Daniel 6: 6-27 Devo

November 29th, 2020

Devotional

“Daniel’s Hope in God”

          Daniel 6: 6-27

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Conspired” - Daniel 6: 6-9

The Veggie Tale’s Song “Oh, No! What We Gonna Do?” Is one that has always stuck with me, even all of these decades later, around the story of Daniel. The people who are described in this passage of scripture as those who wanted to conspire against Daniel come onto the screen and start to sing “Oh no! What we gonna do? The king likes Daniel more than me and you. Oh, no! What we gonna do? We gotta get him out of here.”

The song goes on to list all of these ways that those who wanted Daniel out of the way could get rid of him. But it is this chorus that plays through my mind. What’s the problem? The king likes Daniel more than them. How does that make them feel? Jealous.

Jealousy can sneak up on us before we even realize it. It can start out as coveting what your neighbor has - wanting their material items or success. But before you know it, it seeps into your heart and worms its way into your thoughts until it consumes you. What started out as jealousy lead to the death of those who tried to conspire against Daniel, in more ways than one. 

  How does jealousy creep into your life?

Prayer: God, we confess that we are a jealous people in our hearts. We are not content with what we have. We want the praise of others or to be like more than the person next to us. Forgive us, O Lord. Rid us of jealousy before it destroys us, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Continued” - Daniel 6: 10-13

When the King made laws they were not secret. They were often proclaimed by heralds or posted in places where people could read them. People knew what the laws were so there would be no way that you could claim that you were unaware. 

Yet, Daniel, fully knowing that the king has signed into law a decree that no-one else could be worshipped for the next 30 days, continues to worship and pray to his God, the God of Israel. He continues to go and pray, facing Jerusalem, several times a day. 

Often we will use the word devotion to describe our quiet time with God, but devotion also reminds us of the love and loyalty that we have to God. It’s not just our prayers - its what leads us to prayer in the first place. Daniel lives a life that is truly devoted to God, even knowing that may have deadly consequences for him. 

What does the word ‘devotion’ mean to you?

Prayer: Lord, we want to have hearts that are devoted to you and you alone. Give us the steadfastness to come before you in prayer. Call us to a life of love of you, we pray. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Deliver” - Daniel 6: 14-18

  When the King realized that the law had been crafted in deceit to lead to Daniel’s death, he is distressed. He goes out to Daniel, as he is about to be put in the sealed pit with the lions and says “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you.”

The King realizes that all of that power that he thought he had was nothing. He realized that everything that led him to sign this edict in the first place was fleeting. And he says this one sentence - May your God deliver you.

The King realized that in many ways he caused this, but perhaps Daniel’s God could fix it. While the ways of the King seemingly lead to death, maybe Daniel’s God can forge the path for life. 

We often deceive ourselves if we think it is by our own power and might that we can be delivered. The King realized that it is God alone who can save.  

Tell of a time when you tried to do something on your own. How were you reminded of the power of God?

Prayer: God, we confess that we can get so caught up in our own ideas and way that we can ignore you. We can be blinded to our own sin and it can lead to harm - harm for us and harm of others. Forgive us, O Lord. Restore to us the road to salvation - your salvation - we pray. Amen. 

Thursday: “My God” - Daniel 6: 19-24

  Darius couldn’t eat or sleep and when dawn came he ran to the pit to find out Daniel’s fate. When he called down into the pit, essentially asking if Daniel was alive, Daniel replied with a word of testimony - God had saved him. God had sent angels to shut the mouths of the lions. 

And the King was glad. Daniel had been saved. 

But those who had conspired against Daniel did not have the same fate. For their sin they were thrown into the pit - the same pit that Daniel had just came out of - along with their entire families and they died. 

What will our testimony be each day? How can we give glory to God for saving us? And who can be touched by what we have to proclaim?

  What is your testimony? 

Prayer: Lord, we join Daniel in praising you for all that you have done for us. You have saved us as well, Precious Lord. Our story may be different than Daniel’s in content, but the effect is just as powerful. Let us bear witness to your glorious name, we pray. Amen.  

Friday: “A Decree” - Daniel 6: 25-27

  Darius then writes a new decree to all the peoples - that everyone under his rule should fear Daniel’s God. For it is God who’s dominion will not end. It is God who saves. It is God who is powerful. God alone. 

