Here is a devotion to start your day!
Also available now at Power, Love & Miracles:
Hidden Heroes of the Bible: The Empty Tomb. Chapters 10-12 [PLM+]
Mary Magdalene: When Jesus Says Your Name. The Bible Unplugged podcast, episode 72
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Hero: Onesiphorus of Ephesus
Showing up, not being ashamed, refreshing the weary
Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:15–18
May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain, but when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently and found me.
Reflection
By the time Paul writes 2 Timothy, many people have drifted away. Some have literally turned their backs on him; others have simply disappeared under the pressure of persecution and the stigma of his chains.
In the midst of that loneliness, Paul remembers one man with deep gratitude: Onesiphorus.
He says that Onesiphorus “often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain.” When Onesiphorus arrived in Rome, he did not sit back and wait for someone to introduce him to Paul. He “searched for me diligently and found me.”
Picture that—walking unfamiliar streets, asking questions, navigating a foreign city, all to find an imprisoned apostle and stand by him. No sermon. No book. Just presence.
To “refresh” someone like Paul likely meant simple things: bringing food or clothing, offering comfort, praying together, listening. It meant sending a clear message: “You are not forgotten. You are not alone. I am not ashamed to be associated with you, even if others are.”
There are people around you who need an Onesiphorus. Someone in a hospital, in a nursing home, in a difficult marriage, in a season of depression or burnout. Someone whose “chains” may be visible or invisible. The ministry of showing up—calling, visiting, checking in—is often undervalued, but it is one of the purest forms of love.
Unassuming heroes are those who refuse to let suffering people suffer alone.
Centering Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You never turned away from people in chains or pain. You drew near to the lonely and rejected. Help me overcome my discomfort and fear of saying the wrong thing. Teach me to show up, to stay, and to refresh others simply by being present in their suffering. – Amen
Practice for Today
Reach out to someone who may feel abandoned or forgotten: someone ill, grieving, overwhelmed, or isolated. Offer contact without needing to fix, advise, or explain.
Journaling Prompt
When have I felt most refreshed by someone’s simple presence? Who might be longing for that kind of faithful companionship from me right now?
Closing Blessing
Live as a bearer of refreshment.
Seek out those who sit in lonely places.
Refuse to be ashamed of another’s chains or tears.
Offer your faithful presence as a gift of God’s comfort.
Pray as You Go
Breathe in: Give me courage to show up…
Breathe out: … use me to refresh others
