TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE
Please read Psalm 102:17-22
“The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.”
Psalm 102:19-20
DEVOTIONAL
by Sandra Chua
In my twenty years of stay in Jubilee, one of the most impressive lessons I’ve learned is finding opportunities to be of service to my brothers. When you find problems or have complaints, we are encouraged not only to point them out but to offer a solution and be part of the solution. It could be as simple as helping to arrange the chairs or cleaning up after a fellowship. It could be straightforward, such as manning lines in a queue. It could be as extensive as devising a system for organizing an event. One sister in JEC displays it so simply. Whenever you give her a call, she picks up the phone and says, “How may I help you?” In Jubilee, we are taught to be burden lifters like Jesus, not burden givers.
The passage shows us our loving God looking down from heaven, not watching passively but watching intently to hear not only loud cries for help but even soft, almost inaudible groaning of pain. It gets even better. God’s hearing moves Him to action.
Our God is a burden lifter. He knows that we are but dust (Psalm 103:14), unable and powerless to help and save ourselves. That is why He sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, to free us from the bondage of sin.
Our God is the ultimate Burden-lifter. Psalms 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens.
REFLECTION
How are you a burden giver or a burden lifter? What burdens are you carrying alone that God is calling you to lift up to Him? How have you allowed Him to carry them for you?
PRAYER
Our everlasting Father, we praise You and give You thanks. You know our needs before we ask You. You know our limitations and our shortcomings, yet You love us anyway. Forgive us our arrogance when we think we do not need Your help. Forgive our innocence or rather ignorance when we think You wouldn’t want to be bothered by trivial matters. Thank you for always being ready to listen to our prayers. We are amazed by Your omniscience to feel the faintest groan of our hearts. Grant us the humility to turn our burdens over into Your hands, in Jesus’ name, amen.
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