As God calls Ezekiel to do His work, He warns him about who his greatest enemy will be: Fear. He tells Ezekiel not to be afraid of what people are going to say. He encourages him not to be afraid of their threats. He prepares him for the fact that he is likely going to be rejected, but he’s not to be afraid of that either. God promises to be with him and to see him through. Success will be simply completing the task as God has assigned it, not how the people respond. The only thing that can stop him is fear.
Fear robs so many of us of the calling of God. We’re afraid we’ll fail. We’re afraid that people won’t like us. We’re afraid we’re not smart enough, educated enough, or experienced enough. We’re afraid of rejection. We’re afraid of criticism. We’re afraid people won’t like how we do it. There is something strong in our human nature that wants assurance that we’ll be affirmed, liked, and experience profound results. The fear of NOT receiving those keeps most of us from stepping up and stepping out.
Do a study sometime of how many times the phrase, “Don’t be afraid,” or the positive spin on that, “Be courageous,” is used in scripture. Abraham would have never left his home if he let fear control him. Moses and the people would never have left Egypt. Joshua and the people would never have gone into the promised land. Joseph, David, Daniel, Gideon, Peter, Paul, and every other character in Scripture would have stayed home if they let the Fear Bandit rob them. And history would have been very different.
God is calling many of us to roles, tasks, and assignments, and we’re balking because of fear. I want to challenge us today to obey the voice of God rather than the voice of fear. Let’s stop hiding behind the “There’s somebody better,” or “I’m not qualified,” or “I don’t know if I have the time,” excuses that fear is drumming up for us. What God may be calling us to might not be easy. It might not go as we want it to. And yes, not everyone will like us. But if God is nudging us, He has a reason. Let’s not let fear steal one more blessing from our lives. That’s God’s Word for you today.

One of the discoveries I’ve made in leadership along the way is that it’s really hard for many people to speak the truth. Especially if they think that someone is going to be mad or hurt. I’ve sat in meetings where everyone knows what the problem is or WHO the problem is, but no one wants to say it. I’ve had people come to me with “concerns” and dance around the issue until I’ve had to stop them and say, “Can you please just tell me what your concern is?” Have you ever experienced that? One of my favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 24:26, which says, “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” Yes, it is!
Please hear my heart on this. I’m not saying we are to be rude, intentionally offensive, or insensitive. But I do believe we are called to “speak the truth in love.” People who speak the truth help us grow. People who speak the truth keep us from making big mistakes. People who speak the truth sometimes help us hear what God is trying to tell us, but we are not hearing. In the end, people who speak the truth are respected a whole lot more than people who simply tell us what they think we want to hear.
Truth-telling was the command that God gave Ezekiel as he sent him out to be His Spokesperson. God was going to say some hard things through Ezekiel. They wouldn’t be things that the people wanted to hear, but it would definitely be things they NEEDED to hear! God told Ezekiel on the front end that people can be tough, and they may not heed a word he says. But Ezekiel’s responsibility wasn’t to make the people obey. His job wasn’t to get the people to agree or to commit to change. His job was simply to speak the truth as God gave it to him. After that, it was between the people and God.
O people, speak the truth — to your spouse, to your team, to your family, to your church, or to your friends. If God gives you insight and understanding, speak it. Say it with love. Say it with humility. Say it with concern and conviction. They don’t have to accept it. They don’t have to believe it. They don’t have to act on it. None of that is up to you. But your job as a messenger of God who loves them is to say it. Oh yes, and one more thing. If someone speaks the truth to you, do yourself a favor and LISTEN. It may be God trying to get your attention. That’s God’s Word for you today.

