Daily Bible Verse

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Jeremiah 29:12 KJV
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.


He Hears Us

United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt often endured long receiving lines at the White House. As the story is told, he complained that no one paid attention to what was said. So, he decided to experiment at a reception. To everyone who passed down the line and shook his hand, he said, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. God bless you, Sir.” It wasn’t until the end of the line, greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”

Do you ever wonder if people are really listening? Or worse, do you fear that God isn’t listening? We can tell if people are listening based on their responses or eye contact. But how do we know if God is listening? Should we rely on feelings? Or see if God answers our prayers?

After seventy years of exile in Babylon, God promised to bring His people back to Jerusalem and secure their future (Jeremiah 29:10–11). When they called upon Him, He heard them (v. 12). They knew that God heard their prayers because He promised to listen. And the same is true for us (1 John 5:14). We don’t need to rely on feelings or wait for a sign to know that God listens to us. He’s promised to listen, and He always keeps His promises (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Reflect & Pray
When have you felt that God wasn’t listening? Why did you feel that way?

Dear God, thank You for hearing my prayers, though I may sometimes doubt it. Help me to trust Your promise that You listen to me.

Insight
Because the people of Judah had been chronically unfaithful and disobedient (Jeremiah 7:22–26; 11:7–10), God brought a pagan nation from afar to discipline them (1:15–16; 5:15–19; 6:22–23). They’d be exiled to Babylon for seventy years (25:9–11). Jeremiah witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and the deportations of the Israelites to Babylon (ch. 52), which included Daniel and his friends (Daniel 1:6). But God didn’t abandon His people in Babylon forever. He promised to bring His people back to the promised land (Jeremiah 29:10). Some eight hundred years earlier, Moses had prophesized the exile and the return (Deuteronomy 30:3–5). Daniel read Jeremiah toward the end of the seventy years of exile, which led him to ask God to act upon His promise to bring the Israelites back to Canaan (Daniel 9:1–4).
 

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Acts 9:39 KJV
Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.


Legacy of Kindness

Martha served as a teacher’s aide at an elementary school for over thirty years. Every year, she saved money to buy new coats, scarves, and gloves for students in need. After she lost her fight with leukemia, we held a celebration of life service. In lieu of flowers, people donated hundreds of brand-new winter coats to the students she loved and served for decades. Many people shared stories about the countless ways Martha encouraged others with kind words and thoughtful deeds. Her fellow teachers honored her memory with an annual coat drive for three years after her life ended on this side of eternity. Her legacy of kindness still inspires others to generously serve those in need.

In Acts 9, the apostle Luke shares a story about Dorcas, a woman who was “always doing good and helping the poor” (v. 36). After she got sick and died, the grieving community urged Peter to visit. All the widows showed Peter how Dorcas had lived to serve (v. 39). In a miraculous act of compassion, Peter brought Dorcas back to life. The news of Dorcas’ resurrection spread, and “many people believed in the Lord” (v. 42). But it was Dorcas’ commitment to serving others in practical ways that touched the hearts in her community and revealed the power of loving generosity.

Reflect & Pray
How can you love someone with your kind words and deeds today? How has God used someone else’s kindness to draw you closer to Him?

Loving God, please help me to love others in practical ways each day so I can leave a legacy of kindness that points others straight to You.

Insight
Joppa was Judea’s primary port on the Mediterranean coast. After raising Dorcas from the dead, Peter stayed in Joppa in the house of Simon the tanner (Acts 9:43). While there, Peter went up on the roof to pray and saw a vision that reiterated that God’s salvation blessing is meant for gentiles too (10:9–16; 11:18). It was from Joppa that Jonah sailed for Tarshish instead of going to Nineveh to tell its citizens about God (Jonah 1:3). It’s significant that from Joppa God now calls Peter to go and proclaim the good news to the gentiles (Acts 10:24–48).
 

