Tag: desperation

November 7, 2025

November 7th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 5

Highlight Verses:

“Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had! Or have you utterly rejected us? Are you angry with us still?”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These are the final words of the Lament.

But they are not the last word on God’s relationship with us.

This book has an unfortunate end before the return from exile.

But the return happened.

And later, God Himself came in the form of Jesus.

And Jesus made the sacrifice that gives us the ability to enjoy new life with God.

It may be cliché but the saying “if it’s not good, then it’s not over” applies to every believer’s life.

If we trust in God, He will make a way for us to live fulfilling lives culminating in a heavenly eternity (literally).

Can you relate to the laments in this book?
Do you know the peace and joy of trusting in God?
Do you trust Him to turn your mourning into dancing? (Psalm 30:11)
October 17, 2025

October 17th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 2

Highlight Verse:

“All the strength of Israel vanishes beneath his fierce anger. The Lord has withdrawn his protection as the enemy attacks. He consumes the whole land of Israel like a raging fire.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Most of this chapter is Jeremiah lamenting what God does to Jerusalem and Judea.

Jeremiah seems to be adding up the bad things God has done against Israel, like God was personally responsible for it.

What did God really do there?

He withdrew his hand of protection from the land.

And then Jeremiah writes about the terrible things God did.

Keep in mind that Jeremiah was a prophet.

As such, he could speak with the mouth of God. That is, God is speaking these things to and through him.

It is God’s broken heart that carries the pain of seeing Israel destroyed to the point of taking the blame upon Himself like a Father who failed to protect His children.

Only He didn’t fail. It was a painful part of His plan. Very painful, but it was still part of His plan of redemption.

As such, we get a glimpse of the heart of God, who was willing to go through the pain of being seen as hurting His children.

Lamentations are not just Jeremiah lamenting the fall of Jerusalem, it is God’s lament for Jerusalem’s fall.

Have you gone through times when it feels like God is attacking you?
Were you able to see the bigger picture of God’s hand on the plan for your life afterward?
October 12, 2025

October 12th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 120-124

Highlight Verse:

“I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭121‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’m at the edge of the mountains as I write this.

Yesterday afternoon, I went for a hike up what felt like a mountain to a place deceptively called Ladybug Lookout.

Mountain goats take one look at the last 50 feet of that trail and say, “No thank you!”

Not being of the mountain goat persuasion, I went for it.

While I scrambled up those rocks, I had the audacity to think, “At least I have good cell service up here if I get hurt.”

When I got to the top, I could clearly see the Garden of the Gods, a stunning collection of red rock formations, and the surrounding ridges and hills with Peaks Pike looming above.

I hear people say that these ridges were formed millions of years ago by the forces of plate tectonics that raised Pikes peak, tilting these ridges exposing the different colors of sandstone that wore into these beautiful shapes.

Personally, I believe God created them this way.

But even if He chose to use plate tectonics to create them, it was His artistic touch that made them beautiful.

He didn’t have to infuse them with the elements that made those amazing colors.

He didn’t have to give us the ability to see 100 million different colors.

He didn’t have to supply the right amount of erosion to create those amazing shapes.

But He did.

My dad was an atheist for most of his life.

After seeing enough of the amazing beauty of creation, he finally came to accept that there must be a Creator.

If God has the ability and imagination to create this amazing planet, He can help when we call out to Him with our needs as well.

When is the last time you got out to enjoy God’s creation?
How did it inspire you?
August 20, 2025

August 20th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 27-28

Highlight Verse:

“One day David said to Achish, “If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city.””
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭27‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I want to point to this and say,

“See, David was a good ol’ country boy.”

But, let’s face it, at this stage in his life,

he became the dread pirate David.

He left the royal city so he could deceive Achish into thinking they were on the same team.

This wasn’t the best chapter in David’s life.

Discouragement from being constantly pursued by King Saul had worn him out

to the point of running to the Philistines and resorting to raiding enemy villages while he lived there.

