Darkening Counsel
Read: Job 38:1-24 Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? (v. 2) Why would a child want to read Job? I can’t explain it, but I was that child. More than anything in my Young Reader’s Bible, I wanted to read Job—not necessarily because I understood the principles or theology found there. […]
The Epiphany of Light
Read: Psalm 36 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. (v. 9) Changing a tire after dark is a cruel undertaking, especially if you’re relying on just a flashlight for illumination. If you have ever had to do that, you were probably desperate, or you wouldn’t have […]
Light Near to Darkness
Read: Job 17:10-16 They make night into day: “The light,” they say, “is near to the darkness.” (v. 12) Scripture warns those of us who would deliver platitudes to someone longing for light when no light comes. Job’s story provides many lessons in how not to treat a brother or sister who is suffering. In […]
Dark Lament
Read: Job 30:24-31 But when I hoped for good, evil came, and when I waited for light, darkness came. (v. 26) Part of the point of studying darkness and light is wrestling honestly with the way God sees and uses both. It seems pretty obvious that I want all light—and Job’s story forces my wrestling […]
Fire in the Dark
Read: Exodus 13:17-22 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. (v. 21) Somehow, I missed the fact that God gave his people […]
Darkness as Plague
Read: Exodus 10:21-29 “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” (v. 21) Don’t you feel a little shiver at the phrase: “a darkness to be felt”? It is the ninth plague, and the God of the Hebrews isn’t just calling for […]
Light in Darkness
Read: Genesis 1:1-19 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. (vv. 3-4) The earth was without form, void of land, seasons, day and night, ebb and flow, color and fruitfulness. Covered in thick darkness, it […]
January Prayer Guide 2020
INDONESIA — Give thanks for the daily devotionals being produced in Indonesia by Words of Hope and Back to God Ministries International. The booklets are proving especially valuable for Indonesian prisoners. Inmates who read the devotionals report that they feel encouraged, and some are now meeting together twice a week to discuss what they are reading and pray for […]
Blessed Beyond Measure
Read: Ephesians 1:1-3 [God has] . . . blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. (v. 3) When, as a young man, I heard a message on Ephesians 1, God grabbed my heart to follow Jesus. I pray this book so captures your heart. John Mackay, former president of Princeton Seminary, said upon reading Ephesians, “I […]