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Read Genesis 18:1-15. When we hear Sarah’s story here, we must remember what she has gone through. Unable to bear children, she would have been the subject of scorn and derision in her community. The assumption would not have been a medical or anatomical issue, but some sort of sin she must have committed against God. If she did not bear children, she would have had no rightful place in her husband’s household should he die before her. It’s no wonder she laughs when she hears the promise that she will bear a child.

When have you waited so long for something to happen that you doubt it could ever come to be? When have you doubted the possibility of something happening?

Think of something you pray for desperately but find it hard to believe it ever will come to pass. Offer it to God in prayer and hear the visitor’s question: “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?”

Read Psalm 116. In verse 7 we read, “Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” Many of us thrive on worry and stress. We may be anxious about any number of things: our health, our family, our relationships, our work, our finances, and the list goes on and on. When we encounter someone who seems calm, peaceful, and positive, we may believe them to be naïve or willfully blind to reality. Yet the psalmist understands that, because the Lord is gracious, righteous, and merciful, our souls can rest easily even as we acknowledge our worries and fears. Peace can be found even in the middle of the storm. Even when we are “greatly afflicted” (vs. 10), we can walk in the land of the living (vs. 9).

What worries or anxieties are currently making it difficult for your soul to find its rest? What practices help you find your center in God’s peace, especially during trying times?

Today, make a breath prayer. Sit quietly with your eyes closed, breathing deeply and steadily for a few moments. Once you have become focused on your breath, on each inhale, say (out loud or in your head), “Return.” On each exhale, say, “to your rest.” Repeat until you feel calm.

Read Romans 5:1-8. In Wesleyan theology, justification is one of three forms of grace. Prevenient grace is the Holy Spirit at work in a person’s soul, inviting them into relationship, inspiring a longing for God’s mercy even if the person is unaware of the movement of God in their life. Justifying grace is a gift from God that comes when we decide to actively trust in Jesus and receive God’s pardon and acceptance. Finally, sanctifying grace is the process of growing to be more like Christ, who showed us what perfect love toward God and neighbor looks like.

Wesley called it, “The Way of Salvation.” Different from many plans or processes in life, a person can’t check one box and move on to the next stage of grace. Often, we move back and forth between them, sometimes backsliding into a lack of awareness of or trust in God. At other times, we may find we are moving towards sanctification and having a much easier time imitating Christ in our life.

Where do you find yourself at this point in your life? Can you think of a concrete moment when you placed your trust in Jesus, or did it happen over a period of time? What practices help when you find yourself backsliding? What would it look like to be more Christlike in the way you love God and neighbor?

In prayer, ask God for the endurance to continue pursuing a hope-filled life.

Read Matthew 9:35-10:8. In this story, Jesus sends his disciples, authorizing them to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and to cast out demons. Interestingly, we also get a glimpse of how Jesus understands his mission and ministry up to this point. “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Later, in Matthew 15, a Canaanite woman, who would not have been Jewish, asks Jesus to heal her daughter. He explains that he has only come for the ’lost sheep of the house of Israel’. And yet, she argues, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table. Jesus is convinced and heals the daughter. This seems to be the turning point in Matthew’s gospel in terms of who Jesus welcomes, heals, and feeds. If even Jesus can change his mind about something, what does this tell us about our own certainties?

Have you ever changed your mind about a long-held belief? Who or what caused that shift? Are there any beliefs you were raised with that might conflict with your values now?

Today, offer a prayer of confession for those long-held beliefs that might lead to exclusion or a failure to offer grace to someone you might view as an outsider.