Daily Devotions by Steve Holm (Page 218)

Psalm 71:1-4 “Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.” vs. 3 According to tradition Rev. Augustus Toplady was riding along a gorge in the Mendip Hills in England in 1763 when he took shelter from a sudden storm in a fissure in the rock. Inspired by the moment he later penned the words to a hymn called “Rock of Ages” that has touched the hearts of…

Isaiah 42:1-9 “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,” vs. 6 Isaiah lays out the role of the Suffering Servant quite clearly in these amazing passages written some 500 years before Jesus. It’s obvious from the context of these verses that the prophet identifies Israel with the Servant, but following Jesus’ resurrection…

Matthew 27:35-54 “And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” vs. 46 As Matthew recounts the last of hours of Jesus he doesn’t include the conversations noted in Luke and John. For him there were no last minute promises, instructions, or heroic gestures. Instead there is complete darkness and silence from noon until three o’clock…and then a cry of total desperation from Jesus,…

Matthew 27:26-24 “Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’” vss. 39-40 As he hung dying on the cross Jesus heard again the words of the tempter from his post-baptism days in the wilderness. “If you are the Son of God…” the devil had said, and now the temptation came once…

Matthew 27:11-25 “Then he asked, ‘Why, what evil has he done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Let him be crucified!’” vs 23 Pilate evidently thought that a logical, objective question would cause the crowd to reconsider and choose to let Jesus live. He failed to recognize what some would call a mob mentality and the incoherent blood lust that almost always prevails when the masses are empowered. Some of those people had perhaps been a part of the welcoming…

Matthew 21:1-11 “When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’” vss. 10-11 There had likely been a large number of pilgrims making the trek from Galilee to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. They traveled in caravans for protection and safety, and on the way they often had conversations and random encounters. Doubtless those traveling with Jesus, and not just the inner…

Philippians 2:5-11 “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.”   vss. 5-7 While Paul’s words to the Philippians are still often quoted, in reality, few in our newly gilded-age take them to heart. The people most admired among the masses are the…

Psalm 31:9-16 “For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.” vs. 10 The psalmist wasn’t just having a bad day…his misery had become chronic and times of joy were but a distant memory. Most of us probably can’t identify with such long-lasting pain and sorrow…but some can! These are those who deal with depression, grieving, and sadness every day of their lives. Sometimes they…

Isaiah 50:4-9a “The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame;” vs. 7 When Martin Luther, fresh from his scriptural studies, began to speak out and write about abuses in the sacramental system of the church, there were some who resonated with his insights and gave him great support. But the majority of scholars, bishops, and influential people in…

John 11:38-45 “I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” vs. 42 The whole of John’s gospel has one intent and purpose, that all who read it would come to believe that Jesus is the Christ and has been sent by God. In nearly every chapter, from beginning to end, we read stories about individuals who encounter Jesus, hear…

John 11:28-37 “But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’” vs. 37 The mourners at the home of Martha and Mary were aware of Jesus’ reputation as a healer. They’d heard the stories of miraculous cures and they wonder aloud why Jesus hadn’t made more of an effort to help his friend, Lazarus. Their question is a good one. In fact, it’s one that many of…

John 11:17-27 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” vss. 25-26 Martha already believed in resurrection…it was a common belief among the faithful of her day. But she’d always thought of it as something reserved for the future, an end of time experience. What Jesus presented was something quite different,…