God of the Invisible

Would you like to have some real encouragement? Let's get some now from today's Our Daily Bread devotional. Our writer for today is James Banks, and he's titled it God of the Invisible.

Sometimes, I feel as if I'm invisible, but I so want God to use me. Anne was tidying up the exercise room at the hotel I was visiting when we struck up a conversation. As we talked, I discovered she had an amazing story. I used to be a crack addict and a prostitute living on the streets, she said, but I knew God wanted me to put down my pipe and to walk with him.

One day years ago, I knelt at Jesus's feet, and he set me free. I thanked Anne for sharing what God had done for her and assured her she wasn't invisible. He had used her in our conversation in a beautiful way to remind me of his power to transform lives.

God loves to use people others might overlook. The apostle Andrew isn't as well known as his brother Peter, but John chapter one recounts that the first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon Peter and tell him we have found the Messiah, and he brought him to Jesus. Peter met Jesus through Andrew. When Andrew, one of John the Baptist's disciples, learned about Jesus from John, he followed Jesus and believed and immediately told his brother. Andrew's quiet faithfulness had an impact that would shake the world. God values faithful service over fame.

He can use us powerfully wherever we are, even when no one is looking. Now let's hear comfort and encouragement from God's word. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from John chapter one, verses 35 through 42. The next day, John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, look, the Lamb of God. When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, what do you want? They said, Rabbi, which means teacher, where are you staying? Come, he replied, and you will see. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him.

It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, we have found the Messiah, that is the Christ, and he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, you are Simon, son of John.

You will be called Cephas, which when translated, is Peter. Let's pray. Dear Jesus, we thank you so much for calling us to be your disciples. Would you help us to run to others and to tell them about you? For only you have the power to transform lives, but what a gift it is that you have invited us into that process. Lord, we stand before you with our hands held out and ask that you would use us to impact someone's life with your good news, the good news of your love and forgiveness today. Thank you, Jesus. It's in your name that we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.