March 27

Morning

But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled. — Matt 26:56 BSB

He never abandoned them, but they, in cowardly fear for their lives, fled from Him at the very start of His suffering. This is a powerful reminder of the weakness in all believers—if left to themselves. At best, we are like sheep who scatter when the wolf appears. Although they were warned of the danger and had promised to die rather than leave their Master, they panicked and fled in fear.

It may be that this morning, I have prepared myself to face a trial for the Lord’s sake, and I feel certain I will remain faithful. But I must be careful and examine my heart, lest I, too, fall away like the apostles. It’s one thing to make a promise, and quite another to follow through. It would have been to their eternal honor to have stood by Jesus with courage; instead, they fled from honor. May I be kept from following in their footsteps!

Where could they have been safer than by their Master’s side, who could summon twelve legions of angels in an instant? They ran from their true place of safety. O God, do not let me be so foolish. Your grace can turn a coward into someone brave. The smoking wick can burst into a flame on Your altar, when You will it. These same apostles, timid as hares, became bold as lions once the Spirit descended upon them; and the Holy Spirit can make my trembling heart brave enough to confess my Lord and testify to His truth.

What sorrow must have filled the Savior as He watched His friends fail Him! This was one bitter part of His suffering, but He endured it. Let me not add to that sorrow. If I abandon my Lord, I will crucify Him afresh and publicly disgrace Him. O blessed Spirit, keep me from such a shameful end.

Evening

“Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” — Matt 15:27 BSB

This woman found comfort in her misery by thinking great thoughts of Christ. The Master had spoken of the children’s bread. She reasoned, “Since You are the Lord of the table of grace, I know You are a generous host, and there will be plenty of bread on Your table; so much, in fact, that there will be crumbs left over for the dogs, and the children won’t suffer because the dogs are fed.” She believed He set such a rich table that what she needed was only a crumb in comparison. Even though her request was for the devil to be cast out of her daughter—a great need to her—she believed it was nothing for Christ to fulfill. To Him, it was just a crumb.

This is the royal path to comfort. Dwelling on the greatness of our sin alone will drive us to despair, but dwelling on the greatness of Christ will guide us to peace. “My sins are many, but it’s nothing to Jesus to take them all away. The weight of my guilt crushes me like a giant’s foot would crush a worm, but it is no more than a speck of dust to Him, because He has already borne its curse on the cruel cross. It’s a small thing for Him to grant me complete forgiveness, though it will be an infinite blessing for me to receive it.”

This woman opened her heart wide, expecting great things from Jesus, and He filled it with His love.

Dear reader, do the same. She admitted what Christ said about her, but she held fast to Him, drawing even from His difficult words an argument to cling to. She believed great things about Him, and by doing so, she overcame Him. Her story is one of prevailing faith, and if we want to conquer like her, we must follow her example.