The Secret Chamber | A Digital Devotional June 2024 Edition
The Secret Chamber, the Department of Church Growth and Development’s daily devotional guide, is herein recognized as an aid to worship; it is also made an official periodical of the Church and listed in The Doctrine and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the annual report of the pastor on periodicals.
Bishop Adam J. Richardson, Senior Bishop, African Methodist Episcopal Church
Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, Commission Chair
The Reverend Dr. Marcellus A. Norris, Executive Director
African Methodist Episcopal Church Department of Church Growth and Development
The Reverend Dr. Susan Hillary Buckson, Copy Editor
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington, Graphic Editor
Scripture taken from Holy Bible, New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVUE
Saturday | June 1, 2024
Psalm 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Invitation
Many times in my life, I have begged to ask the question as to why so many of us feel obligated to have certain people at our table. What propels us to bring certain people into our lives that will ultimately bring about our pain? You should understand that you are not obligated to have people come and sit at your spiritual table who do not have your best interest in mind. Tell yourself, if your spirit does not yoke with my spirit; if your iron doesn’t sharpen my iron; or rather, if you don’t understand who I am and who I am, then I can’t see myself in a position of obligation to have you sit at my table.
The word of the Lord says, “God shall prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies.” This scripture speaks as a word of confirmation that many of us will be at the “table” with our enemies. And yes, many of our enemies can be part of our family. Yet, this very familiar scripture illustrates that even as God puts you at the table with your enemy/confrontational guest, if you are obedient to the knowledge and provision of God, God will allow your cup to run over, your anointing to strengthen, and the power of goodness to overflow in your life.
Action: On this day, surround yourself with people who will speak positively into your day.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Sunday | June 2, 2024
Psalm 96:9
Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.
Worship
I contend there ought to be a rhythm to your worship. Yep! I said it! There ought to be a certain sound, a certain cognition, and a certain move to the way you worship the God that has brought you from a mighty long way. As a child, I was introduced to prayer, but it wasn’t until I became an adult that I put worship into the very practice of my life. I’d seen worship in the older saints growing up. I had heard their worship conversations. I was privy to their testimonies and songs in the prayer services and even their reading of the Holy Scripture in the bible studies, yet I was still oblivious to what it meant to worship. Too often, we are guilty of talking about worship, but we don’t do well at showing our worship. There are even some who still think as children, yet they are fully adult.
Worship is not the song we sing; it's not about how much you pay or don’t pay your church; worship is not how much you volunteer, but worship is a priority and a spiritual discipline. Webster’s Dictionary argues that “worship” honors extravagant love and extreme submission. Thus, to be a true worshipper is to give God all you have with no expectation but that God will remain God in your life. True worship is a heart matter that becomes a lifestyle of holiness. You have to be holy, for your God is holy. Worship is a non-negotiable part of your service.
Action: Today is a good day in your personal life to ask God to really push you to a place where you love God extravagantly and submit to God extremely.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Monday | June 3, 2024
Acts 9:26
When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.
Good
Chapter 9 of the book of Acts opens with the conversion of Saul to Paul on the Damascus Road. Scripture says Saul was breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. Yet, as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly, a light shone around him from heaven. The Bible says he fell to the ground, and a voice asks, why are you persecuting Me? As fear and trembling overtook his body, Saul, is converted, and asks the Lord what it is that you want me to do?
It follows that the Lord told Saul to go to the city so that he might receive further instructions. While in the city, the Lord sends Saul to a street called Straight at the house of Judas. In vision, he sees a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him so that he might receive his sight. Ananias is reminded that Saul had done so much harm to the Lord’s saints in Jerusalem that he is worried Saul may harm him. But the Bible declares that the Lord reminds Ananias that Saul is one of my chosen vessels, bearing my name. It’s at this moment in reading this text I am compelled to remind you what God has for you is for you. So many miss our opportunity because we think so small of ourselves. So many are caught up on what we can do in our own strength. Ananias was worried that he could not lay hands on Saul because of Saul’s past, but the bible declares that God said, “he is my chosen vessel.”
Action: Today, I simply want you to understand when you are God’s chosen, no one can stop you from going to the places God would have you go.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Tuesday | June 4, 2024
Zechariah 4:10a
For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice
Bed
Believe it or not, statistics show that 4 in 10 people do not make their beds daily. Some would argue that just as much data illustrates the importance and the nonimportance (new word alert) for making one’s bed. I contend making one’s bed each and every day sets the tone for how the day is going to be.