On one hand, it would appear that Darius has not yet had his own experience with God since he still refers to him as “Daniel’s God.” Yet, he has been transformed by the power of what he witnessed through Daniel’s life. 

Our lives can serve as a testimony to others as well. That is why we tell of how our story intersects with the story of God - because we do not know who will be touched and changed. 

How do you share your testimony with others?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being the reason that we have a story to tell. May our joy and our salvation rest in you alone! Amen! 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Joel: God’s Promised Spirit” - Joel 2:12-13, 28-29.

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Daniel 6: 6-27

From the Sermon:

What makes Daniel so vital during this time is his __________________________________.

A plan that had been hatched in _____________________ simply used the king as a pawn. 

The law did not change Daniel’s pattern of ___________________ in any way, shape, or form.

Darius utters this statement that stands as a _________________ of sorts - “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!”

Sometimes we act like Darius - 

Sometimes we act like those who conspired against Daniel - 

Reflection Questions:

How many of us are so deeply connected to God through our prayer and devotional life that we would never give it up, no matter what?

What does the story of Daniel reflect about your heart currently?

Prayer:

Lord, examine our hearts and point out to us the areas where we have strayed from our devotion to you. The places where we have let our own power dictate our actions. The times we have let jealousy take root. Forgive us and change us, we pray. Amen. 

God Promises a New Covenant

    Do people know you love Jesus? I think most of us would probably answer yes, which leads me to a follow-up question, how do they know?

     If people only know that we love Jesus because we have lots of words, lots of head knowledge that we have shared, but our lives do not reflect that love into the world, well my, friends, we may have missed the point.

    In the passages this week from Jeremiah, the people of Israel could talk a whole lot about the Lord - but that doesn't mean that they were living into the covenant. And they certainly weren't living in the way of love of God and love of neighbor.

    Sometimes we fall into that trap, too, don't we? We can talk about loving God but we aren't showing it. We have knowledge about love, but it hasn't sunk into our hearts.

   What do you think it means to have the love of the Lord written on your heart?

“God Promises a New Covenant” Devo

November 22nd, 2020

Devotional

“God Promises a New Covenant”

                                     Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-28; then 31:31-34

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Write” - Jeremiah 36:1-3

We live in a world that has an abundance of words. They are written down on signs to catch our attention and advertise something to us when we drive down the road. They are in the books and magazines we read. They are spoken over the phone and on the TV. In a matter of minutes, I can have a message typed up to send to someone and it will arrive to them instantly. Words are everywhere. 

Not so in Jeremiah’s time. The words had to be written down on a scroll and then that scroll would need to travel to wherever it was to be read - usually to a group of people. Sometimes it was then passed on to travel again to another group of people. Words had power. 

Every time I think of words in scripture two things come to mind. The first is the care that the prophets took in hearing, composing and sending the Word of the Lord to the people God intended. The second is the saying from the Book of Revelation that says “write down these words for they are trustworthy and true.”

Jeremiah’s words, or rather the Word of the Lord communicated to Jeremiah for the sake of the people of Israel was also trustworthy and true. However, it was not a message that they wanted to hear - that they have fallen short. They had sinned. They had strayed. And now they had to turn from their evil ways. 

I have to wonder in the abundance of words that surround us today, if we would even notice if a Word from the Lord came to us. Would we hear? And how would we receive it?

  What are some ways that words are part of your daily life? How is the Word of the Lord part of your daily life?

Prayer: God, we thank you for your Word that pursues us. We thank you for the Word given to us in scripture. In the Word that you speak to our hearts today. And the Word that came into our lives in Jesus Christ. Lord, may your Word sink into our hearts and change us, we pray. Amen.

Tuesday: “Read” - Jeremiah 36: 4-8

Words in ancient times were rarely just for one person. Usually it was an event when a letter was read. Think of the letter of Paul to some of the early churches that have survived in our Scriptures today. Think of all of the people he often thanks at the end of a letter, presumably who will be hearing it. 

So it was with the words Jeremiah communicated from God. Because they were for the nation, he wanted as many people to hear them as possible, so we had Baruch go to the temple on a fast day and read them to everyone. To everyone who had traveled to the temple for that special day. 

