This week I’m participating in a Week of Prayer and Fasting at Suburban Church. Suburban joins other area churches that select a week in the month of January to pray and fast before the Lord. This year Suburban’s theme is “Looking to Jesus”. For this week I will share devotional thoughts gleaned from the scripture passages and prayer times our Elders and other prayer leaders will share.

READ: James 1:17; Deuteronomy 32:1-4

Celebrate! Today marks the end of Suburban’s Week of Prayer and Fasting. For me personally the week was good, but not in an earth-shaking way. I think what I most see in this week is the faithfulness of God as he continues his work in me, in Suburban, in our community, and in our world. He brought me to repentance in this week, but in a way that highlights that repentance and the ongoing work of transforming me into the image of His Son is a sweet and normative thing. I don’t need to run from this in fear, rather I can embrace it, scorning the momentary shame and receiving the joy of this work in my life.

Today’s devotional by Vern McDonald is the perfect end to this week. God is immutable. There is no shadow of changing in him. The scripture that really spoke to me is from Deuteronomy 32:1-4. In this scripture a deeply loved leader stands before his people aware that change is coming. Moses’ time of leading the people was very nearly over. Moses’ knew it and the people knew it too. And guess what? So did God! And on this day recorded in scripture Moses stood before the people and declared “I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” Deut. 32:3&4. Over 3,000 years have passed, but today Steve and any other of the Lord’s Pastors could stand before the people of God and proclaim exactly the same thing. God has not changed!

The scriptural record reveals a God whose heart is to be in relationship with man. Over the years of time God has clearly and powerfully worked through his Word; through his Son’s life, death and resurrection; and through varied and many anointed leaders to communicate his deep, deep passion for us! Certainly in our time and our place he will continue to do this very thing. I started the Week of Prayer and Fasting eager to see God’s work in Suburban and anticipating what that will be in our next season. It seems impossible, but I end this week even more excited and ready for what is next! God is at work, just as he always has been. Greater things are yet to come and we all get to be a part of those greater things!

Cheryl Black wrote at the end of the booklet encouraging us to praise God! What a fitting way to the end this week and to live out every single day of our life! Praise Him! Praise Him! He is a good, good Father and he desires relationship with every individual one of us and every beautiful group of us!

Lord, Truly You are the Rock! You are faithful, never changing, ever loving us. You’ve revealed yourself to us and called us to hear your voice. You’ve given us your Word and promised that it will not return to you empty, but will achieve that for which you’ve sent it. Lord, I praise You for your consistent, merciful love. I praise You that you are a merciful, loving and just God. I depend upon this!