CHURCH@HOME www.lca.org.au/churchhome
Encouragement in our daily faith walk
Regular devotions can help nurture our faith and even that of our families, as they strengthen our relationship with Jesus, increase our trust in God and our openness to the call of his Spirit. We pray that you will receive encouragement and blessings from the devotional materials here and in the Church@Home resources collection collated and shared on the special webpage at www.lca.org.au/churchhome
If you have internet access and a printer, why not print some and mail or deliver them to those who may otherwise miss out?
–Lisa
1 Chronicles 16:11
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
DEVOTIONS FOR HOME WORSHIP
These reflections are adapted from a collection of devotions written for our LCANZ family and friends to help us keep our eyes on Jesus. You can find the full versions of these and others on the LCA website at www.lca.org.au/daily-devotion
Save us, O Lord by Tom Brennen
‘But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life’ (Psalm 54:5).
Read Psalm 54.
Friends, look at the psalms for a reminder that God’s people before us have wrestled with their faith and their fear. We are not the first to cry out as this psalmist does, ‘Save me, O God, by your name’.
As a commentator writes of this psalm:
‘God may seem absent from the world, but those who invoke his name with faith and courage will discover the reality of his awesome presence … The message of the psalm is clear enough: the name of God will not fail the supplicant in a time of crisis. The enemies will not prevail. Yahweh will make a necessary connection between act and consequence, and the power of ruthless foes will be turned back against themselves.’
In this time of trouble and suffering, the psalmist seeks God in prayer, honours his holy and precious name, acknowledges him as the creator and sustainer of life, and proclaims that only he can save them. Verse 7 is so clear: ‘God has delivered them from every trouble’.
Throughout Scripture, we are encouraged to look to our mothers and fathers of faith for examples. This psalm, once again, shows the rich heritage we can draw upon for such examples.
God has indeed delivered us from evil. We have the gift of eternal life and the intimacy of knowing our Lord now. This doesn’t remove suffering from our lives nor the pain of suffering.
To be a Christian is to enter into suffering. To be a Christian is also to enter into the joy of knowing our Lord. When we are in trouble and amid suffering, let us cry, ‘Save me O God, by your name’, for this prayer has already been answered with eternal hope.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, save us by your holy name. May you rescue us from our strife and empower us to do your will on earth. You are the upholder of our lives. Amen.
I have confidence by Sue Westhorp
‘Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward’ (Hebrews 10:35).
Read Hebrews 10:32–39.
One of my favourite movies is The Sound of Music. I’ve always loved the scene where Maria leaves the confines of the abbey to begin her work as a governess to the Von Trapp family. She begins the journey tentatively, wondering what the future holds and feeling apprehensive and worried. A couple of minutes later, Maria is dancing down the streets singing about all of the things she has confidence in, finishing with ‘I have confidence in me’.
There is something stirring and inspirational about how Maria faces her fears, recounting what she knows about the world and herself.
What or who do you have confidence in? What happens when life experiences shake or damage this confidence? The writer to the Hebrews addresses these questions to the early church. The writer appeals to them to remember how they felt at the time of their conversion to the faith and that the light they experienced then also shone into the dark times that followed as they suffered for their faith.
When you are suffering or struggling, what is it that reminds you of God’s love for you? What is it that reminds you of who you have confidence in? Perhaps it is recalling times past when God has answered your prayers. Maybe it is remembering a time when you felt God was absent, but on reflection, you realised he was there with you in your suffering. For some of us, the journey of faith consists of days when we are confident of God’s goodness and presence in our lives, while on other days, well, we’re not so sure – the mystery of faith and doubt living side-by-side as we make sense of our existence as God’s beloved children.
So, what is this confidence that we hear about in this passage from Hebrews, and what is the reward? What we have confidence in is the reward! Our confidence is in the God who saves us through Christ. The God who is always with us in times of joy and in times of sorrow. When we feel less than confident about our ability to handle life’s challenges, we can have confidence in the one who loves and saves us, no matter what life brings. Go, live in that confidence!
Loving God, give me faith in you, confidence in your saving promises and endurance for the journey ahead. Amen.
PRAYER
IN ADVENT WE WAIT
In Advent we wait for you,
God the maker,
Jesus the storyteller,
Holy Spirit of life.
In Advent we cry to you,
God of Justice,
Jesus of Bethlehem,
Holy Spirit of hope.
In Advent we long for you,
You, God, are our love,
Our warmth,
Our light.
– Ruth Burgess, from justprayer.org
Psalm 145:18,19
The Lord is near to all who call on him … he hears their cry and saves them.
In whom do I place my trust? by Pastor Glenn Crouch
‘Blessed are … those whose hope is in the Lord their God’ (Psalm 146:5).
Read Psalm 146.
In what – or in whom – do you place your trust? What are your hopes and dreams based on?
The psalmist addresses these questions as he proclaims how great is our Lord God! Our God is the creator of the universe – everything in heaven and on earth. He is reliable. God gives compassion to those in need. Those we forget, he remembers!
Why would we put our trust in other people? Why would we rely on political leaders or technology to save us? Given the events of recent times, we must see how fallible our leaders are. And we seem to find that our technology creates as many problems as it solves. Sometimes even bigger problems! The prophets of old laughed at those who took a lump of wood. They used part of it to cook their dinner, part to build some furniture and the rest to make an idol in which to trust. Are we really that much different? The psalmist proclaims we have this mighty God who wants a relationship with us – and this God not only has the power to save, he wants to save!
As we read this psalm, we are easily drawn to how our Lord Jesus fulfilled this Scripture. In his life, death and resurrection, he saved us all. He set us free; he gave us sight. We see that it is through Jesus all things were created. This Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, died for you. He wants a relationship with you. Put your trust in Jesus – he remains faithful forever.
Holy God, worthy are you to be praised. Help me to turn to you for help. Teach me to trust you more and more each and every day. Thank you for your dear Son, and that through him, I am forgiven. Amen.
What do you want? by Pastor Jim Strelan
‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him. The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see’ (Mark 10:51).
Read Mark 10:46–52.
‘What do you want me to do for you?’ What a fantastic question coming from the mouth of Jesus – if only he would ask me that! And such a simple reply: ‘I want to see!’ No long stories about what a miserable life it is when you’re blind, how nobody cares, or how you have to beg for help just to survive. No promises about what he will do if Jesus heals him, how he will follow him and give his life to him.
This man has one need, one thing above everything else. Nothing else matters. He needs change in his life, and he says it straight out: ‘I want to see’.
From deep in his heart, he screams his need to Jesus, and, most likely in tears, he places his burden at Jesus’ feet and says, ‘You want to know what you can do for me? Here it is quite simply: I want to see’.
Can you hear Jesus asking the same question of you? What do you want? We know that we need change. We know there are areas of our lives that aren’t what they should be. We live with worry, confusion, uncertainty. We know that we need healing in our marriage, family and relationships with others. The blind man says it straight, and Jesus responds immediately. And on receiving his sight, the healed man follows Jesus.
Be daring like this blind man, and say it straight: ‘This is my biggest issue’. And hear Jesus offer you the word of healing.
Jesus, I bring to you that part of my life which most needs healing. Heal me, walk ahead of me, and I will follow. Amen.
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