Devotions

"In holy conversation we speak to God in prayer, And at His invitation our deepest thoughts we share. We come, His will obeying, as children bringing needs; And to support our praying, His John 20:25-29 - So the other disciples told him [Thomas], "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into His side, I will never believe." Eight days later, His disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put your hand, and place it in My side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." Thomas answered Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

O Thomas—talk about not being in the right place at the right time. When Jesus first appeared to the disciples who were hiding behind locked doors after His resurrection, Thomas wasn't there. When he heard the disciples' claims of having seen the risen Christ, Thomas didn't believe, in fact, he wouldn't believe unless he could physically see and touch and confirm for himself that it was the risen Jesus standing before him.

Well, fortunate for Thomas Jesus did appear to him eight days later. And Jesus' reply to Thomas' skeptical heart, "Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Jesus appeared to Thomas and revealed something Thomas had never seen before: a dead man who is alive and who brings peace and certainty to people. Jesus didn't put Thomas down because Thomas had relied upon his sight.

What Jesus did was reveal to Thomas that the meaning of life is more than what we can feel certain about based on what our senses may or may not tell us. That's because our physical senses only go so far. They can't discern the ultimate truth of God's love for us in Jesus Christ.

God's love is shown to us in the One who died on the cross for our sins, so that God and man might be reconciled. Jesus, both God and Man, the One who was crucified for our sins—is now alive! And it is this same Jesus, the Father's only Son, who shows Himself alive to Thomas, saying, "Peace be with you, Thomas." To this, Thomas famously exclaims, through the eyes of faith, "My Lord and my God!"

Now if the truth of Jesus' living and reigning after His resurrection was true for Thomas, it is most certainly true for us. What Jesus said to Thomas, He says to you and me: "Don't go on doubting, but believe." And then there are these words from John, reminding us of why he wrote his Gospel in the first place: "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name" (John 20:30-31).

WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, please revive our doubting hearts with Your radiant presence. Amen.

From "Seeing Is Believing," a sermon excerpt from Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

Reflection Questions:

1. Can you tell, usually, if someone is telling the truth?

2. Why might Thomas have been set against believing that Jesus had actually risen from the dead?

3. Does Jesus showing Himself to Thomas impact your faith in any way?  

Today's Bible Readings: 2 Chronicles 19-20 2 Corinthians 7Spirit intercedes.

"These holy conversations begin in childlike ways; We bring our supplications and words of thanks and praise. With care our Father listens to ev'ry thought expressed, Then answers our petitions in ways He knows are best."

We must admit that some of our daily conversations are far from holy. Arguments, angry replies, and quarrelsome social media posts do not reflect our calling as God's holy people. We also have conversations that are marked by honest interest, kindness, and compassion, but even those welcome dialogues are not usually defined as "holy."

Prayer is a holy conversation because the One to whom we speak is holy. He is our God and Creator, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father. Prayer is a holy conversation because our Holy Father has invited us to speak with Him. He wants to hear us and "listens to ev'ry thought expressed." Prayer is a holy conversation because God has, in Christ, made us holy, that is, righteous in His sight and set apart for service in Jesus' Name. We are, by God's grace through faith in Jesus, "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9a). As holy priests, we have the privilege of bringing our petitions before the throne of God.

Our holy conversations "begin in childlike ways" because "God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father!'" (Galatians 4:6b). We use the psalms, formal prayers of the church, written devotional prayers and simple, heartfelt requests. We may use the precious words of the Lord's Prayer or offer short, desperate pleas like that of Peter on the storm-tossed Sea of Galilee when he said, "Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:30b). All of these prayers are holy conversations spoken by holy priests to God and as children talking to their Father.

These holy conversations may not always sound very holy as we call out to God in fear or frustration. Yet even those words are holy because our Holy Father invites us, even commands us, to pray. When words fail us, "to support our praying, His Spirit intercedes." It is a two-way conversation; we hear our Father's reply in the Scriptures, the inspired Word of the One who is always listening. In that Word we have His promise to grant us the peace found in holy conversation: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

WE PRAY: Thank You, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of prayer. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "In Holy Conversation," which is number 772 in the Lutheran Service Book.

Reflection Questions:

1. Who is the first person you talk to each day?

2. The tongue is a difficult beast to tame. How do you keep your speech holy?

3. How can starting the day in prayer benefit our conversation throughout the day?  

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 67, 71 Philippians 2Romans 8:31-39 - What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the One who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For Your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I think all of us harbor secret terrors in our minds—things we try not to think about, because they frighten us so badly. I have a special horror of not being able to breathe, probably due to my asthma. For others it will be different—spiders or public speaking, heights or a particular disease. Still others dread evils from the past—abuses from childhood, attacks and crimes, the horror of war.

These fears can be amazingly powerful. And yet, even against them, St. Paul tells us that "in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us"—that is, through Jesus our Savior. Why? Is it because we will never feel those fears again? Hardly. That would take a miracle for most of us, and we are still human and far from perfect as we wait for Jesus' second coming. Is it because none of those things will ever happen to us? That, too, is something God doesn't guarantee—just look at what happened to the apostles!

Then what does the apostle Paul mean?

Simply that none of these things, terrifying as they are, can separate us from Jesus our Life, who died and rose to make us His own. Whether the evils we fear happen to us or not, Jesus will not allow those things to destroy us. We may suffer greatly, we may even die—but we will not be ripped out of Jesus' hands. Nothing the world can do to us will make Jesus turn away from us or stop loving us. Nothing can destroy us so thoroughly that He cannot restore us; nothing can shame or defile us to the point that He will stop loving us. Whatever comes to us, Jesus holds us in the palm of His hand; and He will raise us at the Last Day, victorious and joyful with Him, healed and well and whole again.

Then what? Life with Him and all His people forever in His kingdom, where "death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4b). Jesus remains forever. And us with Him.

WE PRAY: Dear Savior, when I am terrified, help me to lean on You, knowing You will never desert me. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. What is a particular fear of yours that you are willing to share?

2. When you think of something that terrified you, how do you find help in Jesus? What do you do?

3. What are three or four things you are overjoyed to know will not be a part of God's kingdom?

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 96-98 Acts 17:1-15