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Focused Prayer

1 Min Read

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church, (Acts 12:5, Holy Bible, New King James).

    My ophthalmologist directed my attention to his left ear a few seconds before he shined a blinding light into my face. I wanted to close my eyes, but he insisted that my focus remain steadfast even though I couldn’t see. The directional angle allowed him to examine specific portions of my eye. While Peter was unjustly imprisoned, the local church could have been blinded by the impossibility of circumstances. After offering a single prayer for a hopeless situation, they could have closed their eyes and moved to the next prayer need. Instead, the church focused its attention on Peter. God heard their continual prayer and dispatched an angel to release Peter from the jail. Focused prayer became a miracle.
    Prayer: Lord, help me to focus on the individual needs of those around me. Let my prayers united with others touch You for a miracle. Amen.
    Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
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Nothing New

1 Min Read

Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.” (Ecclesiastes 1:10, Holy Bible, King James Version)

    New Year’s celebrations are over. Holiday decorations are gone. On this 18th day of January, New Year’s resolutions are broken as minutes tick toward December 31 to welcome 2013. A wise man speaks from ancient Scripture with a reminder that none of this is new. Each current event embodies something from the past blended with the present before it becomes history. A mix of old and new brings hope from words Jesus spoke centuries ago. “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). His promises are for today, next week, next month, next year and beyond. His promises are old, new and eternal.
    Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your promises that bring hope. Amen.
    Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
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Looking for the King

1 Min Read

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him,” (Matthew 2:10, Holy Bible, New King James).

    An old saying, one can only find something when one is looking for it is the best way to describe the wise men’s daring adventure. They had consistently studied the heavens for signs of a promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. When His star appeared in the skies, these wise men left comforts of home and journeyed to a distant land. Nothing deterred them from their purpose to present treasured gifts to the child Jesus. How far are you willing to go to find Jesus?

      Prayer: Jesus, I have no treasure to give but myself. Here I am, Lord. Amen.
      Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
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Recognizing the Savior

1 Min Read

“For there is born to you this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger,” (Luke 2:11-12, Holy Bible, New King James).

    Shepherds keeping their flocks safe in the night received an unexpected visit from an angel who announced the arrival of Jesus. After being serenaded by a host of heavenly beings, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem (verse 16) where they “found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.” The long-awaited Messiah had arrived! Shepherds recognized the Savior the angel described. They knew they had come to the right place.

        Prayer : Welcome Lord Jesus. I recognize You as my Savior. I’ve made room for You in my heart.
        Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
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Rejection and Reception

1 Min Read

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn, (Luke 2:7, Holy Bible, King James Version).

    How we carol with passion the words of Away in a Manger and scatter clean hay in a mock nativity with little thought of how unhealthy, how cold, maybe even how dangerous, it was for Mary to give birth in those conditions. I’ve been rejected at hotel check-in far from home and heard that my room had been given to someone with a similar name or learned that the room wasn’t inhabitable. I’ve pushed for the hotel to find me a room nearby. Not Joseph and Mary. After the long journey from Nazareth, they lodged with the animals, grateful for a resting place. There in the least expected setting, Jesus was born.
    Prayer : Lord Jesus, I won’t reject You. I’ve made room for You in my heart. Amen.
    Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
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The Destination

1 Min Read

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting, (Micah 5:2, Holy Bible, New King James).

    My favorite Old Testament characters, ancestors of Jesus associated with Bethlehem, are woven through time. From weeping to rejoicing, Jacob buried Rachel, his beloved wife, there. Ruth, a foreigner from Moab, married Boaz. Samuel anointed David to be King of Israel. When Joseph of the New Testament journeyed there with Mary, his betrothed wife, for the required census, the greatest celebration of all occurred. Tiny Bethlehem, you made your mark when You became the birthplace of Jesus, the Savior of the world.
    Prayer : Eternal God, You spoke of Bethlehem’s importance from ancient days. Immanuel—God with us—at the birth of Jesus linked the past to a new world with a future. Amen.
    Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
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The Journey of Promise

1 Min Read

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child, (Luke 2:4-5, Holy Bible, New Living Translation).

    Joseph, a descendant of David, had to travel from Nazareth, Galilee to Bethlehem, Judah to be counted in the census decreed by Caesar Augustus. The journey, estimated to between seventy and ninety miles (up to 140 kilometers) through rough terrain, had to be a major challenge for Mary, his espoused wife, heavy with child. I tried to visualize Mary on a donkey, a familiar Christmas-card scene. I can’t imagine her walking that distance either. No matter how she made that journey, it had to be uncomfortable if not down-right agonizing. She did not question the journey knowing that life would not be a smooth road, but understanding that each step led toward a promise.
    Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to enjoy the journey You have outlined for me.
    Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
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Choosing a Name

1 Min Read

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, Holy Bible, New King James).

    Baby name selection is one of the first things young parents think of—maybe long before a baby is expected. Prefer Victorian for your baby girl? Maybe you’re searching for unusual names for identical twin boys that evoke courage and strength. Perhaps you want to include grandparent names. Mary had none of these options. An angel announced the name of her Holy-Spirit conceived child to Joseph. Jesus, a name above all names, selected in heaven, received on earth, etched into eternity. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12, Holy Bible, New King James).
    Prayer : Lord Jesus, Your name continues to bring salvation to a needy world. Amen.
    Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
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The Expectation of Hope

2 Mins Read
    Some would think me fortunate to have drawn the Christmas week for devotionals. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. Everything that could be said about that first Christmas—the day Jesus was born in Bethlehem—has been told, retold and debated for two millenniums. Christians devoted to this blessed event along with skeptics who view the same crèche admit the main characters are always Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus surrounded by animals. An angel heralds the event to shepherds working in the fields who make their way to find the Christ child. Certainly not a great opening scene by today’s book-publishing expectations. But this is not the beginning of a story. It’s the focus of the prophet Isaiah, the culmination of the angelic annunciation to Mary that a child conceived of the Holy Spirit would bring eternal life to all. It is the unchangeable story of Christmas.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace,” (Isaiah 9:6, Holy Bible, King James).

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, many babies have been born since the beginning of time, but you are the only one who brought the expectation of hope to all humanity. Amen.
    Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
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