Yesterday, we talked about how we need the strength of God to do the work of God. But how do we receive that strength? Our passage today answers that question. It comes by the empowerment of God’s Spirit. Ezekiel had a powerful vision from God that caused him to fall face down in humble worship. In that moment of understanding and surrender, God spoke to Ezekiel. And the Lord filled him with His Spirit to accomplish the work that was ahead of him.
We have access to that same Spirit of God! In the Old Testament, God’s Spirit settled upon one person at a time to do the work of God. On the Day of Pentecost, after Jesus ascended to heaven, God’s Spirit was made available to all followers of Christ. The Holy Spirit was the Key to how those disciples and early followers were able to thrive in the midst of horrible persecution.
In Acts 4, Peter and John were arrested for preaching the gospel. They were told to stop, or what happened to Jesus might happen to them. When they were released, they went back to the other followers and told them what had happened. When they realized the serious opposition they were up against, they fell on their faces before God. They knew it was going to take strength they didn’t have to accomplish what God was calling them to do. This was their prayer and God’s response: “’Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.”
Today, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all that’s ahead of you, follow the lead of Ezekiel and the Disciples. Hit your knees before God and cry out for His Presence and His Power. Ask Him to fill you to overflowing with His Holy Spirit. The day before you may be bigger than you, but it is not bigger than the Spirit of God. What you can’t do on your own, God CAN do through you. Pray with me, “Fill us, O Spirit of God!” That’s God’s Word for you today.

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” – Matthew 6:12 (NIV)

“The work of God requires the strength of God.” You might want to commit that statement to memory. It’ll save you a lot of frustration, failure, and heartache. I know it sounds like a simple truth, but it’s truly quite profound. And it’s one that we frequently forget.
Take another look at our passage today. Ezekiel, probably in his very first year of being a priest, has these visions of God. That can be a pretty overwhelming event for a new guy. God is giving him a glimpse of what’s coming. He’s giving him a look at the incredible future he has ahead of him. It would have been very easy for Ezekiel to get caught up in it all and say, “God picked ME!!” He wouldn’t have been wrong about that, but he could have easily missed the point. It wasn’t about who got picked. It was about The One doing the picking!
Let me point out a couple of things. First of all, Ezekiel’s name. It means “God strengthens.” Camp on that a second. Ezekiel’s name didn’t mean, “This guy’s a Strong Man.” It was a name pointing to God. As it should. Second, take a look at the last line of our passage. “And he felt the hand of the LORD take hold of him.” This reflects where Ezekiel’s strength, insight, and success come from. They come from the Lord. Just like Joseph, Moses, David, Gideon, and every other person before him whom God used, Ezekiel’s ability to accomplish God's work will have to come from God's strength.
It’s the same for us. Sometimes God gives us visions of what He wants to do through us. Sometimes God calls us to certain places, to certain people, and to certain ministries to serve Him. Sometimes God opens doors and opportunities that absolutely blow our minds. But we always have to keep in mind that God doesn’t call us to these things because of who WE are. He calls us because of who HE is. These people, these ministries, these opportunities don’t need us. They need Him. The day we forget that, we’re dead in the water. That’s God’s Word for you today.

Several years ago, I visited a man in the hospital. He was the father of a man who was a friend of mine who had started attending our church. When I told my friend that I was going to stop by and see him, he was both happy and concerned. He said, “I’ll be honest, Steve. I’m not sure how he’ll respond to a pastor visiting him. He’s a pretty rough old cuss.” Convinced of my ability to be irresistibly charming, I decided to go ahead and visit the man. It was awkward to say the least.
The man looked surprised when I came into the room. He didn’t know who I was, and my guess was he hadn’t had any visitors at all. When I told him I was a friend of his son, he simply nodded. When I told him I was a pastor, he frowned. I told him I’d heard that he had heart surgery and wanted to check in and see how he was doing. His responses were short, harsh, and to the point. When I got ready to leave, I asked him if it would be okay if I prayed for him. He shook his head and gave me a very stern “No!” I smiled, said goodbye, and walked out.
As I headed to my car, I realized I suddenly understood my friend a lot better. My friend struggled with his drinking. He’d made a lot of poor choices in his life, and his marriage was in trouble. He didn’t know how to be a good husband. He didn’t know how to be a good father. He struggled with his own self-esteem. And all of these were the result of his father. His father’s sins were being paid for in his life. Sin doesn’t just hurt the person who sins. It has implications and an impact on the next generation.
Jeremiah points this out in our passage today. It was the generations who had gone before him that abandoned God and went their own way, serving other gods. But it was now Jeremiah and his generation who were suffering the results of that sin. And the cascading effects were devastating.
My guess is that some of you can relate to this. You’ve come from families where you are still dealing with the scar tissue of their sins and failures. You’ve battled addictions, attitudes, habits, destructive behaviors, and relational problems because of the way their sins have affected you. But you’re not alone, and you’re not hopeless. God worked in Jeremiah’s generation, even in the midst of the chaos and pain. Yes, they were impacted, but because they came back to God, they found healing and restoration. The same is true with my friend. Yes, he struggled. But he also surrendered his life to Christ and found much of the peace that his father never knew. Don’t make the wayward ways of previous generations YOUR ways. Let Christ help you break the chains and break the cycle. Let the Lord do a healing work in you. It’ll be the greatest gift you could ever give to those who come after you. Do it for you. And do it for THEM. That’s God’s Word for you today.

