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Author Archives: John D. Willome

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About John D. Willome

I post a blog of daily devotions that are my prayer journals based on scripture.

Luke 17:11-19

12 Nov

11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed [saved] you.”

Luke 17:11-19

Dear God, I think I want to spend some time with the other nine. What we call how they responded to their healing? Maybe the exuberance of ingratitude? They were just so excited, they were probably running to the priests. They were probably thinking about seeing their families and friends who had been estranged from them. Maybe even a wife and children. My wife and I used to have this saying after either of us had been sick and then were feeling better: “It just feels so good to feel good again!” Well, these men were not only feeling bad, but they had been abandoned and isolated. Their exuberance in their healing accidentally led to ingratitude.

Since I’m not Disney Princess (see this link for explanation), I can recognize myself in the nine ungrateful but healed lepers. Probably my biggest one is that I am ungrateful for food. I’ll pray before a meal when I’m with someone else, but I almost never do it alone. And when I’m praying, a lot of times I forget to thank you for the food. I’ve lived in a place of excess when it comes to food my entire life. I’ve never wanted for food. And I’ve never wanted for enough money to go and buy the food I need in a store that 99.9% of the time had all of the food I would need readily available (the other .9% was Covid). Never. It’s almost shameful how I’ve never wanted for food. Am I grateful to you for the food and the money to buy it? I try to be, but the truth is that I’m arrogantly ungrateful.

The nonprofit where I work experiences great success with fundraising. We are in a capital campaign right now, and we’ve almost raised the entire goal, over 70% of which came from two foundations, two bequests, and a COVID-related payroll tax program from the government. Am I really grateful to you for this?

But let’s get more personal. My wife. My wife is amazing. She is kind, generous, smart, thoughtful, loving, faithful in her worship of you, and an overall “great hang.” I enjoy her so much. And she and I are both remarkably healthy, not having to even take any prescription medications well into our 50s. Am I grateful for this? Do I really thank you for these things? I see the pains in my life, and I lament them (and they are lamentable), but they could be so much worse. I see people facing much more difficult situations that I am. Do I thank you for the good you have done for me and those I love, and do I pray enough for those who have difficult situations? Does my gratitude for my situation drive me into deeper prayer for others who are not as fortunate, or do I callously go through my day?

Father, the truth is that I should probably spend every moment of my day in thankful prayer to you. There is no way I can thank you enough! You know the challenges I have in front of me. Help me to face them with the love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control you are growing in me through my worship of you. Give me what you need me to have to love you. And I pray for others who are struggling. I’m running some of their names through my head right now. Love them. Provide for them. Comfort them. Show me how to love them. There is pain in this world. Make this pain count. Don’t let it be wasted. And use me and the place I work as an instrument of your peace.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 12, 2025 in Luke

 

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Luke 17:7-10

11 Nov

7 “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? 8 No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ 9 And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. 10 In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

Luke 17:7-10

Dear God, some of what Jesus says seems so contradictory. At times it seems like he is talking about servant leadership, the last shall be first, etc. Then at other times he looks at them and says something like this.

As I think about it, what I’m seeing is that all of us, whatever position of leadership we are in, need to be humble and have a servant’s heart. If we are a leader, we are there to be the best we can be for those who follow us. If we are servants, we are to do our best to make our leader/boss/master look good. Never, in any event, is it about us. It’s always about us worshipping you and loving them.

We are having a volunteer appreciation dinner tonight, and we will have both staff and volunteers there. I was thinking about it this morning and stressing over the evening, some of the logistics, etc., when I felt you remind me, “Just love them.” And that’s it. Love them. Love all of them. It was almost 20 years ago the first time I came to this organization’s volunteer appreciation dinner. I hadn’t even started working for the organization at the time. But it was the night I met a lot of people who would become precious to me. Many of them have passed away now, but a lot of them are still living and a few will even be there tonight.

