Resources for Prayer and Devotions
Meditations from Carol Dean Henn
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Jesus took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,”( which means, “Little girl, get up!”)
And immediately the girl got up and began to walk around. Mark 5:41-42 This is a heart-stopping scene from scripture. It gives us a front-row view of a true miracle. But the scene doesn’t end there. Christ’s power, words, and love go on, into our own lives today. When I want to have quiet time with God, I retreat to the recliner in my library. I ask God to come, be with me. Sometimes, half-playfully and half-seriously, I pull out the chair from my desk and say, “Make yourself comfortable, Lord.” There, I tell God my joys and my sorrows. I say ‘thank you’ a lot. Sometimes, tears come. And sometimes, I sit in silence, allowing him to speak to me in the words that rise up in my heart, with a wisdom that I know is not my own; in a voice that is not my own, but a voice I’ve learned to recognize and trust. Very often, what I hear is some version of “Little girl, get up!” Even though God is not raising me from a death-bed, he is raising me up to new hope and new life. God’s transforming words don’t have to come only at times and places of high drama in our lives. They can come on ordinary days, in ordinary places, meeting ordinary needs … with extraordinary love. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14 Norman Vincent Peale, the renowned pastor and author who emphasized ‘the power of positive thinking,’ had a wonderful custom. As he walked on the street, rode in the subway, or found himself in a crowd, he would send ‘shooting prayers’ toward complete strangers; sending them feelings of love, and silently asking God to bless them and to meet whatever needs they had. Often, to Peale’s delight and amazement, the individuals to whom he was directing these silent prayers would turn around, catch Peale’s eye, and smile. Something in that sending of a prayer – linking the one praying, God, and the one prayed for – connected spirit to spirit in a brief, wondrous moment. It isn’t only the great, enormous things in life that we should do in love. We can do small and even secret things in love. The size of the prayer or the deed doesn’t matter. It is the love that matters. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 Jesus said, “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”
Matthew 16:3 TV weather channels are fascinating. It’s amazing that they can show us air masses forming over Asia, and then define the track that the weather system will follow to America. Meteorologists now know so much about the inner workings of tornadoes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. If only we could see the signs of danger and of hope as clearly in our world. Perhaps we can, and we just don’t want to face what we see. With the testing of nuclear missiles, the bombing of whole cities in what is ironically called The Holy Land, and with so many people in dire need in every part of the earth, it can be hard to face reality. It can even be difficult to look at the positive signs, because something in us is afraid to hope. But just as we cannot stop the weather from coming by refusing to watch weather forecasts, we can’t stop life from unfolding by ignoring its dangers and its blessings. In God’s presence, and with his spirit to guide and inform us, we need not be afraid. Look at the signs, and listen for God’s words. In God’s presence, it is safe to see, to understand, and to respond. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 When Peter noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”.
Matthew 14:30 All over the world, in differing cultures and countries, this fact holds true: parents who fall asleep at night, exhausted, wake up instantly at the slightest sound or movement made by their babies. The same thing happens when we provide care for parents or other adults. Their softest cry or whispered word wakes us up. Imagine how much more attentive God is to our cries and needs, especially when he hears us say, “Lord, save me!” ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. John 1:12
Today’s verse, which should be comforting and empowering, has too often been misused to suggest that only those people who dutifully recite Christ’s name can be called children of God. One problem with such a view is that the Bible clearly tells us that God looks into our hearts. He sees the good that we have done or not done, the love we have shown or not shown. He isn’t looking for recitations of words; he looks for God-centered lives, lives of loving service, compassion, and acceptance of all people. Another problem is that, when we try to elevate one faith or belief system over another, based on this verse, we are actually putting ourselves in God’s place. We are making ourselves judges of who will or will not pass muster in the kingdom of God. How arrogant! And how unnecessary. Our time would be better spent appreciating the miracle conveyed in this verse. If we are willing to lift our lives, hearts, and spirits up to God, and to believe in his reality and goodness, we will be his children; all of us, even those who don’t know what to call him or how to worship him—those who simply look inward and heavenward and say ‘Thank you. I love you.’ Even those. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 The Lord says, “I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.”