On May 9, 1864, during the Civil War, Major General John Sedgwick was inspecting the Union Army troops at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse in Virginia. As he rode among them, he was trying to give encouragement and calm their fears. Seeing that many of the men were hiding from the Confederate sharpshooters, he scolded them, saying, “What are you dodging for? They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance!” Moments later, a Confederate sharpshooter using a long-range Whitworth rifle shot him right under the left eye, killing him instantly. I don’t know about an elephant, but I guess they sure could hit a big-headed man!
Proverbs 16:18 tells us that “pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” It’s a truth that we’ve seen played out over and over again in almost every area of life. But why? Why is pride so dangerous? There are probably many reasons, but let’s focus on just one today: Pride makes us careless. And carelessness leaves us vulnerable.
Superior teams get beat in sporting events because they don’t take their opponents seriously. Marriages fail because couples take each other for granted and don’t continue to cultivate the love they have for each other. Christians fall because they believe they’re beyond temptation, above being deceived by the Enemy, or don’t really need to spend time in God’s Word, prayer, or in the community of faith. In 1 Corinthians 10:12, Paul said, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.” When we stop being careful and start becoming careless, we open ourselves up to all kinds of trouble. Trouble that sometimes has disastrous results.
Take another look at our passage today. “Not a king in all the earth—no one in all the world—would have believed that an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem. Yet it happened…” Pride led the people of God to become careless about their faith and their obedience to God. That carelessness opened the gates for the Enemy.
Please hear my heart today. Be careful. Things that matter, like our walk with God, our marriages, our parenting, our ministries, need to be protected, cultivated, and nurtured. They are too important to leave exposed or unattended. The people of God during Jeremiah’s day never believed Jerusalem could be sacked. But it was. And General Sedgwick could’ve learned an important lesson from his men who were taking cover. The Enemy is a better shot than we know. Be careful. That’s God’s Word for you today.

We’re in a sermon series right now on the Lord’s Prayer called “Praying Jesus’ Way.” This past Sunday, I preached on the verse, “Give us today our daily bread.” I talked about how Jesus teaches us that God wants us to ask Him for help. It’s one way that He demonstrates His Love for us. It’s also His way of teaching us to be dependent upon Him. I talked about how growing up in our faith is the exact opposite of growing up in our earthly families. In our families, we raise our kids to become increasingly independent so they can live without us. With God, He wants us to grow increasingly dependent so that we’re wise enough to seek Him in all things.
Jeremiah gives us a great example of how God hears and answers our prayers. He was thrown into a cistern for speaking God’s truth. As you can imagine, he felt abandoned, helpless, and alone. But instead of just curling up in a fetal position in a corner and dying, look at what he did. “I shouted your name, LORD, when I was in the well. ‘Please listen to me, LORD,’ I shouted. ‘Help me! Save me!’” Did it do any good? Absolutely. “I shouted, and you heard me. You came near to me when I prayed to you. ‘Do not be afraid,’ you said. Lord, you have given me help. You have paid the price to keep me alive.” Jeremiah was overwhelmed by his circumstances, but he made a powerful discovery. God was only a prayer away.
Some of us may be able to relate to Jeremiah right now. We’re in a hole that we can’t seem to get out of. We’re in a pit of despair, and it feels like the walls are closing in. Maybe, like Jeremiah, we’ve been mistreated, unfairly judged, or even punished for things we never did. My guess is that some of us feel hopeless, lost, and all alone. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth. God is NEAR.
For some of us, God’s just waiting for us to come to a place like Jeremiah, where we cry out to Him. Sometimes God allows us to come to the end of our rope so that we’ll finally take hold of HIM. Do you really believe that the God who sent His Son to die for you did so to abandon you now? He SEES you. He CARES for you. But sometimes God can’t take hold because we won’t let go. Turn to Him today. Cry out to Him today. Shout those words that Jeremiah shouted: “Help me! Save me!” I’m not going to presume to know what God wants to do in your situation, but I do know that sometimes God is waiting on us. James says, “You receive not because you ask not.” God is still just a prayer away. That’s God’s Word for you today.

