Today's Devotion
God does not prepare His people in one day. God prepares His people over time. He uses waiting, hardship, prayer, obedience, loss, and testing. Sometimes the preparation feels gentle. Sometimes it feels painful. But through every season, God is working. In Genesis 21-25, the lives of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau show us that God is faithful to His promises. God also shows us that the waiting season is never wasted. While we wait, God forms our faith. While we walk through trials, God teaches us to trust Him. While we obey, God reveals His purpose. God…
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39, KJV. Jesus is in your storm. It may feel like He is miles away, or sleeping, but He is in your boat. He sees the waves, He hears the roaring wind, and He senses your fear and anguish. He is there with you. He is waiting for you to call out for help. Peace be still. The storm that shook grown men to fear for their lives, ceased after three simple words. Peace…
Years ago, my husband and I were traveling and stopped for a meal at a restaurant. As we were leaving, I noticed a box beside the register with entry forms for a free meal. I filled one out and dropped it into the box. A few weeks later, I received a call from the restaurant. My entry had been selected, and I had won a free meal. We didn’t pass that way again for a long time, and we couldn’t redeem the offer. Even so, it was fun to receive that phone call. Before stopping at that restaurant, I didn’t…
“And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” Zechariah 13:6, KJV. I’m going to assume that every person reading this devotion has been internally scarred or wounded at some point in your life. Either you have experienced betrayal, broken promises, or maybe even abuse. If you are the person who looks at themselves in the mirror and sees a reflection of a woman who is scarred and defective looking back at you, this post is for you. You are more than the sum your sin—you are more…
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.…
