The path of life is often twisted, gnarled, and unclear to our sight. When facing uncertainties and difficulties, there are times God says, “go forward” (Exodus 14:15); there are other times He says, “stand still and see…” (2 Chronicles 20:17). Whenever the way is uncertain, never rely on your own understanding, but rather “Trust in […]
Words of wisdom from Job 14:1 say, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” meaning commotion, restlessness, disquiet, and anger. A similar thought is found in Job 5:7, “man is born to trouble…”, and the different Hebrew word here means toil, labor, sorrow, grief, pain, fatigue, misery, and […]
Looking at Psalm 143, we are told that the Greek Septuagint makes a reference to the rebellion of Absalom in the title, which rebellion is recorded in 2 Samuel 15.Whether this is the backdrop for this Psalm or not, one thing we know is that David has been crushed and persecuted by his enemy, and […]
In John 14:27 Jesus promised His followers peace, His peace. Peace is not only the absence of war and strife, which is rampant in the world, but more importantly peace is a state of tranquility, rest, and calm regardless of the surrounding circumstances. This is the kind of peace Jesus promised in John 16:33 when […]
In Luke 10:41 Jesus says to a troubled and disturbed hostess, “Martha, Martha, (probably in a tone of, why are you in such a state of mind and turmoil over these trivial things) you are worried (anxious, cared) and troubled (turbid, disturbed) about many things.” (Comments added) In Psalm 4:5-8, the Psalmist also sees many […]
God assures us in Jeremiah 29:11-13 that He is thinking about us, and His thoughts are to give us peace and hope; in other words, He wants us to be safe, well, happy, and to have His favor. His thoughts toward us are not for evil; that is He does not want to afflict us […]
Praise is an art that every child of God should pursue, learn, and practice. Upon coming to Jesus, one of the first things we find is that He gives us “…beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…” Isaiah 61:3. He has provided and given […]
The Christmas season – the time we as Christians claim to celebrate the birth of Christ – is a season of love, joy, and peace. The story of Christ’s birth is beautifully wrapped up in one verse, John 3:16; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes […]
A choice is given to us when we face difficulties, to praise or to complain! Our choice is pivotal toward victory or defeat. Rebellion and Complaining seem to have a close relationship, and between them they kept a whole generation from entering the promised land of Canaan, Numbers 14:2-3; 22-23. 1 Corinthians 10:10 warns us […]
Have you ever considered the power of song to turn a place of seeming defeat into a place of victory, to turn a dry barren place into a fertile field, and to bring the light of hope into the midst of darkness and gloom? This is exactly where Paul and Silas find themselves (Acts 16:16-34) […]