Psalm 34:4 KJV
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Sending Out an SOS
When the hut of a settler in a mountainous region of Alaska caught fire, the settler was left without adequate shelter and with few provisions in the coldest state in the US—in the middle of a frigid winter. Three weeks later, the man was finally rescued when an aircraft flew over and spied the large SOS he had stamped out in the snow and darkened with soot.
The psalmist David was certainly in dire straits. He was being pursued by jealous King Saul who sought to kill him. And so he fled to the city of Gath, where he pretended to be insane in order to preserve his life (see 1 Samuel 21). Out of those events emerged Psalm 34, where David cried out in prayer to God and found peace (vv. 4, 6). God heard his pleas and delivered him.
Are you in a desperate situation and crying out for help? Be assured that God still hears and responds to our desperate prayers today. As with David, He’s attentive to our distress calls and takes away our fears (v. 4)—and sometimes even saves us “out of [our] troubles” (v. 6).
Scripture invites us to “cast [our] cares on the Lord and he will sustain [us]” (Psalm 55:22). When we turn our difficult circumstances over to God, we can trust that He’ll provide the help we need. We’re secure in His capable hands.
Reflect & Pray
When have you felt peace after crying out to God? When has He rescued you from a desperate situation?
Loving Father, thank You for hearing my prayers and bringing comfort, peace—whatever I need most. And thank You especially for rescuing me from my sin.
Insight
Psalms 34, 37, and 73 deal with what was known in Old Testament times as the law or principle of retribution. At that time, the Scriptures were incomplete and the people of God had limited understanding of the afterlife. As a result, they wrestled with issues of justice and equity and how they would ultimately be realized. Not understanding life after death, they sought to reconcile the seeming inequities of life with the principle of retribution, which taught that in this life the righteous are blessed according to their righteousness and the wicked are cursed according to their wickedness. However, Psalm 73 makes it clear that Asaph felt that the principle wasn’t working, for the wicked seemed to flourish while the righteous suffered. Only in Jesus would this problem ultimately be reconciled. He bore the sins of the world on Himself, making possible an eternal home of true justice and equity.
Colossians 1:15 KJV
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Spitting Image
During an outing, we met a woman who had known my husband’s family since he was a child. She looked from Alan to our son, Xavier. “He’s the spitting image of his daddy,” she said. “Those eyes. That smile. Yep. Looks just like him.” As the woman delighted in acknowledging such a strong resemblance between father and son, she even noted similarities in their personalities. Still, though they are alike in many ways, my son doesn’t reflect his father perfectly.
There’s only one Son—Jesus—who reflects His Father completely. Christ is the “image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15). In Him and through Him and for Him all things were created (v. 16). “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (v. 17).
We can spend time in prayer and Bible study, discovering the Father’s character by looking at Jesus—God in the flesh. He invites us to witness His love in action by examining how He interacts with others in Scripture and in our day-to-day living. After surrendering our lives to Christ and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can grow in knowing and trusting our loving Father. He transforms us to reflect His character, so we can live for Him.
What a joy it would be if others could say we look just like Jesus!
Reflect & Pray
What character trait of Jesus have you seen cultivated in your life over the last year? What trait would you like to cultivate in the coming year?
Jesus, please help me know You more as You make me more like You!
Insight
In Colossians 1:15–23, Paul affirms the deity and the supremacy of Christ over all creation. Man is created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27), but Jesus “is the image [Greek eikōn] of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Eikōn carries the meaning of “portrait” or “exact likeness,” which is how the New Living Translation renders it in 2 Corinthians 4:4. The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus as “the exact representation of [God’s] being” (Hebrews 1:3); “the Son . . . expresses the very character of God” (nlt). The apostle John says Jesus “has made [God] known” (John 1:18); “has revealed God to us” (nlt). Jesus Himself says, “I and the Father are one. . . . Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (10:30; 14:9).
