asbc seek devotionals 2025 2 - Flipbook - Page 64
Day 30: Risk
DEVOTIONAL JOURNAL | ALFRED STREET BAPTIST CHURCH
REV. WILLIAM SPENCER
“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days,
night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do.When this is done, I will go to the king, even though
it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
– Esther 4:16 NIV
My wife recently showed me something on social media that we both thought was
valuable. It was a video of a woman reminding her audience that our very existence is a
miracle, considering all that our ancestors experienced and survived. There is something
about Black folks that is amazing. If I pinpoint that thing into one word, it’s love. We love
hard. It is love that causes us to speak up for justice for ourselves and others. Even if our
voice shakes, we take that risk to speak up so that we might live, be treated respectfully,
and have an adequate standard of living. Like the scripture, there are so many we can
point to who echoed Hadassah’s spirit. While speaking for sanitation workers’ rights,
Martin King prophesied the Promised Land and indicated that he might not get there
with us. Fannie Lou Hamer, who was famously sick and tired of being sick and tired,
shared her love when she proclaimed, “If I fall, I’ll fall five feet four inches forward in the
fight for freedom. I’m not backing off.” For all the risks our ancestors took, Lord, thank
you.
JOURNAL
REFLECTIONS
What are the courageous risks God is calling
me to face in order to live out love?
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PRAYER
Lord, when my voice shakes and my body trembles,
strengthen me to face all I need to face that I may love
in the way You have called me. Amen.
