ODM Daily Inspirational Devotional Messages Bible Verse and Prayers ODM
Daily Reflection – Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
### April 15, 2026
Source: Word on Fire
First Reading
Acts 5:17-26
Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled with jealousy, arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life.” When they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching.
When the high priest and those with him arrived, they called together the council and the whole body of the elders of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the temple police went there, they did not find them in the prison; so they returned and reported, “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering what might be going on. Then someone arrived and announced, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” Then the captain went with the temple police and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
Psalm
Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
Gospel Reading
John 3:16-21
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
Reflection
Friends, today in the Gospel, Jesus delineates the nature of his mission: “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”
In his passion to set right a disjointed universe, God broke open his own heart in love. The Father sent not simply a representative but his own Son into the dysfunction of the world, so that he might gather that world into the bliss of the divine life. God’s center—the love between the Father and the Son—is now offered as our center; God’s heart breaks open so as to include even the worst and most hopeless among us.
In so many spiritual traditions, the emphasis is placed on the human quest for God. But this is reversed in Christianity. Christians do not believe that God is dumbly “out there,” like a mountain waiting to be climbed by various religious searchers. On the contrary, God, like the hound of heaven in Francis Thompson’s poem, comes relentlessly searching after us.
Because of this questing and self-emptying divine love, we become friends of God, sharers in the communion of the Trinity.
Commentary
The Hound of Heaven
The reflection draws on Francis Thompson’s poem “The Hound of Heaven,” in which God is portrayed as a relentless pursuer. The speaker tries to flee, but God follows. He tries to hide, but God finds him. The poem ends with the realization that all attempts to escape are futile because God’s love is inescapable.
This is the heart of the Gospel. God is not distant, waiting for us to climb to Him. He comes down. He pursues. He seeks the lost sheep until He finds it.
God So Loved the World
John 3:16 is perhaps the most famous verse in Scripture, but its familiarity can dull its impact. “God so loved the world” – not just the worthy, not just the religious, not just the righteous, but the world. The world in all its brokenness, rebellion, and dysfunction.
“That he gave his only Son” – this is not a small gift. This is not a loan or a temporary assignment. God gave His only Son. He held nothing back.
“So that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” – the purpose is not condemnation but salvation. The Son was not sent to judge but to save.
Light and Darkness
The Gospel continues with a sobering truth: people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. The problem is not that light is insufficient; it is that darkness is preferred.
Those who do evil hate the light. They do not come to the light because they do not want their deeds exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.
The Prison Doors Opened
The first reading from Acts provides a powerful illustration of God’s relentless pursuit. The apostles were arrested, thrown into prison, and locked up securely. But an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and set them free. They did not escape; they were released.
When the authorities came to fetch them, the prison was still locked, the guards were still standing, but the prisoners were gone. They were not hiding; they were in the temple, teaching the people.
This is the pattern of the Gospel. Human opposition cannot contain the mission of God. Prison doors open. Chains fall. The message spreads.
The Response: Praise and Refuge
Psalm 34 responds to this reality with praise. “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” The psalmist invites others to join in magnifying the Lord. “O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.”
Prayer for the Day
Lord Jesus, I thank You that You did not wait for me to find You. You came searching for me. You broke open Your heart in love and sent Your Son to save me.
Forgive me for the times I have loved darkness rather than light. Forgive me for hiding from You instead of coming to You. Draw me into the light. Let my deeds be clearly seen as done in God.
Like the apostles, let me not be confined by prison doors. Set me free to proclaim Your message. Let me taste and see that You are good.
I take refuge in You. I magnify Your name. I exalt You with my praise.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Reflection Questions
- Have I experienced God as the “Hound of Heaven,” relentlessly pursuing me?
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Do I love the light, or do I prefer darkness because I fear exposure?
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What “prison doors” need to be opened in my life so that I can fulfill God’s mission?
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How can I “taste and see” the goodness of God today?
#WordOnFire #DailyReflection #Easter #John3v16 #GodSoLovedTheWorld #HoundOfHeaven #Acts5