He raided villages to the south of Israel so, when he came back, he could make it look like he had been raiding Israelite villages, strengthening his bond with Achish.

That was a bond that he should never have had in the first place.

He wasn’t making wise decisions.

And this is where I draw my thoughts from today.

When we are discouraged, we are vulnerable.

We might not go raiding enemy villages, but we may turn to the wrong people and try to keep them happy.

That didn’t work so well for David.

How do we deal with that discouragement?

We can surround ourselves with encouragers

– people who radiate wise advice while encouraging us to stay faithful.

Has discouragement ever led you to follow the wrong people?
How did you get through it?
August 15, 2025

August 15th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 31-33

Highlight Verse:

“The young women will dance for joy, and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jeremiah is known for his doom and gloom prophecies.

But today’s reading is full of hope, restoration, and celebration.

Out of the darkest times came the greatest celebrations.

The most joyous times in my life came after the hardest times.

• The joy of the arrival of our firstborn after 11 years of infertility.
• A godly wife after years of betrayal and loneliness.
• Financial freedom after years of debt.

All these joys and more were made all the greater from the pain that preceded them.

And through it all, regardless of the strength of my faith, God was always there giving me strength to get through and carrying me when my strength was gone.

Never once did He fail.

This life will have times of pain, weakness, loneliness, and despair.

God will carry you through no matter how hard times become.

And He will bring on the joy and celebration on the other side leading eventually to the greatest celebration in heaven.

What has been the greatest celebration in your life so far?
What did you have to come through to get there?
May 31, 2025

May 31st, 2025
Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – John 7:37-39

Highlight Verse:

“On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!”
‭‭John‬ ‭7‬:‭37‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It was the last day of the festival.
- Some people were getting tired and homesick – ready to hit the road for home.
- Some were enjoying the festivities, hanging out with their party people.
- And then there those whose desire to worship God was coming to a peak.
They thirsted for a close relationship with their Heavenly Father.

Jesus called out to them.

He was the only one who could quench that deep thirst.

He still is.

The more we seek Him, the more He will satisfy that thirst.

Have you gone through times when you weren’t very thirsty for Jesus?
What brought on that thirst again?
What can we do to become more thirsty now?

(BTW, today’s verse choice is courtesy of the random selection of my daughter Grace).
May 17, 2025

May 17th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Psalm 112

Highlight Verse:

“They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭112‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Bad news.

We’ve all had our share.

The expensive repair.
The painful diagnosis.
A friend’s betrayal.
The loss of a loved one.

Sometimes the news is saddening.
Sometimes devastating.

To say it will all work for the better is misleading and hurtful at best.

How can we live out this verse?

Trust that God is sovereign and compassionate before the bad news comes.

Know that terrible news comes to each of us.

The feelings of grief and anger and hopelessness are inevitable.

But so is the faithfulness of God that will outlast every feeling and doubt no matter how strong.

Trust and love Him with all your heart soul mind and strength and He will see you through it.

How have you gotten through bad news in the past?Are you in the midst of bad news now? Let us share in your struggle.
April 30, 2025

April 30th, 2025
Wednesday – History

Reading – Judges 20-21

Highlight Verse:

“So the men of Benjamin did as they were told. Each man caught one of the women as she danced in the celebration and carried her off to be his wife. They returned to their own land, and they rebuilt their towns and lived in them.”
‭‭Judges‬ ‭21‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I gotta admit, this is another one of those Bible stories that proves the accuracy of the Bible to me.

I mean, what other religious writing would admit such an embarrassing event?

This story is significant for other reasons as well.

It was very important that the tribe of Benjamin be preserved.
- King Saul was a Benjamite.
It could be argued that it would have been better for Saul not to be King because of his failures.

