“He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Devotion based on Luke 1:53-55

I have some friends who, financially, are not doing well. Recently, their phones were shut off, their car was repossessed, and very soon they might lose their home. Many in our friend group have reached out to help—purchasing groceries, giving rides, and helping pay some of their bills. But they are hurting. It’s difficult to see them go through all of this but I can’t even begin to imagine how scared they feel.

You may never have been in such dire financial straits, but you know what it is like to be in want. What is it that you’re hurting for that you can’t seem to find? Maybe you’ve been looking for a spouse, someone to spend and share your life with. Maybe you have been longing for God to give you direction and guidance about the next steps in life you should take. Perhaps you’re physically aching and there is nothing you would love more than for God to heal that pain and restore you like you were when you were young. Maybe there is that guilt for decisions you made in the past and you are hungering for God to forgive you. Maybe you find yourself crying out to God for help.

Whenever a baby is hungry, they fuss and scream and their mother knows what those cries mean and is ready to step in and soothe them. But what made this baby born of Mary so different was that he came to tend to humanity’s cries and fill us with such good things. Jesus brings us peace with God, forgiveness for our sins, and the promise of life with God in eternity!

Whatever is causing you to cry out, take those concerns to the Lord. I pray that he brings peace to your heart. But realize that God already has taken care of our greatest need—the need for forgiveness—by sending us his Son, our Savior!

Prayer: