What an amazing Savior and King we have! We can sing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and sense his closeness or listen to “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” and imagine the strength and power of Almighty God.

In the last days there will come times of difficulty, Paul told Timothy. It may be tempting to think Paul is giving Timothy a hint about when Christ will return, but to do that is to misinterpret Paul’s teaching.

Many of the fascinating facts I learned about trees come back to me whenever I think about staying connected to God.

Psalm 92 says, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to your name.” And in the very next verse, the psalmist tells us to bring these songs of praise in the morning.

Maybe it’s because we are in the middle of football season and at the beginning of basketball season that 2 Timothy chapter 1 strikes me as a bit of a half-time locker room talk.

The familiar idiom is, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” But sometimes time also flies when there is so much to do! Paul admonished his readers to “make the best use of the time.”

I memorized this passage when I was 18. I have sung it, quoted it, and prayed it hundreds of times over the decades. Yet I still often struggle with living it out.

Jeremiah points us to a time when God would write on man’s hearts and no longer on tablets of stone. But for now, we are still living in exile.

I find great comfort in David’s prayer in this psalm because it is a prayer more similar to how I pray. Our honesty with self and with God is a healthy place to begin any prayer.

Go ahead and complain. God can handle it, and in the process you might gain insight and experience some relief. 

God smiles when he sees his children come to the understanding that he is the source of all we have.

The problem of God’s children all through history has been believing we can figure out a better path than the one God will show us.

Our surrender to God’s plans results in a demonstration to the world of God’s surpassing power at work in us.

A prophecy and a promise that brings comfort for us as well as for ancient believers: “And he will be the stability of your times.”

Confused about what to wear? The apostle Paul adds some clarity for everyone seeking to walk in accord with Christ.

God will meet us in the silence. He will receive our tears as worship. He will sustain us and strengthen us when we go to him with hands lifted up and offer the simple prayer, “Help me, Lord.”

Our God is a God of strength and power. He is fully able to do great things and has done them time and time again. Believing this, we pray, “How long, O Lord, must this continue?”

In our data-driven world, we do well to pray for others specifically, one by one.

We are eager to utter urgent prayers for the Lord’s help. Sometimes his answer includes, “Look at your neighbor in need.”

“I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.“