"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." And they began to celebrate.[Luke 15:24]
Zella Jackson Price had already lost a son during a premature birth.
Because of that she was deeply concerned when, only seven months into her next pregnancy, she was rushed to the Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis. About an hour after the baby, Diane, was born, the doctors paid her a visit and said things didn't look good for the 2.3 pound baby.
As this was 50 years ago and before modern medicine had made great strides in the care of early births, Price was not shocked when a nurse came in and said, "Your daughter has passed away."
Looking back on that day, Price says, "I experienced the same sinking feeling when they told me my son died, so I didn't question it. I left that hospital thinking another one of my babies had died. I felt that sense of loss, and I was heartbroken. But I did what anyone else would do: I went home and went on with my life."
Price ended up having three more babies; all of whom have done well.
That's the way Price's life might have stayed if it hadn't been for the fact that the children of adopted Melanie Diane Jackson wanted to find her biological parents. They wanted to surprise their mother with that information for her 50th birthday.
So if you've stayed with me so far, you already know the rest of the story.
Somebody at the hospital had goofed. Maybe a lot of somebodies goofed a lot of times. Price's baby didn't die. No, she was adopted some 50 years ago. Her baby was told her mother had abandoned her.
But that was then and this is now. Now mother and daughter are reunited. To paraphrase our text above: for this my daughter was dead, and is alive again; she was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. DNA samples have proven they really are mother and daughter. No doubt, no uncertainty.
Oh, there's one other thing they did: they gave thanks to God.
When Price found out her daughter was alive, she said, "To God be the glory!" Price's grandson, Samuel, said, "All the glory goes to God." And that's the way it should be: the Lord getting praise for this reunion of family.
But there's one more thought I'd like to give you before this devotion ends. Many of us are surrounded by God-given children and grandchildren. They are healthy; they are happy, and we have never been separated.
It occurs to me that if a family which has lost 50 years together can celebrate, maybe we who have always been together ought to do the same ... and more. Let us give thanks to our Heavenly Father, and our dear Brother and Savior Jesus, for His ongoing protection and grace.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that I, a blood-bought member of Your family of faith, be faithful. Further, let me be thankful for all the tragedies that have never happened in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
1 Samuel 19:1 Sha’ul told Y’honatan his son and all his servants that they should have David killed. But because Y’honatan was very fond of David, 2 he told him, “My father Sha’ul is out to have you killed. Therefore you must be very cautious tomorrow morning. Find a well-concealed place to hide in. 3 I will go out and stand next to my father in the countryside where you’re hiding. I will talk with my father about you; and if I learn anything, I’ll tell you.”
660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
___________________________________
Zella Jackson Price had already lost a son during a premature birth.
Because of that she was deeply concerned when, only seven months into her next pregnancy, she was rushed to the Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis. About an hour after the baby, Diane, was born, the doctors paid her a visit and said things didn't look good for the 2.3 pound baby.
As this was 50 years ago and before modern medicine had made great strides in the care of early births, Price was not shocked when a nurse came in and said, "Your daughter has passed away."
Looking back on that day, Price says, "I experienced the same sinking feeling when they told me my son died, so I didn't question it. I left that hospital thinking another one of my babies had died. I felt that sense of loss, and I was heartbroken. But I did what anyone else would do: I went home and went on with my life."
Price ended up having three more babies; all of whom have done well.
That's the way Price's life might have stayed if it hadn't been for the fact that the children of adopted Melanie Diane Jackson wanted to find her biological parents. They wanted to surprise their mother with that information for her 50th birthday.
So if you've stayed with me so far, you already know the rest of the story.
Somebody at the hospital had goofed. Maybe a lot of somebodies goofed a lot of times. Price's baby didn't die. No, she was adopted some 50 years ago. Her baby was told her mother had abandoned her.
But that was then and this is now. Now mother and daughter are reunited. To paraphrase our text above: for this my daughter was dead, and is alive again; she was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. DNA samples have proven they really are mother and daughter. No doubt, no uncertainty.