Words matter. The Word of the Lord to Jeremiah deeply mattered. The future of Israel was at stake. I wonder what is of the upmost importance that we write it down to have people read them over and over again? For me one such message is “you are loved” - loved by Jesus. What is your message you want to have people hear?

What words that you have read have changed your life?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that sometimes we do not give words the respect they deserve. We do not heed your Word or pass it on to others. Forgive us, O Lord. Let us re-claim the place of your Word in our lives and share it with all we meet. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Consumed” - Jeremiah 36: 21-26

  However, words in and of themselves are not enough. We need to receive them in some way, shape, or form. This can often be tricky, because people can assume if we simply hear or read a word, then it is received, but as we can see in the example of the King in today’s passage, this was not the case. 

The King heard the Word of the Lord read from the scroll, but then he cut it up word by word and burnt it. The message was not received. 

In this particular passage of scripture, what struck me was the word “consumed.” The statement was made: “throw them into the fire in the brazier, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.” Here, the fire consumed the words. But we can also consume the Word in our heart. When we let it take root and grow. Are you consumed by the Word of the Lord?

What is the difference between hearing or reading a word and receiving it?

Prayer: God, give us hearts that are open to your Word. Hearts that receive and respond. May your Word so take root in us that it flows out of us, O Lord, in all we do and say. Amen. 

Thursday: “Another” -Jeremiah 36: 27-28

  Unfortunately for the King, you cannot change or stop the Word of the Lord, simply because you cut it up and let the fire consume it. Instead, Jeremiah is told by God to write it all down again.

Sometimes we like to act like we can ignore the Word of the Lord, like the King. Maybe we do not go as far as he did to banish it, but we certainly do not heed it in our lives. Sure, we may read it, but we don’t want to let it examine us, call us to change, or call us to serve. 

But today’s passage reminds us that the Word of the Lord keeps going, no matter what. 

  How has the Word of the Lord persevered in your life?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you and your Word do not give up on us. Keep calling us to faithfulness, Precious Lord, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “Write on Their Hearts” - Jeremiah 31: 31-34

  There are lots of places that we can see the Word of the Lord. It’s in our Bibles. I have some of my favorite verses hanging in my office. Some people have the words embroidered or painted on art work. For some, they hang it above their door posts. But Jeremiah declared that with the new covenant it will be written in another place - our hearts.

The heart is the tender place where we can truly be transformed by the Word of the Lord. It’s not just about what you know in your head, its about how it spills out from your heart into your life. 

God was speaking to the people of Israel about a heart transplant - something that would completely change them from the inside out. The Word of the Lord has the ability to change our lives in this way as well - if only we would let it. 

What do you think it means to have the word of the Lord written on our hearts?

Prayer: Lord, we want to move from being people with head knowledge to people with heart transformation. Lord, we give our hearts to you, this day. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Daniel’s Hope in God” - Daniel 6:6-27 

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-28; then 31:31-34

From the Sermon:

Jeremiah knew exactly what he was supposed to do - write down for Israel all the ways that they have _______ from God and usher a call to _______________.

God didn’t _____ - the people had. 

Jeremiah 31 is trying to tell the people of Israel that a time is coming when the __________ that they had been bound by, the covenant of the law, would have to change.

If the law is written on the people’s hearts, its about having that law be so deeply a part of who they are that it is _______ out in their __________.

It isn’t about ___________ about God, its about ___________ God.

Reflection Questions:

What does it mean to have the law written on our hearts?

Lord, who do you want me to love today? 

 Lord, how can I love you today?

If we hold Jesus in our hearts, how are we sharing that love with our lives?

Prayer:

Lord, we want to be so marked by your love that is transforms us. Not just our thinking, O Lord, but our entire lives. Let your love be written our own hearts, we pray! Amen. 

God Calls Isaiah - Isaiah 6: 1-8

       Have you ever had the experience of being asked "who will go?" and you respond "anyone but me!" Sometimes I think this is how we respond when God call us. God calls all Christians to spread the Good News and to follow, but sometimes we even act as if that is optional. We make up excuses as to why God would never call us, never want us to proclaim the Gospel. 

      But in Isaiah's response in this passage we note that God does not call people who are already perfect or worthy or holy. God equips us for that which we are called. Just as Isaiah had his lips cleansed before going to the people, so we also will have our hearts touched to meet the needs of our specific call. 