Father, give me a heart of celebration today. Yes, there are problems around me, but I want to consider it all joy. Each moment and its problems are just the next moment. Help me to move through these collective moments. Guide me with your Holy Spirit. I worship you. I praise you. Help me to take the love you have for me and spread it to those around me. And make the path before me, that seems very complicated, straight.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 11, 2025 in Luke

 

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Psalm 139:1-12

10 Nov

Psalm 139

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—
12     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you.

Psalm 139:1-12

Dear God, I am grateful for your love. I am grateful to be known by you. I am grateful that I cannot hide from you. I’m grateful to know you see my sin–to be freed from the idea that I need to hide things from you. I might cling to my sin. I might deny it’s there and not want to let it go. But I know there’s no point in trying to hide it from you. There’s great freedom in that.

The gospel reading today is from Luke 17 and includes verse 3b-4: “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. 4 Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” I accept your rebuking. I accept your forgiveness for my foolishness, hard-heartedness, and my unwillingness to always refuse other gods before you. Thank you for that. Help me to give this forgiveness to others–70 X 7.

Father, I want to quote the Rich Mullins song “Nothing is Beyond You,” which is based on Psalm 139: “Nothing is beyond you, you stand beyond the reach of my vain imagination. My misguided piety. Heavens stretch to hold you, and deep calls out to deep saying, ‘Nothing is beyond you.’ Time cannot contain you. You fill eternity. Sin could never stain you. Death has lost its sting. And I cannot explain how you came to love me, except to say that nothing is beyond you. Nothing is beyond you.”

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 10, 2025 in Psalms

 

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“Slippery Pearls” by Charlie Peacock

09 Nov

“Slippery Pearls” by Charlie Peacock (with a little Ashley Cleveland on BGV)

What you hold back from the minute
The minute will lack
If you don’t claim it from the hour
Then the hour takes it back
All our wants will pass quickly
What remains is our need
And mama don’t make no medicine
That’ll cure that disease

Nothing is certain here in this world
You drop all your treasures
Just like slippery pearls
Oh, it’s hard to find a handle
On the things that you see
‘Cause they slide right through your fingers
Just like slippery pearls

What you don’t lock up inside your heart
The world will consume
Might slip right down the throat of greed
Or through the floorboards in your room
There’s two thieves namеd pain and pleasure
Neithеr one is true
You ransom your flesh to save your bones
Then they come and take those too

Nothing is certain here in this world
You drop all your treasures
Just like slippery pearls
Oh, it’s hard to find a handle
On the things that you see
‘Cause they slide right through your fingers
Just like slippery pearls

They don’t make a map, no, to guide you
Through the badlands of the soul
You could lose yourself to blind conceit
Or to the hunger for control
Try to guard it all from the elements
And still gonna fall apart
‘Cause the world outside don’t pose no threat
Like the darkness in our hearts
Hey…

Nothing is certain here in this world
You drop all your treasures
Just like slippery pearls
Oh, it’s hard to find a handle
On the things that you see
‘Cause they slide right through your fingers
Just like slippery pearls

Dear God, I was trying to find a scripture to move me this morning, and nothing was really coming to mind. Frankly, I’ve been praying so much about some certain things in my life that I’m almost a little burned out on praying (is that okay to say?). My solution was to go to my Christian playlist on my phone, hit shuffle and see what came up first. This was it. I think this song is 30 years old. I remember when the album came out in 1995 and I lived in Dallas for a year. I’ve listened to every song on the Everything that’s on my Mind album by Charlie Peacock several times, including this one, but I don’t think I ever paid attention to the lyrics on this one before. I spent a little time with them, and I found conviction.

Waste. That’s what I got. I am guilty of wasting a lot of minutes. And those minutes turn into hours. and by the end of the month, the hours probably turn into days. I probably wasted days every month and as much as a month a year. So that’s the first verse. And I never appreciated the poetry of that verse. It’s really great:

What you hold back from the minute
The minute will lack
If you don’t claim it from the hour
Then the hour takes it back
All our wants will pass quickly
What remains is our need

Then the second verse talks about not treasuring what’s important.