Have you ever said something or done something to someone, and they pulled away from you? Sometimes it’s a spouse. Sometimes it’s a friend. Sometimes it can be a person at work. If you have, you may have discovered that it creates a bit of a “cloud” in that relationship. Your spouse stops speaking to you or responds with short answers and sharp tones. Your friend stops calling or always seems to be busy when you want to do something with them. Your co-worker avoids you, or, at least, avoids eye contact with you. The relationships can feel foggy, uncertain, and distant.
So how do you deal with those “cloudy” relationships? You do the hard, humble thing. You confess what you did with a contrite and empathetic heart. You take ownership of what you said or did without blaming them. You tell them how sorry you are and how badly you feel for hurting their feelings. Most of the time, if you do it well and with the right heart, something magical happens—the cloud lifts. And sometimes, you actually end up with a relationship that is more real, more honest, and with a greater closeness than you had before.
It’s the same with God. Jeremiah describes God in our passage today as “hidden in a cloud.” What is he talking about? He’s talking about the fact that sin and disobedience have separated them from God. God is still there. God still sees, hears, and cares. But the closeness, the connection, and the intimacy are missing. Why? Because their prayers are about everything, but not the ONE THING God wants to talk about. God doesn’t play games. He doesn’t pretend as if everything is okay when it is not. Sometimes, we just want to ignore things in our lives that aren’t right with God and try to go on with Him as though there’s nothing wrong. But God is not fooled or okay with it. That’s why we sometimes feel disconnected or as though God’s not really hearing our prayers. It’s not that He doesn’t care. He’s just trying to get us to deal with what needs to be dealt with so He can draw near to us again.
The great news is we can lift the cloud. Confession draws us near to God. When we come to Him with humble and contrite hearts, the cloud lifts, and He pulls us into His Grace. God wants our relationship with Him to be real. He wants it to be honest. He desires intimacy, not pretension. That’s why James tells us, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” Time to lift the cloud. That’s God’s Word for you today.

When my wife talks about the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15, she often refers to him as having a “mirror experience.” If you remember the parable that Jesus told, there was a father who had two sons. The younger son asked for his share of the inheritance in advance and took off. He blew the money on wild living. He ended up feeding pigs for a job, which would be the lowest of lows for a Jew. He was so hungry, he wanted to eat what he was feeding the pigs. The Bible then says, “When he came to his senses, he said to himself, “I’m going home to my father.” And that was the decision that saved his life.
Wanda says that “came to his senses” moment was because the boy saw his reflection in a mud puddle in the pigsty. As he looked at the image of his soiled face, tattered clothes, and emaciated body, he realized the depth to which he had sunk. He remembered where he came from. He remembered the warmth of his father’s home and the abundance of his father’s table. He remembered the love. He remembered the laughter. And he realized how far he had drifted from the man he wanted to be. His “mirror moment” was the catalyst for him to make the changes he needed to make.
Self-examination isn’t always easy. That’s why it often has to be forced upon us. In recovery, we call it hitting bottom. Finding ourselves in that place, like the Prodigal Son, where we ask, “How in the world did I get here?” And more importantly, “How do I get out?” Desperation can be a strong motivator.
But what if we didn’t wait until we were desperate? What if our motivation to take a good look in the mirror came from a place of wisdom rather than a place of devastation? The Prodigal Son could have saved himself a lot of money, shame, and heartache if he had just examined himself in the first days after leaving home. He could have gone home with money still in his pocket and said, “Dad, I realize I made a mistake. I need your help in learning how to manage my life.” It doesn’t take a mud puddle in a pigsty to see yourself clearly. It simply takes an open mind and humble heart.
I challenge you today to sit with God and reflect on today’s verse. “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.” Ask God to show you what you need to let go of and what you need to take hold of. Ask Him to show you any ways you’re drifting from Him or any changes you need to make. Don’t let yourself off the hook. Be rigorously honest. Let your “mirror experience” be one of wisdom. You don’t have to hit bottom to get back on top. You just have to let God help you be honest with yourself. That’s God’s Word for you today.