In 2014, during a commencement speech at the University of Texas, retired Navy Seal Admiral William McRaven stated, “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.”
McRaven went on to defend his point by stating how the act of making one’s bed provides a level of peace in one's hectic day. The habit of making one’s bed leads to a day of productivity. There is something so very powerful about understanding the small beginning of making your bed, which prepares you for the big experiences of your day. Is it not awesome to know one small act is setting you up for major blessings?
Action: Whatever way you make (or don’t make) your bed today, realize that in your making (or not making) it up, you have to live with that decision.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Wednesday | June 5, 2024
James 5:14
Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
Need
While conducting worship service, a woman dressed in a powder pink dress made her way to the second row of the church. This woman was unfamiliar to me and most of the ministerial staff in the pulpit area. I could see my wife holding her hands even as the woman shook and trembled. As I continued to minister to a particular situation, I noticed my wife and the lady in the powder pink making their way toward the altar.
Immediately, I began to think about what was going on, but I stayed attuned to the spirit. Somehow, in the midst of my speaking and my wife and the unknown lady making their way to the altar, I met them on the floor. I hugged the lady, and then she whispered in my ear, “I was told this is the House of Healing…I need to be healed.” As her tear-drenched the collar of my geranium-colored polo shirt, I literally saw the very pain she was experiencing. I felt in my spirit this lady was burdened but ready to be released. At that very moment, the spirit compelled me to ask, “Do you really want to heal?” And to my question, she replied, “Yes…right now.”
There comes a time in everyone’s life when they need people around them that know how to pray. In the book of James, the argument is presented when someone is in need of prayer; they ought to call the elders around them, anoint them with oil, and pray. It's not that the person in need of prayer cannot pray, but many times, a person needs people around them who understand the power of intercession. Intercession is not about how loud or how long you pray; it is simply the ability to hear and listen to the voice of God in prayer with the ultimate realization the prayer is not for you but for God’s glory. It doesn’t take amazing language, perfect prose, or large words; it simply takes a pure heart and a deep relationship.
Action: The more you pray, the more God lifts your burdens.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Thursday | June 6, 2024
Colossians 1:12-14
12 What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
Rejoice
Most children of the church can reflect on a song that says, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one.” But as an adult, or rather a mature Christian, one may feel the urge to go deeper than just counting and naming. In fact, the mature Christian doesn’t simply count blessings but literally can testify that they have so many reasons to rejoice. Despite everything happening around you, you ought to have a good reason to rejoice. Rejoicing is the ability to feel great joy or show delight no matter the circumstances. Too often, the people of God don’t rejoice as they ought to. Many times, the people of God allow the enemy to steal the very joy they possess. Now more than ever, the people of God need to remind themselves of God’s goodness and abundant mercy. Most certainly, we all have reasons to rejoice. We all have reasons to be grateful and thankful for what God has already done. We simply need to tap into the very remembrance of those moments to be strengthened by the days ahead.
Action: When we rejoice, we become completely honest with ourselves because we realize that we have more reasons to rejoice than not.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Friday | June 7, 2024
Luke 3:16
John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Baptism
Luke 3 is designed to give a scope of the ministry of John, but also to bring people away from their sins and move toward the savior Jesus. John came preaching, not a sect, party, church, or even denomination, but he came preaching a profession, and that was in the sign and ceremony of the washing of the water and fire baptism. According to Luke’s gospel, John discussed the necessity of repentance for one to have full remission of their sins.
John recognizes in chapter 3 of Luke that he can only baptize them with water, but it takes the very working of the hand of Christ to fill them with the Holy Ghost and baptize them with fire. John realizes that he is unworthy even to untie the sandals of the one coming after him, Jesus. We are to understand the Holy Ghost comes to cleanse and purify the heart, but the fire clears out the dross, it clears out the trash, it clears out the rubbish, it clears out the scum of your life, and it melts down the metal of your soul, and creates a new mold. It’s the Holy Ghost that gives me new life.
Action: Ask yourself, have I been baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire? Do I really exhibit God’s love the way I ought to? And finally, Is my fire lighting someone else’s fire inside or outside the church?
