The
Gospel reading in my devotions for Tuesday, November 23, was from Matthew
15:21-29, in which we hear about Jesus healing the daughter of a Canaanite woman
in the area of Tyre and Sidon, northwest of the nation of Judea. Jesus’ act of power and mercy for the woman’s
daughter did not come without some puzzling conversation, words which may shock
us today. But, in the end Jesus praises
the woman, and gives her good news. "Woman,
you have great faith! Your request is granted." As this account closes we are told the result of
Jesus’ words, “And her daughter was healed from
that very hour.” (Matthew 15:29) The devotional thought which followed this reading
came from Martin Luther, who encouraged other children of God to have faith
like this woman, to contend with God in prayer, to trust and act on our Lord’s
promises. That is an important
reminder. I personally seek to act in
such faith.
But,
the point that touched me personally was that Jesus reached out to help a
child, a little girl who was not even Jewish.
I began thinking of all the acts of healing and mercy which Jesus
performed for children during His time on earth. Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from death (Mark
5:21-24, 35-42). Jesus spoke words of
instruction and acted with healing mercy for the son of the man whom Jesus encountered
after His Transfiguration (Mark 9:14-29).
Jesus healed the son of the royal official in Capernaum (John 4:46-54)
He raised the dead son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17). And we are told in Matthew, Mark, and Luke
how Jesus highlighted God’s love for children. While scolding His own disciples, Jesus taught
them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 18:1-11, Matthew 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16,
Luke 18:15-17) In an age of history when children did not have the
priority nor the rights which they do in our culture, Jesus showed that our
Lord has amazing love and concern for all the vulnerable, especially for children.
Then I looked at
my own prayer list and started counting the children for whom I pray. Some of those I pray for are young
children. But, others are the grown
children of church members, or children of friends who have asked me to pray
for their beloved. I counted that I pray
for over 30 children, and that number does not even count my daily prayers for
my own 4 children and 6 grandchildren. So,
I am praying for around 40 children on a regular basis.
It is not a
surprise that we love our own offspring.
It is not a surprise that we care about the vulnerable and the hurting,
and that we desire that God acts with His love and His mercy in their
lives. What is comforting to me, and
even gives me peace, is that our Heavenly Father declared through His own Son,
Jesus, that He has a special love and concern for the children of this world. In
fact, we should not be surprised at God’s love for children. Our Lord Himself chose to enter this world to
save us, as a child, as an infant. “4 But
when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under
law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of
sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." (Galatians 4:4-6)
This week we
enter the holiday season, a time during which our society gives special
attention to our children. In a healthy
family parents and grandparents love their children and care for them. But, there are times that even loving parents
experience weakness and helplessness as they care for those they love. What a blessing that in His wisdom and power,
God does love the children of the world.
What a blessing that the Lord loves our
children. What a blessing that we can go
in prayer to the one who declares, "Let the little children
come to me, and do not hinder
them, for the kingdom of God
belongs to such as these.”
A Child of God, Thankful
for God’s Special Love for Children - ALL Children,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Maintaining a home – Our place in Florida
suffered roof damage and interior water damage, which we discovered in
September. Since being in Florida, I
have spent much time trying to deal
with these issues. Some of this
attention has taken away from other pursuits such as fishing, or golfing, or
time with family and friends. However, I
hope that we are making some headway in these efforts.
P.P.S. Nevertheless, I did go fishing on Thursday,
November 18, with my brother-in-law, Mark Reaves. We saw more gators than we caught fish, but
it was a beautiful day on the water. Here
are a few pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/NYgMEPfUGv2z3Gfa8
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired at
the end of August 2019 from serving as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran
Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a weekly devotion previously
entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor." When I retired
many asked me to continue writing these devotions. So I have continued
writing. However, with life's changes I now call this weekly devotion "Journeys
Through Life as a Child of God." Since I am no longer senior
pastor at St. John, I felt it right to only send this message to those who asked
to receive it. (Though I am now serving again part-time at St. John as assistant
to the pastor.)
So, if you stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you
understand. And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish
to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my
distribution list. My e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our
Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father,
Son, Grandfather
Pastor Emeritus,
St. John Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
cell phone -
907-841-4066
Home phone -
907-746-5131