It should be remembered that He united and helped preserve Israel during his reign. His shortcomings also paved the way for King David to rise to power.
- Queen Esther was also thought to come from the tribe of Benjamin.
Without her, Israel would have been (or nearly been) wiped out by Haman.
- And then there was another Saul. God changed his name to Paul and used him to spread the Gospel to the Western World.
It can be said that we owe our salvation to his missionary work.

So, yes, there were some questionable methods used to preserve the tribe of Benjamin. I sincerely hope they would never be used today.

But I’m sure glad that the tribe of Benjamin survived.

Can you think of any other bizarre stories that God used to bring about good?
Has God used some of the more unusual parts of your history to bring about good?
April 25, 2025

April 25th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 49-51

Highlight Verse:

“I replied, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Isaiah was what Bible scholars call a Major Prophet.

He not only spoke out against the enemies of Israel; he advised kings and gave numerous Messianic predictions that came true with Jesus.

Yet here he testifies that he felt useless.

There are times that I can relate, though I certainly can’t compare to the likes of Isaiah.

But, if I make myself available to the Holy Spirit, I do believe that I can be effective to bring people closer to God.

A famous TV chef in the 80’s, Martin Yan, used to always say, “If Yan can cook, so can you!”

With that in mind I think Isaiah would say, “If God can use me, He can use you!”

Have you ever felt discouraged especially in how effective your ministry is?
Have you ever left the real work up to the Holy Spirit?
April 24, 2025

April 24th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Corinthians 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I can teach a clear, eloquent lesson on the Gospel and have it completely misunderstood.

I can have a deep, emotional conversation about the Gospel and still be thought a fool for believing.

For some, there is a brick wall that no amount of convincing argument can even chip.

Is there no hope?

There’s always hope.

It may not be visible but the Holy Spirit is always at work. Sometimes He works through His people, sometimes directly.

For each wall I’ve seen stand hard against the Gospel, I’ve seen another knocked down through the power of the Holy Spirit at work through His people.

1st Corinthians is a great study on working in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. I’m looking forward to the lessons ahead for us.

In the meantime, I continue to pray for those whose wall I desperately want to see come down.

Are there people in your life who need the Holy Spirit to break down the wall separating them from the Good News of Jesus?
Did you have a wall separating you from understanding the Gospel? What was it like when that wall came down?

Tag: desperation

These are the final words of the Lament.

But they are not the last word on God’s relationship with us.

It may be cliché but the saying “if it’s not good, then it’s not over” applies to every believer’s life.

Most of this chapter is Jeremiah lamenting what God does to Jerusalem and Judea.

What did God really do there?

As such, we get a glimpse of the heart of God, who was willing to go through the pain of being seen as hurting His children.

Yesterday afternoon, I went for a hike up what felt like a mountain to a place deceptively called Ladybug Lookout.

But He did.

If God has the ability and imagination to create this amazing planet, He can help when we call out to Him with our needs as well.

“See, David was a good ol’ country boy.”

he became the dread pirate David.

Discouragement from being constantly pursued by King Saul had worn him out

When we are discouraged, we are vulnerable.

We can surround ourselves with encouragers

Out of the darkest times came the greatest celebrations.

All these joys and more were made all the greater from the pain that preceded them.

God will carry you through no matter how hard times become.

They thirsted for a close relationship with their Heavenly Father.

He still is.

The more we seek Him, the more He will satisfy that thirst.

Bad news.

How can we live out this verse?

But so is the faithfulness of God that will outlast every feeling and doubt no matter how strong.

I mean, what other religious writing would admit such an embarrassing event?

It was very important that the tribe of Benjamin be preserved.

But I’m sure glad that the tribe of Benjamin survived.

Yet here he testifies that he felt useless.

With that in mind I think Isaiah would say, “If God can use me, He can use you!”

For some, there is a brick wall that no amount of convincing argument can even chip.

There’s always hope.

1st Corinthians is a great study on working in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. I’m looking forward to the lessons ahead for us.