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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.

Matthew 10:5-8

10 Jul

5 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, 6 but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!“

Matthew 10:5-8

Dear God, I wonder this is where the original 12 first misinterpreted Jesus’s instructions and thought that he was here only for the Jewish people. Later, in Acts 10 and 11, they have to go through a process for breaking this paradigm of Jewish-only evangelism.

So I guess it makes me wonder why he did give them this limitation. Why no Samaritans? Why no Gentiles? Was it a concern for their safety? Was he just trying to build up knowledge of who he was among the Israelites of the time? Was he setting up crucifixion week? I’m sure there was a reason that was beyond, “I love the Israelites more than I love the Gentiles and Samaritans.” But is that how they interpreted it?

But what is your call on me? First, how boldly am I supposed to pray? I wrote an article in a newsletter recently about praying more boldly. And I have. But has it been consistent or bold enough? No. Am I supposed to heal? Cast out demons? Raise the dead? These are obviously gifts you gave the original 12 in that moment (Matthew 10:1). I know some of that is available to us now because I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes (mainly the healing from illness, not resurrection from the dead). Am I bold enough? I’m preparing to be with a lot of my wife’s extended family this weekend for a funeral. There are relationships among us that are broken or damaged. Am I praying faithfully enough about their healing? Am I praying over my wife enough as she goes into this environment? Am I expecting enough of the Holy Spirit to do something special?

Father, I want to first pray for my wife. She has a special role to play in the funeral we are attending. I pray that you will prepare her heart for everything she will encounter as she goes through this weekend. Love her well. Help her to feel completely surrounded by you. Help her to feel safe. Give her words to say. Give her ears to hear. Give her eyes to see. Help her to bask in your presence. And help all of these, well, all of these hurt people, including me. Let forgiveness and repentance flow freely. Let your love flow into each heart. Use the pain of this loss to guide each heart on the journey you have for us. Don’t let it be wasted. And as for the demons who are messing with all of us, in the name of Jesus, I pray that they would lose their grip and be sent on their way. Cast out into the swine or whatever needs to happen. The demons of addiction. The demons of entitlement. The demons of offense. The demons of self-righteousness. The demons of lies. I pray that all of these would be bound by Jesus and seen no more.

I offer all of this to you only through Jesus and with the Holy Spirit of the Lord, God Almighty,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 10, 2024 in Matthew

 

Hosea 8:4-7

09 Jul

4 The people have appointed kings without my consent,
    and princes without my approval.
By making idols for themselves from their silver and gold,
    they have brought about their own destruction.

5 “O Samaria, I reject this calf—
    this idol you have made.
My fury burns against you.
    How long will you be incapable of innocence?
6 This calf you worship, O Israel,
    was crafted by your own hands!
It is not God!
    Therefore, it must be smashed to bits.

7 “They have planted the wind
    and will harvest the whirlwind.
The stalks of grain wither
    and produce nothing to eat.
And even if there is any grain,
    foreigners will eat it.

Hosea 8:4-7

Dear God, when I read this and the words you were speaking through Hosea, it just occurred to me that you were expressing your pain. Your anger. Your frustration. But the first word I just used was the one that sits with me: pain. It is amazing to me that we can cause you pain. That you make yourself vulnerable enough to us that you would allow us enough space in your heart to cause you pain.

But I suppose that’s what love it. Love isn’t love if I don’t leave myself vulnerable to be hurt by the person I am loving. Even my dog. When we first got her as a stray from the shelter, she was terrified of me. She wouldn’t come to me voluntarily and, frankly, it hurt my feelings. I worked to earn her trust. I wanted to love her and give her a good home.

And so here you are. You love us and you try to show us that love. And sometimes we respond, but oftentimes we don’t. We go our own way. I’ve told people that it was seven weeks before our dog would come to me voluntarily. How many of us never come to you voluntarily. And in passages like this one that you gave to Hosea, you express how hurt you are by that. It’s incredible to consider.

Father, I never, never, never, want to be a source of your hurt or frustration. I know I hurt you sometimes. I know I frustrate you. But please know that I don’t want to. I love you. I’m grateful for you. I appreciate not just the little things you do, but also the essence of who you are. I appreciate how you do things. Some would say there is room for criticism, but I would counter that any other course of action on your part would have unintended consequences that none of us want. So I offer myself to you. I ask that you guide me into being your hands, feet, eyes, ears, and voice in this world. My life is yours.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 9, 2024 in Hosea

 

Hosea 2:16-22

08 Jul

16 When that day comes,” says the Lord,
    “you will call me ‘my husband’
    instead of ‘my master.’
17 O Israel, I will wipe the many names of Baal from your lips,
    and you will never mention them again.
18 On that day I will make a covenant
    with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky
and the animals that scurry along the ground
    so they will not harm you.
I will remove all weapons of war from the land,
    all swords and bows,
so you can live unafraid
    in peace and safety.
19 I will make you my wife forever,
    showing you righteousness and justice,
    unfailing love and compassion.
20 I will be faithful to you and make you mine,
    and you will finally know me as the Lord.