Romans 12:2 KJV
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Thinking Differently
During college, I spent a good chunk of a summer in Venezuela. The food was astounding, the people delightful, the weather and hospitality beautiful. Within the first day or two, however, I recognized that my views on time management weren’t shared by my new friends. If we planned to have lunch at noon, this meant anywhere between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. The same for meetings or travel: timeframes were approximations without rigid punctuality. I learned that my idea of “being on time” was far more culturally formed than I’d realized.
All of us are shaped by the cultural values that surround us, usually without us ever noticing. Paul calls this cultural force the “world” (Romans 12:2). Here, “world” doesn’t mean the physical universe, but rather refers to the ways of thinking pervading our existence. It refers to the unquestioned assumptions and guiding ideals handed to us simply because we live in a particular place and time.
Paul warns us to be vigilant to “not conform to the pattern of this world.” Instead, we must be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind” (v. 2). Rather than passively taking on the ways of thinking and believing that engulf us, we’re called to actively pursue God’s way of thinking and to learn how to understand His “good, pleasing and perfect will” (v. 2). May we learn to follow God rather than every other voice.
Reflect & Pray
How would you describe the values and assumptions that surround you? What would it look like for you to not conform to the world’s ways and to instead follow Jesus’ ways?
God, I don’t even recognize my assumptions and values most of the time. Help me to live out Your truth and Your mind in it all.
Insight
The Greek word phronéō (to think, exercise the mind) gets a lot of play in Romans 12. In the original language, it’s used four times in Romans 12:3 presenting three different forms of the word. The English Standard Version offers a more literal rendering of this verse: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” This same word appears twice in Romans 12:16. This comes through more clearly in the New American Standard Version: “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind.” The transformation of our lives includes a change in the way we think.
Isaiah 22:11 KJV
Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.
Desperate Solutions
In the late sixteenth century, William of Orange intentionally flooded much of his nation’s land. The Dutch monarch resorted to such a drastic measure in an attempt to drive out the invading Spaniards. It didn’t work, and a vast swath of prime farmland was lost to the sea. “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” they say.
In Isaiah’s day, Jerusalem turned to desperate measures when the Assyrian army threatened them. Creating a water storage system to endure the siege, the people also tore down houses to shore up the city walls. Such tactics may have been prudent, but they neglected the most important step. “You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool,” God said, “but you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago” (Isaiah 22:11).
We aren’t likely to encounter a literal army outside our homes today. “The batterings always come in commonplace ways and through commonplace people,” said Oswald Chambers. Yet, such “batterings” are genuine threats. Thankfully, they also bring with them God’s invitation to turn to Him first for what we need.
When life’s irritations and interruptions come, will we see them as opportunities to turn to God? Or will we seek our own desperate solutions?
Reflect & Pray
What ordinary threats do you face today? What do you need to face them?
Today, loving God, I turn to You first with all of my challenges, large and small.
Insight
The reservoir built between the two walls for the water of the “Old Pool” (Isaiah 22:11) is most likely Hezekiah’s Tunnel, which can still be seen (and walked through) in Jerusalem today. Hezekiah had a tunnel dug under the old city of Jerusalem south of the Temple Mount. The tunnel connected the spring of Gihon in the Kidron Valley on the east side of the city to the pool now known as the Pool of Siloam to the west. Its purpose was to bring water from that spring inside the city walls so that any besieging army wouldn’t be able to access water, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem would have water. It was a sound military strategy, and Isaiah doesn’t critique it. Instead, he critiques the priority of physical preparation over paying attention first to the spiritual. But Hezekiah later demonstrates a faith not evident in Isaiah 22 (see ch. 37).