When I played basketball in college, our practices each day were very structured. The coach made us run certain drills over and over again. There were passing drills, dribbling drills, rebounding drills, and defensive drills. We worked on out-of-bounds plays, fast-break plays, and plays against a full-court press. We shot baskets from designated places on the floor. And we ran sprints until our lungs burned and our legs ached. Sound like fun? It wasn’t. But it was the process that was necessary to make us into the best players and best team we could be.
Discipline. It’s not a word that most of us like, but it’s the word that leads to maturity, greatness, and success. Watch any musician that you admire playing on stage. Do you think they just picked up that instrument and magically started playing it? Of course not. Good musicians are good because they spend hours and hours playing scales and practicing various musical pieces over and over again. The beauty of their music comes from the discipline they put into honing their craft. The earlier that aspiring athletes or musicians embrace the discipline that shapes them, the greater their chance of doing something of significance.
Jeremiah points out the importance of discipline in our walk of faith today. He says, “It is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline.” Sit with that thought for a moment. Like a great coach, God wants to shape us, mold us, break us, and make us into strong, mature people of faith. So He asks us to submit to the discipline of seeking Him first. He calls us to be people who are diligent in prayer, students of His Word, and imitators of His ways. Often, especially early in our faith, we tend to want to go our own way, do our own thing, and hope we can still be okay. We find out the hard way when we lose strength, are overcome by temptation, or fall flat on our face that we should have gone HIS way. “Disciples” of Christ are those who are committed to the disciplines of Christ. Hear my heart. There’s a difference between someone who is a “believer” and someone who is a “disciple.” And the difference is in the discipline.
Heed Jeremiah’s words today. The earlier we submit to the disciplines our Divine Coach calls us to, the faster we grow and develop into the people He’s called us to be. Discipline is good. Discipline is your friend. Discipline is the path to excellence. Discipline is how God makes you into who you truly want to be. It’s the process that makes the person. Trust your coach. That’s God’s Word for you today.

“Give us today our daily bread.” – Matthew 6:11 (NIV)

Our granddaughter loves to create art projects. She will take pieces of cardboard and fashion them into things she sees on TV. She made a really cool cardboard bank with an arm that snatches the money when you put it on top. It doesn’t work that great, but it’s very creative. She also made a mailbox that she put up outside of her room at home. She deposits mail in it, so she’s always sure to have mail when she comes home.
Sometimes, in fact most of the time, her drawings or cardboard creations don’t pass her inspection. So she crumbles them up and puts them in a container where we can recycle them. But you know what’s so cool? Every time she comes back, there’s a fresh stack of papers, pieces of cardboard, and markers so she can start all over again. Her ability to mess up cannot outdo her grandmother’s ability to replenish her supply.
That’s like God, isn’t it? If you’re like me, you have lots of days where things don’t turn out the way you plan. You don’t do things the way they need to be done. You don’t act the way that you’re supposed to act. You don’t treat people the way they’re supposed to be treated. It’s easy to wonder if maybe we’ve messed up one too many times and believe that we’ve used up all the grace that God has to offer.
That’s why I love our verse for today. Not only does it tell us that our God is an incredibly faithful God, take a look at the last part of the verse. “His mercies begin afresh each morning.” No matter how bad yesterday was, or how badly you failed at being who God has called you to be, today is a New Day. God is giving you a fresh opportunity to be who you know you need to be and do what you know you need to do. Your ability to fail can’t come close to God’s ability to provide you with another chance.
So throw yesterday and all its shortcomings and mess-ups aside and take hold of the Fresh Grace God is offering you today. Let Him guide you, let Him help you, and lean into Him for all you need to make a masterpiece out of today. He loves you. He believes in you. And His Mercy is available to empower YOU to make something cool. So grab your cardboard, markers, and construction paper and make something beautiful out of today for your Heavenly Father. His resources never run out. That’s God’s Word for you today.