     How will you respond next time that God calls you?

God Calls Isaiah Devo - Isaiah 6: 1-8

November 15th, 2020

Devotional

“God Calls Isaiah” - Isaiah 6: 1-8

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “King Uzziah” - Isaiah 6:1

Something that I deeply appreciate about Scripture is that it is both timeless and took place at a particular point in time. In other words, there is something that we can find in it that speaks to our day and time, but there is also a time when it took place.

Case in point, verse one of this week’s text says “In the year that King Uzziah died”. For us that may not mean much, but it is harkening back to what we find written in 2 Chronicles 26, which tells the story of the rise and fall of Uzziah over his several decade reign. When we know that Uzziah started out as a King who feared the Lord, but then became to prideful, acting more like a god than one who worships God, a whole new world opens up to us in the text. 

For here is Isaiah, who is the absolute opposite of King Uzziah. Where Uzziah became prideful to the point where he was struck dead, Isaiah comes before God in this vision with absolute humility. 

Perhaps we all have acted like both Uzziah and Isaiah at points in our lives. Perhaps there have been times when we have not given God the glory he is due, because we thought we have achieved everything on our own. And maybe other times we realize how unworthy we are to be in the presence of the God of the universe. 

Do you think you are more like Uzziah (later in his life) or Isaiah (in chapter 6) when you approach God?

Prayer: God, we marvel both at your Word which is truly a lamp before our feet and your grace to allow us to approach you, the most Holy, when we are so unworthy. Thank you, Lord, for your grace - shining forth both in your scriptures and in the ways you minister to us in our lives. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Seraphs” - Isaiah 6:2-3

Someone once showed me a picture of a seraph, trying to sketch what is described by the prophet Isaiah. It was so hard for me to even wrap my mind around. Seraphs are angelic beings, but nothing like the angels that we often see portrayed in statues or on TV.

What is so striking in this particular passage is what they are doing. Here are these powerful beings, but they completely realize who they serve - God alone. They can be seen around the throne of God crying “holy, holy, holy” as an act of worship.

Once again the Seraphs stand against King Uzziah, who certainly did not have as much power as they had, yet their worship is pure. Prior to King Uzziah’s death, he thought that he was worthy to approach the alter in the temple on his own and was struck with a skin disease for his arrogance. 

We, too, are created to worship God, but sometimes we get our priorities backwards. We think that worship is about meeting our own needs or what we can get out of it, instead of simply coming before God and crying “holy”.

What does worship mean to you? 

What can the Seraphs teach us about worship?

Prayer: Lord, we were made to worship you, but we confess that sometimes we make it about us. Forgive us, O Lord, and let us cry, from a deep place in our spirits, that you alone are holy and worthy of all praise. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Woe is Me!” - Isaiah 6: 4-5

Isaiah is so moved by what he is seeing before the throne of God that he is brought to his knees, realizing his unworthiness. He realized that he was not holy enough to be in the presence of our Holy God. He had sinned and he was part of a community of sinners.

Think back to Moses, who lead the people of Israel, but even he was not allowed to see the face of God. Just catching sight of part of God made his face shine so brightly that he had to be covered with a veil because he was frightening the people.

Isaiah would know this about Moses, yet here he is seeing God! He is humbled to the point of realizing that he is not worthy.

This is neither a cry of despair nor is it a false form of humility, instead it is Isaiah’s earnest response in his heart. 

When is a time that you have felt unworthy to be in the presence of God?

Prayer: Lord, you alone are holy. Any false claims that we may try to make that we are perfect fall apart in your presence. Yet, you O Lord, invite us to come before you anyone. You invite us to commune with you in prayer. Lord, you are so, so good to us. Thank you for your grace. Amen. 

Thursday: “Live Coal” - Isaiah 6: 6-7

The image and symbol of fire is an important one through out scripture. It was often thought to have a cleansing power, such as what we find here with the coal touching Isaiah’s lips.

Fire has also been described as a “refiners fire” for the same purpose, burning away impurities and allowing something that once was to be malleable enough to become something new. 

Isaiah confessed before God that he was not worthy to be in God’s presence and God responded with the fire of forgiveness. 