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Saturday | June 8, 2024
I Samuel 18:8-9
8 Saul was very angry, for this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 So Saul eyed David from that day on.
Conundrum
One of the greatest conundrums to me is how people who profess the love of God can harbor envy, strife, jealousy, and a lot of bad feelings toward one another. The spirit of resentment ought not to be welcomed in our worship circles. Yet and still, time after time, these ugly spirits rear their terrible heads. The question becomes how one handles the very offenses of one's neighbor. How do the godly react when it seems as if the very hand of the enemy is manipulating those close to them? Furthermore, what is the intention of strife in the kingdom? And more so, what lessons do we learn from the negative behaviors of those we consider better than the behavior itself?
1 Samuel 18 sets up a wonderful unit on the study of resentment. Early in chapter 18, the undying friendship and love between David and Johnathan is revealed. We learn that because of the kinship between the two men, Saul is led to “adopt” David into his house. The text testifies David did whatever Saul asked him to do. In fact, it literally states that he did what he was asked to do and did it wisely. On one of their trips, both David and Saul were able to kill thousands of the neighboring Philistines. On their return, the women and children lined the streets in celebration. During the celebration, they began a chant of sorts, and they recognized that Saul had killed one thousand Philistines and David had killed ten thousand Philistines. This, in fact, makes Saul angry. Even without the aid of David, Saul concludes David is attempting to act or be “better than him.” Thus, Saul resents David based on the actions of others. Some people will resent you for no fault of your own. The spirit of jealousy and envy will creep into some people’s lives and make them hate you for no reason.
Action: Declare every deed you do is for God’s glory and not for the glory of others. Strengthen your inner spirit by leaning more on God than you ever did on people.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Sunday | June 9, 2024
Joshua 9:12
Here is our bread; it was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey, on the day we set out to come to you, but now, see, it is dry and moldy;
Message
My grandmother’s favorite hymn said, ‘Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.’ How powerful is it when we simply inquire of the Lord about what our next step should be?: Even in our recognition that God is everything and even more so, God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, God still wants us to seek God’s counsel. When we do not pray, we open the door of the enemy and the enemy’s devices to steal, kill, and destroy the very destiny over our lives.
Deception is real. Manipulation is ever-present. And we need prayer. In the book of Joshua, the Lord had already given Joshua directions on how to enter the land of Canaan. God had already explained to Joshua that he had to be strong and courageous; furthermore, God admonished him never to allow the word of God to depart from his forefront. In fact, Joshua was told to never turn to the left nor to turn to the right but to meditate upon the very scriptures of God simply. As Joshua listened to the Lord, the Lord would simply bless him and the children of Israel.
All Joshua had to do was listen to God, and God would lead, guide, and direct him. Yet, in Chapter 9 of the text, the Gibeonites deceive Joshua. They come to the very tent of Joshua and the leaders of the congregation wooing them with a deceptive story. They explain to Joshua that they have traveled a great distance and they have heard of all the works of their God. The Gibeonites explain to Joshua that when they left home, they brought with them hot bread and fresh wine, yet, after the long travel, the bread is now stale and moldy, and the wine has dissipated in the torn wineskins. Quite frankly, they appear as if they have nothing.
Joshua quickly, without much thought, accepts the very story of the strangers and makes a covenant with them. In fact, Joshua compels the very leaders of the Israelite congregation to agree with him in this covenant. After three days, Joshua receives word the very people he made a covenant with are his neighbors and, therefore, enemies to the destiny of his people. The reader is led to conclude that Joshua, by this time in the text, is crushed. How could he make such a terrible mistake? And the answer is simply because he chose not to pray, and therefore, he did not seek the counsel of God.
Action: Challenge yourself to check every conversation you engage in and come to a conclusion about whether it aligns with God’s promises for your life.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Monday | June 10, 2024
II Kings 5:11
But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and would wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease!
Process
The healing of Naaman, the Leper, is not just a story about healing a man from one of the most dreaded diseases of ancient times; it is also a story of salvation, which illustrates the spiritual salvation we receive when God fixes our lives and our thoughts. It’s a story of how someone’s situation is changed after changing the complexities of their attitude.
