Daily Devotion: Wish

Read: John 12:20-21

Reflection Questions: What wishes do you have—for your faith, for your relationship with God, for your relationship with yourself?

Prayer: Gracious God, there is much that I wish for. I wish for longer Sabbath days, for starry nights, for peace in my bones, for love in this city. However, above all else, I wish to see you. I wish for a closer relationship with you, O God. So scoop me up. Hear this wish. Hear this prayer. For I am like the Greeks who said, “We wish to see Jesus.” Amen.

—Prayer by Rev. Sarah Are | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org

Poem: Peaceful Protest

Written By: Rev. Sarah Are

I wonder if Jesus could feel his heartbeat
In his throat, the way I do when I’m afraid.
I wonder if he had to take deep breaths,
In through his nose, out through his mouth,
Tricking his body into a state of calm.
I wonder if he was nauseous, like I am
When I’m headed into a hard conversation.
I wonder if he had to summon his courage,
Tucking fear away so that he could hold onto
What mattered most with both hands.

I wonder, because time has taught us
That it is not uncommon
For a peaceful protest
To start or end
With an unjust death.

So I wonder,
Did he know?
Was he afraid?
Did anyone see it?

I want to hold what matters most with both hands.