Saturday, March 28, 2026

Opening Scripture

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, you are holy and exalted! May your kingdom come and your will be done in my life, home, and community, just as it is in Heaven. Help me to trust you today to meet all of my needs. Help me to forgive others, just as you have forgiven me. Help me to resist temptation and overcome the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

John 16:16-33

Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”

“A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Reflection  

In today’s passage, Jesus shifts from instructing the disciples about the Spirit’s future work among them, especially in the face of persecution, to their more immediate experiences later in the week.

In a matter of hours, Jesus would be put to death and buried, so they would not see Him for a time. However, three days later, He would rise from the dead and appear to them during the forty-day period between His resurrection and ascension.

The disciples were understandably confused by Jesus’ words. Even when Jesus explained things more clearly – without figures of speech – they professed to understand, but obviously did not.

Jesus’ explanation about them being hated and persecuted because they were His disciples is powerfully illustrated by the fact that their loss would be viewed as the world’s gain. “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.”

Jesus had just told them that the Holy Spirit would convict the world “about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” And yet, at Jesus’ crucifixion, Satan and the forces of darkness briefly assumed some sort of victory. Those who opposed Jesus rejoiced, while those who were devoted to Jesus wept.

Satan is not all-knowing. His weapons of evil are effective, but limited. The prince of darkness was deluded by his pride and inability to comprehend God’s ultimate plan. He may have believed he had achieved a triumph when Jesus died, not realizing it was, in fact, the execution of his own demise.

The disciples would grieve for a time, but after Jesus’ resurrection and the Spirit’s interpretation of events, their grief would turn to joy! However, their prayer life was about to change.

The disciples had been asking Jesus everything, but after His ascension, they would need to ask the Father everything “in Jesus’ name.” That means, based on their intimate relationship with the Lord, they would come humbly before God on Jesus’ authority and in alignment with His plan and purpose. “In Jesus’ name” assumes the posture of “not my will, but Thine be done.”

Jesus’ final declaration in today’s passage is a profound summation of everything He had been saying. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Flourishing Habit

Intentional Discipleship

How do you pray? How do you talk to God?

Prayer is as much an attitude as an activity. Prayer involves sharing your heart with God and listening as He shares His heart with you. Prayer establishes us in the presence of God with a posture of humility and dependence. Your Heavenly Father already knows everything you’re thinking, feeling, and wondering about, but you need to talk with Him about it continually.

Recognize God’s all-knowing transcendence. “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139 selected).

Worship God’s majesty and holiness. “I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty’” (Isaiah 6:1-5).

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

Confess your sin; repent of your failure; receive God’s forgiveness. “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 321-5).

Express your gratitude and appreciation to God. “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100).

Claim the Spirit’s intercession. “The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. We don’t even know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself expresses our hearts to God with groans that words cannot express… in harmony with God’s will” (Romans 8:26-27).

Share your concerns, petitions, and intercessions with God. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

Expect God’s loving response and revelation. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).

Rest secure in God’s perfect provision. “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you” (Psalm 33:20-22).

Here’s a “model prayer” to start your day.

Dear God, so far today I’ve done pretty well. I haven’t gossiped. I haven’t lied. I haven’t lost my temper. I haven’t been greedy or selfish. I haven’t been proud or conceited. I haven’t lusted or had any bad thoughts. And I’m very thankful for all that. But in a minute, I’m going to get out of bed, and from then on, I’m going to need a lot of help. Amen.

We can do more than pray after we’ve prayed, but we can’t do more than pray until we’ve prayed!

On Monday, we’ll examine how Jesus prayed to the Father.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!