Daily Devotional

August 16th, 2023
by Laurel Dhillon

Matthew 20:27–28 - “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (NKJV)

I’ve been made very aware recently of how our expectations can come into conflict with our ability to trust the Lord when plans go awry. Even the best of plans, with the best of intentions, can get pushed off track and suddenly we can feel taken advantage of or abandoned if we don’t set our minds on trusting Jesus.

I’m not talking about something that is in direct opposition to scripture. But I do think the scripture above can pertain to plans and our inability to control them. We make our plans, and work out ALL the details, thinking because of that everything will turn out great. But when those plans change or someone changes them, it’s so hard to become the servant rather than the master. It takes a lot of trust in God to believe that He has a plan and is working that plan out through someone else! Especially when our plan was so well thought out and seemed so good.

God drew my attention as I watched this practically working out in a friend of mine. I was aware of how prayer prefaced her transformation and conformation to the will of God. I saw her submit to His plan; becoming His servant with a willing heart to trust Him. I wanted to jump in and try to fix everything; but, I needed to stay out of it, sit back, pray, and watch God do it. The circumstances didn’t change but I saw how prayer dissipated anger, how seeking God’s understanding brought humility, and how surrendering to His will brought peace.

Jesus went to the Father three times saying, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” He prayed, sought God’s strength and understanding, and finally surrendered to His will. The ultimate Master became the servant.

My grandkids will laugh when I tell them of the children's musicals of "Psalty," the big blue singing songbook, and Charity Churchmouse from that same era. But one of the songs Charity sang runs through my mind as I ponder this passage. Maybe the saying, "Humble as a churchmouse" rings true when we put ourselves in this posture and allow God to guide our lives as the Master.

Make Me A Servant
Kelly Willard

Make me a servant
Humble and meek
Lord let me lift up
Those who are weak
And may the prayer of my heart always be
Make me a servant
Make me a servant
Make me a servant
Today

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Posted in Daily Devotionals