WATCH TODAY’S EPISODE ON YOUTUBE.
CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
THE WORD OF THE LORD
Acts 20:7–12 NIV
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
CONSIDER THIS . . .
During the Asbury Outpouring in February 2023, I found myself, along with many trained brothers and sisters, praying for anyone and everyone who wanted prayer in Hughes Auditorium. During a break, I began to walk toward McKenna Chapel, where I would join a team to prepare to pray for others during the overflow gatherings happening there that evening. The quad outside of the chapel was strangely quiet; it was like the thousands of people flooding the campus had left this area open for something else to happen.
As I sat for a breather on a bench, a family of five walked toward me from the parking lot. It was just us in the quad as far as I could tell, other than the inspiring John Wesley statue. The young girl with them, in her teens, had severe physical challenges and was quite distressed. As they came near, the grandparents expectantly asked me, “Would you pray for her to be at peace?” I immediately thought: What happens if I pray for her to be at peace, and she isn’t? Does that mean my prayers are not effective? This could be embarrassing, and I want to help.
I prayed for her, as we all did, and after about ten minutes, she began to calm down. I later realized that the pressure of the moment was part of the teaching. I heard the Lord say, “Sometimes I put you in situations you can’t escape; you either trust me to move, or it falls flat. It’s not about you; it’s about me and someone I love. All I ask is that you be willing to take your best shot and trust me to lead.”
In Acts 20:7–12, Paul is in an awkward position, even for a risk-taker like him. He is preaching. Too long. Luke is happy to say that Paul talked “on and on,” as if to clarify that it was Paul who put the young Eutychus to sleep. I know many teenagers who can’t handle a little late-night preaching! We know the story. Eutychus falls from a third-floor window and dies.
I imagine the crowd looking at Paul as if to say, “You’re talking about miracles. Is there one to be had here?” Paul has a choice. He can mourn with everyone and encourage them in their grief, saying things like, “God had a plan for Eutychus, and we’ll just need to trust that plan.” Or Paul can practice what he preaches.
Sometimes it takes a little pressure to make a match ignite.
Faith (and, I believe, some clear discernment) fills Paul’s heart, and he throws himself on the dead boy. The boy wakes up, and everyone rejoices.
I’m grateful for moments when God has to show up or the situation will go south. Those moments put me in a place where the Spirit can use the pressure to strike the fire of faith in my heart.
Maybe today God will allow a little pressure in the system to help you step across the threshold of believing you can do the works that Jesus wants to do through you.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I won’t say no to situations in which I must trust you or everything will fall apart. Show me where that is happening in my life right now and help me obey. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
JOURNAL PROMPTS
Take a few moments to write about how much effort you put into avoiding difficult situations compared to how much effort you put into embracing difficulty as an opportunity for God to show up. Then, offer what you’ve written to God so he can take you to a new place of trust.
ACTIVATION
Today, see difficult situations as opportunities to stop and pray. Don’t worry about being embarrassed. Trust God to show up in the way he wants to in the situation. Believe him for hard things that show off who he is, rather than who you are.
SING
Today, we will sing “Freedom Reigns,” which cannot be found in our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise.
For the Awakening,
Dan Wilt
Dan Wilt is an author, communicator, pastor, and practitioner. With roots in the Vineyard stream of churches, Dan has served the development of followers of Jesus internationally and is part of the Seedbed Farm Team.