What you don’t lock up inside your heart
The world will consume
Might slip right down the throat of greed
Or through the floorboards in your room
There’s two thieves namеd pain and pleasure
Neithеr one is true
You ransom your flesh to save your bones
Then they come and take those too

I don’t feel as guilty on this one. I think my head is in pretty much the right place when it comes to what I treasure, what I guard, and what I disregard. But again, the poetry of this song is really strong. I like it.

They don’t make a map, no, to guide you
Through the badlands of the soul
You could lose yourself to blind conceit
Or to the hunger for control
Try to guard it all from the elements
And still gonna fall apart
‘Cause the world outside don’t pose no threat
Like the darkness in our hearts

Was it the apple that tempted Adam and Eve, or the darkness in their heart that they didn’t completely trust you? They had some amount of hunger for control. We all do. It’s hard to be helpless. I have a need for certainty, and the faith you want me to put in you can seem contrary to that need because sometimes your plan is neither obvious to me or has things play out the way I selfishly want them to.

Nothing is certain here in this world
You drop all your treasures
Just like slippery pearls
Oh, it’s hard to find a handle
On the things that you see
‘Cause they slide right through your fingers
Just like slippery pearls

I didn’t plan this, but the first line of the chorus echoes that last paragraph: “Nothing is certain here in this world.” I look for a handle so I can control (see verse 3: “Or to the hunger for control“) what is going on around me. But sometimes, even like now, I’m reduced to asking you to simply show me the next step I am to take. I don’t know where the narrow path leads, and it may very well lead down to a dark valley. Mine is not to know the destination. Mine is to know the path you have for me to take regardless of what it costs me.

Father, I’m involved in a challenging situation right now, but my prayers yesterday were for everyone’s best. I want the best for every person involved. I don’t want to take the easiest path for me. I want to be your blessing to others. I want to be your presence. I want to take every action that you want me to take. And I want to not act when you are calling me to simply be still. I want to be exactly who you need me to be today. Help me to be that.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 9, 2025 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Luke 16:1-18

08 Nov

16 Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2 So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’

3 “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. 4 Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’

5 “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ 6 The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’

7 “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’

8 “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. 9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.

10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?

13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

14 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. 15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.

16 “Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in.[d] 17 But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned.

18 “For example, a man who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery. And anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

Luke 16:1-18

Dear God, I’ve always struggled with this story. If it hadn’t been the gospel reading for today I would never have picked it. But one of the nice things about a reading plan is that it will sometimes take me through a difficult passage whether I like it or not.

After I read it again this morning, I immediately went and grabbed my biblical commentary on it. In this case, It’s The Communicator’s Commentary: Luke by Bruce Larson. I’m just going to completely copy the two paragraphs he takes to explain this passage’s meaning:

Jesus tells two parables about money. The first one deals with the purpose of money. Some have said that this story of the unrighteous steward is the most difficult of all the parables. Incompetence and dishonesty seem to be rewarded. That’s not the message of this parable. In verse 9, Jesus talks about “unrighteous mammon.” Unrighteous mammon was interest money, profit from usury. The Jews were forbidden to lend money at interest, but they got around this by lending out commodities, oil, corn, or wheat, and charging interest. Since you could dilute the oil, the interest on that was 100 percent. On wheat, interest was perhaps 20 percent. This man, through his steward, was charging his neighbors interest, and this illegal interest was the unrighteous mammon to which Jesus refers.