One of the things that always fascinates me is the amazing ways that God works in and through people who don’t even know Him. I was reading an article recently by some missionaries who are serving in a place that is dominated by the Muslim faith. They said that there were people who actually sought them out and told them that Jesus had appeared to them in dreams. Even though they knew nothing of His story from Scripture, they had heard His voice. The ground of their hearts was already tilled and ready before the missionaries ever even planted a seed of the Gospel. That’s God.
There are several examples of God working like this in the Bible. Our passage today is one of those. Jeremiah had been thrown into a cistern for delivering God’s messages to his people. Since the siege of Jerusalem was already underway, there was little food to be found. God moved upon the heart of an Ethiopian to save him. Ebed-melech, who was a court official, heard about what happened to Jeremiah and went to the king and asked for help in rescuing him. The king granted the request, and Ebed-melech lifted Jeremiah from the cistern and nursed him back to health. He wasn’t a Jew. He was a foreigner serving as a slave in the king’s court. But God spoke to him and used him to do His work. His obedience to a God that he didn’t even know saved Jeremiah’s life. Look at what God said: “Because you trusted me, I will give you your life as a reward. I will rescue you and keep you safe. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
I share this with you as a word of encouragement and hope. Those people you work with who are so far from God? God is already at work on them. Those people you feel nudged to share with who don’t seem interested at all? God’s already been speaking to them. Those people who seem so hardened and cold to spiritual things? Look again. Just beyond what you may be able to see is God who loves them as much as He loves you. And He is already tilling the soil of their hearts. That’s God’s Word for you today.

“What’s the worst that can happen?” Do you ever ask yourself that question? Sadly, we usually ask that question when we’re about to do something we know we shouldn’t do. Breaking a law. Doing something we know will make someone else upset. Committing a sin or being disobedient to God. But as many people have found out the hard way, we DON’T KNOW the worst that could happen. If we did, and believed it would happen, we wouldn’t go down that path.
This is where the Enemy comes in. Jesus talks about it in John 10:10: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” We love the last part of that verse. We ALL want the abundant life that only Jesus can bring. But look again at the first half of that verse. “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.” You need to read that out loud and commit it to memory. It can literally save your life.
Our passage today details the tragic destruction of Jerusalem and the horrific slaughter of King Zedekiah’s sons while the king was made to watch. Then he was blinded and led away to Babylon. Afterwards, Jerusalem was burned and torn apart. The unthinkable became reality. And the worst part? None of it had to happen. For years, Jeremiah and other prophets had been calling the people of God to repent. They wouldn’t. They turned to other gods. They listened to false prophets. They became so caught up in their pride, their own pursuits, and their own way of living that they ignored God and those He sent to warn them. As life cruised along, they may have even asked that question. “What’s the worst that could happen?” But their minds couldn’t even conceive what the Enemy was about to do. And just like Jesus said, he stole, killed, and destroyed.
God really does want to bless you. His desire is that you will experience the fullness of life that only He can offer. But the Enemy is going to do everything he can to sidetrack you, entice you, and deceive you. As you hear his tempting voice to go his way rather than God’s, remember Jesus’ words from John 10:10. And when you hear the Devil whisper, “What’s the worst that can happen?”, think of Zedekiah. Think of Jerusalem. And think of the thousands of others you’ve seen whose lives have been destroyed. Then run as fast as you can back into the loving arms of God. Because the worst that can happen is beyond your imagination. That’s God’s Word for you today.