Some people only know you by your problem; they say, that’s him whose wife left him; or her, whose husband beats her up; or them who don’t have any money; or those folk who are sick in the head. We’ve got to stop calling people by their condition and call them by the God that’s in them. When you focus on the condition, you forget that God is the only one who can heal them in any situation. Naaman, in the text, was a man who was valiant and highly regarded. The Bible recounts that he was known for his victory. That in fact, he was a loyal man of God in the kings’ army, yet he had this ancient disease. It’s not your condition that makes you the man or woman of God that you are, but rather, it's your behavior. Naaman was not known for his disease, but he was known for his victory. As a matter of fact, the author of the text describes Naaman, and as a caveat to all he was, the author points out that he had leprosy.
I am a strong believer that true healing has a process. I contend that to be healed, one must first submit one's healing in a posture of submission. According to the text, the slave girl tells Naaman’s mistress that she knows he can be healed if he sees the prophet in Samaria. The girl said to go to see the prophet. So why did he see the king? The slave girl tells him to see the prophet, but Naaman goes to see the king. Different offices have different gifts. When Naaman goes to the king, the king gets upset and tears his robe. The tearing of the robe was symbolic of his declaration that you have come to the wrong person and I can do you no help. It’s at this moment that the king asks him if I am in the place of God. I declare that in this season of healing, you can’t put people in the place of your God. You can’t make people think they are your God. Because the very folk you make God will let you down.
Action: The healing you need will take your obedience and humility.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Tuesday | June 11, 2024
Genesis 43:30
With that, Joseph hurried out, because he was overcome with affection for his brother, and he was about to weep. So he went into a private room and wept there.
Elevation
Tears are the external fluid of the eye. Tears flow over the eye’s front surface, keeping it moist and removing tiny particles of dust and debris. This helps to keep vision clear, removing potential obstacles to the passage of light. Each time we blink, the tears spread over the eye's surface. Believe it or not, the word of God focuses on our tears quite often in both the New and Old Testaments. Tears, sometimes called weeping and many times simply crying, are riddled throughout the pages of the text, often relating to the closeness of God in a season or moment of distress. Think about it; even Jesus wept according to Luke’s gospel.
Each time I read the book of Genesis and, more specifically, chapter 43, I am reminded that the very people who threw you away are the same people who will one day need you. You recall Joseph’s brothers were envious of Joseph’s coat of many colors. They were angered by the mere assumption that one day, they would have to bow down to this dreamer. One day, his brothers saw him coming from afar, and they decided he had to die. They saw the gift that was all over him and decided he could no longer be a factor in their fate. I’m reminded of how people see everything God is trying to do in your life, and they simply want to kill you. Haven’t you heard that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy?
By the time the reader reached Genesis 43, much had changed in Joseph’s life. He is no longer in a pit but now in the palace. He is a leader among leaders and is responsible for negotiating major transactions on behalf of the Egyptian Pharaoh. The word of God tells us a famine had overtaken the land. There was no water, and the people were hungry. And there were so many in need. One of those families in need happened to be Joseph’s birth family of Jacob and his children. Jacob’s sons, also Joseph’s brothers, had traveled across the land to purchase Pharaoh’s corn during the famine.
According to the text, Joseph rolls out the red carpet for his brothers. He invites them to his tent to negotiate, all while not letting them know who he was or what they did to him. Sometimes, you just need to be quiet and let people look at you, but never tell them how they know you.
Action: Some folk just need to see you successful. They need to see that you made something of yourself despite what they said or did to you.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Wednesday | June 12, 2024
2 Corinthians 13:13
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of[d] the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Communion
As an African Methodist Pastor, the very fanfare of first Sunday Holy Communion worship excites me, ignites my spirit, and rejuvenates my praise. It seems no matter what I may have experienced the week leading up to the first Sunday; it’s almost as if when I bow my knees and begin to declare the General Confession, all of the things of this world seem so inconsequential. During those moments I begin to think about the very sacrifice Jesus made so that I might have life and have this life more abundantly. I think about the utter betrayal he experienced, the gruesome treatment on the cross, and even more so, the resurrection for a sinner such as me. This, for me, is the true essence of communion with God. The very idea that I have been given another chance to get this thing called life right.
