What a great example David has given to us for walking through times of difficulty. Although he was well aware of his circumstances and troubles, he did not fix his gaze upon them. He did not see them as his end. How? By following the “though” of his circumstance with the truth of his God. “THOUGH I am surrounded by troubles, YOU will protect me…”. (Psalm 138) How necessary it is for us, as...
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) The writer of the book of Hebrews described the hope we have in God - who does not change, does not lie, and who keeps His Word - as an anchor. He wrote, “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” (Hebrews 6:19) Don’t...
“...what is that to you? You follow Me.”These are the final words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John; words spoken to Peter after he asked, “Lord, what about him?” (Read John 21 for the full picture.) And they are words that we would do well to remember when we ourselves wonder, “What about what he did?” or “What about what she said?” or “What is that person going to do?”When times of...
“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”This was David’s concluding exhortation, as expressed in the last verse of Psalm 31. How could he so confidently say this, while dealing with his own adversities? Because of what he reminded himself of previously in the psalm. You see, David declared: “You are my rock and my fortress…” “…You are a faithful God.” “I trust in the Lord.” “I...
“What I find so interesting about David and Jonathon’s friendship is that Jonathon didn’t hold it against David that David would be the next king…Jonathon valued their friendship more than what he could have gained for himself….” (See 1 Samuel 18.) Such words of wisdom I overheard this morning, spoken by my daughter. That idea - valuing the people in our lives, esteeming others, supporting our...
As we headed into the bay to watch 4th of July fireworks from the boat, we found ourselves on the edge of an unexpected storm. Rather than head into the storm, we waited it out, ensuring that it would be gone by the time we reached our destination. It got me thinking: I will NEVER choose to go into a storm. I will ALWAYS choose calm seas & sunny skies, both literally and...
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening.” (Psalm 92:1-2) I wonder what would happen if we put these two verses into practice: if we regularly gave Him thanks, sang praises unto Him, and declared His love every morning and His faithfulness every evening? ...
“A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.” Proverbs 12:16 NLT What wisdom is given to us for this brand new week! Surely something may be said or done in the coming days that could cause insult or offense. If that happens, let us remember the wise words found in this Proverb and ask ourselves: How will we respond? Will we be quick tempered,...
It is possible that our greatest disappointments lead to our greatest blessings. As a young woman, we can only imagine the disappointment and grief Anna suffered at the loss of her husband. Married for only 7 years, widowed for about 84, we can presume that with the death of her husband came the death of her dreams, hopes, and all that she envisioned for her life. While we don’t...
God is mightier than the uncontrolled chaos around you and even that which is, perhaps, raging within you: “The Lord reigns; He is robed in majesty. The Lord is robed; He has put on strength as His belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods...