Mere Man
Read: Psalm 56 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. (v. 3) In the United States, many people remember where they were on September 11, 2001. The tragedy of 9/11 occurred far from our northeast Iowa home, but fear, uncertainty, and the reality of evil was very real and felt very close […]
Troubled
Read: 1 Samuel 1:9-17 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD.” (v. 15) My heart goes out to Hannah every time I read her story. She was barren by God’s […]
In Times of Uncertainty
Read: Matthew 6:25-34 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (v. 27) “Your biopsy results came back and both are basal cell carcinoma.” The two spots in question had appeared on my lower right leg a few months prior to a checkup with my new […]
Why?
Read: Job 3:20-26 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in? (v. 23) I am sitting in our local library as I write this devotional. Not only have I always loved the library, but this space became a place of refuge for me a few years back. […]
God, Our Refuge
Read: Psalm 121 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. (v. 5) The game of soccer fills a portion of our family calendar each fall. One of our sons is the goalkeeper on his team. In this role he is the last line of defense, constantly watching and […]
A Very Present Help
Read: Psalm 46 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (v. 7) Hardship + Worry = Feelings of Isolation. I allow this equation to exist in my life far too often. A work-related hardship arises and I choose stress over serenity. The doctor orders a medical test and […]
Each Step
Read: Acts 1:1-11 Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. (v. 11) The end of this story always makes me laugh. It’s that picture of the disciples, standing, looking […]
A Certain Young Man
Read: Mark 14:51-52 And there followed him a certain young man . . . (v. 51 KJV) At first reading, these two verses seem very strange. What would be the relevance of Mark mentioning “a certain young man”—an anonymous young man who really seems to play no part in the narrative? None of the other […]
Final Words
Read: Mark 16:9-20 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed. (v. 14) Although these final words of Mark’s Gospel appear to be a later addition (because the oldest manuscripts do not have them), […]