Nancy Gustafson, a retired opera singer, was devastated when she visited her mother and observed her decline from dementia. Her mom no longer recognized her and barely spoke. After several monthly visits, Nancy had an idea. She started singing to her. Her mother’s eyes lit up at the musical sounds, and she began singing too—for twenty minutes! Then Nancy’s mom laughed, joking they were “The Gustafson Family Singers!” The dramatic turnaround suggested the power of music, as some therapists conclude, to evoke lost memories. Singing “old favorites” has also been shown to boost mood, reduce falls, lessen visits to the emergency room, and decrease the need for sedative drugs.
More research is underway on a music-memory link. Yet, as the Bible reveals, the joy that comes from singing is a gift from God—and it’s real. “How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!” (Psalm 147:1).
Throughout the Scriptures, in fact, God’s people are urged to lift their voices in songs of praise to Him. “Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things” (Isaiah 12:5). “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him” (Psalm 40:3). Our singing inspires us but also those who hear it. May we all remember: our God is great and worthy of praise.
Reflect & Pray
What role does singing play in your life? How can you make more time for singing songs of praise with those who are experiencing memory problems?
May I sing praises to You, God. Thank You for so often unlocking the minds of those with memory problems through the beauty and power of song.
Insight
The book of Psalms concludes with five hymns of praise (Psalms 146–150) that begin and end with the refrain Praise the Lord (Hebrew halelû-yāh). In Psalm 147, the psalmist reminds us how much God has loved and cared for us and invites us to worship “[Yahweh] with grateful praise” (v. 7), celebrating His goodness as He draws us to Himself, heals us of our brokenness, sustains us, and strengthens us (vv. 2–3, 6). We’re also to extol His greatness and mighty power in creation (vv. 4–5) and His caring providence for His creatures (vv. 8–9). Focusing not only on His glory, but also on His grace, we’re invited to draw closer to Him, for “the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love” (v. 11). The psalmist affirms that it’s God alone who provides security, safety, and prosperity (vv. 13–14).
Ezekiel 28:2 KJV
Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:
We’re Not God
In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis recommended asking ourselves some questions to find out if we’re proud: “How much do I dislike it when other people snub me, or refuse to take any notice of me, . . . or patronize me, or show off?” Lewis saw pride as a vice of the “utmost evil” and the chief cause of misery in homes and nations. He called it a “spiritual cancer” that eats up the very possibility of love, contentment, and even common sense.
Pride has been a problem throughout the ages. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God warned the leader of the powerful coastal city of Tyre against his pride. He said the king’s pride would result in his downfall: “Because you think you are . . . as wise as a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you” (Ezekiel 28:6–7). Then he would know he wasn’t a god, but a mortal (v. 9).
In contrast to pride is humility, which Lewis named as a virtue we receive through knowing God. Lewis said that as we get in touch with Him, we become “delightedly humble,” feeling relieved to be rid of the silly nonsense about our own dignity that previously made us restless and unhappy.
The more we worship God, the more we’ll know Him and the more we can humble ourselves before Him. May we be those who love and serve with joy and humility.
Reflect & Pray
How did you answer Lewis’ questions about whether or not you’re proud? Did that surprise you? Why or why not?
Almighty God, help me to revel in my identity as one You created, knowing You are great and mighty and yet You love me.
Insight
Ezekiel 26–28 contains four oracles or prophecies proclaiming judgment against Tyre. This ancient Phoenician city was known for its sea trade and idolatry. It was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (28:12), but “through [its] widespread trade [it was] filled with violence” (v. 16). Due to descriptions such as “anointed as a guardian cherub” (v. 14), “blameless in your ways . . . till wickedness was found in you” (v. 15), and “your heart became proud . . . so I threw you to the earth” (v. 17), some scholars believe this passage also refers to Satan. Verse 19 concludes that the wicked city of Tyre would “come to a horrible end.”
2 Timothy 2:1 KJV
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Strengthened by Grace
During the American Civil War, the penalty for desertion was execution. But the Union armies rarely executed deserters because their commander-in-chief, Abraham Lincoln, pardoned nearly all of them. This infuriated Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, who believed that Lincoln’s leniency only enticed would-be deserters. But Lincoln empathized with soldiers who had lost their nerve and who had given in to their fear in the heat of battle. And his empathy endeared him to his soldiers. They loved their “Father Abraham,” and their affection led the soldiers to want to serve Lincoln all the more.
