Prayer Journey — God in All Things

Some days it is difficult dear God to see how anything good can come out of so many bad things. Yet you tell me to trust you, to seek your will. I struggle deep inside to trust you, to follow your lead. You remind me of your work in the past, of your faithfulness, of […]

Vanity Destroys

In 2 Kings we read about how King after King “did evil in the sight of the LORD.” Over and over they abandon God’s law and His covenant to pursue the gods of neighboring nations. However, there’s an interesting statement in the second half of 2 Kings 17:15: “And they followed vanity and became vain, […]

God Pleaser

“Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4, NASB).” It seems like a simple statement, but how do we delight in the Lord? Isaiah 58:13-14 provides some guidance: “If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, […]

Prayer Journey — What is my Purpose?

Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted (Job 42:1-2, NASB) You dear Lord can do all things. You created everything. You are intentional. Your purposes are righteous. Who can stand in the way of your will? I am […]

God in the Ordinary — A Simple House

The magi sought the “King of the Jews,” traveling from the east to Jerusalem. They inquired about him in a great city, yet no one knew about him, not even the king. “Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born (Matthew […]

A Second Chance

God is a god of second chances. If you wonder about the depth of His grace, consider Jonah. He ignored God’s command and ran from Him. Yet God continued to pursue him by pressing into his life. God used a severe storm to get his attention, yet Job still did not give in to God. […]

Too Proud to Remember

There have been times in my life where I have gone through severe trials. In those times I have cried out to God for relief. I have asked him to take away the pain, to release me from the ongoing struggles. It seems during those times I have drawn closer to God and my faith […]

Seeking God

Earthly gain is a powerful force that can draw us away from God. In the Old Testament, Solomon provides a good example. Initially he was devoted to God, serving as an example to others of living for God, but that did not last. His wealth was immense, so much so that silver was not considered […]

For All People

In 1 Kings 8 Solomon is dedicating the just completed temple to God. A great assembly is gathered “from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God (1 Kings 8:65).” The priests have “brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary […]

Humility, the Antidote to Pride

If we begin to see ourselves as more righteous, more wise than others, there is a risk that we see ourselves as self important; we become prideful, elevating ourselves above others…