On one particular Sunday, as the choir began to sing the communion hymn, “There is a fountain filled with blood,” a member of the church motioned for me to come over to where they were seated. As the chief celebrant, my immediate thought was there was ‘just not enough time,’ but I decided to oblige the request. It all happened so quickly, and I am certain not many in the congregation even noticed what was occurring. The member forcefully grabbed me in what I considered a partial hug and whispered, “If I’ve ever done anything to offend you, I repent. I am sorry, and I love you.” My immediate response was to say, “Thank you.” I was simply taken aback. Arguably, I never thought this member and I had any issues. The more I thought about it, the spirit led me to say “thank you” because the forgiveness this member needed at that very moment was not for me, but it was for them to be right in their communion with God and God’s people.
Action: I challenge you to work on your communion with God and God’s creation. If someone in your life needs to know you forgive them; that you are sorry for the way things turned out; or simply that you are not going to dwell in the past hurts and hang-ups, your job is to let them know today.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Thursday | June 13, 2024
Galatians 5:24,25
24 And those who belong to Christ[a] have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Altar
How freeing is it to have your all on God’s altar? Everything you are. Everything you will be. And everything you ever hoped for. The Hebrew word for altar is /mizbe’ah/, a place of slaughter and sacrifice. I contend that for us to have a freeing altar experience, we have to realize that we are an offering unto God. Each of us has to go through what we may so that God can endow us with the very desires of our hearts. It’s not easy, but we hope that once we give it to God, what God gives back is better than what we lost.
If, in fact, each day is full of new mercies, then the purpose of the altar is to allow the men and women of God to be made over and created anew in God’s presence, no matter how many times they kneel or even lay in humble adoration.
Action: Before you let go, or rather let in, lay it on the altar and ask God to change your disposition. Ask God to keep you in His perfect peace. Ask God to remove from you the things that would cause you to do wrong.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Friday | June 14, 2024
Matthew 20:32
Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Vague
While in my devotion, I stumbled upon an article discussing being specific with God. In the article, the author reminded the reader that when we deal with God, we must be aware of what we ask God to do. Too often, we assume because God knows everything, we don’t have to articulate what we stand in need of on any day of the week. The author challenged the reader to ask what happens when we get specific in our requests to God. Some will argue our specificity limits the hand of God, yet still, I am finding more and more each day that when I become more specific, God not only does what I desire but does even more.
In the 29th verse of Matthew 20, the reader is exposed to the story of the two blind men sitting on the side of the road. In this biblical narrative, Jesus left Jericho with a great crowd following him. As he was passing, two men, who were blind, cried out to him to have mercy on them. Everyone in the crowd begins to yell at the men, telling them they should be quiet. Jesus stops his journey, looks toward the two men, and says, “What do you want me to do?” I can imagine most people in the crowd already knew what the two men needed because their issue was apparent. But yet and still, Jesus, who already knows about their struggles, still inquires what you want me to do. The power-full-ness of that statement is that even when God knows what you are going through, God still wants you to ask for God’s help.
Action: Challenge yourself to get specific in your prayer request.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Saturday | June 15, 2024
Deuteronomy 28:1-6
“If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth; 2 all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the Lord your God: 3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock.
5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
Needed
Today, as you go through the course God has predestined for your life, I need you to understand that God is specifically looking into your situation and that God sits in the expectation that you will do exactly what God requires of you. The truth is that if we could do it all by ourselves, there would be no need to serve God. However, time, life, and circumstance, coupled with trial, tribulation, joy, and beauty, teach us God not only sits high and looks low, but God’s hand is in everything we shall ever have the possibility of meeting. I simply contend that God has a need for you today.
The choice is yours: will you obey God today, or will you hide your face from God? In the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, the Lord our God specifically itemizes the results of obedience to Him. The very thing you stand in need of today rests in the word of God. For if you serve God with your whole heart, mind, body, and soul, God will set you high above nations, you will be blessed in the city and the country, your children will be blessed, your finances will be blessed, your job will be blessed, and you will be blessed in your coming and your going. No matter who or what stands in your way today as a test of your faith, you have the choice to move from devastation to restoration.
