where are we missing the mark? How can we draw upon Christ for both forgiveness and empowerment?
Prayer
This day we take time, Lord, to come as our real selves before you. We can fool neither ourselves nor you. Take us in your arms of love, hear our cry, and forgive our sin. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Amen.
The Last Word
Saturday, July 25
Romans 8:1-5
You have probably heard the music. A piece plays slowly, weighted, and then suddenly shifts as the score crescendos and our spirits lift. The verses preceding our passage carry a burdensome truth regarding sin. Then we come to today’s passage: Alleluia. There is no condemnation for Jesus’s followers. God has done what we cannot, and the Spirit gives us life.
The biblical melody moves us into celebration. We are set free because of the work of Christ “to deal with sin” (v. 3, NRSVUE). Our bondage becomes freedom in Christ. Martin Luther declares in “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (The Covenant Hymnal: A Worshipbook, #464), “Did we in our strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right one on our side, the one of God’s own choosing.” Sin does not have the last word.
Prayer
God, we praise your name. Your work has set us free from the grasp of sin, death, and evil. They do not have the last word. We have been liberated. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Amen.
