Week 1

 Monday, February 18^th

Reading: Genesis 1:26-31


Reflection:
You are a created being, born out of chaos and void and lovingly crafted not only as a human being, but as an individual. Try to comprehend the vastness of the mind which holds every speck of dust and every individual who ever has or ever will live. Contemplate the greatness of God, and your insignificance/significance. You are both a tiny blip in a vast universe, and something that was lovingly crafted like a work of art. Who is God? Who are you? What do you feel in relation to God?

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: Lord, help me to understand who you are so that I can better understand who I am to you. Teach me to know you and your ways, and to hear the sound of your voice calling me beloved child. You created all that is with great attention to detail. Give me perspective to understand your plans for me, and to learn to humbly walk beside you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Tuesday February 19^th

Reading: Genesis 1:26-31

Reflection:

You were created in God's image, and gifted with responsibilities to care for this world and utilize its gifts in order to live and thrive. Think about the birds of the air and their roles—do you suppose they worry about where their next meal will come from, or that they trust that it will come? Do they even reflect on their mortality at all? The life of a bird can be snuffed out in an instant, and yet its life is not without purpose. How much greater, then, is your purpose? How much greater should your trust be?

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: God, you created all things with the intention of them growing and thriving to success. Give me faith to know that you are with me, and that you have a purpose for me. Show me that, as one lovingly created, you want me also to thrive and grow. Although sin and human brokenness sometimes get in the way of those good things, help me to feel your hand in my life. In Christ's name. Amen.

Wednesday, February 20^th

Reading: Mark 4:35-41

Reflection:

Have you ever felt like Jesus is asleep, not caring that you are perishing? Does it feel like sometimes unexpected things keep happening and that you will drown if you aren't rescued? Jesus' disciples were afraid for their lives, and Jesus was sleeping. Yet when he woke up, he spoke to them as if they should have known that he was protecting them despite the storm. Can you feel Christ despite the storm raging around you? Have you ever not come through the storm?

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: Heavenly Lord, you are never asleep. You are never unaware of the storms in my life, but sometimes it feels that way. Teach me when to ask for help and when to ask for trust. Help me to remember that with you, the story never ends with the storm. In Christ's name. Amen.

Thursday, February 21^st

Reading: Mark 4:35-41

Reflection:

Jesus is God, and as such has power to enact changes we can hardly imagine. He transformed water into wine, and made a feast for thousands out of a lunch for a small boy, and his words even calmed a storm. If Christ can do that, what else do you think he can do? Our minds are small and our imagination weak compared to the things God can accomplish. Even the storm obeys God. What else does God have dominion over?

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: My God, you are powerful beyond my wildest imagination. The things you can accomplish are as limitless as the universe. Help me to remember this power in the midst of the storm, knowing that you can and will and do calm all the difficulties in my life. Show me that even when it seems like the storm has victory temporarily, you are ultimately victorious over all sin and death.

Friday, February 22^nd

Reading: Luke 18:35-43

Reflection:

You probably don't have to think very hard to remember a time when you felt abandoned and alone the way this blind man near Jericho felt. He was rejected by his family and friends, because his ailment was considered to be a curse from God in those days. When Jesus went by, his disciples rebuked him but he became more determined. Do you think the man felt absolute certainty that Jesus could heal him? Or do you think perhaps he was desperate enough to try anything? Could it be that Jesus is where we reach not when we are certain in our faith, but when we are desperate?

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer:

Lord, you come to me when I am most in need, and when my meager plea for help comes not from faith but from fear. Help me to accept that I am human and my fear is not a lack of faith, but an expression of hope. Remind me that when I am most afraid and desperate are the times when you are filling me with the hope and strength to call out. Please reveal yourself when I cry to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Saturday, February 23^rd

Reading: Luke 18:35-43

Reflection:

Jesus meets a blind beggar on the road who asks for restoration—something which we would think would be completely impossible, and yet the beggar was bold enough to ask. What do you not ask for fear of hearing an answer you don't like? What might be given to you if you were bold enough to ask? Maybe our imaginations are too small. We can't limit God's power, but maybe we limit what we think God's power is. What do you think might change if we could imagine a future like the one God has imagined for us?

Take time to reflect, meditate, or pray in silence.

Prayer: God, teach me how to ask bold questions with a scope of imagination far wider than what I have now! Give me eyes to see the way the blind beggar saw hope for a different future. In Jesus' name. Amen.