21 “In that day, I will answer,”
    says the Lord.
“I will answer the sky as it pleads for clouds.
    And the sky will answer the earth with rain.
22 Then the earth will answer the thirsty cries
    of the grain, the grapevines, and the olive trees.
And they in turn will answer,
    ‘Jezreel’—‘God plants!’

Hosea 2:16-22

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning it made me think about modern day Israel. From what I understand, the majority there does not actively worship you. They are, once again, where they were. And I know it has seemed that our country has had a Faustian bargain to support Israel as your people and your country at least since World War II. A majority of our country wanted to love who you love out of love for you. But how frustrated are you that their hearts, for the most part, are not yours? I don’t even know how much their leadership’s hearts are yours. And now they are locked in this ugly, ugly battle that seems to me has gone beyond morality, although that only might seem that way to me because Israel hasn’t done as good of a job persuading the world to its side as the Palestinians have. But regardless, I am sad for Israeli people that the majority of them embrace the identity as Jewish, but they have somehow separated that from worshipping you.

But then there is me. Do I treat you like a young bride in love with her husband, or do I treat you like a master to be served and resented? Husbands are loved. Masters are simply respected, but their power is often resented. I want my relationship with you to be as a spouse with their mate. I want to be all in with you. I know we are not equal. I don’t want to be equal to you. But I do want to be with you. I want to be all about you.

Father, I give you this day. You are my God. I don’t want whatever lies baal is selling me–what Satan is selling me through the idols he offers in front of me. I want to worship you. I want to bring you into my life. I want to spread you to the others around me. I want to be not afraid. I want to naturally grow love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control within my heart, mind, soul, and even body. I want others to see it and want you as a result. I want you, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit,

I offer all of this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 8, 2024 in Hosea

 

2 Corinthians 12:6-10

07 Jul

6 If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:6-10

Dear God, I’ve always read this passage and considered the thorn to be a secret vice Paul had. Or a specific weakness. I’ve heard some say he had a speech impediment. It’s hard to imagine, but maybe. I’ve sometimes myself wondered if, as a single man, he struggled with lust of some sort. I wish he hadn’t been so vague because, frankly, this is the most vulnerable I think we ever see Paul get. There aren’t many times when he suggests he’s less than awesome. But here it is. Proof that there is something that keeps him humble.

As for me, yes, I have vices and addictions against which I struggle. And they keep me humble, to be sure. But this morning, I’m thinking about my source of constant sorrow. And I’ll be a little vague here because I know that others are able to read this as I make these prayers to you available on the Internet. But this constant source of sorrow involves people in my life whom I desperately love. First, I am concerned they are hurt and damaged in some way. Second, my relationships with them are broken, and I desperately want them mended–for their sake, for their sake, and for the sakes of everyone else involved.

I have told my wife in the past that you have certainly used this sorrow to help form me. Without it, in just about every other area my life is unreasonably good. From job, to friendships, to marriage, to my relationship with you bringing me legitimate joy and peace, I live a very fulfilled life. In fact, if it weren’t for this thorn in my side, this area of sorrow, I don’t know who I would be. Would I be arrogant (more arrogant?)? Would I be on my knees in prayer as much to you? I don’t believe you have caused this pain or wanted this pain, but I can see how you’ve used it to form me into someone who is more compassionate and dependent upon you than I would be otherwise.

Father, like Paul, I will continue to pray that you will remove this thorn. But not in my time. In yours. I don’t want to do anything outside of your will. But, well, I love these people. I love them very, very much. There is almost never an hour that goes by that they don’t cross my mind. So please move in all of our lives. But I also recognize that you might be doing something here that I cannot see, and I might not live to see it. So I will press on. I will come to you. I will pray. I will try to become a man who exudes the fruits of your Spirit so that your kingdom might come into this world and your will might be done on earth as it is in the heavens.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 7, 2024 in 2 Corinthians

 

Colossians 2:8-14

06 Jul

The above image is called “Sacrament” by Richard Gaston and is from Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups, written and compiled by Ned Bustard.

