Showers of Blessing - Resurrection Power
But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works You do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:2-5).
Heavenly Father, Lord our God, many are the wonders You have done, the things You planned for us. None can compare with You; were I to speak and tell of Your deeds, they would be too many to declare (Psalm 40:5). You perform wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted (Job 9:10).
You accredited Your Holy Son, Jesus by miracles, wonders and signs, which You did through Him (Acts 2:22). Yet calloused hearts persisted in unbelief, ever hearing, but never understanding... ever seeing, but never perceiving (Isaiah 6:9; Matthew 13:14).
And for a while, even His own brothers did not believe in Him (John 7:5). But that changed after the resurrection, when the apostles and followers of Jesus all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers (Acts 1:14).
Father, it is easy to miss the obvious—as the earthly brothers of our Lord Jesus did. You are so far beyond our limited thoughts and horizons—totally outside our expectations or prescribed methods. You show up in unanticipated and unfathomable ways with Your gifts, Your favors, and Your showers of blessing. Help us not to miss them because they do not fit our predetermined ideas of who You are and how You work.
Help us not to miss You in the ordinary and the everyday. Help us not to overlook the remarkable in the familiar. Give us godly wisdom and discernment, and keep us from the doubt and cynicism that would have us disregard or spurn Your presence and Your activity in our midst. Guard our hearts from dullness, ingratitude and callous unbelief.
Thank You, Lord, that You are good and You are merciful. You continue to confront mocking minds with the power of Your resurrection. You continue to transform calloused hearts into believing hearts. You continue to turn lives around and use them for Your kingdom as You did with the apostle Paul, the earthly family of Jesus, and the brothers and sisters of faith through the centuries and today.
Eventually James, the brother of our Lord became one of the early church leaders and is believed to have written the epistle of that name. And Jude, who begins his book with the greeting, Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James (Jude 1), is also believed to be another sibling.
And the same...mighty strength [that] raised Christ from the dead still reigns in power in our lives (Ephesians 1:19-20). We pray that through this power, You touch the dead hearts among us and bring them to life. We pray that You draw the hopeless and despairing into the hope, the riches, and the glorious inheritance that come by belief (Ephesians 1:18).
In You only is hope for our world.
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