We often don’t like to think of the fire of forgiveness. We think that forgiveness means that we simply feel better about what we have done, but as this passage in Isaiah shows us, true forgiveness can change us. 

How have you been changed by forgiveness?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that we have cheapened forgiveness. We have made it about what we feel or don’t feel instead of seeing it as an invitation to change. So we cry this day, forgive us - change us, O Lord of hosts. Amen. 

Friday: “Send Me” - Isaiah 6:8

After Isaiah confesses his sinful nature and received forgiveness, God commissioned him. God asked who should be sent to the people. Remember that the people have a leader - Uzziah’s son assumed the throne upon his death. But God is asking who shall be sent as a prophet  - one with a word from the Lord. And Isaiah, as a response to his forgiveness and the call of God, asks that he be sent. 

Sometimes we get so stuck in the thought that we are unworthy that we refuse to go. Or we let our fears of the unknown make us say “not me” to God’s question of “whom shall I send?” But Isaiah invites us to consider how the forgiveness we have received from God doesn’t just change us - it’s changes us for the purpose to respond to God’s call upon our lives. 

What has God called you to do and how did you respond?

Prayer: Lord, help us to keep our hearts open to respond to your call. Let us not turn away from you, O Lord. Send us, we pray. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “God Promises a New Covenant” - Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-28; then 31:31-34

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Isaiah 6: 1-8

From the Sermon:

Isaiah 6 starts out, “In the year that King ________ died.”

God is looking for a different type of ________.

Isaiah is a man of “________________” - in other words he isn’t holy enough - and he lives among people who he knows to be just as unholy. 

___________ is the setting of call.

When we truly worship God, opening up our spirits - God ________________.

For Isaiah, worship involved ______________, ______________, and ______________.

Reflection Questions:

How have you responded in the past to God’s call on your life?

What has made it easy or difficult to respond ‘yes’?

Prayer:

Lord, for the times we have said ‘no’ when you have called us - we ask for your forgiveness. For the times when you have asked ‘whom shall I send?” And we have said ‘not me.’ - we ask for your mercy. Lord, open up our hearts to your calling, we pray. Amen. 

Jonah and God’s Mercy - Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10

   The story of Jonah is one that has captured hearts and imaginations over the centuries. What isn't in it? Storms. Being thrown overboard. Being swallowed up by a fish. Being spit up by the same fish.

   But while we often focus on Jonah and the fish, really this is a story about Jonah and God. And the people of Ninevah and God.

   What often isn't thought about in this story is that Jonah, this prophet of God who is supposed to be so close to the heart of God that he is trusted with an important message, certainly doesn't share the heart of God. If the heart of God is one of love, mercy, compassion and grace - Jonah's is one of trying to decide who is worthy of what God is offering.

   The thing about the story of Jonah is that a lot of us can see ourselves in it. In the running away. But we don't take time to examine our hearts to ask the really hard question if we are trying to limit God's love towards other people.

    What is disheartening about the end of Jonah is that he isn't as repentant as the people of Ninevah. Yes, he repented of running away, but he never really repented about what he was holding in his heart.

    What about us? What do we need to repent of this day?

“Jonah and God’s Mercy” - Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10 Devo

November 8th, 2020

Devotional

“Jonah and God’s Mercy” - Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Flee” - Jonah 1: 1-3

We aren’t quite told how the call of God came to Jonah. Perhaps it was a gentle whisper, a dream, a vision, an audible voice, or maybe an inner leading. But Jonah knows that it is the unmistakably the voice and call of God because what it was telling him to do was quite unwelcome. Not anything that he would pick for himself. 

The call was to go at once to the great city of Nianevah that had been sinning in the face of God and cry out against it. Essentially Jonah was being told to go to a city where he would not be welcomed and preach a message that no one would want to hear. 

Jonah didn’t argue with God’s call. He didn’t try to negotiate. In fact, he didn’t verbally respond at all. But his actions spoke loud and clear what he felt. He fled. The complete opposite direction. 

Think of a time that you fled from God. What happened?

Prayer: Gracious God, we confess that there are many times in our life when we have fled from you. When we have tired to out run your call and your presence. Forgive us, O Lord. Keep speaking to our hearts and calling us back to you. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Great Wind” - Jonah 1: 4-10

Jonah knew that he couldn’t really flee from God. In fact, when the crew of the ship asked him who his God was, Jonah claimed that his God was over the sea and the dry land. Where could Jonah really go? Where can we really go?

