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Genesis 30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Emily Dickinson writes about hope as a thing with feathers, easily startled. Caitlin Seida says hope is not a bird but a sewer rat, tenacious. Regardless of which philosophy you subscribe to–and I’ll be honest, there are parts of both that I find fitting–hope is a vital part of humanity. Without hope, it’s hard to move forward.

Genesis 30:2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

I am writing this reflection on Holy Saturday. Christ has been crucified. Darkness has descended. Hope feels scarce. Darkness feels abundant, alive, smothering all that is good. But Sunday is coming. Resurrection is coming. Hope is coming–no matter what you are struggling with at present.

Genesis 30:3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for the hope of Your Son, of His resurrection. Thank You that no matter what we struggle with on this earth, we have an eternal hope to light our paths. Be with us, no matter what trials we face. Help us to hold onto Your hope. Always. Amen.

Genesis 30:4-5 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, and she became pregnant and bore him a son.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 10:30 The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

Yesterday’s comment about “Our Town,” which talks about how we are at once both incredibly important (in our own minds/our own universe) and utterly insignificant (in the grand scheme of things), and this week’s scripture put me in mind of hiking at a local park. There is a granite rock face that you can hike up. It’s pretty strenuous, but the views are amazing.

Genesis 10:31 These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

The thing I love about that hike, that this scripture and “Our Town” put me in mind of, is the perspective I gain as I hike it. At the beginning of the trail, you are walking in tall trees. That’s all you can see–those trees. But as you hike, you climb out of the trees. Stop and look at various points along the way (which you have to do just to catch your breath) and you see those trees getting smaller and smaller and the expansive view opening up more and more.

Genesis 10:32a These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the perspective of Your word, of texts like “Our Town,” of hikes like Rocky Face. Thank You for reminding us that life is more than what’s right in front of us, that things that loom so large now are so very small from Your perspective. Help us to keep this life in proper perspective. Help us give You praise, always. Amen.

Genesis 10:32b From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

Have a blessed day.

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  

I want my life to be a testament to God’s goodness. I want my giving to reflect the generosity of my Savior. I want my generosity to “result in thanksgiving to God” (v11b). This desire is one of the many reasons I need to get over myself when it comes to living generously.

2 Corinthians 9:11a You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion,

God loves a cheerful giver. He also supplies all my needs. So my tight hold on things I am being called to let go of is akin to my fear and worry over things. It feels like a way to keep myself safe, but it is really one more way that I try to maintain control over my life–a life that is and always will be in God’s control, not mine.

2 Corinthians 9:11b …and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Precious Savior, I see my hesitation in giving for what it is–me trying to exert control over my life. But having You as my center means that *I* do not need that control. You’ve got me. You’ve got my life. You CAN be trusted. Help me to live a generous life for You. Help me to trust even when I am afraid. Help me not to be afraid because I know YOU are in control. I trust You. Help me live that trust. Amen.

2 Corinthians 9:12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 61:3a For you have been my refuge,

Google defines refuge as a noun, meaning “a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” If God is my refuge, that means that He is my safe place, my shelter, where I can go to not be pursued by danger or trouble. Even just reading that definition, I feel my soul take a breath of relief.

Psalm 61:3b …a strong tower against the foe.

If He is with me always, and I truly believe that He is, then that shelter, that refuge is always available to me. Always. So on those days where I feel beleaguered or overwhelmed or pursued by danger or trouble, that means I am not utilizing the most amazing resource I have in my daily defense arsonal–the refuge of my Savior.

Psalm 61:4a I long to dwell in your tent forever…

Precious Savior, Thank You for being with me always, for providing me with refuge always. Thank You that I can count on You, that I can trust You, no matter what I encounter in each day. Help me not to forget that You ARE my refuge. Help me to seek refuge in You when life overwhelms. Amen.

Psalm 61:4b …and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 61:1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

Lord, Thank You that You hear my cries of distress, that You listen to my prayers when I call. Thank You for knowing me by name, for knowing every hair on my head, every breath in my body. Thank You for loving me fiercely and completely.

Psalm 61:2a From the ends of the earth I call to you,

Father, Thank You that I can call to You any time, any where, in any situation. Thank You for prioritizing me, Your deeply loved child, no matter where my distress falls in the continuum of life’s hardships. Thank You for caring, for responding, for loving me always.

Psalm 61:2b …I call as my heart grows faint; 

Precious Savior, Thank You that You are the Rock that is higher, stronger, more solid than I. Thank You that I don’t have to do this life alone. Thank You that when I call on You, You hear, You respond, You comfort me. Always. No matter what. Thank You. Amen.

Psalm 61:2c …lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Have a blessed day.

Psalm 117:1a Praise the Lord, all you nations;

With Easter Sunday tomorrow (and knowing I want to go to Luke 16 starting then) and needing to cover my Saturday devotional, I googled “What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?” Psalm 117 is it, and all of Psalm 117 is represented here.

Psalm 117:1b …extol him, all you peoples.

I’m not sure why I’m so flabbergasted by its brevity, but I am, though I think we can learn a valuable lesson from today’s verses: Praise doesn’t have to be long and involved. It just has to be sincere. Praise the Lord because His love is great and His faithfulness endures forever. That’s it. Praise Him. Praise Him for His great love and His enduring faithfulness. Praise Him. Period. Amen.

Psalm 117:2a For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Precious Savior, Sometimes we think that praising You has to be some grand, formal, long-winded, “rightly performed” event. Thank You for Psalm 117 and the reminder that short and sweet is ok, that what’s important is that we praise You, honestly, earnestly, fervently. Amen.

Psalm 117:2b …Praise the Lord. 

Have a blessed day.

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 

I can imagine Jesus was pretty drained after driving out impure spirits and healing many. His response to feeling drained is to go to a solitary place to pray. I can learn a lot from that. In fact, I have. I’ve modeled my devotional time for years on it. I get up an hour before my family so that I can read and pray and concentrate just on my Savior before the day begins.

Mark 1:36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 

When my boys were little, when they needed me from sunup to sundown, it was a necessity. I had to connect with my Savior before that incredible need for my time, my attention began. (I love my children deeply, but raising children is no joke. It’s a lot of work!) But even now I find that I am just a better, more compassionate person if I root my day in Jesus, if I have that time to pray and reflect before each day gets underway.

Mark 1:37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

Precious Savior, Thank You for showing us how to begin each day–rooting ourselves in You–Your love, Your mercy, Your compassion, Your word. Help me to always begin each day deeply rooted in You. Amen.

Mark 1:38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 

Have a blessed day.

Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

The seventy-two returned, high on the fact that even the demons submitted to them in Jesus’s name. Who can blame them? They won. They were victorious. The DEMONS even listened. But Jesus has a crucial reminder in verse 20: “…do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Luke 10:18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Ultimately, He’s saying: Don’t lose sight of the end goal–Heaven. Don’t get distracted by the demons listening–they were listening because you were using my name. What I want is for You to rejoice that you will be with me in Heaven. That’s what’s important. 

Luke 10:19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Precious Savior, I am easily distracted by things that aren’t truly important. Help me to stay focused on You, on eternity with You. Thank You that I am Your beloved child. Help me to shine Your light for all. Amen.

Luke 10:20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Have a blessed day.