Monday Devotional: March 10, 2025

Bible Reading: Psalm 27:7-14 (NRSVUE)

⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! ⁸ “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek. ⁹ Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off; do not forsake me, O God of my salvation! ¹⁰ If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up. ¹¹ Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. ¹² Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence. ¹³ I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

At age 20, I left home for my first job, a move that took me hundreds of miles from my family. That was just over 30 years ago. As I have grown, married, and had children who are now full-grown, the homecomings have changed. Yet in a real way, the home hasn’t. Although my parents have aged, the family home has always offered safety, comfort, and acceptance. A month ago, I helped my mother moved out of the house that she sold after my father’s death. Coming to terms with this strange loss of place became possible only when I began to pray that the new homeowner, a young family, would make a home that was as richly blessed as ours had been.

Psalm 27 offers not a prescription but a description of how we might seek refuge in God when times are tough.

Seek God’s place. When the psalm writer feels embattles and alone, he flees to the temple to find sanctuary with God. At times when life batters and bruises you, go to a place — real or in your imagination — where you found safety and comfort.

Seek God’s face. In times of difficulty, God may seem hidden or absent from us. In this safe haven, be still and seek to know that God is truly present.

Seek God’s favor. For Israelite people, the holiness of Yahweh meant that one could never truly see God’s face. The psalm is rather a prayer for God’s favor, to experience blessing rather than suffering.

Seek God’s way. “Teach me your way, O Lord.” The writer has confidence that God can show him a way to live free of persecution or at least faithfully in its presence.

Seek God’s goodness. We can learn to trust that if we wait patiently, we will see God’s goodness, all in good time.

Prayer

God of grace, as I seek your face this day, may I be assured of your close presence in all I do. Amen.

By Craig Mitchell, The Upper Room Disciplines 2013, page 72.

Bible Study

“Embracing Life” By Von W. Unruh

Unit 1: Beatitudes for Lent

Session Title: From Despair to Hope
Focal Passage: Matthew 5:1-3, Mark 5:25-34
Purpose Statement: To boldly reach out to Jesus when we are in need.

Questions:

• What need do you have that is hardest to admit? What needs have a stigma?
• What might make you reluctant to seek help from Jesus? Are you sometimes afraid that you don’t have enough faith?
• Reach out to Jesus with your needs now. Can you see him turning to you, listening to you, and blessing you?
• Are you struggling under a heavy load? Are you experiencing a poverty of spirit? Reach out for Jesus right now.

Zoom Session

Monday, March 10, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

(For Zoom Link, send an email to [email protected])

In-Person Session

Wednesday, March 12, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, Conference Room, McGee Building.