The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "What to Do?" for Thursday, 31 March 2016

The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "What to Do?" for Thursday, 31 March 2016 with Scripture James 5:13 Is someone among you in trouble? He should pray. Is someone feeling good? He should sing songs of praise.
14 Is someone among you ill? He should call for the elders of the congregation. They will pray for him and rub olive oil on him in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer offered with trust will heal the one who is ill — the Lord will restore his health; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, openly acknowledge your sins to one another, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.[Colossians 4:2 (NIV)]
Late one afternoon my eye doctor dilated my pupils for a routine checkup, and everything looked blurry. For several hours after I returned home I could not cook, read, crochet, watch TV, or enjoy my other usual activities. I wondered how I would spend the time.
Amid my frustration with this temporary inconvenience, I suddenly thought to myself, “I can pray.” Then I spent an evening praising God and interceding for family members, friends, and government leaders.
Isn’t prayer what God has always desired from us? Consider Noah making a new beginning (Gen. 8:13-20), King Jehoshaphat facing a huge invading army (2 Chron. 20:1-28), or the church at Jerusalem hearing of Peter’s imprisonment (Acts 12:1-17). Whatever we are facing, God is calling us to pray.
The Author: Linda P. Hamilton (Colorado, USA)
Thought for the Day: I can always pray.
Prayer: Gracious God, help us to turn to you in all circumstances. Thank you for the privilege of prayer. As Jesus taught us, we pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matt. 6:9-13, KJV).
Prayer focus: Someone with vision problems
The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "The Rock Redeemed" for Friday, 1 April 2016 with Scripture Luke 22:54 Having seized him, they led him away and brought him into the house of the cohen hagadol. Kefa followed at a distance; 55 but when they had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Kefa joined them. 56 One of the servant girls saw him sitting in the light of the fire, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it: “Lady, I don’t even know him.” 58 A little later, someone else saw him and said, “You’re one of them too”; but Kefa said, “Man, I am not!” 59 About an hour later, another man asserted emphatically, “There can be no doubt that this fellow was with him, because he too is from the Galil!” 60 But Kefa said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” And instantly, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Kefa; and Kefa remembered what the Lord had said, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went outside and cried bitterly.
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.[Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)]
One of the most emotional passages in the Gospels is the passage above that details Peter’s denial of Christ. Following Jesus’ arrest, Peter — the man Jesus had proclaimed would be the rock upon which he would build his church — three times disavowed any knowledge of our Lord. (See Matt. 16:18.) But rather than being appalled by Peter’s actions, I find that my heart goes out to him. It’s easy for me to imagine the fear he must have felt and to identify with his shame.
We’ve all been faced with the dilemma of knowing we should stand up for what’s right but being too afraid to do so. Regret always follows. If Peter’s story ended there, it would be a very tragic one. But Jesus knew all that would happen that day (Luke 22:34), and he had already forgiven his disciple. Peter would go on to become the rock that Jesus said he would be. He played a vital role in the early days of a movement that would ultimately lead untold millions to salvation through Christ.
Peter’s story is one of fear, shame, and, ultimately, redemption. That’s not the outcome we might have expected. But it’s a perfect illustration of the truth that with God’s grace, all things are possible.
The Author: Dan Busha (Florida, USA)
Thought for the Day: Everyone who seeks God can be redeemed.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for helping us to overcome our fears, set aside shame, and embrace the salvation made available to us by the grace of your son. Amen.
Prayer focus: Those living with fear and shame
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