Daily Bread April 23

Jesus Has My Back
Doug Jones of LaSalle, Ontario, Canada


I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. -Ezekiel 37:26-27

We have all seen the picture of Christ looking up toward the heavens. I picture myself sometimes standing next to that picture. I imagine walking with Jesus. If I am standing in front, I see him as having his hand on my shoulder, guiding me. If I am behind the picture, I am walking in his footsteps, following him.

The most important image is one I see when I am turned away. He has not turned from me, but Jesus has my back. Jesus is protecting me. There was a time when someone came to me asking if I needed to talk. I said no, as I thought I could handle the situation myself. Since I am a private individual, I always thought, “How did this person know I needed to talk?”

I have come to realize that it was Christ who had visited this person and directed him to seek me out and help me. That is how I know Jesus has my back.

Prayer Phrase

“Every breath is a resurrection” (Gregory Orr).

Spiritual Practice

Breath of Life

Take a few moments right now to breathe. Simply observe each inhale and exhale. Pay attention to how it feels in your body. Notice the rise and fall of your chest. Notice how you breathe even when you aren’t thinking about it, how your body instinctively knows how to keep you alive without your thought or effort. In this moment, you are alive. Receive this awareness as an expression of divine grace. In joy or despair, loss or celebration, your body continues breathing. How is your breath a resurrection this day?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Comments Off on Daily Bread April 23

Filed under Daily Bread Devotional

Comments are closed.