Oh, there's one other thing they did: they gave thanks to God.
When Price found out her daughter was alive, she said, "To God be the glory!" Price's grandson, Samuel, said, "All the glory goes to God." And that's the way it should be: the Lord getting praise for this reunion of family.
But there's one more thought I'd like to give you before this devotion ends. Many of us are surrounded by God-given children and grandchildren. They are healthy; they are happy, and we have never been separated.
It occurs to me that if a family which has lost 50 years together can celebrate, maybe we who have always been together ought to do the same ... and more. Let us give thanks to our Heavenly Father, and our dear Brother and Savior Jesus, for His ongoing protection and grace.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that I, a blood-bought member of Your family of faith, be faithful. Further, let me be thankful for all the tragedies that have never happened in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Through the Bible in a Year
Today Read:
1 Samuel 19:1 Sha’ul told Y’honatan his son and all his servants that they should have David killed. But because Y’honatan was very fond of David, 2 he told him, “My father Sha’ul is out to have you killed. Therefore you must be very cautious tomorrow morning. Find a well-concealed place to hide in. 3 I will go out and stand next to my father in the countryside where you’re hiding. I will talk with my father about you; and if I learn anything, I’ll tell you.”
4 Y’honatan spoke well of David to Sha’ul his father and said to him, “The king shouldn’t sin against his servant David, because he hasn’t sinned against you. On the contrary, his work for you has been very good indeed. 5 He put his life in his hands to attack the P’lishtim, and Adonai accomplished a great victory for all Isra’el. You yourself saw it, and you were happy about it. So why do you want to sin against innocent blood by killing David without any reason?” 6 Sha’ul heeded Y’honatan’s advice and swore, “As Adonai lives, he will not be put to death.” 7 Y’honatan called David and told him all these things. Then Y’honatan brought David to Sha’ul to be in attendance on the king, as before.
8 War broke out again, and David went and fought the P’lishtim. He defeated them with a great slaughter, and they fled before him. 9 Then an evil spirit from Adonai came upon Sha’ul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. David was playing his lyre, 10 when Sha’ul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear. But he dodged it and moved out of Sha’ul’s way, so that the spear stuck in the wall. David fled, so that night he escaped.
11 But Sha’ul sent messengers to David’s house to watch for him and kill him in the morning. Mikhal David’s wife told him, “If you don’t save your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be dead.” 12 So Mikhal let David down through the window; and he left, fled and escaped. 13 Mikhal took the household idol, laid it on the bed, put a goat’s-hair quilt at its head and covered it with a cloth. 14 When Sha’ul sent messengers to capture David, she said, “He’s ill.” 15 Sha’ul sent the messengers to see David with the order, “Bring him up to me, bed and all, so that I can kill him.” 16 But when the messengers entered, there before them was the household idol in the bed, with the goat’s-hair quilt at its head. 17 Sha’ul asked Mikhal, “Why did you deceive me this way and let my enemy go and escape?” Mikhal answered Sha’ul, “He threatened me, ‘Let me go, or I’ll kill you.’”
18 David fled and escaped, then came to Sh’mu’el in Ramah and told him everything Sha’ul had done to him. So he and Sh’mu’el went and stayed in the prophets’ dormitory. 19 The news reached Sha’ul that David had been seen at the prophets’ dormitory in Ramah. 20 Sha’ul sent messengers to capture David. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with Sh’mu’el standing and leading them, the Spirit of God fell on Sha’ul’s messengers; and they too began prophesying. 21 When Sha’ul was told, he sent other messengers; but they too began prophesying. Sha’ul sent messengers a third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah. When he arrived at the big cistern in Sekhu, he asked, “Where are Sh’mu’el and David?” Someone answered, “They’re at the prophets’ dormitory in Ramah.” 23 While on his way to the prophets’ dormitory in Ramah, the Spirit of God fell on him too; and he went on, prophesying, until he arrived at the prophets’ dormitory in Ramah. 24 He also stripped off his clothes, prophesied in Sh’mu’el’s presence and lay there naked all that day and all that night. Hence it continues to be an expression, “Is Sha’ul a prophet, too?”
