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Bible Study, Christian Life, Devotional, Encouragement, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Hope in Unsettling Times

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Darkness doesn’t prevent the Lord.

Isaiah is a prophet who brought some shocking news to God’s people. Israel was going to fall into the hands of Assyria; they would have difficult days ahead. The time would seem unsettling and dark, but God would not forget about his people.

Today may be an unsettling time. COVID19 is still present in our lives causing interruptions. Other problems have reached a boiling point. It does not seem good headlines exist in the news, but God has not forgotten about his people.

In chapter 8, Isaiah says, “The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, ‘Don’t call everything a conspiracy like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear; he is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe.”

He promises to keep those who are faithful safe. Isaiah goes on in verse 16, “Preserve the teaching of God, and trust the instructions of those who follow me. I will wait for the Lord, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in him.”

Isaiah recognizes God is the one constant hope. Hope in anything or anyone else is fallible, but hope in the Lord is unfailing. Isaiah was living in an anxious time, but he centered his hope on the Lord.

“Look to God’s instructions and teachings,” Isaiah encourages in 8:20-21. “People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry, and because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their god. They will look up to Heaven and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness.”

The next time life seems hopeless and you are plagued by yesterday’s mistakes, try looking to the hope and grace offered by the Lord. Partake in his grace, and allow it to wash over the feelings of hopelessness and despair you may be encountering. Isaiah’s promise is as good today as the day he originally prophesied.

The Lord offers hope to his people even in the most unsettling times.

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Hope Yestterday, Today, and the Future

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There has always been hope.

Hope is not a new idea to the Lord. From the first dark day on earth, the Lord knew his people would need hope, and he provided it.

Adam and Eve did not follow the rules for living in the Garden, so they were kicked out. Hope was then needed, and the Lord provided hope and a glimpse into his plan for the future.

Speaking of the coming Messiah, God says in Genesis 3:15, “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman. And between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heal.”

Many years later, Isaiah was stating some unsettling times were about to occur. Israel was going to fall into the hands of Assyria, but the Lord offered hope amid the anxiety.

Isaiah 7:14 says, “All right then. The Lord himself will give you a sign. Look the virgin will conceive a child. She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means God is with us.”

Many years later, John’s Gospel says hope came. John 1:14 says, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness, and we have seen his glory – the glory of the Father’s one and only son.”

The hope needed in the Garden in Isaiah’s day, and that came in John’s day is still with us today. Christ is that hope; his grace and mercy are still available today. If you are in need of hope today, give him a chance to offer it to you.

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Bible Study, Christian Life, Devotional, Encouragement, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Hope

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The one and only constant hope.

Hope is easy when we do not really need it, but when circumstances around us seem hopeless, we truly discover where our hope can be found.

Friends who say call if you need anything may or may not mean it. Politicians may promise hope, but they are not able to deliver a true hope. Hope in money can eventually run out. The Lord, however, can provide a true, constant hope in the most hopeless of situations.

The Lord can give hope to the hopeless. In the darkest of hours, he can be a ray of light that changes everything. Where is your hope placed today?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Osv6pR6-5ys

Bible Study, Christian Life, Devotional, Encouragement, Inspiration, Uncategorized

The Whirlwind of Life

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She experienced a whirlwind of emotions.

She was a widow, with a son, in the middle of a famine. Provisions were almost expired; enough was left for one last meal. She was gathering the wood for the cooking fire when Elijah entered her life.

Elijah asked the widow to bring him a drink of water and a piece of bread. She responds in 1 Kings 17:12, “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I don’t have any bread, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son that we may eat it, and die.”

Can you imagine? The widow is in a desperate situation, and she may feel hopeless. But here comes hope.

Elijah encourages her to do as he has directed, and promises the Lord will continue her provisions until the end of the famine. 1 Kings 17:6 records the widow and her son having enough to survive until the famine ended. This storm ended, but another rain cloud was on the horizon.

Some time later her son died. Amid the storm, the widow went to Elijah so he could act on behalf of God. This would have been an emotionally draining whirlwind for the widow; hard times followed by okay times only to be replaced by hard times again. Sadness giving away to happiness only to be broken down by grief. The winds of life tossed and turned the widow.

Perhaps this sounds familiar to your experience. Don’t lose the big take-away of the widow’s story.

Her faith pushed her forward.

It was the widow’s faith which compelled her to feed Elijah and go to him upon the death of her son. Her faith steadied her as the winds swirled around her.

You and I have a friend in Jesus who sticks closer than a brother. His compassion wiped the tears of the widow and held the hand of the man with leprosy. His power was victorious over death. There’s nothing in life that is a match for him.

Allow the Lord to be a part of your storm today.

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Bible Study, Christian Life, Devotional, Encouragement, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Looking to the Future

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The future is coming.

Well, the future is coming. It may be unsettling, but we can not stop it from coming. The good news for Christians, the future will be glorious. At the end, the Lord will be victorious.

Isaiah had many unsettling things to say, but the Lord promised through Isaiah, a future of peace and rest.

Isaiah 4:5-6 says, “Then the Lord will create, over all of Mount Zion, and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night. Over everything, the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.”

Israel did not fully experience this when they returned out of exile, nor have we fully experienced it today. But the Lord promises he will create for us an eternal dwelling of peace and rest. The toil of this life, for Christ’s followers, will give way to peace and rest in the future.

The future is coming. We can’t stop it, but we can rest assured it will be a time of peace and rest.

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Forever Hope

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A loving and patient God continues to offer hope.