Action: Dig deep into yourself and take God at God’s word.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina
jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Sunday | June 16, 2024 | Father’s Day
Psalm 147:3-5
3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. 4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
Healing
Many times in life, it is appropriate for one to stop what one is doing and simply remember the very places from which one has come/overcome. I contend that if one does not take the much-needed time to remember, God has a way of simply reminding you of those times you needed God even more. I recall traveling to Columbia, South Carolina, by car to be with a good friend and brother as he and his family said “goodbye” to his father. Immediately upon entering the beautifully adorned sanctuary, my eyes became fixated on the black and gold casket at the end of the center aisle. A very familiar feeling overtook my body, and I began to remember the familiar smells of the fresh-cut flowers; something on the inside of me remembered the way my hair stood on my neck. I even went so far as to remember and almost feel the rapid pulsing of my heart, as, for some reason, I had been in this place, in this very position, sometime earlier.
And then it hit me….I was recalling my father’s death. Since that time, so much has changed, but so much has stayed the same. No matter how many funerals I had preached or even attended since that day, this particular day made me remember so much more. Could it be the identical caskets? Or could it be the identical flower spray? Or simply, could it be God was just trying to get my attention?
In Psalm 147, the psalmist illustrates a particular interest in the reader understanding the very power of God to heal broken hearts and bind up wounds. When God heals a broken heart, God takes the very pain of your experience and allows the very pain to be wrapped up and tied up in God’s glory. Furthermore, the experience of the broken heart presses us closer to God. When wounds are bound, they remain a remembrance of what God has brought you through, yet they never hurt the same way they did the day you received them. The God we serve has no limit. God sees. God knows. And God simply handles it.
Action: Use the remembrance of your past pain, hurts, and hang-ups to provide for your better future.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Monday | June 17, 2024
Isaiah 65:24
Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.
God-Moment
I recall a colleague reaching out to me to meet him for coffee on a Sunday evening after a long day of worship. Almost kicking and screaming (as in I didn’t want to go again), I drove across town to the coffee shop, peered around, and to no avail, did not see my colleague. I decided to sit down and wait a while. While sitting at the table positioned near the window, I heard my name being called from across the coffee shop. As I turned, I recognized the man calling me as someone from my distant past. The brother embraced me as if he had seen a ghost. In fact, my mind began racing as I recalled the history he and I shared.
As we talked, my brother said to me my being in his presence was what he described as a “Godmoment.” He began to smile as if he, in fact, knew I would be there, at this coffee shop, at this time, and we would be able to converse. He stated that he was having a conversation with another pastor earlier in the week, and during that conversation, he mentioned my name. I was intrigued and humbled at the same time. The curiosity in me wanted to know what I had to do with the conversation. My brother told me to hold that thought because there was so much he needed to say to me.
As the conversation progressed, my brother said to me, “I have been waiting for years to say thank you.” Tears began to well in his eyes, his hands started to shake, and the room began to feel as if the very air was being sucked out. I must say I already knew what he was thanking me for, but in my spirit, I knew just seeing him was thanks enough. My brother said, “Jarrett, I want to thank you for not letting me go.” And then I began to cry. Here we were, two grown black men with tears in our eyes, in a coffee shop on Sunday evening.
Action: Look for a “God-moment” in everything you do. Don’t despise your situation because God can speak in every season and time.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Tuesday | June 18, 2024
Matthew 7:7
“Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
Reminder
As believers, we have to embrace the knowledge we have a certain kind of access to a certain life (lifestyle) if we believe through prayer. At this juncture in our lives, we must understand that God is working things out on our behalf. You have been through too much and accomplished too much not to be able to walk through your door in your blessing. Ask yourself, why do we allow ourselves to be trapped by the circumstances of this life? Why are we more reactive than proactive when it comes to the cards that life has dealt us?
Don’t be the person who is locked in a room with the doors wide open. In this position, one is able to see where God can take them, but they don’t ever just get up and walk! The author of the Matthew text utilizes the Greek word /aiteo/ to describe the kind of asking that the believer must do if they are ever to walk through the unlocked doors of their room. /Aiteo/ is literally translated as a craving or desire. I believe there is no secret to what God can do for you today! I believe that if you can crave and desire, I mean really dig deep in yourself to make your request known to God…if you can really seek God in and out of a terrible, no good, very bad situation, then God can do nothing but bless you beyond your wildest dreams and desires.
Action: Praise God in advance, for God is working it out in your life. You may not see it, but God is working on your behalf right now.
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Wednesday | June 19, 2024
Psalm 145:3,4
3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall extol your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts.
