Category: Daily Prayer

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. (Luke 4:1-2)

One of the reasons we can relate to Jesus is that like us, He was human, and susceptible to human issues, like hunger. When we are in situations of weakness, we are more likely to make bad decisions, trying to satisfy whatever need we are facing. Jesus has been in similar situations and knows how we feel. However, Jesus knows that the only answer is to give our weakness to God and let Him meet our needs. When things are so difficult we don’t know if we can go on, we are to turn to God in prayer. Only God is strong enough to face down the evil we encounter and without His strength, we are lost.

Mighty Lord, when we feel we can’t cope with what the world is doing to us, let us rest in Your power and love. Help us to give up our issues to You in prayer, that we may pass through our trouble knowing You are God and You hold all things. Amen.

They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
(Luke 9:31)

Jesus made no secret of the sacrifice He would make for us, although He sometimes told the disciples to keep still – He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Luke 9:21-22).

Was Jesus really telling them to keep this a secret? Obviously He knew we humans are terrible at keeping secrets, sometimes sharing information we shouldn’t to make ourselves look important. In this case, it seems He wanted His disciples to remember He had told them what was to happen ahead of time so they would better understand, and tell others later that Jesus went to give Himself for us willingly and according to God’s plan.

Loving Lord, thank You for the things You do for us, the extraordinary sacrifice You made, and the love You share with all of us. May we be energetic followers, telling Your Good News to the world.

“When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.” ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭9:36‬)

Why would the disciples keep this miraculous event to themselves? Were they afraid that no one would believe them or were they afraid of what others might think? Perhaps they just weren’t sure what to make of the whole experience.

Are we afraid to share our connection to Christ? We should be bold in our faith and willing to tell His story to everyone. We are charged by Jesus Himself to “go make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

Gracious God, help us to be good representatives of Christ here on earth. Let our words and actions show others our living faith in our living Lord. Amen.

Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. (Luke 9:33)

Our human understanding is incapable of grasping the reality of Jesus in His glory. Peter is overcome by the experience and wants to build dwellings for Jesus and the other two heavenly beings, presumably to keep the experience going as long as possible.

We all crave the mountaintop experience. It refreshes and energizes us. But living on the mountaintop is not God’s plan for us, at least not yet. Jesus showed us that the mission is “out there”, in that messed up, needy world, filled with issues for us to be solving through His love.

Glorious God, thank You for the mountaintop experiences to renew our strength. May we go out into Your world to share Your light and love with everyone. Amen.

And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. (Luke 9:29) When Jesus was transfigured, the disciples there saw His glory, and God declared Him “my beloved Son”. God calls each of us His beloved children, and while we may not see each other transfigured in this way, God sees us as we really are.

We seem to forget that we are all the same, with the breath of God inside us, made in His image. We must remember that we are all connected to Him, and our brothers and sisters here on earth.

Marvelous God, You made each of us differently, but we are all the same in Your eyes. Help us to see Your glory in every person You have created. Amen.

God’s grace and mercy is given to us freely, but we must acknowledge our sins and accept His gift in order to be saved. We are weak and broken, but God’s love can mend us and bring us back together as His children.

We need God and each other in order to be complete. When we reject the responsibility for relationship we have been given, we are lessened.

Heavenly Father of us all, help us to see each other and ourselves as Your blessed creation, loved by You and charged with loving each other.

Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (Luke 9:35)

Jesus came to be with us and one of us, but we must never forget who He is in eternity – the Son of God. We are broken and lost, but Jesus came to save us, to remind us that we are still God’s precious children, and we are loved and forgiven.

Heavenly Father, when we feel the weight of the world upon us, ease our doubts and fears. You are the ruler of all, and we put our trust in You. Help us to face each day with courage, knowing You are for us and with us. Amen.

“We shall see Jesus, just as He is.” To those who followed Him, Jesus was teacher and friend. Yes, they’d seen Him walk on water, heal the sick, raise the dead and feed the multitudes, but He was still the carpenter from Nazareth who had called them to follow Him. Even so, they believed in Him as the Son of God, sent for our salvation.

How do we see Jesus? It’s harder for us who didn’t walk the hills of Galilee with the Apostles to “see” Him, but we all have a mental picture of Him, some influenced by paintings and illustrations from our Sunday School days, but all from our own experience. How do people who have never met Jesus see Him? Hopefully they see Him in us – in our loving words and caring actions. That’s the very best picture of Jesus we can offer, sharing His love and grace with everyone.

Lord Jesus, help us to be Your disciples to the world, showing them that God is love and that He wants all His people back as part of His eternal family. Amen.

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” (Luke 6:35) Jesus gives us a hard instruction – expect nothing in return. He teaches that because we have received His forgiveness we are to follow His example of giving…and not expect anything back from those to whom we give. We are not used to this kind of exchange, but Jesus tells us our reward is in Heaven, and we have become children of God by His grace.

God of grace and glory, we are grateful to be Your instruments on earth. Keep us aware of our task to give without receiving and to rejoice when souls turn to You. Bless us to be a blessing to those who still walk in darkness, that they may see Your light. Amen.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36) Jesus tells us that we should forgive and love as God does, a tough thing for humans to do. We expect apologies, hold grudges and try to “get back” at those we feel have wronged us.

God doesn’t work like that – thankfully! Without God’s mercy, no one could receive forgiveness and salvation. If God can forgive our sin, surely we can forgive each other for our words and actions.

Merciful God, help us to mend relationships with each other the same way You do, with forgiveness and love. Show us that our connection to You and our brothers and sisters is essential for our wellbeing and our way to eternal life. Amen.