Daily Devotional for April 12

 

April 12                                                           Luke 4:38-44

                      Request

                          So much depended on the
            Very shape of that pile of dry sticks.
      His hands trembled as he sparked the tinder
            And watched the fire grow and swallow
                           Each new piece of wood.
    His agile body, small for twelve years, brown
                              And shined with oil,
      Rocked, and his chant wound loud and louder,
                            Asking for his sister.
              Asking what she could not even know.
Then, the answer. Tiny drops, then a soaking rain.
   Rain that took the fire into smoke, carried it
                           Upward with the prayer.
                   Somewhere within him the chant
    Became a joyful, shouting clamor and his feet
                                 Led him to dance.
                 "Thank you, Great One. Thank you."
 Miles away, near other waning embers, his sister
                        Stirred in feverish sleep.
         And made the noise of one whose soul has
                  Decided to rejoin her after all.

Dear Creator,
This business of faith is difficult. It grows too slowly and
steadily. It makes me know not only that anything is possi-
ble, but that many things are probable. It defies my efforts to
explain to friends how it is that I believe. I am grateful for
it, and yet I hardly know how to describe my certainty to those
who ask. There is no question in my heart that I have found
a way to connect with you and that you walk beside me in
everything. Please, let me believe in you always, as you have
always believed in me. Thank you.

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From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.198