November 2024 Prayer Guide
TURKEY — The team in Turkey reports: “We held a training for our leadership on core communication and conflict resolution. These are key, as they help our leaders know how to best communicate with each other, how to bring forth the different voices of the team, and how to decide together what God is leading […]
The Gospel for the Strong
Read: 2 Chronicles 26:16-23; Philippians 4:12 When he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. (2 Chron. 26:16) Many conversion stories follow a pattern: “I was weak and down on my knees, and then took Jesus into my heart.” Praise God this does indeed happen! But what does the gospel say to the affluent, the gifted, […]
God’s Faithfulness
Read: 2 Chronicles 24:15-22; Revelation 2:4 He sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD. (2 Chron. 24:19) In various sports, coaches instruct us to follow through with our swing. The spiritual way of putting this is expressed in the words of an old hymn, “O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to […]
Truthful History Leads to Heroes
Read: 2 Chronicles 22:10-12; 23:12-21; Matthew 2:12-18 Jehoshabeath . . . took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons. (2 Chron. 22:11) I attended a recent lecture by an historian. Her theme was that without telling some of the bad along with the good aspects of American history, we simply will not […]
The Inability to Say No
Read: 2 Chronicles 18:28-19:3; Matthew 10:16 Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him. (2 Chron. 18:31) As a pastor I learned to advise members of the congregation who were well-intentioned but who became overextended in volunteering at church. I encouraged them to make priorities and define boundaries. When necessary, it’s okay to say no. This is […]
Paying Attention to Small Matters
Read: 2 Chronicles 16:1-14; Matthew 25:21 The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth. (2 Chron. 16:9) Christians can go astray when they don’t pay attention to small matters—daily prayer and Bible reading, meeting regularly with other believers, complete honesty with money, integrity in relationships, and many other things. Both the books […]
The King’s Speech
Read: 2 Chronicles 13:4-16; Matthew 5:3 As for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him. (2 Chron. 13:10) The King’s Speech is a movie about the king of England George VI who lived with a speech impediment. In a time of great national crisis, the young king gave a flawless radio speech ushering […]
Gahan’s Journey of Healing and Faith
A Words of Hope team member in Bhutan met a young man named Gahan who had been hospitalized with tuberculosis. Alone and in need of support, Gahan received prayers and heard the gospel message from the team member during his hospital visits. These visits are a crucial part of the ministry our team does in […]
Pedigree Misses the Point
Read: 2 Chronicles 10:1-15; Romans 2:28 My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions. (2 Chron. 10:14) I live in an area that has a fair amount of people with Dutch roots. Since I am not Dutch, I sometimes miss the conversation about how someone is related to someone else—what some call […]