4.2.25 Luke 6:20-22
Prepare
Lord Jesus, we come to you in prayer. Our Friend. Our Brother. Our Saviour. Be with us now we pray.
Read
Luke 6:20-22
20 Looking at his disciples, he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
Reflect
Welcome to the topsy-turvy Kingdom of God! It’s a place where the dead live, the blind see, and the foolish know the truth. What then for the poor, the hungry, the weeping and those rejected because of their faith in Jesus? They are blessed! What the heck is this? Try saying that on Songs of Praise, I don’t think it would get much airtime. Our God is a God of redemption. Only this week was I chatting to someone who could talk about a time of real darkness and pain, yet God has been able to bring amazing good out of it. It’s not that God sends us difficulty, it’s that he can work for our good despite it.
Note also how Jesus says the blessing of the Kingdom of God is in the present. Yours is the kingdom of God. But there is a promise that the hunger and the weeping, will be satisfied, and will laugh. We are living in a time before God finishes His story – faith is trusting that He will make good on these promises of comfort and freedom from pain.
Be
Let’s take some time to mourn the challenges that we face in this world. Until Christ returns we will face times of difficulty – to be a Christian is not to pretend everything is ok, nor deny the pain, but to know that Christ is with us despite the pain.
Become
Let’s pray for the world now. For the poor (in material or in spirit), the hungry (in material or spirit), for the weeping, for the persecuted church.
Do
Pray for God to point you toward someone you could support. In weeping, or in the encouragement of God’s promises.
Practice
Reason for weeping? Reminders of hope.