Tuesday Devotion and Prayer – May 2, 2023
By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div. Tuesday Devotion …
Author: Etta Mhoon-Walker
Monday Devotion and Prayer – May 1, 2023
By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div. Monday Devotion and Prayer. …
Sunday Devotion and Prayer – April 30, 2023
By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div.
Sunday Devotion and Prayer. April 30, 2023
“The Grace We Need to Sustain Suffering”
“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (James 4:6).
Because of that humility, we can rejoice in knowing God has promised to give grace to the humble. Some of us have been called to a greater measure of suffering than others, and instead of allowing the trial to embitter us or cause us to be anxious, we can be thankful that we will be recipients of God’s great sustaining grace in a greater measure.
To receive sustaining grace, we must remember to come to God humbly as we learn to lean upon Him for strength and trust that He is using suffering for a purpose. Pain and suffering are not something any of us look forward to, but while we live here in this fallen and broken world, it is inevitable. It is so easy to get caught up in the storms of our life and lose sight of the hope available to us through Jesus Christ.
The Lord works in our trials to bring us closer and conform us to His image. The Apostle Paul calls this “the fellowship of His suffering” (Philippians 3:10). Not only do our trials bring us closer to Christ, but they also remind us heaven is our true home and that one day, our suffering will cease.
Suffering may not disappear in this life, but the good news is Jesus walks through it with us, promising to empower us with His grace. Amid the pain, the temptation is to fix our focus on the battle we face and attempt to figure out how to escape or fix it. The Lord is calling us to run to Him in our weakness. Let us run to Him and fall at His feet in humility, knowing that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
Heavenly Father,
I know Your grace is sufficient and that You are my ever-present help in times of need, but sometimes my actions do not reflect these truths. It’s much easier for me to complain about my stressful, painful, and difficult circumstances or try to fix or change what seems to be causing me to feel overwhelmed. I need to come to You and ask for grace when I have reached my limit, or I feel like I am being crushed under the weight of my suffering.
You are faithful to provide all I need because You are a gracious Father who cares deeply for Your children. I come to You as Your child today, boldly asking for Your sustaining and powerful grace to carry me through each challenging moment. You are faithful in every season, even if this season of suffering doesn’t have an expiration date on this side of eternity. Thank You for reminding me to come to You first. I pray, today, for Your sustaining grace. In Your son Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Saturday Devotion and Prayer – April 29, 2023
By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div. Saturday Devotion and Prayer. April 29, 2023 …
Thursday Devotion and Prayer – April 27, 2023
By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div.
Thursday Devotion and Prayer. April 27, 2023
“Leaning into God’s Equipping”
“Walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7
It is always disheartening to feel as though I have reached a significant point in my journey only to ask, “Now what, Lord?” God has put a desire in my heart to work for Him which I cannot calm. I wrestle and fight, clawing for direction or insight. God tells me to listen, watch, do the next thing, and wait. He reminds me not to worry about the future, but to wait on Him.
Obediently, I try my best to research, learn, write, pursue, listen, follow …and wait. I choose to trust Who is leading me, even when it feels like walking with blinders on, and I can’t see the results of my efforts. God gave me the desire, but it is up to me to put the work in. A work He promised to equip me for!
The road can be long and precarious, and often we don’t know the destination …but God does. He will equip us when we don’t feel capable or worthy of His calling on our lives. Our job is to do the work He has assigned us and wait for Him to clear the way. I am learning to take each day as it comes, trusting Him to lead and guide my steps. I plant my roots in His ways and His truth. I am overwhelmed with all the roads I could veer off onto, but He quietly reassures me He will guide me. He gently tells me He will help my voice reach who it is intended for. It may not be the masses; it may be one. It may be tomorrow; it may be years down the road. We read in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
God did not call us to something big only to leave us hanging. He is not reliant on our human ability to pick the right road. He works within us. It is our job to rely on Him instead of ourselves. Even when the road ahead of us is full of fog, we can keep our eyes on Jesus to keep going. We can trust Him with each day, task, and notion to do things for Him.
