31st May. 2021. Daily Devotion.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:14-17
The Bible encourages us to feel, in our heart, the love and fathership of God. God knows what we need, and He gives it to us: the comfort of the Holy Spirit. We know that we are going to suffer in the world, to some degree, for our faith, but God is there to give us strength in our suffering.
But we must not be afraid to be teased or looked down upon if we witness to Christ, as one example. We must not be afraid of losing a promotion because our boss hates Christians. And one might say that we can suffer for thankless work—washing dishes or dealing with difficult people in order to help out with an event. These sorts of unpleasantness we can expect; and when they occur, we can also expect to find relief in prayer.
We are comforted in this life, directly by our prayer life, for the Holy Spirit will bring us relief from any pain we suffer; and most of all, by the joy of knowing that, as God’s children, we are going to inherit an eternity of life and peace and wonderment, in the presence of God Himself.
Sometimes, suffering is the testimony we give; and always, it finds relief directly from God. M Barge
Lord, examine me, and let your Spirit testify that I am your child through the grace of Christ. Amen.
Prayer of Praise
O Father, majestic is your name!
From the rising of the sun to its setting your name is to be praised,
Merciful God, gracious Lord.
Hear us in the name of Your Son,
For He has promised that where two or three of us are gathered in Your name
He will be with us and our prayer will be heard.
Hear us in the name of Your Son,
For He is the revelation of Your wisdom, the outpouring of your glory,
The incarnation of your mercy toward us and the whole human race.
To You be the glory, All praise and honour, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One God, now and evermore. Amen. ~ Hughes Oliphant Old
Joyfulness
Heavenly Father, in a world that has so many difficulties and dangers Lord, it is so easy to allow my heart to become weighed down with pressures and overwhelmed with problems, and yet You have promised that the joy of the Lord is our strength and I thank You that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.
I pray that I may keep my eyes fixed firmly on the Lord Jesus and live in total dependence on Him, in the knowledge that He has overcome the world, and has promised to give us His joy and peace in our hearts. Thank You for Your abiding love. I pray that I may learn to fully abide in You and You in me so that Your joy may be in me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For healing
God of love your Son brought healing to the sick and hope to the despairing. We pray for all who suffer pain, or who bear the burden of illness, or who have to undergo an operation. Give them the comfort and strength of your presence and surround them with your healing love and power. May they know the fellowship of Christ who bore pain and suffering for us, and at the last won victory over death. Amen. Book of Common Order.