Our verse today is a sweet prophecy about how happy the people will be when their exile is over. The Lord is reminding them that days of darkness and pain don’t last forever. Neither do days of punishment. One day, they’ll be back in Israel again. One day, they’ll be able to return to their homes, return to their jobs, and return to their Temple. One day, their heavy hearts will be light and joyful. When all those blessings occur, they will be able to sing, “Give thanks to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, for the LORD is good. His faithful love endures forever!”
But as I read the passage, a thought hit me. Anyone can praise God when there’s been a remarkable turn of events. Of course, people who have been set free believe that God is a God of deliverance. Certainly, people who have had their homes and lands returned can praise God with thankful hearts. It only makes sense that people who are marching OUT of their time of discipline are declaring that “the LORD is good and His faithful love endures forever!” But I wondered as I read this if any people believed in the faithfulness and love of God enough to declare this while they’re being marched INTO exile?
This hit me really hard. I thank God all the time for His blessings. I thank Him for His interventions and His times of protection. I praise Him for His answers to prayers. But it’s almost always a RESPONSE to what He’s done, not a declaration of faith as to what He’s going to do. It made me ask myself, “Do I truly believe God is good…even when my world gets turned upside down?” “Am I confident of His faithful love…even when I’m suffering the consequences of my sins or failures?” “Do I give thanks for WHO GOD IS or only for the good things God does?” You see, I always praise Him when I’m walking into the light of His blessing. But do I have enough faith in Him to praise Him when I’m walking into the shadows of suffering?
The Lord is worthy of our praise. He is a faithful and loving God. And that is true regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in or the difficulty of what we’re going through. So if you’re going through a hard time, praise Him. If you’ve been fighting through a struggle that has taken every ounce of your strength, thank Him for His relentless faithfulness. If you’ve experienced a loss that has broken your heart and taken your breath away, declare today that the Lord is GOOD. Anyone can praise God for what He does. Only people of faith who know the Lord can praise Him for who He is. Don’t wait for the days of blessings. Sing your praise to the Lord NOW. That’s God’s Word for you today.

My wife and I just got back from a wonderful week of vacationing. We were able to catch up with some great friends in Kansas City and St. Louis, as well as enjoy some beautiful scenery in the Wisconsin Dells and Starved Rock State Park in Illinois. We ended our week of traveling in Branson, Missouri, where we took in the “Sight & Sound” production of “David.” If you’ve not been to a Sight & Sound show, you really need to take one in. Their sets, singers, and portrayals of Biblical people and events are spectacular.
I’m sure it comes as no shock to anyone who knows me, but the production of David made me cry like a baby for a number of reasons. First, it’s an amazing reminder of how God looks at the heart of a person and not their outward looks or abilities. Second, it shows how God’s plans for us are more than what we could ever imagine. And third, David’s story reminds us that our failures, even great failures, don’t have to be the end. Out of the unthinkable sins of David’s adultery and having Bathsheba’s husband killed, God brought about brokenness, surrender, redemption, and restoration. The Sight & Sound folks did a magnificent job of portraying David's shame and humiliation being healed by the great grace and mercy of God. The tears flowed down my face at the truth that God offers to us all: Failure doesn’t have to be final.
Our passage today reminds us of that as well. Early in their exile for their disobedience and rejection of God, the Lord tells them of His plan for forgiveness, healing, and restoration. They may have thought that the Babylonian captivity was the end. But it wasn’t. God wasn’t done yet.
And God’s not done with YOU! No matter your failure, no matter your sin, no matter how long you’ve been on the run from God, He’s still willing and able to turn your life around. His grace is greater than all of your sin. His healing is greater than all of your woundedness. His ability to restore is greater than your ability to destroy. David threw away his right to be king and leader of Israel. The people of God brought complete ruin to Jerusalem and the Temple. But they learned what I hope all of us learn. In our darkest moments, God’s Light shines brightest. Because as long as we live and breathe, God’s not done yet. That’s God’s Word for you today.