Heavenly Father,
You have placed a desire and calling on my life. I have heard Your voice and know the direction You want me to go. However, I am overcome by discouragement. I can’t see the road ahead and need Your strength to keep moving forward. I need Your sight, Lord, and Your leading. Forgive me, Lord, for taking hold of things that do not belong to me. Forgive me for striving in my power to try and manifest things that were never intended for me.
Help me to see clearly what You have for me. I surrender my calling to You and place it in Your capable hands. Reveal and inspire me with Your Holy Spirit. I trust You to equip me for all You want me to do. You did not call me to do Your will because of my ability but because of my willingness. Take my worry and strife and turn it into glory-filled work. Give me discernment when I start to go down the wrong path.
I rebuke the enemy and the distractions that he is placing in my path. I pray for strength against laziness or complacency. I come against the lies that enslave me, telling me I am not good enough, I don’t have what it takes, or that I will never get to where I want to go. I stand firmly on the truth and promise that You are with and will never leave me. I surrendered all my heart’s desires and ask You to lead every moment of every day. Thank You, Jesus, for Your everlasting love, and the many treasures You have stored up for me. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). In Your son Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.
Wednesday Devotion and Prayer – April 26, 2023
By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div. Wednesday Devotion and Prayer. April 26, 2023 …
Tuesday Devotion and Prayer – April 25, 2023
By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div. Tuesday Devotion and Prayer. April 25, 2023 …
Monday Devotion and Prayer – April 24, 2023
By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div.
Monday Devotion and Prayer. April 24, 2024
“God’s Faithfulness and Our Value”“Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” – Matthew 10:31
Instead of dwelling on what we needed, but do not have, we should become fixated on the faithfulness of God. I wonder, in what ways have you experienced God’s provision? Have you ever received a timely note of encouragement at just the right moment? Perhaps you had a surprise expense that was covered by an anonymous donor. Or maybe you didn’t know where your next meal would come from when someone showed up at your door with a well-timed casserole. We all have experienced these perfectly timed miracles that remind us of God’s presence and care. But when we’re in the middle of a fiery trial it can be hard to recall God’s faithfulness. More often it’s easier to worry over the unknown.
This is precisely why Jesus instructed us to look at the flowers and birds of the fields (Matthew 6:26-28). He knew we would need daily reminders of how God regularly cares for every need of His creation. More specifically, flowers and birds are major components of God’s creative design to maintain growth on Earth. The nectar of flowers draws in pollinating insects that buzz around causing crops and other life-giving plants to reproduce. Birds help by spreading seeds that will grow and produce more plants. And while the birds never technically sow or reap anything, their existence alone is aiding in the growing process. A process that benefits God’s children by providing food and clothes.
God says to us, look at these things. Let’s look up from our troubles and see how God sustains and provides for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. Let’s look at how He keeps them alive and know that we are of much more value than these things. Today, when worry nibbles at our hearts causing us to fear how our needs will be met, let’s look at the birds and the flowers. God cares for the littlest, seemingly insignificant things we pass over millions of times a day and uses them as reminders of how He provides for His children. We are valuable to Him and can be sure He will take care of our every need by recalling His faithfulness right now and in the past (Matthew 10:31).
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your creation! Thank you for the daily reminders of how you created and continuously sustain and care for all you have made. Lord, forgive us for so easily forgetting all the ways you have been faithful to meet our needs in the past. Lord, as we think about our current situation, would you bring to our minds all the ways you have shown up and cared for us in the past?
Lord, would you allow these memories to increase our faith? Would you bring to mind promises from your Word that speaks to what you’re doing in our hearts through this struggle? Lord, let us live in a manner worthy of your calling on our lives (Colossians 1:10). Help us traverse the struggles of life with praise on our lips, confidently clinging to the hope we have in Christ. Bring others to remind us when we forget, Lord. And let us be reminders to those around us of your faithfulness. In Your son Jesus’s name, I pray, Amen.
Sunday Devotion and Prayer – April 23, 2023
By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div. Sunday Devotion and Prayer. April 23, 2023 …
