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“And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.” (Luke 22:8-13)

If you look at verse 8 above, you see that Jesus asked Peter and John to go prepare a place where they could celebrate the Passover feast. This was the last meal Jesus would share with his twelve disciples, and it needed to be very special. He did not want a crowded place, but somewhere perfect for the occasion. On top of that, it was the day of the feast itself! Have you ever gone out to eat on an Easter Sunday or on Thanksgiving Day, only to find all the restaurant lobbies filled with people waiting to be seated?

Peter and John were entrusted with the task of finding a very special place on very short notice. If you had been in their shoes (their sandals?) you might have left immediately, all worried about having to find this special place. Instead of panicking or leaning on their own wisdom, these men actually took the time to ask Jesus what He desired. In the end, their choice was probably a great blessing to them! If they had hurried away without asking for some direction, they may have wandered the city for a long time and still not found that perfect place that had already been prepared ahead of time.

In the same way, when we have a task to accomplish, no matter how small it seems or how able we feel, we always need to seek the Lord and ask Him for directions. He does not visibly stand before us these days, like He did with Peter and John, but he is with you and will guide you if your heart’s desire is to do what He would have you do. As we see in verses 9-13, Jesus knows what He is doing. He knows all things, and He is the most wise and most able. He has plans that include you, too. Take the time to ask Him for specific directions. Do not lean on your own wisdom and strength; lean on the One Who is most wise and able to help you. Like that room God provided for the disciples’ Passover feast, you will find that God’s guidance always leads to the best thing.

God is the best Guide when we need direction.

My Response:
» When I need direction, is my first response to go to God, or do I rely on other people and things for guidance?
» How can I show that I trust God’s wisdom and strength more than my own?

“O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 136:26)

Do you know what it means to be loyal? Stella’s grandpa kept a white pony named Ginger on his farm. Whenever Stella visited Grandpa, she loved to ride Ginger around the pasture. Sometimes Stella would sit on the fence for an hour at a time talking to Ginger. When she would have to leave Ginger and go back home to the city, the pony stayed in her thoughts. Stella often drew pictures of Ginger or wrote about her in stories.

Now the truth is, Ginger was a very stubborn pony, and she was even a little bit mean at times. But if anyone ever said anything bad about her, Stella always stood up for her. She thought of Ginger as her horse. When Grandpa finally had to sell Ginger away to another farm, Stella went out to the empty pasture and found some long white hairs from her tail stuck in the fence. For years afterward, she kept that horsehair in a special little box. Her love for Ginger was loyal.

Did Ginger deserve to be loved like that? No, probably not. And neither do we. But God’s love for His people is just as loyal as that–in fact, it is even more loyal than any human love could be, because God is God. When you read the Old Testament, you can see God showing loyal love to His people, the Israelites, over and over again. He faithfully led them. He defended them against their enemies. He shared the deep thoughts and plans of His heart with them. He revealed Himself to them with wonderful miracles. He did not overlook their sin. When they broke their covenants with Him and went after idols, He always punished them. But even the punishments were signs of His loyalty. He never gave up on His people. He never “let them go.” He always drew them back. When they humbled themselves and sought Him, He mercifully restored them again to a right relationship with Him. And best of all, He sent them a Redeemer–His own dear Son, Jesus Christ.

The Hebrew word for God’s loyal love is hesed. You will often see this word in our English translations as lovingkindness or mercy. God acts the same toward His redeemed people today as He did toward His people Israel in the Old Testament days. He will never give up on His people, nor will He ever give up a good work that He has begun. He loves us with a loyal, steadfast love.

God’s love for His people is loyal and steadfast.

My Response:
» Am I loyal in my love for God?
» How can I demonstrate (show) loyalty like God’s in my relationships with my friends and family members?

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

God used Mandy’s friend Crystal to teach her the meaning of this verse. Mandy was talking to Crystal on the phone one day, and she told Crystal a lie. Mandy lied because she cared more about pleasing Crystal than about pleasing God, and because she wanted to make herself look better than she was. As soon as the lie was out of her mouth, Mandy was shocked and sorry. But she did not tell Crystal she had lied. “What would she think of me if she knew?” Mandy thought. “She might not want to be my friend anymore. I’ll just confess my sin to God. That will be enough.”

But for a few days after that, Mandy was still miserable. She could not stop thinking about the lie. Finally, she wrote Crystal a note. She told Crystal about the lie and asked her to forgive her.

When Crystal got Mandy’s note, she went out of her way to come and find her. Mandy was so ashamed to face her that she began to cry. She felt that she did not deserve to have Crystal’s friendship anymore.

Mandy will never forget what Crystal did next. She put her arm around Mandy and told her she had forgiven her. Then she reached out and wiped away one of Mandy’s tears as it fell.