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Psalm 63:7-8 KJV

Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

God’s Protection

Needles, milk, mushrooms, elevators, births, bees, and bees in blenders—these are just a fraction of the many phobias attributed to Mr. Adrian Monk, detective and title character of the TV show Monk. But when he and longtime rival Harold Krenshaw find themselves locked in a car trunk, Monk has a breakthrough that allows him to cross off at least one fear from his list—claustrophobia.

It’s while Monk and Harold are both panicking that the epiphany comes, abruptly interrupting Monk’s angst. “I think we’ve been looking at this the wrong way,” he tells Harold. “This trunk, these walls . . . they’re not closing in on us . . . they’re protecting us, really. They’re keeping the bad stuff out . . . germs, and snakes, and harmonicas.” Eyes widening, Harold sees what he means and whispers in wonder, “This trunk is our friend.”

In Psalm 63, it’s almost as if David has a similar epiphany. Despite being in a “dry and parched land,” when David remembers God’s power, glory, and love (vv. 1–3), it’s as if the desert transforms into a place of God’s care and protection. Like a baby bird hiding in the shelter of a mother’s wings, David finds that when he clings to God, even in that barren place, he can feast “as with the richest of foods” (v. 5), finding nourishment and strength in a love that “is better than life” (v. 3).


Reflect & Pray
When have you experienced God’s care for you while you were in a difficult place? In what current struggles might you learn to “sing in the shadow of [God’s] wings”?
Loving Creator, Sustainer, and Nourisher, thank You for the miraculous way Your love seeps into my heart in even the most difficult places, transforming them into the shelter of Your wings.


Insight
Readers of the book of Psalms will notice that the majority of the psalms (more than one hundred) include headers or superscriptions. While these aren’t part of the psalm itself, the information provided can often enhance one’s understanding of the psalm’s content. The header of Psalm 63 is a good example: “A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.” David, the Israelite king, is believed to be the author. The setting was when he was in the wilderness (v. 1) and a king (v. 11). Most likely, the occasion is when David fled to the wilderness from his rebellious son Absalom (2 Samuel 15:1–19:15). Though in the midst of an unimaginable situation, David expressed hope in God’s protection: “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:7–8).
 

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1 Timothy 6:10-11 KJV

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.


Your Life’s Passion

One evening years ago, my wife and I were making our way down a mountain trail, accompanied by two friends. The trail was narrow and wound around a slope with a steep drop on one side and an unclimbable bank on the other.

As we came around a bend, I saw a large bear moseying along, swinging his head from side to side, and quietly huffing. We were downwind, and he hadn’t detected our presence, but he would soon.

Our friend began to rummage around in her jacket for a camera. “Oh, I must take a picture!” she said. I, being less comfortable with our odds, said, “No, we must get out of here.” So we backed up quietly until we were out of sight—and ran.

That’s how we should feel about the dangerous passion to get rich. There’s nothing wrong with money; it’s just a medium of exchange. But those who desire to get rich “fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction,” Paul wrote (1 Timothy 6:9). Wealth is only a goad to get more.

Instead, we should “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (v. 11). These traits grow in us as we pursue them and ask God to form them within us. This is how we secure the deep satisfaction we seek in God.

Reflect & Pray
What’s your passion in life? How might you pursue traits that will make you more like Jesus?

God, I want to grow to become more Christlike. Help me cooperate with what You’re trying to teach me.

Insight
In 1 Timothy 6:6–7, the apostle Paul states, “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” His words are reminiscent of Job’s: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). Yet these men differed in more than the suffering they endured, for Paul knew why he suffered whereas Job didn’t. Paul was “fight[ing] the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12), and he understood that trials and persecution often accompanied this spiritual battle. As 2 Corinthians 11 details, Paul’s life as an apostle included beatings, stoning, prison, hunger, thirst, and more. Yet Paul had “learned to be content whatever the circumstances . . . through him who [gave him] strength” (Philippians 4:11–13).
 

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Philippians 4: KJV
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.