Psalm 91 :15 The one thing we should not do with deep pain is to deny it. We have lost a loved one. It hurts. Our marriage is falling apart. It hurts. The grown child who hasn’t been in touch for months has now forgotten our birthday. It hurts. The parent who never told us “I love you,” or showed love to us in any way, can’t do it now, even at the end of life. It hurts. The person we love will never be part of our lives, because he or she doesn’t want us in their lives. It hurts. Such hurt is part of human life. Denying it is pointless. When our hearts break with such pain, we can turn to God, who understands us, who made us, and who loves us. We can tell God that we hurt. He will tell us, “I will be with you in trouble, I will rescue you and honor you.” Those words are important. God is not only saying that he will comfort and rescue us in our pain, but he will honor us. He will give us the respect -- the affirmation of our worth – that we didn’t get from parent, child, spouse, or lover. In time, in God’s time, the hurt can heal. In the interim, we can tell him, as often as we need to, that we hurt. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 Sorry for this one being late, will have two today to catch up! Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.
Isaiah 35:4 Friday the 13th. For many people, too many people, such days on the calendar arouse very real fears and superstitions; or, at the least, bring a wariness about what the day might hold. But every day belongs to God. Every morning arises as his promise of new life, and every night closes to bring us rest, renewal, and peace. Ancient peoples who had little understanding of the forces behind nature, or the science embedded in all living things, needed to create myths and superstitions. We are, or should be, far past such lack of understanding. Do strange and un-explainable things happen in the world? Of course! All the time. But they happen because of God-governed mysteries we still don’t understand, and because the workings of the world are as much spirit as sense, although many people are not yet truly comfortable with that reality. Friday the 13th. Another day that is a glorious gift from God. Let us enjoy it! ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."
Matthew 13:45-46 So much of our happiness and satisfaction in life depends on this: knowing what matters. If we don’t know what is really important, if we can’t separate things that matter from things that don’t, we can spend years … spend a lifetime … spinning our wheels, chasing wrong goals or false idols, or wasting time on things that never bring blessings or satisfaction. It is both easy and difficult to know what matters. It is easy, because God makes it so clear; difficult, because the world puts so many distractions, lies, and empty promises in front of us. If we haven’t yet learned or chosen what will matter to us, today’s verse is a good start. “The kingdom of heaven” matters. The love of God matters. The “peace that passes all understanding” matters. Life lived with God, with God in us, matters. If other things have been our first priority until now, it is time to exchange them for what matters, for that “pearl of great value” that is our relationship with God. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 Indeed, you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:3
What was the happiest day of your life? The best time of your life? What is a recent example of God’s blessings coming to you? What makes your heart swell with joy and bring a smile to your face? If we’re lucky, we have to stop and think about these questions, because we’ve had many wonderful days: the day we graduated, the day we were married, the day a child was born. We’ve had many happy times: family holidays, warm hugs from a parent, the love of a spouse, satisfaction in our work. There are many things that touch and light up our hearts: music, art, being forgiven or reconciled to someone, being part of the family of the church. However we answer these questions, let’s realize that we have, indeed, tasted that the Lord is good. “Thank you, Lord, for all of the memorable days, all of the times when life has been so, so good. Thank you for all of the joys that have come to me, and all of the blessings … even some miracles … that you have sent to me. Let me never forget how good you are, and let me always savor the taste of your goodness.” ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 We here at St. John's have been blessed to get Meditations daily from a Member of St. John's Windish Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, PA. Carol Dean Henn writes these for her church and has given it to us so we can share them to our members and visitors. A big thank you to Carol Dean Henn for this gift. They are geared towards Adult and Youth. Below is Meditations for all of September if you want to look back at them. And then we have today's Meditation for Tue, October 10, 2017. Come back every day for a new post!
Tuesday, October 10, 2017 Jesus said, “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me.” John 6:39 Many years I ago, I read an amazing book, “Dawn Without Darkness,” written by a Catholic priest named Father Anthony Padovano. In a remarkable chapter about the crucifixion, Fr. Padovano speculates about the thoughts that might have been raging through Jesus’s mind as he hung on the cross: ‘Did I do it right, Father? Did I do anything right? Did I lose them, Father? Did I lose them all? I didn’t want to lose them. You gave them to me. You didn’t want me to lose them. Did I do it all wrong?’ Those words burn with authenticity. Jesus did not frolic toward the cross with an optimistic smile. He was in agony in body, mind, and soul. On the cross, his hope and his faith were … most certainly … matched by his very human despair and doubt, soul-crushing doubt. If we ever wonder if God knows what it is like to be human – to feel fear and anguish and abandonment – we have only to look to the cross to know the truth. Christ felt it all. “No, Lord, you did not lose them. You did not lose all that the Father gave you. You did not lose me. You never will.” ©Carol Dean Henn |
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AuthorCarol Dean Henn of St. John’s Windish Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, PA |