When Paul calls Timothy to join him in “suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3), he calls him to a tough job description. A soldier is to be completely dedicated, hard-working, and selfless. He’s to serve his commanding officer, Jesus, wholeheartedly. But in reality, we sometimes fail to be His good soldiers. We don’t always serve Him faithfully. And so Paul’s opening phrase is important: “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). Our Savior is full of grace. He empathizes with our weaknesses and forgives our failures (Hebrews 4:15). And just as the Union soldiers were encouraged by Lincoln’s compassion, so believers are strengthened by the grace of Jesus. We want to serve Him all the more because we know He loves us.
Reflect & Pray
How can the grace of Christ become a source of strength for you to serve Him? What does it mean for you to suffer for Jesus?
Dear God, please strengthen me in the grace of Christ that I may serve Him faithfully.
Insight
The imagery of a soldier is used in ancient Greek ethical teaching (for example, Plato and Epictetus) for the same reasons that Paul uses it in 2 Timothy 2: a soldier is dedicated and is willing to suffer in order to achieve a set goal. Paul also uses this imagery in 1 Corinthians 9:7 and uses military metaphors in 2 Corinthians 10:3–4, Ephesians 6:10–17, and 1 Timothy 1:18. But such military metaphors and images aren’t meant to be taken literally—though they sadly have been in times past through crusades and holy wars. Such misuse of Paul’s language isn’t to be blamed on him. To be “a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3) means that Timothy is to embody the same attitudes toward the service of Jesus that a soldier does toward his commanding officer—and Jesus’ command is that we love our enemies (Matthew 5:44).
2 Peter 1:4 KJV
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Unimaginable Promises
In our moments of greatest failure, it can be easy to believe it’s too late for us, that we’ve lost our chance at a life of purpose and worth. That’s how Elias, a former inmate at a maximum-security prison in New York, described feeling as a prisoner. “I had broken . . . promises, the promise of my own future, the promise of what I could be.”
It was Bard College’s “Prison Initiative” college degree program that began to transform Elias’ life. While in the program, he participated on a debate team, which in 2015 debated a team from Harvard—and won. For Elias, being “part of the team . . . [was] a way of proving that these promises weren’t completely lost.”
A similar transformation happens in our hearts when we begin to understand that the good news of God’s love in Jesus is good news for us too. It’s not too late, we begin to realize with wonder. God still has a future for me.
And it’s a future that can neither be earned nor forfeited, dependent only on God’s extravagant grace and power (2 Peter 1:2–3). A future where we’re set free from the despair in the world and in our hearts into one filled with His “glory and goodness” (v. 3). A future secure in Christ’s unimaginable promises (v. 4); and a future transformed into the “freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).
Reflect & Pray
Why can it be difficult for us to accept “unearned” grace and love? How does it touch your heart to consider that in God’s eyes you have a future filled with unimaginable beauty?
Jesus, some days all I can see is the ways I’ve disappointed myself and others, the ways I’ve broken the future I’ve dreamed of. Help me to see the unchanging beauty of the future I find in You.
Insight
Second Peter 1 reminds us that God is the One who provides the power we need to live our life in Christ (v. 3). One of the ways He does this is by giving us the Holy Spirit. The characteristics we display—the fruit of the indwelling Spirit—have strong implications for the way we live (vv. 5–9; see Galatians 5:22–23). But whose fruit is it? It’s the Spirit’s. The Holy Spirit is the agent, the source, and the power that produces that fruit.
