January 23

Morning

You once spoke in a vision; to Your godly ones You said, “I have bestowed help on a warrior; I have exalted one chosen from the people. — Ps 89:19 BSB

Why was Christ chosen from among the people? Let your heart speak, for heart-thoughts are the best. Wasn’t it so He could be our brother, tied to us through the bond of shared humanity? Oh, what a relationship exists between Christ and the believer! The believer can say, “I have a Brother in heaven. I may be poor, but my Brother is rich, and He is a King. Will He let me suffer while He sits on His throne? No! He loves me; He is my Brother!” Hold onto this precious thought like a necklace of diamonds, keeping it close to your memory. Wear it like a golden ring on the finger of recollection. Use it like the King’s seal, stamping your prayers with confidence, knowing they’ll be answered. He is a Brother born for adversity—treat Him as such.

Christ was also chosen from among the people so He could understand our struggles and sympathize with us. “He was tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin.” In all our sorrows, He sympathizes with us. Temptation, pain, disappointment, weakness, tiredness, poverty—He knows them all, for He has experienced them all. Remember this, Christian, and let it bring you comfort. No matter how hard or painful your path, it’s marked with the footsteps of your Savior. Even when you pass through the valley of the shadow of death or the deep waters of life’s trials, you will find His footprints there! In every place we go, He has already been. Every burden we carry has once been laid on the shoulders of Immanuel.

“His way was much rougher and darker than mine;
Did Christ, my Lord, suffer—and shall I complain?”

Take courage! Royal feet have left a blood-red trail on the road and made the thorny path holy forever!

Evening

Take me away with you—let us hurry! May the king bring me to his chambers. We will rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. It is only right that they adore you. — Song 1:4 BSB

Jesus will never let His people forget His love. Even if all the love we’ve experienced fades from memory, He will show us fresh love. He says, “Have you forgotten My cross? I’ll remind you—at My table, I’ll reveal Myself to you again. Do you forget what I’ve done for you in eternity’s council? I’ll bring it to mind, for you will need counsel, and you’ll find Me ready to help.” Just as a mother would remind her child who’s far away of her love, so Jesus lovingly reminds us.

He says to us, “Remember Me,” and we respond, “We will remember Your love!” We will remember the long history of Your unmatched love. It’s as ancient as the glory You shared with the Father before the world began. We remember, O Jesus, Your eternal love when You became our guarantee and chose us as Your bride. We remember the love that led You to sacrifice Yourself—the love that longed for the moment when You would say, “Here I come!” We remember Your love, O Jesus, shown in Your holy life, from the manger to Gethsemane. We follow You from cradle to grave, for every word and deed was love. And we rejoice in Your love, which death could not exhaust. We remember Your love that shone brightly in Your resurrection. And we celebrate the unstoppable love that won’t rest until all Your chosen are safely home, until Zion is glorified, and the New Jerusalem is settled on its everlasting foundations of light and love in heaven!