2022 Advent Devotion: There is Power in LOVE
Posted in: Stories
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8, NIV
When I think of God’s love expressed in my life, I go all the way back to the day I was born and lived in Accra, Ghana. Raised by a single mom, I became severely ill after I was a few months old, and my mom had to go to work, so she had the money to care for me. The complexity of my sickness was such that it left me in constant pain, which caused me to whimper all the time. As I look back on this time in my life, I whimpered and cried so others would see that I existed and needed help. The problem with my crying was it was more than usual for an infant.
Upon hearing of my situation, my grandmother decided to take charge to find a way to alleviate my sickness when the hospitals had exhausted their ways of trying to heal me. Through her interventions, God saw me healed, and I see this as a miracle from God when He showed our family His love for us by helping me get better. I see it as a miracle, and these forty-plus years later, I am alive to talk about it.
As time went on, when I was seven years old, I found myself in a difficult situation which, in the end, showed me how much God loves me and my family. My mom was a registered nurse and the only breadwinner to bring in money for us to live, but she became sick. She could barely make it out of bed, so at seven years old, I became her caregiver. I helped her to the bathroom, cooked our meals, cleaned our home, and did the laundry with my feeble bare hands.
God saw our dire life and performed another miracle, and my mom became completely healed from her sickness. I learned a lot during that time of trusting God for a good outcome; this was one of those milestone times that taught me about God’s love. He saw our need and showed His love to us by healing us. I have experienced these miracles and can truly say God’s love has the power to override any affliction and be there for any and every situation you may find yourself in today. He does not promise to keep us from affliction, but He does promise to go through them with us.
Prayers for the week ahead:
Day 1 – For family:
Oh, God, please help us to see and experience your acts of love. You have blessed us with the gift of the family so we may learn to love and care for others. Help us show our love for You in serving each one of them. I lift each member to you now that they may know how much you love them. Amen.
Day 2 – For friends and neighbors:
Oh Lord, our God, we graciously seek Your lovingkindness for our dear friends and neighbors who are deeply affected by sickness or war or other circumstances which they find hard to overcome. Lord, will You show them your love and bring miracles into their lives? And Lord, open our eyes and hearts to the needs of those around us so we may seek to serve them where needed. Help us see daily opportunities You bring to us so we can be a part of blessing others because of your love. Amen.
Day 3 – For those at work:
Lord, as we think about those we know in our working or ministering environment, we pray for You to show them Your powerful love through us. Please strengthen them to thrive in the power of Your love. Amen.
Day 4 – For those in the military:
Heavenly Father, Eternal God, and Worthy King, no language on earth has words sufficient to give voice to our praise when we contemplate all that Christ has done for us. As our hope of glory, your thoughts and love for our military institutions and personnel are highly sought. We pray for their protection in every land, sea, air, and space they serve; that their faith allows them to see your glory and serve faithfully. Give guidance to them in areas where they face challenges, and lead them not into any wrongfulness. Give them the wisdom to make the best choices in their operational and administrative courses. Bring peace to our military personnel, their families, and those who they are called to serve. Fill the hearts of every man or woman serving with hope and assurance that their lives honor You. We pray these in the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Day 5 – For our nation’s leaders:
Lord, grant our leaders in various capacities to have the strength, wisdom, and humility to serve those they lead as Jesus demonstrated. Help them lead faithfully and be servant-leaders like Jesus showed us how to be. We know You can and will. Amen.
Devotion by Eddy Amponsah
Eddy served in the British Army. He joined Cru Military in April 2021, and currently serves as the Area of Operations Associate for the Global Team. He lives in Clovis, California.