When the steward finds that he is going to be fired, he tells all those who owe his master money to forget about the interest. They can return just exactly what they borrowed and no more. He bought friends and favor for the future when he would be unemployed. Not dumb! He was not punished for this because by doing it he bought favor for the master as well. The steward’s dishonesty made his master look pious. It’s an interesting story. George Buttrick has said, “This rogue acted with foresight.” He bought friends with money. Jesus is suggesting we act with the same kind of foresight and use our money for that which is lasting.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard the perspective that the owner was the one who was unscrupulous because he was charging interest. That’s an interesting perspective. It’s still a hard story for me, but I guess I just like this idea of being shrewd and, as Larson puts it in the last sentence, act[ing] with the same kind of foresight and use our money for that which is lasting.

Father, I have a difficult path ahead of me. You know exactly what the path is. I’m figuring it out one step at a time, and sometimes I’m making missteps as I walk it. My prayer to you is that you will reveal it to me clearly at each step. I don’t need to know the whole path. I’m willing to wait on you and your timing. But I need to see that next step and I need the courage to take that step. I need to be shrewd, but not so that I can get the advantage. I want every person involved in this to get the advantage. I want every person involved in this difficult situation to emerge from it in better shape than they are now, and if that means it costs me something then so be it. Help me to find that path, and help them path bring every person involved closer to you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 8, 2025 in Luke

 

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Romans 15:13-22

07 Nov

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

14 I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. 15 Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God’s grace, 16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit. 17 So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. 18 Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the Gentiles to God by my message and by the way I worked among them. 19 They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.

20 My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. 21 I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says,

“Those who have never been told about him will see,
    and those who have never heard of him will understand.”

22 In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places.

Romans 15:13-22

Dear God, I’m pretty distracted this morning and having a hard time digging into this passage. I’ve read it about three times now, and the first time I was really touched by the part about how Paul was speaking affirmatively towards the Romans (verse 14). They aren’t perfect (verse 15), but just saying they are full of goodness is quite a compliment. I’d love to receive that word from Paul.

But once again, Paul is essentially coming back to what he said in Acts 20:24. That he considers his life worth nothing to him. He just wants to preach the gospel of Jesus to everyone, including Gentiles. What is the gospel? That we are reconciled to you through the life, death, resurrection, and power of Jesus–you incarnate. Fully God. Fully human. You succeeded where we failed.

I was listening to an episode of the Bible Project podcast this week. They are doing a series on “The Wilderness,” and they were talking about how Jesus succeeded where we failed. He succeeded in the wilderness where Adam failed. Where Abraham failed. Where Moses failed. Where David failed. Where Elijah failed. Even the greats failed. But Jesus didn’t. Fully you and fully us, he succeeded and bridged the gap between us. You’re amazing.

Father, help me to live this gospel today. Help me to figure out how to share it better. Give me the courage to share it better. And guide me in the complicated path ahead of me. Give me clarity, wisdom, and insight. Give me compassion. Give me your eyes so I can see what you see. Give me your ears so I can hear what you hear. Take my ego out of it. Take my self-interest out of it. Help me to boil these situations down to what you need me to do.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 7, 2025 in Romans

 

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Romans 14:1-13

06 Nov

14 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. 6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. 7 For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

10 So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say,

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bend to me,
    and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’”

12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

Romans 14:1-13

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning, I immediately thought of different controversies in the American church right now. On a spectrum of “Christian Nationalism” to “LGBTQ” issues, it seems there are lots of things that divide us within the American Christian church. And that’s the plan right? That’s Satan’s plan: to divide us. It happens in our families, in our places of work, in our churches, in our communities, and in our country–not to mention nations from each other. Divide, divide, divide.

And this little statement from Paul is interesting because it’s hard to know where to draw the line. I actually think it’s gotten easier to me over the years to accept people where they are. To love them despite our disagreements on issues. I’m also slowly getting better at forgiveness and loving through hurt done to me. On a spectrum, I still have a long way to go, but I’m closer to my life being worth nothing to me today than I was even yesterday. I can feel you using the different pressures of life to form me into something completely new. And it’s hard. It really is. But I can feel the good from it as well.

