Ordinary Time

Pause

There is nothing that you, with God’s help, cannot do.

The things you cannot do alone, you were never intended to.

Just know…

That whatever challenge faces you,

God will be there to help you through.

Listen

That evening, at sunset, people brought to Jesus those who were sick or demon-possessed. The whole town gathered near the door. He healed many who were sick with all kinds of diseases, and he threw out many demons. But he didn’t let the demons speak, because they recognized him.

Mark 1:32-34

Think

Imagine the crowd. The whole town was there. They were coming with crutches, being pulled, dragged, or carried along, and some perhaps were brought on stretchers. They were brought by friends who had heard about or had seen Jesus healing people or delivering them from demon-possession. They wanted their friends to also be healed. Some may have watched them suffer a long time and wanted to help but could not. Now the chance had come. Now the person had come, a man called Jesus. They brought their friends to Jesus.

Jesus did not disappoint. He healed those “who were sick with all kinds of diseases, and he threw out many demons.”

As we come to know and experience Jesus for ourselves, we will want our loved ones to know and experience him also. Intercession is one of the ways we can do this. It is the bringing of friends and their concerns before God, whether in person or in prayer, so they can know God’s love and experience God’s power for themselves.

Kathy Culmer

Pray

Help me, O God, to remember to come to you in prayer not only to bring my own concerns but also to bring the concerns of others, especially those who do not know you for themselves. Thank you for all those who have, with their actions and their prayers, loved me enough to intercede on my behalf and bring my concerns to you. Amen.

Go

When we trust God, we do not have to face life’s challenges alone.

It is through our weakness, the things we cannot do on our own,

That God’s strength is made known.