Have you sinned against God? Are you ashamed and sorry? Maybe it is a sin that you have committed many times before. Maybe you feel like you just cannot face God and ask His forgiveness yet again. What must He think of you?

When we come to God with a mournful, brokenhearted spirit about our sin, God’s response to us is just like Crystal’s to Mandy–and even more wonderful, because He is God. The Bible tells us that He will never turn away a broken and a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). He will forgive us–every time we come. The blood of Jesus keeps on cleansing us from every sin (1 John 1:9). And someday, when we see God face to face, He will wipe away our tears forevermore (Revelation 21:4). That is how gracious He is.

God comforts and forgives those who are truly sorry for their sin.

My Response:
» When I sin against God, do I feel sorry and ashamed?
» Has my own attitude toward Jesus ever been rebellious?
» What do I do about my sin?

“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (Psalm 110:1)

This verse talks about God speaking to Jesus. God tells Jesus to sit and He will make His enemies a “footstool” for Him. What is a footstool? It is a thing designed to help you prop up your feet. A footstool is not a fancy piece of furniture, and it is not very costly. It gets knocked around and used a lot, because it makes people more comfortable when they are sitting down. To sit down is one thing. To sit down and prop up your feet — well, that means you are really settling in and getting comfortable! You are planning to stay there a while, and that is your place.

A footstool is great to have close by you when you sit. But why does God use a word picture of a “footstool” to describe His enemies? When you think of enemies, you really probably do not think of wanting them sticking around nearby. You do not think of enemies being nice, useful, or comfortable. Usually, they are under your skin–not under your feet! Enemies cause problems, whether they are real people or spiritual struggles. They try to mess up your plans and hurt you emotionally and physically. Why would anyone want to keep an enemy close by?

God said He would make Jesus’ enemies a “footstool” because of the idea of a footstool being low and common and completely at the service of the person using it. A footstool has no importance of its own. It is useful only if someone props his feet up on it. Basically, the image of God turning enemies into footstools is the idea of God completely conquering and humbling them, dominating them, squashing them down.

It is clear from God’s Word that Jesus has been given all authority and power. He is in control. Sometimes, we see artwork that shows a weak-looking “Jesus,” or pictures of Jesus in very humble circumstances. The truth about Jesus is that He did humble Himself, and He is a great example of humility. He submitted to His earthly parents. He washed His own disciples’ feet. He let His enemies crucify Him. And yet, He truly is the only One Who did not have to be humbled, which is why His example is so amazing to us sinful human beings. Jesus has always been, and always will be, the only One truly worthy of worship. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. The reality is that we are all in His power, and every knee will bow to Him.

Jesus has all authority and power over His enemies.

My Response:
» Do I have enemies?
» Has my own attitude toward Jesus ever been rebellious?
» Do I praise God for being the great God He is?

“For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity (sin) hid from mine eyes.” (Jeremiah 16:17)

Rayna’s father never allowed her to “sass” her mother. One day, Rayna got very upset and told her mother to “shut up.” What Rayna did not realize was that her dad had been standing in the next room and heard every word she had said.

When Rayna heard her dad ask her mom, “Where is she?” she ran into the bedroom, shut the door, moved a dresser in front of the door, and hid under the bed! She was confident her dad would never be able to find her. Calming down, she thought to herself that he probably could not even get into her bedroom. She lay under the bed as quiet as a mouse.

Rayna’s “safety strategy” lasted for only a few seconds. She heard the door open and saw her dad’s feet standing by the bed. He bent down, looked under the bed, and sternly told her to come out from under it. She stood before him and did not know what to say. Her father did not get upset very often, but the look on his face made it clear that he was very disappointed with her and her behavior. He talked to her about how important it is to honor her mother at all times. Rayna had to apologize to her mom, and she was forgiven, but she will always remember how her hiding spot did not work.

When you do something wrong and know your actions are not pleasing to anyone around you, are you ever tempted to think you can “get away with it”? Do you think no one sees you? There is Someone who sees everything, everywhere, all the time. There is Someone who knows how you are feeling, what you are thinking, and what you are doing this very moment. There is Someone who knows what you will be doing for the rest of your life! There is Someone who cares how you act. There is Someone who loves you more than you will ever know. You have guessed by now Who this “Someone” is. It is God. He is all-seeing and all-knowing.

Just like Rayna’s father knew exactly where she was trying to hide, the Heavenly Father knows where you are at all times. You could never hide from Him.

Nobody can hide from God because He sees everything.

My Response:
» Am I ever tempted to behave as though no one can find out what I am thinking or doing?
» Have I ever tried to hide from God?
» Why would I really want to hide from God?