Mercy On The Jeffrey 15
SUNDAY, August 16
Psalm 85:10-13
The Jeffrey 15 bus carried me through Hyde Park during a season when my life felt heavy with fear and uncertainty. I was young, pregnant, and trying to understand what my future would be like. I remember staring out the window, praying quietly, “Lord, I do not want to leave this place without becoming your servant.” I did not have a polished prayer. I just knew I needed mercy.
Looking back, I can see that God met me on that bus. Nothing changed in an instant, but something in me began to surrender. Psalm 85 speaks of righteousness and peace meeting. That is what I needed—not quick answers, but the assurance that God could hold truth and tenderness together.
Some seasons do not feel beautiful while we are living them. Yet God often does holy work in places we would never choose. He meets us in our confusion, receives our honest prayers, and begins shaping purpose right in the middle of uncertainty.
Prayer
Merciful God, meet us in our uncertainty and lead us into the peace of your faithful love. Amen.
What The Fire Could Not Take
Monday, August 17
Psalm 105:1-6
One Christmas night, while family and friends gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus, flames overtook our home. There was no time to gather keepsakes or save possessions.
In the days that followed, we moved between loved ones’ homes and temporary places to stay. It was a long season of rebuilding, waiting, and learning to live with less. What I remember most is not only the loss, but the care of God through his people. Doors opened. Meals appeared. Encouragement came when we needed it most.
Psalm 105 calls us to “remember the wonderful works he has done” (v. 5, NRSV). That is how I now tell the story. The fire took many things, but it did not take our faith. It did not take the love that held us together. It did not take God’s covenant care. Sometimes remembering is its own testimony: what was destroyed did not destroy us.
Prayer
Faithful God, teach us to remember your works and trust your care when everything familiar is gone. Amen.
Prayer In The Produce Aisle
Tuesday, August 18
Romans 8:18-25
I was standing in the grocery line with fruits and vegetables on the belt. A woman nearby noticed and struck up a conversation. I mentioned that I had been trying to care for my body more intentionally, especially because of my history with diabetes. Then she shared that her husband had cancer. I do not naturally like praying in public. But standing there between the produce and the register, I sensed God asking me to be available.
Romans 8 reminds us that creation itself groans, waiting for redemption. So do people in grocery lines, hospital rooms, and parking lots. Suffering does not always announce itself in advance. Sometimes it appears in ordinary conversation. I am learning that obedience is not always dramatic. Sometimes it means being willing to stop, listen, and pray when love makes a demand of us. God can turn even a checkout line into holy ground.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, make us attentive and brave enough to offer your comfort in ordinary places. Amen.
Enough Without Earning It
Wednesday, August 19
Philippians 3:7-11
After my mother died, I found myself grieving more than her absence. I was also grieving the version of myself who believed achievement could quiet every insecurity. Beneath the surface, it was often a search for approval. In caring for my mother during the last months of her life—praying for her, bathing her, feeding her—I learned something that accomplishment had never taught me. Love matters more than image. Presence matters more than performance.
Paul writes in Philippians that whatever gains he once had, he came to regard as loss compared to knowing Christ. That does not make my achievements wrong, but it does put them in their place. Titles cannot hold us. Recognition cannot heal grief. Success cannot tell us who we are. In mercy, God meets us beneath all our striving. Our worth was never meant to be earned. It has always been held in him.
Prayer
Gracious God, free us from striving for worth, and draw us deeper into the life of knowing you. Amen.
When Pain Becomes A Messenger
Thursday, August 20
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
The day after Christmas I ended up in the emergency room with severe stomach pain. I had tried to rest it away, assuming it would pass. Instead, I found myself waiting through tests and scans. The doctors eventually said there was nothing wrong with my stomach, but they noticed something else: my liver needed attention. I left with a spiritual wake-up call.
We push through fatigue, ignore warning signs, and call it strength. But sometimes pain is a messenger. It asks us to slow down, pay attention, and receive care as stewardship rather than weakness. Paul reminds us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Listening to the body can be a form of discipleship. Caring for ourselves can be an act of obedience. God can use even frightening moments to call us back into holy alignment.
Prayer
Healing God, help us listen when our bodies speak and respond with wisdom, care, and trust. Amen.
A Mother’s Life Still Speaks
Friday, August 21
Proverbs 31:25-31
Some losses never leave us untouched. Losing my mother changed the landscape of my life. Yet grief has also taught me to notice the ways love remains. I hear her in the wisdom she planted in me. I feel her in the strength I have needed on difficult days. I remember her in prayers that still echo.
The writer of Proverbs praises a woman whose strength and dignity bless those around her. I think of that when I remember my mother. Her life was measured not only by what she did in public, but by her daily faithfulness in private—in sacrifice, care, and steady love.
Grief and gratitude now live close together in me. I mourn what I miss, and I thank God for what I received. Love does not end when a life on earth ends. It leaves holy, shaping traces in those who remain.
Prayer
God of comfort, hold those who grieve and help us give thanks for the love that still lives within us. Amen.
Delayed, Not Denied
Saturday, August 22
Psalm 27:13-14
Each Wednesday faculty and staff at our university gather for prayer. One afternoon a student joined us. During the circle, a woman named Jennifer prayed honestly about trusting God’s will when the answers do not come in the form we want.
After the prayer ended, Jennifer hurried out to return to work, but someone stopped her to ask for a picture. It seemed like a small interruption. Later, near the elevator, the student caught up with her and shared how deeply the prayer had landed. It had changed her perspective: a delay from God does not always mean no. Sometimes it means not yet.
That moment stayed with me. God used a prayer, a pause, and an unexpected delay to meet someone at exactly the right time.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage” (v. 14, NRSV). Waiting is not empty when God is in it.
Prayer
Patient God, strengthen our hearts to trust that your delays are never outside your love. Amen.
