DATE POSTED: Saturday, December 30, 2023, and I was blessed to be at Kyle, Texas when God inspired me to prepare this devotional. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE New Living Translation (NLT) IS FOUND IN Hebrews 5:7-8

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: I believe that it is always best to follow in someone’s example who we fully trust, and who proved successful in what they did. We may tend to overlook a close example of Jesus on the subject of prayer, because we may feel like we are offering our prayers to He and the Father every time we pray anyway. If you are leaning to agree with me in that last statement, then please allow me to suggest that we look to Him for direction in this important communication tool with He and the Father. In parenting we may have learned that children do a whole lot better with what we show them, rather than what we tell them to do. Knowing that the Bible is God’s inspired Word to those who penned its words, I found it extremely interesting to see that God wanted us to know that Jesus was not exempt from some of the same things that we struggle with, and may have questioned about the holy Son of God. Here are a few points that I feel like God particularly caught my attention on:
*~* Respect for the Father (God) – Jesus prayed to ‘the One who rescued Him from death’. Some commentators believe this meant premature death. But in acknowledging that His Father protected Him from death, shows that He knew that His Father was the only One who could do that. Jesus respected God’s authority, power, wisdom and love to save Him from any harm that mere man could conjure up against Him. Notice that nothing was said about Jesus resorting to dependence on God – after trying every other possible solution. Isn’t that what we most frequently do? Knowing that His Father was all-powerful, Jesus humbled Himself to ‘pleading’; ‘loud cries’; and ‘tears’. If Jesus was touched by the Father in such a way, do we have any right demanding things of God, as if we’re in charge? Perhaps we should reimagine who God is in 2024, recognizing that we are but a particle of dust, compared to His majesty and awesome power. Let’s make it a point to pray to God with the kind of respect Jesus showed, every time we approach His throne.
*~* Reverence for God – ‘God heard Jesus’ prayers because of His deep reverence for God’. What do you think? Will God answer your prayer because of He recognizes and acknowledges your reverence and respect for the Creator of heaven and earth; for the Healer who not only cured unimaginable diseases, but He also restored sight to the blind, made the lame to walk again, and even raised the dead back to life? Can you honestly acknowledge that God is not just there for your convenience – to call on in your time of need, but that you KNOW that He wants an intimate relationship with you at all times?
*~* Obedience as a result of suffering – ‘Even though Jesus was God’s Son, He learned obedience from all that He suffered’. In 1 Peter 3:18 we are told that Christ suffered, not because He sinned, but because of the sins of sinners. In our focal verses today we are told that Jesus learned obedience from His suffering. Won’t it be awesome if we could look at our suffering as a learning tool, rather than cursing God for ignoring our cry for mercy? In a Bible study I took part in many years ago, we were encouraged to look outside of our personal circumstances and try to see what God is doing, then join Him in His work. In principle, that is an awesome and admirable piece of advice, but I believe everyone will agree that it’s never easy trying to rejoice while living out circumstances that seem to drown us in pity, depression, hopelessness and despair. I truly believe that way too often we try to pull ‘God’ out of a deep box where we throw unimportant things (to us) that are placed there in case we ever need them. Friends, if we are to imitate Jesus, then we would call on the God who opens our eyes each morning; through the Holy Spirit, guides us through His Word, then to open communication with Him on a regular basis through prayer, so that we may better deal with our daily circumstances. When we trust wholeheartedly in God, we are reminded each day that His love never changes for us, even when we face unfortunate circumstances. His love is unconditional, and He displayed that on the cross when He accepted public disgrace, embarrassment and death, because He knew that it was all necessary for our eternal destiny with He and the Father. Dear friends, that same love is still very much in place during every circumstance of life today. Experiencing this daily, helps us to deal with even the most challenging circumstances, and helps us realize that God is indeed still with us at all times.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Oh dear Lord, please continue to work in the hearts of Your children to develop relationships with You, and not just think of You in urgent times of need. Thanks also for the reminder that since Jesus suffered, we also may suffer, and that we should look for the learning opportunities in that suffering, instead of assuming that You turned Your head to our needs. Thankfully, You set the example for us in recognizing the importance of prayer, and the qualities to insure our dependence on, and trust in, You. Please continue to be merciful and patient with us Lord, we know that we need Jesus more than anything, but we still allow the world to influence us too much. As we trust in You, we can better share the importance of knowing You with others. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. For my podcast, go online to Apple Podcasts or, using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Friends, please allow me to encourage you to find a church home nearby your home and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!