Daily Devotion – May 8, 2020 – Erin Bjerke
Galatians 6:9
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.
Each month at Cross+Walk Sunday School, we have a different fun theme and a different theme verse. This May, our theme is “Unstuck: Don’t Give Up.” The theme verse is Galatians 6:9. This is certainly a timely theme, because I think it’s safe to say that we all feel “stuck” right now: stuck inside our homes, maybe stuck with reduced work hours or unemployment, stuck with roles we never thought we’d have, like “homeschool teacher,” stuck with way too much to do or with not enough to do, or some weird combination of both. I think it took me longer than most for the cabin fever to set in, but it’s definitely setting in now. I don’t know about you, but the surface-level encouragement of “don’t give up” isn’t going to cut it for me right now. That’s why, this month at Cross+Walk, we hope to dig a little deeper than that.
In our Cross+Walk video on Sunday, May 10, we talk about God’s gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, as told in Acts 2. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told the disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations,” but he also said that before they do that, they should wait in Jerusalem for the gift that God would give them to help them with their mission. That’s where the Pentecost story opens. The disciples are all gathered in one place, waiting for God’s gift. Suddenly, there’s a powerful wind and tongues of fire appear above their heads! The Holy Spirit had entered them. Then they went out and talked about Jesus to the “nations” that had gathered in Jerusalem for the festival. God gave the disciples exactly what they needed to start their mission.
If we’re comparing our current situation to this story, most of us are definitely still in the waiting phase. No wonder we feel stuck! There isn’t a lot we can do right now, except pray and wait for what’s next. And since God is infinitely more patient than we are, it’s easy to get frustrated and hard to trust that God is at work right now. It’s okay to feel stuck. It’s okay to feel sad, or bored, or helpless right now. Or if you’re feeling the opposite—if you’re happy to stay home—that’s okay, too.
Prayer: Lord God, we feel stuck. We need your help to not grow weary. Help us to trust you to deliver us from this pandemic and to bring good things out of it. Amen.
