Lenten Devotionals Saturday March 11, 2023: Pain of Loss
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Matthew 5:4) Grief is a pain we all experience; loss a natural cycle of life marked by endings and beginnings. We might grieve the loss of certain periods of time-lur youth, our college years, the end of a wonderful vacation. We might grieve the loss […]
Lenten Devotionals Friday March 10, 2023: Pain of Humiliation
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.: (Psalm 34:18) Do you remember middle school? Does anyone survive those awkward years without a good dose of humiliation? Middle school is a Petri dish of peer pressure where anything you say or do can be used against you. Humiliation is more […]
Lenten Devotionals Thursday March 9, 2023: Pain of Betrayal
“Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead […]
Lenten Devotionals Wednesday March 8, 2023: Pain of Violence
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) Violence pervades our lives and distorts God’s kiin-dom plans. The war in Ukraine reveals the consequences of violence on a global scale. But violence takes many forms: any behavior intended to hurt, damage or kill. Physical, psychological, spiritual and verbal abuse, […]
Lenten Devotionals Tuesday March 7, 2023: Pain of Trama
“How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?” (Psalm 13:2) In his book, My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, behavioral therapist Resmaa Menakem writes, “Trauma is the body’s […]
Lenten Devotionals Monday March 6, 2023: Pain of Guilt
For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter.” (2 Corinthians 7:11) Paul speaks of guilt, or “godly grief,” as motivation to restore and mend relationships broken […]
Lenten Devotionals Sunday March 5, 2023: Pain of Shame
“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1) Brene Brown is known for her research on shame, which she says is different than guilt. Guilt, she […]
Lenten Devotionals Thursday March 4, 2023: Fear of God
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7a) This week’s devotions wouldn’t be complete without contemplating our fear of God. The Hebrew word yirah can be translated as fear, but also awe, respect or reverence. Yirah is a worshipful posture before God. To fear God means we understand who God is […]
Lenten Devotionals Thursday March 3, 2023: Fear of Failure
“Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) Failure is a universal experience. I fail my spouse or my children when I get tired and speak too […]
Lenten Devotionals Thursday March 2, 2023: Fear of Others
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2) In the Bible, angels appear to deliver divine messages or serve as od’s representatives. They announce and proclaim good news of great joy while also terrifying the hardiest shepherds, used to protecting their flock […]
