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Hope Springs Forth
Throughout the year, we have continued to celebrate the 90th anniversary of The Upper Room daily Read More
Frederick W. Schmidt | Read Mark 13:1-8
Anxiety can be driven by unrest and violence, the loss of old certainties and the rise of new ones, accelerating change and the dis-ease that seems to arise spontaneously when times are good. Anxiety can be a product of social, political, and historical forces. It can be a function of...
Gracious God, free me from the need for a sign. Instill in me a faith that needs one thing—you—and a sense of hope that rests on a confidence in your love and mercy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The inability to have a child brings pain to many today, and this was equally true in ancient times. In that context it was sometimes even worse, for Peninnah openly ridicules Hannah for being unable to conceive. But as a result of Hannah’s desperate, heartfelt prayer, God blesses her with a son, Samuel, who will become a powerful prophet. Hannah then rejoices in a God who exalts the poor and needy. Hannah provides an example of the boldness with which we also can approach God now because of Christ’s sacrifice. The destruction of Jerusalem is the focus of the passage in Mark. Jesus here predicts the demolition of the Temple and the city, which the Romans executed in 70 c.e.
Read 1 Samuel 1:4-20. How do you persist in prayer when your prayer seems unanswered for a long time?
Read 1 Samuel 2:1-10. How do you express your joy and thanks when God answers your prayer?
Read Hebrews 10:11-25. What helps you to persevere in the practice of your faith?
Read Mark 13:1-8. What signs make you anxious about the future? What helps you to hold on to hope?
Respond by posting a prayer.
