For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalms 30:5
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our International Ministry Centers to write our Friday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Have you ever noticed that dawns are almost always brilliant? That is, of course, because there is such a stark contrast with the darkness of the night.
On a practical and personal application, the same is true for us. Great mornings often seem to follow rough nights; great victories usually are preceded by persistence and struggles, and great achievements are often the result of hard and tenacious work.
Biblically you will find that whenever the people of God are proclaiming a great victory, it has usually been because they have repented of some past transgressions and spent some time weeping before God and asking for His guidance.
A rough road has taught them that trusting the Lord is more than wishful thinking or assuming God must always do what they demand of Him. Eventually, they will find out that when they come before their God with repentant and believing hearts, He will respond in a spectacular and overwhelming way.
In other words, if God said He would do something for His people, He will follow through.
Now writing a Daily Devotion for people who live a third of a world away from Ethiopia is an interesting prospect. I do not know your life, your hopes, your desires, or your sorrows. On the other hand, I do know that people -- no matter where they might live -- often go through dark tunnels. That is true in North America as well as it is in Africa.
If dark times are your current condition, then please do not doubt the intent and desire of the Lord.
Our loving God allows these difficult times to arrive not because He has some fiendish desire to watch you suffer. No, hardship happens because He wants to mold and remake you into someone who can do His work and glorify His Son, your Savior.
He knows, even as when we're being honest, we know that soft and easy times will not accomplish His purposes. It is in the dark room where the Lord can develop you in the image of Christ. After enduring dark and difficult times, He will give you the ability to stand in the light and proclaim His Son.
All of this is this devotion's way of saying by the Holy Spirit's encouraging, hang on to your Savior and, in the long run, you will find God has blessed where you were as well as where He is taking you.
THE PRAYER: Lord, give me that little push to pray more, to endure more, and to be able to walk that extra mile, so my Savior might be glorified and my neighbor benefited. This I ask in the Savior's Name. Amen.
Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Haleluya Demessie. She comes from the Lutheran Hour Ministries office in Ethiopia, She has served LHM ministries for over 15 years. She started with us as a secretary cashier and became an administrative assistant. Academically, Demessie graduated from Unity University with a B.A. degree in management and her masters degree in leadership from Vision International University.
Lutheran Hour Ministries-Ethiopia was established in 1996 in the capital of Addis Ababa. In this country of more than 94 million people, LHM-Ethiopia shares the Gospel through evangelism rallies, which draw thousands of people of all religious backgrounds. There they can receive the Gospel via film, music and drama. This ministry center also uses Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) and Equipping the Saints (ETS) workshops, working in partnership with area congregations to organize these training events.
You can read about LHM-Ethiopia's recent ETS workshop in Debre Berhan, a city founded in the mid-15th century. You can click here to read its blog.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhm.org/international.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: 1 Kings 14-15 Acts 12
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