While we might remember the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we don’t always connect the dots to the fact that the prodigal is the one who considered his father dead when he asked for his share of the inheritance.  It’s a devastating thought for us to believe that someone could actually feel such disdain for a person that they would wish that person was dead.  The thought that anyone could think something so dreadful as to cause our names to fill their minds with such hatred that our death would be pleasing to them is unbelievable.  And yet, that is the depth to which the human heart can sink when it is filled with enough poison that is refuses to consider the value of another person’s life.  Nor do we consider the depravity of the human mind that believes that when people are whispering, their whispering is filled with plots and schemes for their destruction.

         There is a sickness of the spirit on both sides of that relationship.  On one side, the sickness leads to a depravity that devalues life — the same depravity that allowed Cain to kill Abel.  On the other side is the sickness that allows someone to believe that each conversation held below an audible level of sound is filled with plots and schemes for one’s human ruin.

         Yet there is another side that functions on the side of the Spirit.  That side is filled with mercy and grace.  That side is filled with forgiveness and truth.  That side seeks to save those who are lost, hurting, threatened, grieving, sick with worry, fear, and anguish.  That side seeks to rescue people from their hatred and instead, infuse them with a Spirit of Love and acceptance.  That side is the side where God stands offering to save those who call out to him in anguish.  It is the broken spirit that God seeks, remembering David’s truth

         18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted

                and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

And that is no April Fool's joke.

• Have you ever been so tormented and crushed spiritually that you believed people only wanted the worst for you?
• Did you understand (and if not you, the person experiencing such torment) that God was close to you and willing to save you from your tormented condition?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Searching and loving God, be my Savior and saving grace when those around me count me as one of their mortal enemies and wish only the worst for me.

         We sometimes ask ourselves, “Why is life so difficult?”  It’s not that it’s difficult all of the time.  There are days when the sun shines, the sky is blue, and the white pillowy clouds in the sky float about like giant balls of cotton.  But on the other side, there are seasons of our lives where storm clouds like sea billows roll and it seems as if our whole world is in turmoil.  The groanings of life might well begin with simple things — little annoyances that irritate us and take away our joy.  And then there are the larger things —the death of a relationship, or a beloved friend; an unexpected diagnosis from the doctor; the tragic news of a good deed done with all the best intentions gone suddenly wrong with those closest to us being hurt.  These and other life issues can cause our spirits to groan while we impatiently wait for our change ot come.  And for reasons we fully understand, our faith and belief in God and Christ doesn’t stop life from happening to us, nor does it prevent our groans from being a natural part of our existence.  And more and more these days, we can sense Mother nature groaning as she experiences her own birth pangs as unexpected weather patterns shift to hit parts of our world in ways they’ve never hit before to our knowledge.  It seems as if we’re all waiting for and hoping for the same thing — God to come and save us.  And our hope is in knowing that God is the only One who can save us.  It’s with this knowledge that the hope of salvation remains a living constant in our lives, and our faith that only God can save us is our reality.

• What life-experiences have impacted you that has caused you to groan for God’s salvation?
• When you find yourself in that “groaning state”, how does crying out to God comfort you?
• How does your faith keep you hopeful knowing that God will save you?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Merciful and loving God, by the power of Your grace, let me find a blessed assurance and hope through my faith that You hear me when I groan and will save me.

         Have you ever considered the emotional and spiritual condition of a person who feels so overwhelmed by life that when — what appears to be their last resort — they find themselves on their knees crying out to God for relief?  There is a certain amount of human resolve that compels us to face life’s challenges on our own.  We fight those challenges when we can.  We seek solace from our friends, family, and professional help.  But when we find ourselves at the end of our rope — when we find that we can no longer bear life’s burden alone, we cry out to our God.  We want and need someone greater than ourselves to come and relieve our suffering, to save us from our broken and overwhelming condition.  We want and need someone who has greater resources than we have to answer our need.  The person on our “go-to list” is God and we open ourselves up to God in prayer.

         A huge part of our relief comes when we know that we can lift up our deepest concerns to God.  Even greater relief comes when we can know and believe that God has heard our cries and is in the process of responding to our needs.  Our relief comes because we know that our God is able.  God knows the source of grief, our anxieties, our frustrations, and everything else that causes our Spirits to be disturbed.  And it’s as much our spirit, as it is God’s spirit within us that experiences the disturbance.  Our emotions respond to the lack of peace we experience from within and we cry out to God in our anguish and our unwillingness to bear the burdens of our own humanity.  We look to God once again to come and save us.  We want God to save us from our situations whatever they may be.  We want God to save us from ourselves, because we feel powerless and lack the overall strength of spirit to do it on our own.

         We call to God seeking mercy and God responds to our need for mercy.  God responds to our pleas for relief and in keeping with God’s nature, God saves us.

• What personal issues have driven you in your despair to the throne of God’s grace?
• How have you experienced God’s saving grace in great times of personal need?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, Your grace is the healing balm that soothes my soul and brings peace to my spirit. Thank You for shedding Your grace and mercy upon me.