I’m reminded of 2 Corinthians 4 where it says, “8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” Now, to be clear, I don’t even begin to know the kind of suffering Paul is talking about here for Christians at the time. But for the level of suffering I’ve experienced and am currently going through, I can feel your strength underpinning me as I lean into you.

Father, I have all kinds of thoughts swirling in my head. Some of them are constructive and some aren’t. I pray that you will use the pain of the current situations I see and redeem them to make something even more beautiful than I could have imagined. Be glorified in everything. Help me to know how to love others through their weaknesses and teach others through me how to love their neighbor through their weaknesses. Be very present today, Father. And help me to know where to draw the line between what Paul teaches in chapter 14 and then kinds of lines he draws at the end of chapter 13. It’s all complicated, and I’m sure you look at the world and lament over divisions between us the way I am lamenting over divisions now.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 6, 2025 in Romans

 

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“You’ve Always Been” by Unspoken

05 Nov

“You’ve Always Been” by Unspoken

I’ve had good days, I’ve had bad days, tasted victory in defeat
I’ve had problems, biggest planets turn to pebbles when You speak
I’ve had nothing to my name, never lacked for anything
‘Cause You were there with me

You’ve been my Savior, Sustainer when I’m at my end
My Healer, Redeemer, again and again
My Mother and my Father, Brother, Sister, and Friend
Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been
Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been

When I stand before You guilty, oh, Your mercy bears my blame
When in pride, I think I’m worthy, You point out the price You paid
When I wander far away, You keep callin’ out my name
You don’t give up on me

You’ve been my Savior, Sustainer when I’m at my end
My Healer, Redeemer, again and again
My Mother and my Father, Brother, Sister, and Friend
Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been
Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been

You are my strength, my rock, Jesus
You are my hope, my song, Jesus
Before my heart knows what to pray
You’ve already made a way, Jesus

You’ve been my Savior, Sustainer when I’m at my end
My Healer, Redeemer, again and again
My Mother and my Father, Brother, Sister, and Friend
Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been

You’ve been my Savior, Sustainer when I’m at my end
My Healer, Redeemer, again and again
My Mother and my Father, Brother, Sister, and Friend
Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been
Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been

Everything I’ve needed Lord, You’ve always been
Oh, Yes, You have
Thank You, Jesus, yes
You’ve always been

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Jeffrey Thomas Pardo / Jonathan Burton Lowry / Chad Michael Mattson

Dear God, I need some pebbles from my sustainer right now. I have some problems that feel big as planets. I need you to make this pain count. Make it miraculous. Bring about deep healing and closeness to you. There are people for whom I care deeply, and many of them are really hurting this morning. Some of it might even be my fault. I’m sure some of it is my fault. Show me how to reach out and bring you into this process of healing. Please give us all a path forward. Work in hearts. Make us whole.

I realize as I type this very personal prayer to you in a public way through this blog that it will come across as weird to anyone who reads it. I guess what I’m hoping is they can at least see someone who is without answers and bringing his crisis to you. No pretense. Nothing polished. Just someone who is “at his end” (see chorus) and needs you. I need you, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, my Triune God. I need you to do things that are way beyond me.

Father, I offer this day and my life as a living sacrifice to you. Make me willing to do whatever you need me to do today regardless of the personal cost to me. This day is not about me. It’s not about my ego or my pride. It’s about being an instrument of your peace, regardless of what is costs me. Holy Spirit, please pray for me and for everyone on my heart right now. If there is spiritual warfare involved, which I’m sure there is, Jesus, by your power and blood, free us all of this bondage. Jesus, by the power of your blood, free us all from this bondage. Leave us with healed hearts. Humble hearts. Worshipful hearts.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 5, 2025 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Psalm 131

04 Nov

Psalm 131

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David.

1 Lord, my heart is not proud;
    my eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great
    or too awesome for me to grasp.
2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself,
    like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.
    Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—
    now and always.

