Recent Devotions
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3 Weary and worn, heartbroken and discouraged, Naomi drew close to Bethlehem. Memories of leaving here years before because of a famine filled her mind. Had it been the right thing to do? She thought of the graves of her husband and sons left now in Moab. She was thankful that…
“And he must needs go through Samaria.” John 4:4 Shunned by the other women in the town, a lone woman made her way to Jacob’s well at noon time to draw water for her household. Broken and bruised by all that she had endured in her life, her only desire…
“I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.” Psalm31:12. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17 There is a story about a Japanese emperor who had broken…
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“Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” (Romans 12:12, CSB) When we pray for a need in our life, do we pray once? Twice? Three times? When do we give up? Do we have the persistence to hold on until the answer comes? Is our trust in God strong enough to leave the answer and the timing up to Him? When we’ve cried out to God for the same situation for weeks, months, or what sometimes feels like forever, it’s easy to become discouraged. Yet, a parable of Jesus in Luke 18 teaches us to hold…
“But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt 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 The king during this season of Daniel’s life was King Darius. To be sure that his government was being run properly, King Darius put three other officials in charge of the governors. Daniel becomes one of these men, along with two others. He was a hard worker and eventually was promoted. You probably…
The events of 1 Kings 13 occur during the time when the kingdom of Israel was divided. After Solomon’s reign, the northern kingdom was ruled by Jeroboam, while the southern kingdom was ruled by Rehoboam. Jeroboam feared that if the people continued traveling to Jerusalem to worship, their loyalty might return to Judah. To prevent this, he established two golden calves in Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:26–30). What began as a political strategy quickly became spiritual compromise. Because of this idolatry, God sent a man of God from Judah to deliver a prophetic message against the altar at Bethel.…
The greatest obstacle preventing the Israelites from escaping Egypt and entering the Promised Land wasn’t Pharaoh and his vast army. It wasn’t the daunting Red Sea or the fortified Canaanite cities. The greatest obstacle to the fulfillment of God’s promise was the grumbling of God’s people. Grumbling gives voice to our distrust of God’s sovereignty in our lives. God said, “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me” (Numbers 14:27, ESV). Like a parent who has reached the end of their patience, God had…
