Peter finished climbing the mountain. He glanced at the other three with him: John, James, and Jesus. What will the Lord show us this time? he wondered.
All of a sudden, Jesus’ skin and hair and garments started to glow, shining
like the sun. He looked even more powerful than He usually did. Even His face glowed in royal glory, like a prince.
In a flash of light, two more men appeared at Jesus’ side and started to converse with Him, as though He shined so dazzlingly every day. Somehow, Peter knew they were the legendary Jewish prophets Moses and Elijah. The three talked with one another as though they were old friends, while the disciples cowered on the ground.
Peter had an idea. He stood up. “Lord,” he said, “it is a good thing that we are here! We shall build three tents for you, Moses, and Elijah to stay in!”
Suddenly, a deep voice boomed from the sky: “This is my Son with whom I am pleased! Listen to Him!”
Peter fell to the ground again, trembling with the other disciples. They stayed there for a moment, shaken. Then, Peter felt Jesus touch his shoulder. “Stand up, and do not be afraid,” He said. Although Peter was still terrified, he trusted the Lord and stood up. The first thing he noticed was that Jesus was no longer glowing—and, the second, that Moses and Elijah were gone.
The Lord had truly shown His glory and magnificence to the three disciples. Peter knew in that moment that Jesus was the long-prophesied Messiah and the fulfillment of every precious promise from God.
• In Matthew 16, Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, acknowledges Jesus is the Son of God (a name pointing to His divinity) and the Messiah (or Christ), the promised Savior from sin and death. Then, Peter witnesses the event in today’s devotion, known as the Transfiguration. How do the events in today’s Bible passages show that Jesus is God and the promised Savior?
• Do you acknowledge Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior? To find out more about what this means, check out our "Know Jesus" page.
Simon Peter answered and said, “You [Jesus] are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 (NKJV)
Peter's Perspective
January 8
January 8, 2020 • Natalie Crowe
Flying Chariots
Kevin Zeller
The fleet of war machines hurtled through the air toward the city. The leader smiled fiercely, hands on the controls of his ship. “This is the greatest military power in the history of humanity,” he said to his officers, not caring if it was true. The leader’s ship went into a dive, and the fleet followed. The city darkened as the sun was blocked. Emergency sirens wailed, and fearful people ran from the streets. “It is high time this city fell,” the leader shouted, “laid waste like all the others! We will build a great empire, and nothing can stop us now! Nothing can stop this fleet!” The girl stood on the wall of the city, watching the approaching fleet. It filled the sky from east to west, and the noise of thundering rumbled her feet. Then silence. Great, whooshing silence. The girl gasped. The machines were plummeting from the sky, all at once in a great wave of wood and metal. The first struck the ground not far from the city wall, scraping up great piles of earth as the ships disintegrated with bright explosions. Soon the entire fleet lay in ruins, smoke rising up and up to the heavens. • What kinds of things do you put your hope in? • What kinds of technology or other manmade things do people place their hope in? • Reread Romans 8:22-28. As Christians, where is our hope? Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7 (NIV)
Found
January 30, 2020 • Hope Bolinger
If you’d told me I’d get lost in New York City, I’d have begged you to wake me up from my nightmare. But lo and behold, during my junior year on choir tour, with over one hundred students jam-packed into a few charter buses, I ended up lost in one of the biggest cities in the world. I and a handful of other friends followed a chaperone who, although they were invested in getting a picture with a person dressed up as Woody from Toy Story in Times Square, didn’t invest in a GPS. But when we realized the time—thanks to the handy dandy screens in the Square—we scrambled toward the sidewalks to get back to the bus for our next tour stop. None of us had a keen sense of direction, and the only ones with cell phones didn’t have our choir director’s number. It was a time before any of us had smart phones, so no luck in using a GPS. Swerving from street to street, I felt my chest contract as tears welled up in my eyes. *We’ll never get back to the bus. They’ll ditch us and pick up a couple of Broadway actors to take our place. I mean, there are more than one hundred students. Who needs a couple of spare altos and sopranos who can’t read a map?* At long last, our choir director called one of our phones (she must’ve gotten the number from another student) and discovered our location. She rushed over, directed us to the bus’s position, and made sure we climbed aboard before we took off to our next destination. I had never related to Jesus’ story of the lost sheep until that day. Especially knowing that our choir teacher would not leave until she had all of us, even having to ditch the bus to locate where we’d gotten lost. And man, oh man, did it feel good to be found. • Have you ever been lost before? What did it feel like to be lost? What did it feel like to be found? • Reread today’s Bible passage. Where do you see yourself in the story of the lost sheep? The one who is lost? One of the ninety-nine? To learn more about how we all need to be found by Jesus, check out our "Know Jesus" page. What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? Luke 15:4 (CSB)
Waiting
January 29, 2020 • Melissa Yeagle
Did you grow up playing “I Spy”? It’s a great game to play on long car rides. Because the hardest part of long car rides is the waiting till you get there. Waiting is never fun. As Christians, we have to wait for many things. We are waiting for Christ’s return, and, in the meantime, we often wait for answers to our prayers. A wise Christian once told me God always has one of three answers to prayer: yes, no, and wait. While we know God is good, waiting to see His answers and the unfolding of His promises is hard. When we are in the midst of waiting, we can trust that God is good and we can stand on God’s promises in Christ. One of those promises? God is so good that He is working all things—the good and the bad—for good for all those who love Him (Romans 8:28). And here’s some great news: God will never break His promises. We might have to wait for His timing, but He will always keep His promises. • Can you think of a time when God answered your prayer with a wait? • Why is it important to remember God’s promises when you are waiting for something? It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:26 (NKJV)