  Then the crew of the ship do something interesting. They go through questions, and casting lots (which was essentially be like playing a game or spinning a wheel to determine the will of God) and finally determine that Jonah is the cause behind the storm. Jonah’s God is mad at him. They knew that Jonah was fleeing from God because he told them. They just didn’t really grasp what that means.

If we search hard enough we will find people to go along with our disobedience. People that will tell us that its okay to run from unpleasant situations, or back us up when we say that we aren’t quite sure if this is the call of God for us, so we will just wait it out. Or ignore it. It’s not hard to find people who will be complicit with our sin. People who will harbor us from the will of God or help us run the opposite direction. But that doesn’t make it right. And it doesn’t mean that the storms won’t come. 

How did the storm play a part in Jonah’s story?

Prayer: Lord, we know that the truth is that we cannot outrun you, even if others try to harbor us. Break our cycles of disobedience we pray. Amen.

Wednesday: “Pick Me Up” - Jonah 1: 11-17

The crew tried everything they could think of before giving in and throwing Jonah overboard, treating him like a piece of cargo that had already been discarded instead of the prophet of God he was. But then something happens. The storm stops. And the crew falls before Jonah’s God making sacrifices and vows. These men who just a few verses before were crying out to their own God came to see the power of the God Jonah worshiped. Even Jonah’s disobedience was used to give God glory. This is not to say that we should run from God so that God will be glorified. Rather its pointing out that God will be glorified, and we have the choice to be part of that or not. Do we want our sin to point to God or our trust and obedience?

At the end of the day, I think we understand Jonah because his fear resonates with us. The fear of the call. The fear of the unknown. So we choose to run away, instead of following God into freedom. We flee instead of listening to God. 

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a call story where the person being called by God responded willingly the first time. But as the story of Jonah show us, God will not be ignored. God is relentless in pursuing us. And God just won’t let us shrink away from the call that was specifically designed for us. 

  We like to kid ourselves into thinking that if we don’t respond to the call of God then someone else will just do it for us. But its your call. No one can do it the same way you can because God made it for you. God wants you. If Jonah didn’t go, how would the Ninevites get the message? The only way to deliver it was through another person. And God selected Jonah. But Jonah let fear trump calling. 

What is God’s call upon your life?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you are so gracious and good to us that you can redeem even the worst of situations for your honor and glory. Redeem us and our lives for the sake of your Kingdom we pray. Amen. 

Thursday: “Again” - Jonah 3: 1-5

Jonah finds himself spit up on the dry land. Just think of what relief he must have felt! God heard his prayer. God redeemed him. Then comes the call of God to Jonah a second time. Go to Nineveh and preach the message I will give you. Jonah must have been in shock, feeling like he was back at square one with the same choice to make - whether to obey the call or run from God. 

Its a hard message to swallow. God doesn’t give up on God’s mission. And God doesn’t give up on us. When we repent, it does not mean that we get to abandon God’s original plan or that we have a way out of what we didn’t want to do in the first place. Our God is persistent, which Jonah learned, and we will constantly have to choose whether we will be obedient or disobedient. Those are the only two choices.

This time Jonah is obedient. He heads out to the great city, and once he was about a day past its gates, nearing the city center, he cried out “Forty more days and the city will be overthrown.” Jonah probably didn’t believe that the people who heard the message would care, or could or would repent, so he did’t even include it as part of his message. Prophets almost always invite people to repent, but instead Jonah continued with his vague message - not saying who would overthrow the city or how they would do it. He just kept repeating “Forty more days and the city will be overthrown.”

But something strange happened. As nebulas as Jonah’s message was, it actually caused the people to repent! To turn from their wicked ways and mourn what they had done. The message was enough to make people focus on God, not on the missing pieces of information. The people believed God. They fasted and lamented. 

How has living into your call transformed your life and the lives of others?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you do not give up on us as your call comes again and again. Continue to speak to us, O Lord. Continue to use us. Raise us up to be your obedient people. Amen. 

