“‘Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,’ says the LORD; ‘I will place him in the safety for which he longs.’” Psalm 12:5 Reading this verse, a question stirred in my mind: what is the safety the Lord provides? The context of the psalm seems to indicate a decisive […]
“I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.” Psalm 116:1 I read a devotion this morning by Charles Stanley that focused on this verse and the beautiful reality that God hears us and cares about the small things in our lives, not just “big” prayer requests. And I’d […]
“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off’; fear not, for I am with you; […]
“In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.” Psalm 120:1 So often when I read verses like the one above, I frame it in a mindset of distress caused by outside circumstances. Whether brought on or worsened by our own bad choices or through no fault of our own. But this […]
“Now [the disciples] had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat… And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not […]
“And [the LORD] said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ And [Moses] said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.’” Exodus 33:14-15 This morning I am dwelling on the presence of the Lord. As He calls us into difficult, […]
“Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge.” Psalm 16:1 “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before Him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything.” 1 John 3:19-20 Reading this morning, my heart saw a […]
“All who took them captive held them fast; they refuse to let them go. Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is His name.” Jeremiah 50:33b-34a Does anything seem to be holding you fast this morning? A habit, situation, relationship, mindset – whatever it may be – that you just haven’t been able to […]
“For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as […]
“We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, […]
In Pleasant Places 