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 2:8-14

Dear God, verse 8 really cuts me to the quick. I listen to a lot of things. I think a lot of thoughts that I think are high-sounding, but are likely nonsense. The truth is, I am dead because of my sin. I still have it in me. I am so sorry. But somehow you canceled the record of the charges against me. It reminds me of what I prayed a year ago about the “thank you/f*** you” scene from Ted Lasso, when Ted has a conversation with his mom and thanks for the good things she did for him, but blasts her for the negative. I thought about making my own set of lists for people in my life when I felt your Holy Spirit remind me that you have a similar list for me and I am adding to both sides of it every day. The good news is that you cannot see the f*** you list for me through Jesus’s blood, so if you can have that much grace for me how much more can I have for those who have offended me? Oh, thank you for forgiving me. I am here right now to repent and tell you I am sorry. I truly am.

As for why I picked this today, I am fascinated by this image. I decided when I sat down to thumb through Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups by Ned Bustard and see if anything struck me. I saw this seemingly simple image called “Sacrament” by Richard Gaston and it caught my eye. What could it mean?

Like most title of poems, which serve as a cypher to break the code of the imagery of a poem, I think the title here is the key for understanding what Mr. Gaston was showing: the body and the blood. The bread and the wine. Jesus sacrifice for me. In the Catholic church there are seven sacraments (baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance and reconciliation, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony), but no one can do them all. Two are mutually exclusive: holy orders and matrimony. As a non-Catholic going to a Catholic church with my wife, the only ones available to me are baptism, anointing of the sick, and matrimony. But for Catholics, the base foundational one after one is baptized–even before someone is confirmed–is the eucharist. Submitting to and taking in the sacrifice you made of your body and blood are the whole reason for every mass. Everything else is just there to support that one sacrament.

Here is what Bustard says about this image:

In this passage Paul sues the Greek words eucharistia (meaning “thanksgiving,” from which comes the word “eucharist”) and baptismo (meaning “I wash,” which was used in Jewish texts for ritual purification washings). During his earthly ministry Jesus instituted baptism–replacing the gender-based covenantal membership rite of circumcision–and the Eucharist. In this print either of these two sacraments seem to appear. The artist is either depicting the Spirit descending on the water, the minister raising his hands over the wine in consecration, or both.

I was tracking with Bustard until his last description. I didn’t see the minister raising his hands over the wine. I saw Jesus as the figure as the “body” and the cup, which he is standing in, as representing the blood. I can see where he might get the Holy Spirit coming down to the water, but I don’t see the minister raising his hands. I see Jesus. But I could be wrong. I’m likely wrong.

Father, I come to you this morning grateful for the sacrifice you made. I would like to think it’s a weird plan until I try to think of how else you should have done it. No, I have no problems with you or your plan at all. I am a small-minded fool. I was nowhere when you laid the foundations of the earth. My life is so little and so small. I’m just here to worship, bow down, and say that you’re my God.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 6, 2024 in Colossians, Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups

 

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Matthew 9:9-13

05 Jul

9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Matthew 9:9-13

Dear God, after I read this passage this morning, I remembered a conversation I had with a friend on Tuesday. I hadn’t thought about it since then, but now I remember. He asked if I would join him in prison ministry at a state prison about an hour and a half from here several times a year. My initial reaction was, No. No, I don’t want to do that. I told him I would consider it and pray about it, but then it left my mind as soon as he left and I have thought about it in three days. But here I am. I’m praying to you. I’m thinking about it. I suppose this is where I will live up to my word with him and “think and pray about it.”

Jesus certainly didn’t mind sitting with people of questionable repute. In fact, he was seemingly quite comfortable with them. He loved them. He wanted the best for them. He called on them to change and follow you, to be sure, but he didn’t insist on that before he came to them. In fact, a lot of people got help from him without ever having asked for forgiveness. I’m thinking the woman caught in adultery for one. I’m thinking about the man lowered through the roof. Jesus forgave without them ever asking him to. Very interesting.

Father, help me to really consider this invitation from my friend. Help me to completely hear from you what you want me to do. Are you calling me to this? Are you not calling me to this? I don’t know. But I know I want to really hear you on this one. There is so much need in the world. I know I don’t have to solve all of it, but I certainly want to use my life to touch those you are calling me to touch. Help me to know what that is.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 5, 2024 in Matthew

 

Psalm 19:12-13

04 Jul

12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
    Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
    Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
    and innocent of great sin.

Psalm 19:12-13

Dear God, my hidden faults. My deliberate sins. You don’t want either for me. The deliberate sins…well, they are just selfish foolishness on my part. Some are bad habits. Some are born out of selfishness. Some come from be fighting for my own rights that I should have already laid at your cross to follow you. I am sorry for these sins. I am sorry for this foolishness. Once again, here this morning, I lay them at the foot of your cross so that I might pick up your yoke and walk with you in the life you want me to live.