The Secret of Contentment

When Joni Eareckson Tada returned home after suffering a swimming accident that left her a quadriplegic, her life was vastly different. Now doorways were too narrow for her wheelchair and sinks were too high. Someone had to feed her, until she decided to relearn how to feed herself. Lifting the special spoon to her mouth from her arm splint the first time, she felt humiliated as she smeared applesauce on her clothes. But she pressed on. As she says, “My secret was learning to lean on Jesus and say, ‘Oh God, help me with this!’ ” Today she manages a spoon very well.

Joni says her confinement made her look at another captive—the apostle Paul, who was imprisoned in a Roman jail—and his letter to the Philippians. Joni strives for what Paul achieved: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11). Note that Paul had to learn to be at peace; he wasn’t naturally peaceful. How did he find contentment? Through trusting in Christ: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (v. 13).

We all face different challenges throughout our days; and we all can look to Jesus moment by moment for help, strength, and peace. He will help us to hold back from snapping at our loved ones; He will give us the courage to do the next hard thing. Look to Him and find contentment.

Reflect & Pray
How has leaning on Jesus helped you to find peace? In what areas of your life are you struggling right now? How could you commit them to God?

Saving Christ, thank You for giving me courage and hope. When I feel weak, help me to find strength in You.

Insight
Paul’s letter to the Philippian believers is one of his Prison Epistles, so called because they were composed during his time of incarceration by the Roman authorities. It’s from his imprisonment that Paul discusses the “secret of being content” (4:12). There’s an interesting split between how Paul describes his circumstances and his response to them. He “knows” what his circumstances are: he’s experienced plenty, want, and hunger. But his response of contentment has been “learned” (v. 11). In other words, his contentment wasn’t a natural response to his difficult circumstances. He had to experience hardship and, by God’s strength, learn how to respond (v. 13).
 

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Psalm 46:10 KJV
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.


Not Rushing Prayer

Alice Kaholusuna recounts a story of how the Hawaiian people would sit outside their temples for a lengthy amount of time preparing themselves before entering in. Even after entering, they would creep to the altar to offer their prayers. Afterward, they would sit outside again for a long time to “breathe life” into their prayers. When missionaries came to the island, the Hawaiians sometimes considered their prayers odd. The missionaries would stand up, utter a few sentences, call them “prayer,” say amen, and be done with it. The Hawaiians described these prayers as “without breath.”

Alice’s story speaks of how God’s people may not always take the opportunity to “be still, and know” (Psalm 46:10). Make no mistake—God hears our prayers, whether they’re quick or slow. But often the pace of our lives mimics the pace of our hearts, and we need to allow ample time for God to speak into not only our lives but the lives of those around us. How many life-giving moments have we missed by rushing, saying amen, and being done with it?

We’re often impatient with everything from slow people to the slow lane in traffic. Yet, I believe God in His kindness says, “Be still. Breathe in and out. Go slow, and remember that I am God, your refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” To do so is to know that God is God. To do so is to trust. To do so is to live.

Reflect & Pray
Recall a time when you slowed down and listened to God in your prayer time. How did that feel? What actions can you put into place to still yourself in God’s presence and know Him?

Father, thank You for being my ever-present help in good times and bad. Give me the grace to be still and know that You’re God.

Insight
Psalm 46 has been a source of encouragement to many over the years—including reformer Martin Luther. In fact, he based the classic hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” on this psalm. During times of struggle, “when terribly discouraged, he would turn to his co-worker, Philipp Melanchthon, and say, ‘Come, Philipp, let us sing the forty-sixth Psalm’ ” (Ligonier Ministries, Luther and the Psalms: His Solace and Strength).

This mighty fortress describes the God of strength who’s our refuge and the God who calls us to find our rest in Him. In the New Testament, Jesus personalized that rest when He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). In the midst of the cares and despairs of life, we can stop, be still, and find refuge in God.
 

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Psalm 18:25 KJV
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;


Choosing to Honor God

In the novella Family Happiness by Leo Tolstoy, main characters Sergey and Masha meet when Masha is young and impressionable. Sergey is an older, well-traveled businessman who understands the world beyond the rural setting where Masha lives. Over time, the two fall in love and marry.

