Always With You in the Ordinary
Even in the ordinary, Jesus abides with us, working through our hands and hearts.
Days of Heaven by A.B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash
It is easy to forget that Jesus, who is exalted at the right hand of the Father, once lived in the ordinariness of daily labor. A.B. Simpson reminds us that He spent thirty quiet years in the carpenter’s shop, working with His hands, sweating in the heat, and growing tired after long hours. This is no small detail. It means the Lord is not distant from our everyday struggles but knows them intimately.
When I consider that, I realize He sanctified the ordinary. He took up the hammer, the saw, and the rough wood, and through those years revealed the dignity of work. Nothing we do in faith, no matter how small or unseen, is beneath His notice. He who shared in the carpenter’s shop now shares in my responsibilities, whether they feel grand or mundane.
The devotional writer makes it plain that Jesus does not only watch from heaven but abides within, ready to express His life through us in everything from folding laundry to repairing a car. The presence of the Lord is not reserved for the prayer closet alone but extends to every task where I yield myself to Him. That is the blessing of His promise: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
So, as I rest in Him, I no longer divide my life between sacred and secular. The sacred fills the whole. Every moment of labor, every ordinary duty, becomes a place where the Spirit lives His life through me.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I was with Jesus when He worked in Nazareth. I shaped His hands as they grew, and I strengthened Him in His daily labors. In Him, I came near to you, not only in His words and miracles but in the dust of His ordinary days. You do not need to invite Me into your work, for I already abide in you. Yield your tasks to Me, and you will find Me shaping your words, guiding your hands, and calming your mind.
You may believe that small things do not matter, but I tell you that nothing is wasted when offered to Me. Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it in Me, and it becomes worship. I have already equipped you with every spiritual blessing. Do not strive as if you are alone, but trust that My life within you flows into your ordinary. I am with you always.
Scripture references: Matthew 28:20, Colossians 3:23, Ephesians 1:3, 1 Corinthians 10:31, John 15:4-5, Hebrews 13:21, Philippians 2:13, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:11-13
Real-Life Analogy
Think of preparing a simple meal in your kitchen. The chopping, stirring, and cleaning may seem repetitive, even unremarkable. Yet, when the aroma fills the air and the meal nourishes those you love, you see its purpose. In the same way, the Lord uses the ordinary motions of your day to bring forth His grace and provision. What seems small in your eyes becomes an expression of His presence when you trust Him to work through you.
Today, as you approach even the most routine duty, whisper in your heart, “Lord, I yield this moment to You, trusting You to live and work through me.” Whether answering emails, folding laundry, or tightening a bolt, He delights to express His life in and through your ordinary.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that nothing in my life is too small for You to inhabit. You already live within me, and I trust that Your presence sanctifies every task of this day. Whether I labor with my hands or with my mind, I rejoice that You are my sufficiency. Thank You that I never face the ordinary alone, for You are with me always, even to the end of the age.