Recent Devotions
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV) Four hundred years is a long time for God to remain silent. Yet, in the time leading up to the birth of the Savior, God was still. The Israelites had returned to their homeland after captivity in Babylon, but it seemed the glory years of the nation were over. Now, 400 years later, they inhabited their own land but lived under Roman rule. Even worse, since the prophet Malachi spoke his final words…
“But we are citizens of heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior.” Philippians 3:20 Have you ever had one of those days where you think to yourself “I cannot wait for heaven!” Everything seems to fall to pieces…
“The LORD told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” Judges 7:7 NLT In Judges chapter seven, Gideon prepared to go to war with his army against the Midianites. He starts with 32,000 warriors, but the number…
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“And they shouted it with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, in order that they might take the city.” (II Chronicles 32:18, ESV) Once again Jerusalem was surrounded by her enemies. An emissary of the Assyrian king loudly taunted the Jews, mocking their God and trying to terrify the people so they could overtake the city. (The story is given in both II Chronicles 32 and Isaiah 36-37.) The Assyrian strategy sounded good, at least to them, but they made two mistakes. First,…
The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Psalm 93:3–4 When I am going through a really difficult time in my life, I quote the above scripture. I declare, “The Lord on high is MIGHTIER than the noise of many waters.” “The Lord is mightier than my problem.” “The Lord is mightier than my enemy.” There may be a situation in your life that is trying to drown…
A photograph can stir memory and emotion. Most of us have had the experience of opening a photo album or rummaging through a box of miscellaneous keepsakes, and within moments we feel the emotion of a moment forgotten. Or, we sense the smell of our childhood home, a favorite spice or scent in the air. We are a composite of tens of thousands of memories, each of which, though seemingly forgotten, come to life again in unexpected ways. Parents daily create an atmosphere for their children. There are memories that shape their personalities, their spirituality, and their choices in life.…
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” (John 10:14) Our first trip to the Middle East was a culture shock. Most of the passengers on Royal Jordanian Flight 264 were Middle Easterners. My husband and I were a minority on the airplane. Service announcements were bilingual, Arabic, and English. As we navigated through Queen Alia International Airport customs, we were greeted by chaos and less-than-clean bathrooms. Once outside the airport, our missionary hosts picked us up, and we headed to their home in Marj al Hamam. It was on the south side of…