Friday: “Relent” - Jonah 3: 6-10

Jonah traveled forth with the message of God and the fruit was greater then he could have ever imagined! An entire city believed in God and changed their ways. Jonah’s message and the people’s reaction which lead to God’s mercy is a reminder that no one is beyond hope. No place is beyond God’s grace and mercy.

  But Jonah must have been startled by what took place. This is not what he expected. He didn’t even have enough faith and hope to tell the people to repent in the first place. Yet here is the King before him commanding his people to change their ways. People and animals wearing sack cloth and ashes, fasting from food and water. Jonah didn’t believe that his obedience could possibly lead to any fruit. He didn’t trust the God who had just rescued him when his cries of repentance were heard.

Perhaps that is the whole crux of the third chapter of the book of Jonah. We like it when our lives are spared, but not others. We want and expect God to change God’s mind about us and give us a second chance, but not others. We constantly compare ourselves to others thinking that we aren’t as bad or our sins are more forgivable. We ultimately become the judge of others, taking over God’s job, deciding who is even good enough to hear the message of repentance. 

  What would you think at this point in the story if you were Jonah? Would you be excited for the Ninevites? Disappointed that they actually repented? Most of us would say that we want those that we love to repent and turn to God. And we pray that they come to know the love of Christ. But do we pray the same things for our enemies? Do we hope that God spares them or gives them a second chance? Do we as willingly follow the call of God when it places us in contact with those we dislike or do we run the other direction? Do we willingly follow God, but only on our terms?

What is the fruit that comes from obedience?

Prayer: Lord, let us have hearts filled with your compassion and love, we pray. Let our obedience bear much fruit for you. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “God Calls Isaiah ” - Isaiah 6:1-8 

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10

From the Sermon:

Out of the twelve minor prophets, _________ and __________ stand as unique.

What was not unique about Jonah was his __________ surrounding the ______ from God.

When God calls, God is ___________.

In Jonah 1, we see _________________ being open to the work and way and will of God. 

If we skip forward to chapter three, after Jonah has been spit up on dry land, the call of God comes to Jonah ________.

The call of God is always first and foremost about ________.

Reflection Questions:

How have we fled from God and the call of God as well?

As the people of God are we sharing the Good News of God’s compassion and care? Or are we running away from people who aren’t like us?

Are we proclaiming God’s mercy and grace that changed our lives? Or are we holding all of that in, like its a secret?

Prayer:

God, we confess that sometimes we think your call on our lives is about us, so we turn away from the call, rejecting it out of our self-will. Lord, remind us that your call is about you and your Kingdom, which you are inviting us to be a part of. Amen. 

God's Care for the Widow - 1 Kings 17: 1-16

   Have you ever noticed how many times we are commanded in scripture to take care of the widow, the orphan, and the stranger? Or to love our neighbor as ourselves?

   In the times of Scripture, if people did not have a male head of household, they were immediately the poorest of the poor and extremely vulnerable due to not being able to own anything. Wealth couldn't be passed down. Land couldn't be passed down. People were left trying to figure out how to survive.

    Think of Ruth and Naomi, who after the death of their husbands returned to Bethlehem and were dependent upon the kindness of Boaz who let them glean in his fields.

    So when we have a widow who is as destitute as the one in 1 Kings 17, no one has followed scripture. No one has taken care of her as a widow. No one has loved her as a neighbor.

    What would it look like to love our neighbor today? To take care of the widow, the orphan, and the stranger? How are we being called to share the love of God?

God's Care for the Widow - 1 Kings 17: 1-16 Devo

November 1st, 2020

Devotional

“God’s Care for the Widow” -

    1 Kings 17: 1-16

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Said to Ahab” - 1 Kings 17: 1-3

Imagine the most powerful person you can think of? Do you have someone in mind. Now imagine they were also the person who protected you, who paid you, who your life depended on. Still with me? Now it is your job to speak out against that person. How do you imagine that situation going?

Probably not well.

It is so easy to brush past what Elijah was called to do as a prophet. He was to tell the King that the grave situation facing the nation was because of him. There won’t be any dew or rain because of what he had done. And without rain, there aren’t many crops that will grow. So the people are probably heading for both a drought and a famine in the land. 

While scripture doesn’t tell us exactly what Ahab’s reaction was, God told Elijah to go away from the area and head east.

