Psalm 56; Acts 1:15-26 (NRSV)
Devotion
When I was a ninth grader I moved to a northern hockey town. I was too small, too slow and too old to learn the game but bold enough to try.
My friend, “Tiny,” encouraged me. He may not have been the best heavyweight wrestler in our school’s history, but he was the most tenderhearted. He enforced the ethic: Big kids don’t pick on little ones.
“Slam!" into the boards I went. “Cut it out!" the summa wrestler yelled. Hercules took another run at me. With my lips still kissing the ice I heard the shout, "Pick on someone your own size." It was the best check ever. My mighty enemy fell from his throne into the boards, then to the ice. No more body checks to me that day. "Tiny" was for me.
I learned the meaning: "God is for me. I am not afraid."
Prayer
Holy Spirit, replace the fear in my heart with assurance that you are for me.