Lent Devotions

April 14: The Rooster’s Crow

4/14/2014
Read: Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75

And immediately the rooster crowed. (v. 74 ESV)

Many of the people who welcomed Jesus with loud “Hosannas” on Palm Sunday must also have shouted, “Crucify him!” on Good Friday. It’s perilously easy to betray or deny Christ; all you have to do is fall in with the crowd.

Having done that in the high priest’s courtyard, Peter could have gone on with them, if not for one small thing. He heard a rooster’s crow. That was Peter’s wake-up call. His soul was pierced by the memory of Jesus’ warning (v. 34), and he went outside and wept bitter tears of repentance.

That rooster’s crow was a sound of grace. You know how it goes when we get caught up in sin. We stifle our conscience until it finally falls silent. We become deadened–to guilt, to truth, even to God. But then somewhere, somehow, a rooster crows. Maybe it’s in a sermon, or through a friend’s word, or a remembered verse of Scripture, or a line from an old hymn. Whatever it is, something quickens our conscience again, and we realize what we have done.

If you hear the sound of a rooster’s crow in your life, recognize in that moment the Lord’s voice, calling you to repent. It could be a very small sound. But through such things souls are saved–or lost. –David Bast

Prayer: Lord, help me to hear your voice in the small things.

Words of Hope is an international media ministry, founded and owned by classes of the RCA, dedicated to building the church in the hard places. The Words of Hope devotional encourages readers to grow spiritually through daily Bible readings and prayer. To subscribe, please visit: woh.org/word/devotionals/.

April 12: In the Garden