They settle in the countryside, but Masha becomes bored with her surroundings. Sergey, who adores her, arranges a trip to St. Petersburg. There, Masha’s beauty and charm bring her instant popularity. Just as the couple is about to return home, a prince arrives in town, wanting to meet her. Sergey knows he can force Masha to leave with him, but he lets her make the decision. She chooses to stay, and her betrayal breaks his heart.

Like Sergey, God will never force us to be faithful to Him. Because He loves us, He lets us choose for or against Him. Our first choice for Him happens when we receive His Son, Jesus Christ, as the sacrifice for our sin (1 John 4:9–10). After that, we have a lifetime of decisions to make.

Will we choose faithfulness to God as His Spirit guides us or let the world entice us? David’s life wasn’t perfect, but he often wrote about keeping “the ways of the Lord” and the good outcomes that came from doing so (Psalm 18:21–24). When our choices honor God, we can experience the blessing David described: to the faithful, God shows Himself faithful.

Reflect & Pray
When was the last time you made a difficult decision that honored God? How did it affect your relationship with Him?

Dear God, help me to honor You with the choices I make. Thank You for loving me faithfully throughout my life.

Insight
The superscription of Psalm 18 tells us that David “sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies.” David was considered a “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). Because of this, God had promised David (through the prophet Nathan): “I will never take my love away from [David] . . . I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever” (1 Chronicles 17:13–14). David would always have a descendant on the throne, and from his family line came Jesus (Acts 13:23). Yet David committed adultery and had a man killed. Why would God esteem such a flawed man? It was because David had absolute faith in God, evidenced in his victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 17). He loved the Scriptures (Psalm 119:47), and when he sinned, he repented and sought God’s forgiveness (2 Samuel 11:13; Psalm 51).
 

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James 4:8 KJV
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.


Cleaning Method

At the sink, two little children cheerfully sing the “Happy Birthday” song—two times each—while washing their hands. “It takes that long to wash away the germs,” their mother tells them. So even before the COVID-19 pandemic, they’d learned to take time to clean dirt from their hands.

Keeping things clean can be a tedious process, as we learned in the pandemic. Scrubbing away sin, however, means following focused steps back to God.

James urged believers in Jesus scattered throughout the Roman Empire to turn their focus back to God. Beset by quarrels and fights, their battles for one-upmanship, possessions, worldly pleasures, money, and recognition made them an enemy of God. He warned them, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. . . . Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:7–8). But how?

“Come near to God and he will come near to you” (v. 8). These are sanitizing words describing the necessity of turning to God to scour away the soil of sin from our lives. James then further explained the cleaning method: “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (vv. 9–10).

Dealing with our sin is humbling. But, hallelujah, God is faithful to turn our “washing” into worship.

Reflect & Pray
Where in your life does sin persist? Have you turned back to God to let Him clean you up?

Holy God, thank You that Your cleaning methods for purifying sin draw me back to You. Wash my hands and purify my heart as I return.

Insight
The name James is the English equivalent of the Hebrew name Yaacob (or Jacob, like the ancient Jewish patriarch). Several prominent New Testament men bear this name. One was the son of Zebedee—one of Jesus’ twelve original disciples who was martyred (Acts 12:1–2). Another was the James who wrote the letter that bears his name, of whom we know some important things. First, he was the half-brother of Jesus (Mark 6:3). It seems that he didn’t come to faith until following the resurrection when the risen Christ appeared to him personally (1 Corinthians 15:7). Acts 1:14 lists those gathered in the upper room after Jesus’ ascension, mentioning His brothers, which presumably included James. Eventually, James became a primary leader in the church of Jerusalem, arbitrating the church’s council on Paul’s mission to the gentiles (Acts 15:13).
 

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Isaiah 30:15 KJV
For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.


