Week 3 Day 5
Pray:
Ask God to reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Reflect:
The universe is not God or a part of God. This may seem obvious to you, but it is not for many. For many, God is the universe or the universe is God. When this is thought to be true, then the universe or parts of it are worshipped. The sun, the stars, the earth, people…any number of created things can take the place of the creator in a person’s heart, mind, and will. Imagine that from your skill and creativity you handmade a gift for a friend. Then when you presented the gift to your friend, they took the gift and began to thank it for being made. They turned from you and spoke to the gift as if it had made itself for them. You watched as they showed others the gift you had made and extolled the beauty and virtue of the gift without acknowledging you as the one who had made it. Perhaps it would make you angry, but more likely it would make you sad. Besides being a very strange thing—making much of a gift and nothing of the giver—it is a tragic thing. It’s tragic because the gift is given to demonstrate love and relationship. The gift is not the point, the relationship is. So when the giver is disregarded and the gift becomes the focus, then the relationship that might have been will not be. Life, existence, and the physical universe are all gifts. When we marvel at some part of this gift, it should cause us to reflect on the giver of the gift. His power, beauty, extravagance, creativity, and many other features of personality come to mind. When we see a hummingbird hover over a flower, we consider his attention to detail. When a thunderstorm rages over the ocean, we are humbled at his might. What we see from our little corner of the universe is impressive. What do you think it will be like when we can see the fuller extent of what he has made and done? As humans launch satellites into space and they transmit data back of the wonders that we have only just began to understand, our opportunity for awe increases. It is impressive indeed that a human can make a satellite and launch it into space. However, it seems strange to be overly impressed with a human launching satellites or even with the unfolding wonders of the universe and miss the one who made it all.
Pray:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the good news today.