Wednesday devo

Read Luke 5:12-16. Notice Jesus "touched" the man with leprosy. Leprosy was the AIDS of the first century. Lepers had to live outside the city with other lepers or all alone. They would have to yell at the top of their lungs, "unclean" if people approached. This law was enforced to keep others from getting the disease. Jesus could have just spoken to the disease. He could have said, "go wash in the pool" as he did other times. But with this lonely, outcast man "full of leprosy" the son of man "touched him." Jesus said in Mark 10:45, "For the son of man (a title he gave himself) did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.

Notice also v. 16 - one of my favorites. How can Jesus keep going? How can he deal with the pressures of people wanting to make him king? The rock-star like fame? The crowds and expectations? The kind of stuff that drove Britney crazy didn't drive Jesus crazy. The crazier his world became the more he prayed - in the wilderness. In the wilderness there's only one voice you can hear - the Father. I know those who try to pray in the car on the way to work - with the traffic, cell phones and radio all in full operation. Where is your wilderness that you retreat to - a place with no distractions?

This is one of my favorite old hymns - check out these lyrics! "Sweet hour of prayer. Sweet hour of prayer. That calls me from a world of care, And bids me at my Father's throne. Make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief, and Oft escaped the tempter's snare, by thy return, sweet hour of prayer."

questions

1) Who is someone in your life that needs a more personal touch from you today?

2) How long does it take you to retreat to prayer when life gets crazy?

3) I Peter 5:7-8 tells us to cast our anxiety on the Lord so the enemy can't hunt us down like a lion! What anxiety do you need to tell the Father about right now in prayer?

prayer

(Adoration) Father I praise you that love knows no bounds. I love how you see the good in me when I can't see it myself! (Confession) Lord I confess I often try to fix my problems myself until I'm so angry. Help me to turn to you first. Teach me to simply ask for your help from everything to finding my keys to dealing with my boss! (Thanksgiving) I thank you for my friend ... today! I thank you for giving me parents that taught me .... (Supplication) Lord remind me to pray every time I'm in need. Teach me dependence on you. Father give me peace that rules my heart today!