A WORD FOR TODAY, March 30, 2026
Peggy Hoppes
We pray you have been blessed by this daily devotion.
Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, March 30, 2026
“In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. For I hear the whispering of many - terror on every side! - as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt. Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. I had said in my alarm, ‘I am cut off from your sight.’ But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help. Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” Psalm 31, WEB
Any kind of story, whether it is literature or performance, follows a pattern. There is a beginning, middle, and an end. The beginning sets up the story, introducing us to the characters, setting, and plot. The middle reveals details, develops characters and the story line. The plot thickens with every chapter; conflicts make the story exiting and the rest of the book works toward a conclusion. A good story solves the conflict in the end, finishing with resolution and reconciliation.
The Bible is the Story of God and His people. We have a beginning. The book starts with “In the beginning” and tells of God and creation. Throughout the book, we see the development of God’s people Israel and the world in which we live. We meet many characters, each having a purpose in the story. The conflict that develops is between God and His people. He desires their love and obedience, they break that relationship by seeking their own way, following their own sinful desires rather than their Father who loves them. Jesus Christ is the conclusion to His story that brings resolution and reconciliation.
Jesus ministered for three years to God’s people in Jerusalem and around Israel, teaching them how to live according to the promises of God. The Gospels are filled with stories of His healing, teaching and loving. He was loved by many, but not by all. The Word He spoke was difficult to understand and accept by those who were set in their thoughts and ideas. The people thought they knew God and thought they were living a godly life. However, Jesus came to share the truth.
Toward the end of His ministry, Jesus began to show the people, particularly those close to Him, that there was only one way for us to be able to live according to God’s promises. There had to be one final sacrifice. He had to die. His disciples and the people did not understand when Jesus spoke about death, because they saw His life as triumphant. Very few understood because they saw Him as a king among men. Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the day Jesus triumphantly rode into Jerusalem. He knew it was just the beginning of the end.
Jesus was controversial. Whenever he breezed through a town or village, many followed and listened while others doubted and disbelieved. His own village rejected Him. Some claimed that He worked for Satan. He was threatened with stoning. The religious leaders feared Jesus’ power and thought He would bring the wrath of the Romans on Israel. They didn’t know that the wrath of God would fall on His shoulders for the sake of God’s people.
On Palm Sunday, the people saw Jesus as the answer to their prayers. They sought a Messiah, someone who would set them free from the oppression of the Roman invaders of their land. They wanted to be a free nation again and live as they did during the Golden Age of Solomon their king. As Jesus gained in fame and following, His disciples pleaded with Him to go to Jerusalem and claim His place. They knew that there were enough people to support Him, and that they would fight to give Him the position they felt He had come to fill. However, Jesus did not go to Jerusalem until it was the right time.
As the Passover of His third year of ministry approached, Jesus knew the time had come for Him to fulfill the promise of His Father. It was time to go to Jerusalem. In years past, I’ve followed the footsteps of Jesus during Holy Week. Though I don’t write seven days a week anymore, we’ll look at the Passion of Jesus, moment by moment, more closely seeing how triumph led to crucifixion, experiencing with Jesus the attitudes, expectations, doubts, and fears of the people that ultimately led to Good Friday.
This week is the end of Jesus’ story, although it is an end that leads to an even greater story. Today’s Psalm mirrors the Passion journey of Jesus, from Palm Sunday to Good Friday, from the triumphant parade and shouts of acclaim to the cries for crucifixion. It is the prayer of a suffering man. Jesus even quoted this psalm when He said, “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” The psalm speaks words of praise and laments the persecution. Jesus was the man of sorrows who was destroyed by the people’s misunderstanding of His true purpose. He experienced this psalm in real time as He walked toward humiliation and death, offering for us an example of a life that completely trusted God despite horrific circumstances. Jesus exhibits courage and conviction in God’s faithfulness. We know God wins in the end, so did Jesus. Yet, for these five days, we’ll struggle with the reality of what Jesus experienced on that first Holy Week, forced to our knees in repentance and prayer as we wait for the end of the story that leads to the beginning of that greater story.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276.