Get the appSongs of the Soul: A Lent DevotionalSample
I remember vividly looking at the clock on the wall; it was 5 AM. The pain was unbearable. I could barely breathe, and what little strength I had left was quickly leaving my body. The nurse turned towards me and said, “It will still be a couple of hours,” and as my brain tried to make sense of what she said, my body continued to groan in anguish. I was 5 hours into an unmedicated birth, and my body, heart, and soul knew I did not have the strength to endure a few more hours. At that moment, I looked to Heaven and cried out for mercy. Lord, I pleaded, have mercy on me.
If ever there was a time in my life when I needed the Mercy and Grace of God, it was today. As my body and mind were pushed beyond the limit in my distress, frailty, and humanness, I pleaded with the Creator of the Universe to give me mercy. During these moments of distress and weakness, we quickly realize how limited and frail we are. In those hours in the delivery ward, I felt the full weight of my humanness. I was but grass, dirt, smoke, here today and gone tomorrow, and I cried out to Heaven, pleading for help.
When we are desperate and in anguish, when the pain is too much for us to bear, we cry out to a God Enthroned Forever, who is Lord over all, and ask that He would turn towards us. We instinctively know in these vulnerable moments that God is not a far-off, uncaring God. In this pain, we gain clarity to see Him as Ever-Present, Loving, and Kind.
Easter is the greatest response to our desperate cry. Lost and broken, dead in our sin, we prayed for mercy, and God answered. In our pain and frailty, as our souls groaned, God chose to come face to face with us, meeting us in our distress. Easter reminds us that the God of the Universe hears our cries of desperation and answers us, turning towards us with a Face full of Love, Compassion, and Mercy. Easter brings us face to face with Jesus, Heaven answers to our cries, and reveals that we are not alone nor forgotten because our Saviour is with us in our distress.
Jessica Richmond
Youth Ministry
Prayer:
Lord, have mercy on me, hear me when I cry out to You. Remind me, through the Holy Spirit, that You are ever-present and with me in my distress.
Scripture
About this Plan
A Lent devotional written by the staff and elders of Island ECC. This 40 day devotional seeks to guide people through a collection of psalms to prepare our hearts and minds for the season of Easter. Each day will feature a reflection and prayer about a specific psalm.
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We would like to thank ISLAND ECC for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: https://www.islandecc.hk/