Sometimes we are asked to do very difficult things - things where we may not know the potential consequences, or where we know them all too well. Even though Elijah was a prophet of God, it didn’t make his message any easier to deliver - yet he chose obedience. 

  What makes obedience difficult?

Prayer: God, we thank you for the example of the prophet Elijah who confronted King Ahab with a difficult message. We ask that you give us strength to live into our calls at difficult times as well. In your name and for your Kingdom, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Ravens” - 1 Kings 17: 4-6

Once again, it is so easy to gloss over the profound acts of compassion that we find in the story of Elijah as told in the 1 Kings 17. When Elijah moved away from the King, even in the midst of a drought, he was provided for. He was able to drink from the wadi, and ravens can and brought him food.

Let that sink in for a moment. Ravens brought food to Elijah.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t recall ever having a bird bring me food. Yet, the ravens did this for an undisclosed period of time. 

I wonder if Elijah recognized this as a mark of graciousness and compassion from God. If he understood at the time that it was a miracle. I also wonder if we see it as a miracle when we read the text today. 

Miracles are all around us, as are the fingerprints of God’s compassion and mercy. What would we see if we looked with the eyes of God around us?

What miracles have you experienced in your life?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that sometimes we overlook the miracles all around us. Give us eyes to see and hearts to respond to your goodness and grace as the gift that it is. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Zarephath” - 1 Kings 17: 7-9

  After a period of time the wadi dried up and Elijah was on the move again, as God sent him to Zarephath to be provided for. 

Geography has never been my best subject. Reading maps, even of places that I am familiar with can sometimes go sideways. However, understanding the layout of an area is even more confusing when we are not familiar with it - such as the Biblical landscape - which can lead to us overlooking profound points that the first hearers would have picked up on. 

Like where Elijah was sent. Zarephath. Which belongs to where? Sidon. Who else was from Sidon? Jezabel. Ahab’s wife who would see Elijah as an enemy and threaten his life. Yet, it is to this place that God sends Elijah to be cared for. 

Sometimes the compassion of God comes in ways that we cannot recognize until we look back on our lives and see the many ways that God was bringing pieces together in a way that cannot be an accident. This is also a miracle in many ways.

How do you see God’s hand in your life as you look back?

Prayer: God, we confess that we are sometimes blind to what you are doing right in front of us. Even as we look back on our lives, we sometimes miss how your glory is shining through. Break us open, O Lord, and let your teaching and leading take root in our lives. Amen. 

Thursday: “Morsel” -1 Kings 17: 10-12

  Elijah has been told by God that he will be fed by a widow. How lucky for him that when he gets to the gate he sees a widow gathering sticks. This must be who God was speaking of. So he asks for a little bit of water and only a morsel of bread - not a feast, but enough to sustain him after his journey. 

Only the widow tells him that she doesn’t even have enough for her son and herself. In fact, she was going to prepare what little she had for them to eat and then prepare to die. 

This probably wasn’t what Elijah was expecting to hear. God told him that widow would provide, yet here is a widow who cannot even provide for herself. Which stands a testament that the town in which she resides hasn’t looked after her, even though she is a widow with a small son. 

  How would you have reacted if you heard the widow’s words?

Prayer: Lord, we sometimes do not understand what you are doing around us. We sometimes do not follow through on your call or live into your words because it seems impossible. Yet, O Lord, you call for us to trust. Teach us anew, O Lord, what it means to put our hope and faith and trust in you. Amen. 

Friday: “Jar and Jug” - 1 Kings 17: 13-16

  Elijah responded by telling the woman that God would take care of her and her son. To not be afraid to show hospitality and give Elijah this morsel of bread, because she will have enough left over to make something for herself and her son. In fact, the jar of meal and jug of oil will not run dry. 

Elijah was obedient to God and the woman followed the words of the prophet. As a result, people were fed. Not just fed by water and bread, as important as that it, but we fed with hope and renewal. 

What would happen if we are obedient to God today? What good gifts could God be desiring to share through us, if only we respond? 

Write down the ways that the woman and Elijah were blessed because of this interaction. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for inviting us to be a part of what you are doing in the world. Make our lives fertile ground for your Kingdom to take root and be made known. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Jonah and God’s Mercy” - Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10