Psalm 23: (0) A psalm of David:
(1) Adonai is my shepherd; I lack nothing.
2 He has me lie down in grassy pastures,
he leads me by quiet water,
3 he restores my inner person.
He guides me in right paths
for the sake of his own name.
4 Even if I pass through death-dark ravines,
I will fear no disaster; for you are with me;
your rod and staff reassure me.
5 You prepare a table for me,
even as my enemies watch;
you anoint my head with oil
from an overflowing cup.
6 Goodness and grace will pursue me
every day of my life;
and I will live in the house of Adonai
for years and years to come.
Psalm 59: (0) For the leader. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” By David; a mikhtam, when Sha’ul sent men to keep watch on David’s house in order to kill him:
2 (1) My God, rescue me from my enemies!
Lift me up, out of reach of my foes!
3 (2) Rescue me from evildoers,
save me from bloodthirsty men.
4 (3) For there they are, lying in wait to kill me.
Openly they gather themselves against me,
and not because I committed a crime
or sinned, Adonai.
5 (4) For no fault of mine, they run and prepare.
Awaken to help me, and see!
6 (5) You, Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot,
God of Isra’el,
arouse yourself to punish all the nations;
spare none of those wicked traitors. (Selah)
7 (6) They return at nightfall, snarling like dogs
as they go around the city.
8 (7) Look what pours out of their mouth,
what swords are on their lips,
[as they say to themselves,]
“No one is listening, anyway.”
9 (8) But you, Adonai, laugh at them,
you mock all the nations.
10 (9) My Strength, I will watch for you,
for God is my fortress.
11 (10) God, who gives me grace, will come to me;
God will let me gaze in triumph at my foes.
12 (11) Don’t kill them, or my people will forget;
instead, by your power, make them wander to and fro;
but bring them down, Adonai our Shield,
13 (12) for the sins their mouths make with each word from their lips.
Let them be trapped by their pride
for the curses and falsehoods they utter.
14 (13) Finish them off in wrath,
finish them off, put an end to them,
and let them know to the ends of the earth
that God is Ruler in Ya‘akov. (Selah)
15 (14) They return at nightfall, snarling like dogs
as they go around the city.
16 (15) They roam about, looking for food,
prowling all night if they don’t get their fill.
17 (16) But as for me, I will sing of your strength;
in the morning I will sing aloud of your grace.
For you are my fortress,
a refuge when I am in trouble.
18 (17) My Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for God is my fortress, God, who gives me grace.
Luke 21:1 Then Yeshua looked up, and as he watched the rich placing their gifts into the Temple offering-boxes, 2 he also saw a poor widow put in two small coins. 3 He said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 For they, out of their wealth, have contributed money they could easily spare; but she, out of her poverty, has given all she had to live on.”
5 As some people were remarking about the Temple, how beautiful its stonework and memorial decorations were, he said, 6 “The time is coming when what you see here will be totally destroyed — not a single stone will be left standing!” 7 They asked him, “Rabbi, if this is so, when will these events take place? And what sign will show that they are about to happen?” 8 He answered, “Watch out! Don’t be fooled! For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time has come!’ Don’t go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and revolutions, don’t panic. For these things must happen first, but the end will not follow immediately.”
10 Then he told them, “Peoples will fight each other, nations will fight each other, 11 there will be great earthquakes, there will be epidemics and famines in various places, and there will be fearful sights and great signs from Heaven. 12 But before all this, they will arrest you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons; and you will be brought before kings and governors. This will all be on account of me, 13 but it will prove an opportunity for you to bear witness. 14 So make up your minds not to worry, rehearsing your defense beforehand; 15 for I myself will give you an eloquence and a wisdom that no adversary will be able to resist or refute. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends; some of you they will have put to death; 17 and everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will be lost. 19 By standing firm you will save your lives.
The Lutheran Hour660 Mason Ridge Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 United States
1-800-876-9880
www.lhm.org
___________________________________
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