Recent Devotions
“But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence” Luke 11:8 NLT The previous verses to this one tell us the parable of a man who went to a friends house at midnight to borrow a few loaves of bread. He had a surprise visitor show up and apparently had nothing to feed him, and I guess three loaves of bread would have done the trick! Now, if someone came to my door at midnight asking…
“Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?” 1 Kings 3:9 MSG Right before Solomon made this request, God appeared to him in…
“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” Psalms 147:3 I have a two daughters who love band-aids. We go through boxes of them because they “need” a band-aid for every boo boo. If one of them stubs her toe, band-aid. If the other bruises her leg, band-aid. And of…
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As I write this today, I had an entirely different devotion on prayer lined out. But in the last few weeks, I have had a burden to amp up my prayers for all our children; and I have been much more specific in my prayers. Psalm 128:1-4 says, “Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants…
“But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.” Daniel 6:10 NLT To some, the fact that Daniel still prayed despite new laws that should have prevented him from doing so, may be seen as an act of defiance. We can learn from Daniel’s history and what others knew of him that this was not the case. Daniel did what he always did, he…
“But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.” (Genesis 8:1, ESV) I forget things. Most of us do—some more than others. That’s why I keep a calendar on my phone, set reminder alarms, and write myself notes. Those notes may be stuck on my bathroom mirror, on my refrigerator, or placed on the kitchen counter. Life gets busy and it’s easy for things to slip my mind. I suspect many of you may have the same…
“Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:” Psalms 102:18 ESV The beginning lines of this Psalm appear to be the remnants of a great tragedy that left the writer shattered and wounded. We read of distress, a broken heart, loneliness, and withering away. The scene set is one of hopelessness, desperation, and intense sorrow. After 11 verses of anguish, the writer begins to speak of the nature and character of God. He expressed his vulnerability, acknowledged his sorrow, and found himself standing once again on his firm foundation.…