A large city’s school system had a program to help students keep up with their homework while in the city’s hospitals. A teacher assigned to the program received a routine call to visit a student in the hospital. She obtained the child’s room number and name. She spoke to the boy’s teacher and found out the class was studying nouns and adverbs.

No one told the teacher the boy was in the hospital because he had been badly burned, and he was in a great deal of pain. When she saw the patient-student, it took all of her strength to continue. “I’m a teacher from your school,” she explained. “I’ve been sent here to help you with your nouns and adverbs.”

The two worked on an assignment, then the teacher left feeling defeated. She believed she had accomplished nothing, but the next day a nurse applauded her.

“I don’t know what you did yesterday, but the patient’s outlook has changed. He is fighting back and responding to treatment,” the nurse happily explained.

Two weeks later the boy explained the teacher’s visit gave him hope. “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on homework with a dying boy, would they?”

Hope is a powerful tool of the Lord, which he continues to offer.

Max Lucado explains, “Isaiah revealed Judah’s impending doom. God vowed not to listen to the prayers of his people because of their excessive sin, but God assured he would restore Israel after purging it of sin. A loving and patient God continued to offer hope to the Israelites. He offered forgiveness if they repented.”

Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” God promised he would purge the Israelites.

The Same is true for us. Whatever is causing you and I to feel hopeless, the Lord can remove from our lives. Past mistakes and difficulties are no match for his grace and mercy. He can turn our hopelessness into pure hope.

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Bible Study, Christian Life, Devotional, Encouragement, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Confidence in a Storm

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Psalm 18 reminds us of God’s faithfulness.

It is no secret our journey through life will encounter storms. Things may be going well to suddenly be derailed by events and actions that are out of our control. David was no stranger to life being derailed.

The Bible’s biography of David reveals a turbulent life filled with mistakes, yet the Lord remained faithful to David. People turned against David, but the Lord did not. David made stupid mistakes, but the Lord stayed true. In Psalm 18, David reflects on the Lord’s faithfulness and goodness.

Psalm 18:30 says, “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.”

Here are 3 take-aways from Psalm 18:30.

God’s way is the best way.

It may not always seem like the best approach, but if God is leading, he will always take the best way. He will always make arrangements for things to work out.

Remember, he arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah and help him travel to where God wanted him.

God’s promises prove true.

The Lord keeps his promises. He has never made a promise he does not intend to keep. On the night of Jesus’ birth, the shepherds found everything the way they were told it would be. The Bible records many instances of the Lord sending someone on a journey with a promise, and the individual found the promise to be true.

You and I have been made promises by the Lord, and we will find each of them to be true.

God is a shield of protection.

God offers us protection.

Psalm 18 says, “For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect.”

Life may lead us into storms, but the Lord will always be with us. Amid the storm, remember the words of Psalm 18.

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Unusual, but Effective.

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The Lord arranged for a fish.

Jonah’s story is interesting. It shows us the power and patience of the Lord, and it illustrates God works in seemingly unusual ways.

Jonah, while running from God, gets on a boat. The boat encounters a storm, and after much effort, the conclusion is reached the only way to stop the storm is throw Jonah overboard. The sailors throw Jonah overboard and the storm stops. The boat’s crew witnesses the Lord’s power, and worship the Lord.

Meanwhile, Jonah is in the sea, but God makes arrangements.

Jonah 1:17 remembers, “Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.”

Of all the ways the Lord could have helped Jonah in the moment, he sent a fish. He could have used drift wood or a piece of wreckage. He could have allowed Jonah to be close enough to shore to swim. He could have miraculously carried Jonah to shore, but God does not choose any of those methods. He uses a fish; an unusual way which may have not been the most appealing to Jonah.

Jonah’s lifeboat would have been smelly and dirty. Traveling in the digestive system of a large whale would not be the most ideal, but it saved Jonah’s life.

While we’ve not been swallowed by a great fish, we may be able to relate. God helps us in some unusual ways. They may not be ideal or our first choice, but they do provide the help we need.

When we find ourselves in Jonah’s place, how do we respond? Do we grumble because we are being helped in an unusual way, or do we thank the Lord for the resources he is providing?

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Here’s Good News!

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“If that’s not God, I don’t know what is.”

Good news seems to be rare these days, and it does not take long to get down when looking at headlines. However, there are many things for which you and I can be happy. The Lord is always doing something good.

The list of good things is big. People beating illnesses, days spent with kids, and many other blessings. If you are in need of a bit of good news today, take stock of the blessings and miracles the Lord has put in your life.

Bible Study, Christian Life, Devotional, Encouragement, Inspiration, Uncategorized

Much out of Little

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A flask of olive oil is all it took.

A widow was not sure what to do. She had bills to pay, and there was nothing in her home except a flask of olive oil and faith. Elisha told her to borrow some jars and fill them until she was out of olive oil.

2 Kings 4:5-6 says, “So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was filled to the rim. ‘Bring me another jar,’ she said to one of her sons. ‘There aren’t any more,’ he told her, and the olive oil stopped flowing.”

The widow reported the events to Elisha. He told her to sell the olive oil and pay her bills. There would be enough left over for her and her sons to live on.

When faith is calculated into an equation, much can come from little. We see this lived out here, and with the widow who had no food left talking to Elijah and Jesus feeding many people with one boy’s lunch. Much can come out of little when the Lord is at work.

The Lord can provide when bank balances seem low. He can help when the cash flow sheet is nearing red territory. When it seems there are no options, the Lord still knows what to do. He is in the business of doing the impossible.

How has the Lord come through for you? Be sure to thank him today, and maybe you’re still waiting on him to come through, don’t give up. He can make much come out of little.

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