In 1908 Paul Wattson proposed that January 18-25 be a week of prayer for Christian Unity, across all denominations. Many in the Northern Hemisphere will be praying and meditating on the verses of this week and entering committed prayer. John 15: 1-17 frames our meditations.
Day 2 we focus on verse 4a of John 15, “Abide in me as I abide in you.” Mary, mother of Jesus, saw the events unfolding in her life in ways she did not fully understand. Luke tells us she “treasured all these things in her heart. (Luke 2:51) Are we pondering and treasuring the unfolding of the events of this week in our heart and listening for God’s voice in them? The news with constant reports of the fear of violence can draw our minds and hearts down. But we have a choice about what we meditate on.
When I was younger, due to political unfolding of systems in my life, our family was forced to move to Nairobi. It was quick. It was unsettling and I needed to ground myself. A friend and I met weekly for memorization and prayer to ground ourselves in God’s truth. Her goal was to memorize a prayer from Scripture to pray for her family. I have not forgotten that advice. During times of distress, I try to my ground thoughts and emotions in a time tested prayer. Ephesians 3:14-19 is one of those prayers that I could ponder and theologians have written a book about. Let’s meditate on it today.
“For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derive its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he ay strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Let us abide in these truths. Our lives are under God’s control as much as our President’s. God gives us strength and power, not just money, to deal with life’s challenges. Christ dwells in our hearts – that close, not in Washington or far off realms. Our roots draw strength and power from the love of God that is not measurable and not understandable. It is a gift. Our lives are in his hands. Let’s let these truths sink into our hearts, a treasure that makes us rich! Blessings as you pray.
On the Way to Wonder 