Recovery – A Morning Devotional – From the Edges.

From the Edges – Morning Devotions April 3, 2024
Pastor Calvin Cook –
Recovery –
Scripture focus – John 20:19-23 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

It seems now on this third morning after the Easter celebration that we are starting to feel a little better. For those involved in worship planning, preaching, teaching, creating an atmosphere about the celebration of Easter and its meaning, that we find ourselves depleted on Monday morning. Sometimes in this depletion of energy, sleep, and all things associated we sometimes forget to realize what this celebration is all about. We need a period of recovery, recovery to me means sleep, rest, sabbath, sitting in quiet wonder of what God is doing in the right now.
I thought about recovery of my heart, soul, and mind to become more centered on Jesus and my relationship that will cause me without fear to share the good news. I am also preparing to sit with a family in a hospital waiting room while their loved one goes through a medical procedure. In the modern-day surgical waiting room, there are display boards that tell of the progress of the surgery to keep the families informed. We see words along with the patient identification like in pre-op, in operating room, procedure started, procedure ended, in recovery, in room. There always seems to be a sigh when we see the words in recovery.
We all are in some type of recovery. A relationship breakup, a loss, an old job, a lost friendship, being in recovery from addictions, and the multitude of life situations we are recovering from. But… what are we recovering from in our soul. The desire to be leave the sinfulness of the past behind, moving away from comfortable to a committed relationship with Jesus, the change that will happen through total surrender.
After reading the days following the Resurrection of Christ from the Gospels, I am really drawn to the response of the Disciples. The doubt that encircled them. Even when Jesus was in their midst, offering very real proof that he was the one who did something that none other had ever done or would ever do. I shudder that we are in the same place. We are still in the operating room, the surgery has been finished, but we have not yet fully recovered. Fully accepted the call to rise from our state of unconsciousness and receive the Holy Spirit as the one who will be the guiding force.
Psalm 40:2: says it best; “He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” Today receive all that Jesus wants to do in your life. Receive the Holy Spirit that has been breathed into your own spiritual lungs giving you life, peace, and a sense of Peace.
It is time to move out of the Recovery room into the glorious work of God’s church here in on hearth. Speaking words of hope to the hurting and salvation in Jesus to the lost. There is a better way, we just have to claim it.
May the Peace of Christ speak to your heart.