In God We Trust

In the early days of the American Revolutionary War, an expedition was launched against British forces in Quebec. When the expedition passed through Newburyport, Massachusetts, on the way to Canada, they visited the tomb of the renowned evangelist George Whitefield. Whitefield’s coffin was opened and his clerical collar and cuffs were removed. The clothing was cut in pieces and distributed in the mistaken belief that it could somehow give the soldiers success.

The expedition failed. But what the soldiers did demonstrates our human tendency to trust in something less than a relationship with God—money or human strength or even religious traditions—for our ultimate well-being. God cautioned His people against this when invasion from Assyria threatened, and they sought Pharaoh’s help instead of turning from their sins and turning personally to Him: “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, “No, we will flee on horses.” Therefore you will flee!’ ” (Isaiah 30:15–16).

Their “expedition” failed as well (just as God said it would) and Assyria overwhelmed Judah. But God also told His people, “The Lord longs to be gracious to you.” Even when we have trusted in lesser things, God still holds out His hand to help us return to Him. “Blessed are all who wait for him!” (v. 18).

Reflect & Pray
In what other than God are you sometimes tempted to place your trust? How will you rely on Him today?

I trust You, God. Please help me to always rely on You because You’re always faithful!

Insight
Contrast is one of the literary tools many of the prophets utilize in their writings. When actions or ideas are set in contrast to one another, the better/worse or good/bad nature of the two choices is crystalized. This contrast is often identified with the use of the word but. In Isaiah 30, the prophet Isaiah uses this approach to show the folly of Israel’s choices. In verses 1–5, Israel hoped in the protection from an alliance with Egypt, “but” (v. 3) that hope would be turned to “shame.” And in verses 15–18, God describes the way of salvation, “but” (v. 15) Israel would choose their own way and find themselves in ruin (vv. 16–18).
 

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1 Corinthians 2:4 KJV

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:


The “What” in Sharing Our Faith

Alan came to me for advice on how to deal with his fear of public speaking. Like so many others, his heart would begin to race, his mouth would feel sticky and dry, and his face would flush bright red. Glossophobia is among the most common social fears people have—many even joke that they’re more fearful of public speaking than of dying! To help Alan conquer his fear of not “performing” well, I suggested he focus on the substance of his message instead of how well he’d deliver it.

Shifting the focus to what will be shared, instead of one’s ability to share it, is similar to Paul’s approach to pointing others to God. When he wrote to the church at Corinth, he remarked that his message and preaching “were not with wise and persuasive words” (1 Corinthians 2:4). Instead, he’d determined to focus solely on the truth of Jesus Christ and His crucifixion (v. 2), trusting the Holy Spirit to empower his words, not his eloquence as a speaker.

When we’ve come to know God personally, we’ll want to share about Him with those around us. Yet we sometimes shy away from it because we’re afraid of not presenting it well—with the “right” or eloquent words. By focusing instead on the “what”—the truth of who God is and His amazing works—we can, like Paul, trust God to empower our words and share without fear or reluctance.

Reflect & Pray
What has prevented you at times from sharing the truth of God with others? How can Paul’s approach embolden you to share the gospel?

Father in heaven, thank You for revealing Yourself to me through the Bible and those You put in my life to share with me. Please help me to share with others, trusting You to empower my words.

Insight
In the Roman world of first-century Corinth, the threat of a state-ordered crucifixion was meant to shame, intimidate, and deter anyone who challenged the authority of the empire. So only in light of credible evidence for Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1–7) would Paul’s emphasis on the way Jesus died have deserved a hearing. Even then, such a death would be good news only within a bigger story. According to Jewish Scripture, the God of creation promised that a wounded child of Eve would defeat the serpent of Eden who’d planted seeds of doubt about the goodness of the Creator (Genesis 3:1–15). Only with the news of Jesus’ willingness to die a criminal’s death would God show how far He would go to expose His enemy, bear the consequence of Adam’s sin (1 Corinthians 15:22), dethrone the rule of death (vv. 12–58), and show how much He loves us.