Psalm 131

Dear God, I really liked all of the readings from the Catholic church today, and it is weird that the psalm would stick out to me the most to me, but here we are. I liked it. I liked it because I don’t feel like I’ve reached it yet, but it feels like something I would love to reach. A couple of days ago, I prayed about the “now and the not yet.” That’s what this feels like.

To not be proud and haughty. That would be great, and I can get there sometimes, but pride and haughtiness still linger. I think what I really liked was the humility of the second part of verse 1: I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. I think all American Christians could stand to sink into this concept and just accept their smallness in the little lives most all of us live.

The suffering in Ukraine is great, and I don’t know what to do about it. The suffering in Palestine and Israel and Sudan and in Central America and all sorts of other places is great, and I don’t know what to do about it. I can pray, but I don’t pray enough for them. I can send donations which I did for a Ukrainian relief effort last week. But, honestly, these matters are too great or too awesome for me to grasp.

I was listening to a podcast on “Christian Nationalism” this morning. Defining it. Trying to understand the theological underpinnings for it among those who believe in it. And trying to verbalize what exactly it is they believe. I would say, at the end of the day, what separates my life, faith, and living out my faith from someone who would describe themselves as a Christian Nationalist is that I don’t feel the need to get political power to force others to live under my belief system. That’s not what I saw you do through Jesus. What I want to do is love those around me and convince them to walk through the narrow gate and follow you, understanding Jesus called it the narrow gate for a reason. And he said few would walk through it for a reason. It might be a fool’s errand to try to get a society to walk through the gate. In fact, the only way to do it might be to compel them, and that simply isn’t how your kingdom and worship of you works.

Father, I want this to be true of my life: I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. I am about to go to a symposium that will talk about community needs and what we need to do to help those who are struggling. In this limited way, this idea is not too awesome for me to grasp. Help me to be able to say and live this: 2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. I want to calm myself before you. I want to be your peace for others. And I want to be completely still before you so that your Holy Spirit might reach out to me and through me so that your kingdom will come and your will shall be done on earth as it is in your heaven and the new earth.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 4, 2025 in Psalms

 

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Romans 11:25-36

03 Nov

25 I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. 26 And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,

“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,
    and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.
27 And this is my covenant with them,
    that I will take away their sins.”

28 Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29 For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. 30 Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. 31 Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
    Who knows enough to give him advice?
35 And who has given him so much
    that he needs to pay it back?

36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

Romans 11:25-36

Dear God, as I was reading this passage, I found myself asking if Paul could be wrong about any of this. For instance, did you really choose the Jewish people over the other Gentiles, or were the Jewish people, through Abraham and ultimately, genealogically, leading to Jesus, and thereby you reached out to the world and blessed the Gentiles (like me) through the Israelites? so I was wondering that about Paul, and then I got to verses 33-35 and saw that even Paul had a notion that he didn’t completely understand all of your plan. To him, sitting there 2,000 years ago, there was still this great paradigm that the Israelites were your people and the rest of us were just lucky to have your love and interest. I think what Jesus started to shift was the idea that you were really interested in all of us all along. That’s why you sent Jonah to the Ninevites. That’s why you healed Naman in 2 Kings 5.

I will confess that I don’t understand your ways at all, and I could be totally wrong about all of this. It’s possible that you do love the Jewish people more than the rest of us. And if you do, that is fine. To quote the Gentile woman who went to Jesus so he would heal her daughter in Matthew 15:27, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.” So I am very happy to be a dog sitting below the table, near you.

Father, help me today. I have fears. I have concerns. I have insecurities. But I really need to live for you. I need to love for you. I need to do this regardless of what it costs me. I need to be a good steward of what you’ve given me. I need to be humble and serve. I need to decrease so that you can increase. And I need to understand that your ways are not my ways, you are greater than I am, and I am just a fool. But I am a fool who at least knows he is foolish. Reveal just a little more of my foolishness to me today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 3, 2025 in Romans

 

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