Then there are the hidden faults. The sins that are so engrained in me that I cannot see them. Like an odor in a room I’ve gotten used to. Others can smell it when they walk in the room, but I’m oblivious. So give me eyes to see myself. Give me your eyes. Give me ears to hear myself. Give me your ears. Raise up voices around me who will be your voice to me. Reveal to me the things I need to know.

To quote the song “Spirit of the Living God,” “Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.” That is my prayer this morning, Father. Fall afresh on me today. It’s the 4th of July, and I am about to attend a worship service where my wife is leading singing. Fall afresh on me and everyone in the room this morning. For her, make it not about her voice, which is beautiful, but make it about your Spirit falling on all of us, from the priest on down. Help us to leave that place worshipping you and taking you into the world so that others might have the joy of knowing you.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 4, 2024 in Hymns and Songs, Psalms

 

Ephesians 2:17-22

03 Jul

17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:17-22

Dear God, it’s amazing to see how many ways the Bible finds to tell me that you love me. That’s something even now I tend to take for granted. You love me. You love the people I love. You love the people I don’t care for. Like a parent loves a child at the deepest levels of their soul, you love us that much and even more. I’m sorry I don’t really know how to appreciate that.

And then there’s the matter of spreading your love to others. Sharing it. Helping other people be drawn to you. To experience what it means to sink their roots into your river and feel you flow into them. To grow your fruit.

Father, help me to be a source of your love for others today and to encourage just one person to embrace your love for them. I pray for the two new pastors in town and the new church that started last month. Help all of them. For the new church, while it breaks my heart that it felt it needed to break away from another church to star anew, I pray that it will fill a need in the community that wouldn’t otherwise be met. Fill the leadership with your love, compassion, wisdom, and Spirit. Help them to hear your voice. For the new pastors, well, there are always criticisms of the last guy. The day I leave my position there will be criticisms of me. Help these two pastors to avoid those traps. Help them to follow their predecessors in love, to follow you completely, and to be part of your kingdom coming and your will being done in their churches and in our community as it is in heaven. Show me how to support them as well. And for those who are on my mind who are facing physical challenges, I pray that you will heal, strengthen, and comfort them. Strengthen their caregivers as well.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2024 in Ephesians

 

Jeremiah 17:7-8

02 Jul

7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
    and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
    with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
    or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
    and they never stop producing fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Dear God, I am so grateful to have learned more about the context of Jeremiah and his prophecy after having gone through the Bible in a Year Podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz. It really helped me to enjoy and appreciate these passages more. Instead of complaining about how people misuse Jeremiah 29, I can actually spend some time with these passages and consider them.

In this case, I was thinking this morning that I am feeling a little spiritually dry right now. Even doing these prayers to you is more out of self-discipline than it is waking up and longing to spend time with you. But then the thought occurred to me that I cannot always be in that mode, and that there is a value in showing up and plugging into you on a daily basis regardless of my emotions or desires. Planting myself here does make a difference. Worshipping you and spending this contemplative time with you does quench my dryness.

Whenever I read this passage, I always think of the H.E.B. Family Foundation Ranch where I have spent a lot of time. Thirty years ago, they were doing a lot of renovations and they drained a river so they could do some work. The cypress trees along the river started to dry up. They had always lived with a constant supply of all the water they wanted, and now it was gone. The dryness didn’t last long. They damned up the water again and the trees were fine, but they certainly suffered for a while.

Father, please let your river continue to run through my life, and help me to always seek you. Help me to always love you. Help me to remember my need for you. And then let your river flow through me and to those around me and within my sphere of influence.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 2, 2024 in Jeremiah

 

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Romans 12:1-2

01 Jul

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

Dear God, it’s verse 2 that caught my eye this morning: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. I think you’re transforming me into a new person. Well, let’s say this: I know I am being transformed into something new. I pray that it is you who is transforming me into your image.

There are times when I see myself transforming into something that surprises me. Something different even than what the church normally teaches I should be. Or I think about things in a way that the church says I should not think. In these instances, is the church the “world,” or am I?

Father, I really want to hear you clearly. I want to understand who you are. I want to see others with your eyes. I want to hear them with your ears. I want to know your heart for me and for them. I want to know who to help each person I know heal. Of course, I want to be healed as well. I feel like I am working through that slowly but surely. I guess, beyond anything, I just want people to be reconciled to you so that they can be at peace with themselves, their “enemies,” and you. Help me to introduce you to people in that way.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 1, 2024 in Romans

 
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