Romans 8:29 KJV
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Like Jesus
As a boy, theologian Bruce Ware was frustrated that 1 Peter 2:21–23 calls us to be like Jesus. Ware wrote of his youthful exasperation in his book The Man Christ Jesus. “Not fair, I determined. Especially when the passage says to follow in the steps of one ‘who did no sin.’ This was totally outlandish . . . . I just couldn’t see how God could really mean for us to take it seriously.”
I understand why Ware would find such a biblical challenge so daunting! An old chorus says, “To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus. My desire, to be like Him.” But as Ware rightly noted, we are incapable of doing that. Left to ourselves, we could never become like Jesus.
However, we’re not left to ourselves. The Holy Spirit has been given to the child of God, in part so that Christ can be formed in us (Galatians 4:19). So it should come as no surprise that in Paul’s great chapter on the Spirit we read, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). God will see His work completed in us. And He does it through the Spirit of Jesus living in us.
As we yield to the Spirit’s work in us, we truly become more like Jesus. How comforting to know that’s God’s great desire for us!
Reflect & Pray
What attribute of the fruit of the Spirit would you like to live out to a greater degree? (see Galatians 5:22–23). What will help you do so?
Father, I long to be more like Your Son but so often fall short in word, thought, or deed. Forgive me, and help me to yield to the work of Your Spirit so that Jesus might be formed in me.
Insight
Unlike Stoic philosophy, which advocated responding to suffering by submitting to fate, in Romans 8 Paul emphasizes God’s love and power working on behalf of His people even in the midst of hardships. Although God can bring good out of suffering and evil in this lifetime, Paul focuses primarily on the ultimate good to come in the future with God’s final and complete redemption of the cosmos (vv. 18–21), as well as transformation into Christ’s image and likeness (v. 29) through the work of the Spirit.
Matthew 5:16 KJV
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Turn on the Light
As my husband and I prepared for a cross-country move, I wanted to ensure that we kept in touch with our grown sons. I found a unique gift, friendship lamps connected by wireless internet, which can be turned on remotely. When I gave the lamps to my sons, I explained that their lamps will turn on when I touch my lamp—to provide a shining reminder of my love and ongoing prayers. No matter how great the distance between us, a tap on their lamps would trigger a light in our home too. Though we knew nothing could replace our more personal moments of connection, we could be encouraged by knowing we’re loved and prayed for every time we turned on those lights.
All God’s children have the privilege of being light-sharers powered by the Holy Spirit. We’re designed to live as radiant beacons of God’s everlasting hope and unconditional love. When we’re sharing the gospel and serving others in the name of Jesus, we become brilliant spotlights and living testimonies. Every good deed, kind smile, gentle word of encouragement, and heartfelt prayer produces a beaming reminder of God’s faithfulness and His unconditional and life-transforming love (Matthew 5:14–16).
Wherever God leads us, and however we serve Him, we can be used by Him to help others shine His light. As God, by His Spirit, provides the true illumination, we can reflect the light and love of His presence.
Reflect & Pray
How can you be a light for Christ, intentionally expressing His love to those in your sphere of influence this week? How can you shine a light on God’s love as you serve people who don’t know Him?
Loving Father, please fuel me with Your perfect truth and love so I can shine a spotlight on You by loving You and others wherever I go.
Insight
The New Testament uses various metaphors to describe the believer in Jesus. For example, it speaks of us as sheep (John 10:27); fruitful branches (15:5); ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20); soldiers, athletes, farmers (2 Timothy 2:3, 5–6); and living stones (1 Peter 2:5). In Matthew 5:13–16, Jesus uses two everyday items—salt and a lamp—to illustrate the impact disciples of Christ ought to have on the people around them. Salt is a preservative, a flavor enhancer, and a thirst stimulant. As believers in Jesus, we’re to bring the salt of preservation and joy to a bland, tasteless, and otherwise decaying world. A lamp gives light that enables people to see and gives direction. It must necessarily be placed in a conspicuous position for the light to be effective. We’re to be the light of salvation to a world darkened by sin.
