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Sarah — God’s Time or Mine?

In the Word

(Sarah’s Story: Genesis 17:15–21)

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” … God said, “ … Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac” (Genesis 17: 17, 19a).

Of the Word

Have you ever prayed long and hard for something you believed was good and right for you? How long did you pray? A week? A month? A year?

Can you imagine praying for decades? When Abraham and Sarah were young, they prayed for a child. God answered, “Wait.” They waited. They prayed. Years passed, and — humanly speaking — Sarah’s child-bearing years were over.

But finally it was time for God’s “Yes!” In His time — not Abraham’s, not Sarah’s — God gave them the son they had longed for.

Sarah’s story is much like women’s stories today. Ups and downs; joys and frustrations. God asked Sarah and He also asks us, “Is anything too hard for Me?” A faithful heart knows that God is all powerful. A faithful heart asks to be able to wait for His timing and His answers.

Walking with my Lord

Dear Lord, I am sometimes impatient, frustrated, and fearful. Forgive me and fill me with Your love, Your power, Your strength. Give me faith to trust Your timing for my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Daughters of the King. Marcia Gomulka and Myrna Lou Meyer, authors. 3/34 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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A Sweet Tooth Craving

In the Word

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103).

Of the Word

Cravings — we hear of all sorts of unusual cravings pregnant women experience. Mixing ice cream and pickles or chicken and jelly are some of the more unique ones. Me? I developed a sweet tooth during my pregnancy.

I know I’m not alone when it comes to having a sweet tooth. The prophet Ezekiel and the apostle John each had one. They fed their sweet tooth with something more unusual than pickles and ice cream. God commanded them to eat scrolls! (See Ezekiel 3:1–3, Revelation 10:8–10.) The bizarre thing — aside from actually eating the scrolls — was they tasted like honey to them.

Perhaps just as bizarre is the fact that God would like us to do the same thing! Not by ripping pages from our Bibles and eating them, but by craving the sweet, nourishing message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A craving for ice cream or chocolate can’t be satisfied with celery just as a craving for God’s Word isn’t satisfied by any other means. But unlike the other sweet tooth cravings, this is one indulgence we can afford to splurge on day after day.

Walking with my Lord

Thank You, God, for the sweet message of salvation found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mustard Seed: Love, Laughter, and Lullabies. DCE Amanda Stacy, author. 3/30 ©2013 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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It's a Revelation

In the Word

"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him" (Matthew 2:2).

Of the Word

Epiphany, meaning revelation, begins on January 6. It celebrates the revelation of the Son of God to the Gentiles, reminding us that Jesus came to bring forgiveness to everyone, to make the world right with Himself.

Epiphany continues today as God reveals Himself to us through the words of Scripture and strengthens our faith through the power of His Sacraments. The Holy Spirit works in us, increasing our faith and understanding of the plan and purpose of God for our lives. Responding to His love, we share it with others in both words and deeds.

As God's Epiphany work continues in us, we become God's revelation to others of what it means to follow Him. Our Spirit-inspired words and actions have the power to draw others to ask, as the Magi did, "Where is this Jesus? We, too, want to come and worship Him."

Walking with my Lord

Lord Jesus, send Your Holy Spirit into my heart so Your life may be revealed in me. Amen.

Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 32/32 Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011, revised 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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The Face of God

In the Word

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him (Matthew 2:11a).

Of the Word

The Magi, intelligent and educated men, put aside their own understanding to follow a star in the East. When they came to the place where the Child was, they knelt before Him, worshiped Him, and poured out their treasures at His feet. The learned men, by looking to the wisdom of God, recognized the face of God in Jesus Christ.

The Bible shows us the face of God in Jesus when we approach His Word. We come with humility, putting aside our own visions of Him and discovering what He truly does look like. We come with gratitude, love, and praise because God has given us the Good News of salvation in Christ Jesus. Finally, we come with willingness to allow God to lead us where He would have us go, confident that He is always drawing us closer to Himself.

Today, wise men (and women) are those who look for the Lord not by the light of their own understanding, but by the light of His Word.

Walking with my Lord

Lord Jesus, show Your face to me that I may see and believe. Amen.

Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 31/32 Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011, revised 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Where to Look?

In the Word

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Of the Word

Seeing the star in the East, the Magi knew a king had been born. They headed to the land of Judea, arriving at the most obvious location for such an event — the capital city, Jerusalem. To their surprise, no king had been born to the royal family living in Herod's grand palace.

The Magi are not the only ones who have looked for Jesus Christ in the wrong place. Even today, some people seek Him in secret knowledge and in personal experience, in fleeting feelings and in the forces of nature. Humanly speaking, those are reasonable places to look! But those are not the places God has promised to be found.

Referring to the prophet Micah, the chief priests told the Magi that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. The travelers left Jerusalem and found the One they were looking for. Today, Scripture provides the same reliable guidance to all who come to it asking, "Where is the Messiah? Where can I find Him, that I may go worship Him?" He has promised to be found within the pages of the Bible, God's own true words which reveal his Son to us.

Walking with my Lord

Lead me to Your manger, Lord, so I may worship and adore You in truth and love. Amen.

Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 30/32 Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011, revised 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Remember!

In the Word

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old (Psalm 77:11).

Of the Word

A miraculous birth … God becomes man … a star in the East … a chorus of angels from heaven. What wondrous things happened in Bethlehem so many centuries ago! Yet not everyone saw those amazing things, and not everyone believed. Some saw but went about their business as usual. Others never saw because they had no interest in looking.

Miracles today may not seem like the ones the shepherds or the Magi witnessed, but miracles still surround us. We celebrate the love of almighty God for powerless men, women, and children every Christmas. We rely on His forgiveness, mercy, and compassion every day. Despite the troubles and terrors of the world, God's church continues to grow. The Holy Spirit still inspires people to selflessly and generously serve others. At Christmas, we believe. We believe because He has given us the priceless gift of being willing to look.

Remember the miracles of long ago, and rejoice in the miracles God continues to work in our lives and in the world around us. Rejoice as we celebrate His love.

Walking with my Lord

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, so I may see You and all Your marvelous works. Amen.

Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 29/32 Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011, revised 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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A Taste of Christmas

In the Word

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! (Psalm 34:8a).

Of the Word

Christmas is surely a season of the senses. We see the lights and the evergreens, and we hear the strains of carols almost every place we go. We reach out to hug our loved ones, and from the kitchen come familiar aromas, meaning we'll soon get to taste our favorite holiday treats. 

Jesus knows what it's like to see, hear, touch, breathe, and taste because He did those things Himself. He saw suffering people, He heard their cries for help, and He reached out and healed them. He invited His disciples to taste the bread and the wine in remembrance of Him. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus breathed on them, and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Today, Jesus invites us to use our senses to know Him through Word and Sacrament. We listen as His Word is spoken, and we bring to our lips His body and blood. As our prayers lift up as a sweet fragrance to Him, we see, physically and spiritually, His love at work in our lives. The Lord of all invites us to come and taste, see, hear, and touch the real meaning of Christmas.

Walking with my Lord

Lord Jesus, grant that I may know You more deeply. Amen.

Mustard Seed: The Joy of Christmas. 28/32 Author: Patricia Mitchell. ©2011, revised 2024 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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