Thursday March 10, 2022

Today is Thursday, March 10 and this week we are exploring what the Bible says about the nature of God.

As I begin this time of prayer, I pause and become still. I breathe slowly and deeply and focus myself entirely upon the triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Pause and Pray

Holy and Loving God, I worship you in the stillness of this new day with a grateful heart. I stand in awe and wonder of your glory and goodness. Speak to me through the power of your Holy Spirit and help me learn to hear your voice above all others. Amen.

I start my day by praising God and worshiping his name with the words of David from Psalm 34.

I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:1-4

Pause and Pray

The prologue to the gospel of John provides a startling revelation. In the beginning when God created the heavens and earth, the waters and the land, the birds and the animals, and man in his own image, Jesus was there. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The divine logos, the Word that was with God and was God, preexistent from the beginning of time, enters the human story. Jesus is this Word. The divine and human Jesus, a member of the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit was with God in the beginning and now comes “in person” as God’s word incarnate. The enfleshed word came into the world to communicate with and reveal God to humanity. The one who is light and life is Emmanuel, God with us.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:1-5,9-13

Jesus, my Jesus, who walks with me and talks with me, whose portrait decorates my Sunday School classroom with long flowing hair, whose bodily form hangs bloodied on the crucifix, who was buried three days in the stone-sealed tomb, was there in the beginning. With God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Through him all things were made. Jesus is woven throughout the Old Testament and all the prophecies point to him and the salvation of humankind. To my salvation. Me. The true light, the light that shines in the darkness, the light that the darkness will never overcome, has come into my world and made me his own. Jesus through his sacrifice, suffering and death gave me the monumental opportunity to believe in his name, to receive him, and become a child of God. I am born of God. By water and the Spirit – I am born anew.

Ask: How do I understand God as three in one – Father, Son and Holy Spirit? How does the knowledge that Jesus was with God in the beginning at Creation change my understanding of God?

Pause and Pray

God, the more I read your word and study your nature, the more my comprehension expands and broadens. Thank you for shining the light of Christ into my heart. I rejoice that Jesus came into the world to dwell with humanity. Even though all people have not recognized and received him, count me as one who receives him wholeheartedly and believes in his name. I proclaim the name of Jesus Christ as Lord of my life and am ever grateful to be named a child of God. I read the words from John’s prologue again and listen for the message you have for me.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:1-5,9-13

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

Jesus himself reveals God’s nature to me, he came to dwell among humanity and sent the Holy Spirit to abide with his followers. This affirms the fact that God wants to communicate with me. I am learning to read scripture at a deeper level, going beneath the surface of information, to unearth substance and spark conversation with the triune Creator. I ruminate on this passage and the words that speak to me today. Perhaps God has a message for me about my past, a word for my present circumstances, or a warning about my future. Maybe God wants to correct my thinking, broaden my spiritual knowledge, dispel darkness or eliminate fear. Perhaps God wants to help me recognize Jesus in my daily life, learn to receive him and grow worthy of my position as a child of God.

Pause and Pray

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, come and shine your light upon my circumstances and bring your life to my soul. I make room in my heart and home for you to come and dwell with me. I believe in your name and proclaim the truth of who you truly are to all people. Amen.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

I leave this time of prayer praising the triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to shine the light and proclaim the truth of Christ to others.

Amen.