Daily Devotional for December 16, 2017
The Pearl Necklace
Ashlynn stared out her bedroom window as Mom came into the room
and sat down on the bed. “How are you feeling?” Mom asked as she stroked Ashlynn’s forehead. “I think you still have a fever.”
“Why do I have to be sick today?” moaned Ashlynn. “I wanted to go sing at the hospital with my Sunday school class.” Her lower lip quivered a little.
“And it makes you feel bad that you can’t go, doesn’t it?” said Mom.
Ashlynn nodded. “I was really looking forward to going around and singing to people who were sick. Now I can’t.”
“I know, honey,” said Mom, “but you can pray and ask Jesus to use your class to bless the people at the hospital with their singing.”
Ashlynn shrugged. “It just doesn’t seem the same,” she said with a sigh.
“Maybe not, but…” Mom stood up. “I’ll be right back.” She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a strand of pearls. “See this necklace? Your great-grandmother gave it to me when I was a teenager.” She held it out so Ashlynn could look at it. “But there’s a very important part of it you can’t see.”
Ashlynn looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“Well, what do you see when you look at it?” asked Mom.
Ashlynn took the necklace. “The pearls,” she said after examining it.
Mom nodded. “That’s what everyone notices, but look.” She carefully pulled two pearls apart to reveal the thin white thread holding them together. “No one notices this plain and simple thread, but without it, my necklace would fall apart.”
Still puzzled, Ashlynn looked at the pearl necklace and then at her mother. “Okay,” she said uncertainly.
“Prayer is like this thread,” Mom said. “We often pray as an afterthought, but really, it’s what holds everything together—nothing we do would make any difference without God working behind the scenes and in people’s hearts. Even though you can’t go with the others to the hospital, you can have a very important part in what they’re doing. You can ask Jesus to use their singing to encourage the people at the hospital and show them how much He loves them and cares for them.” – Richard S. Maffeo
How about you?
Do you ever feel like you can’t do anything important for Jesus because you’re too young, too sick, or too shy? That’s not true! There’s at least one thing every Christian can do, and that’s pray. It’s not something everybody notices, but Jesus does. He hears each prayer. Pray and ask Him to work in people’s hearts as you and fellow Christians serve Him and show others His love.
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