“Like a broken record.” Have you ever heard that phrase? It won’t make much sense to anyone born after about 1970. Back in the day, before audio files, CD’s, and even cassette tapes, music was recorded on vinyl records. The phonograph had a needle that fit in the grooves of the record as it played. Sometimes, if the record was dirty or damaged, it would get stuck. It would just keep playing the same sound over and over until you bumped it, lifted the needle, or put on a new record. It could be pretty annoying.
Some people’s lives are just like that. Each day is like a broken record of the day before. The same bad choices, the same self-destructive attitudes, the same wrong crowd, the same bad habits, the same dead-end places, and the same painful consequences. Over and over, day after day, week after week, and year after year. Like a broken record. If you can relate to this, then maybe it’s time to let God help you bump the needle. Or maybe it’s time you let God put down a whole new record for you. It’s time for you to sing a New Song!
Today, let’s sing a song of Victory! No more victim tunes. No more songs of defeat. No more hanging your head believing that life is against you. It’s not. Your God is an Overcomer. He lives IN you and is FOR you. He has made you “more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul declared that he could “do all things through Christ Jesus our Lord.” And he made that statement when he was in chains in prison! Chains, guards, and prison walls couldn’t steal Paul’s song of victory, so don’t let anything steal yours!
Maybe you need a new song called “Courageous” today. Time to stop hiding. Time to stop cowering. Time to stop running from whatever it is you’re so afraid of. It’s time to take a stand. It’s time to face that fear and tell it that you will not be its slave anymore. The old song is done. “Courageous” starts playing NOW! Want to select from a few more? How about a new song called “Forgiven” to replace that old song called “Guilty?” How about a New Song called “Precious” to replace that broken record of “Worthless?” Let’s bump the needle off all those songs that are robbing us of who God has created us to be and what God wants to do through our lives. Our needle may have been stuck for a while, but no more. Today, it’s NEW music time. Today, the needle gets bumped, or the record gets replaced. Today, we sing as new creations made in the image of God. So warm up those vocal cords, Children of God, and let the music begin. It’s time for a New Song! That’s God’s Word for you today.

Some years ago, I was in Pennsylvania with some friends, and we went to my favorite pizza place. While we were sitting there enjoying pizza as only the Italians in PA can make it, a young teenage boy walked in with a really cute young lady. They sat down at a table facing each other. The waitress took their order and left them alone. Now I confess that it’s been a long time since I dated, but what happened next made no sense to me. This goofball of a boy proceeded to pull out his phone, bury his face in the screen, and completely ignore his date. She sat there politely, speaking to him from time to time, but he hardly even looked up.
Whoever he was texting, whatever he was looking at, or whatever game he was playing, it was obviously of more interest to him than this gorgeous young lady who was with him. I just kept thinking to myself, “Dude, you are an IDIOT! You’re sitting there with a girl who is about five levels out of your league, and you are BLOWING IT!!” I felt sorry for the girl. Actually, I also felt sorry for the boy. He won’t realize how awesome she is until she’s gone. That’s really sad.
I thought of that scene as I read our verse for today. What that young man did is what most of us do every single Sunday. We get to sit in the presence of the Beautiful One. The One whose very name is Awesome. He is Creator and Redeemer. He is the Glorious One. He is The One that EVERYONE is looking for. Yet, we mostly ignore Him. Our faces are buried in our phones. Or we’re staring at what someone is wearing. Or we’re thinking about what we’re doing after church or later this week. Or we’re paying attention to everyone in the room EXCEPT Him.
The funny thing is we don’t even deserve to be there with Him! He’s way more than five levels above us. He’s Perfect. We’re flawed. He’s Wonderful. We’re weak and whiny. He is Selfless and Loyal and Totally Committed, and we’re self-centered and self-seeking and totally self-consumed. O people, LOOK at Him! He is ALL that you are looking for. He is Life and Love and Fulfillment. Stare into His Face. Experience His Grace. Catch a glimpse of His Glory. Look into His Eyes and see how desperately and passionately He loves you. Let all that He is and all He has done for you overwhelm you and cause you to tremble with awe. Let the fullness of His holy splendor take your breath away. Do something this Sunday that maybe you haven’t done in a really long time. WORSHIP Him. Don’t be a goofball. Don’t wait until you drift away from Him and He’s a faint memory in your life. He’s The Catch of a lifetime. That’s God’s Word for you today.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:10 (NIV)

My wife and I have had the privilege of keeping our grandkids a good bit through the years. I’ve been painfully reminded during this time that there’s a reason why you have children when you’re YOUNG. They are exhausting. They aren’t bad kids. They’re just ACTIVE. (Well, sometimes they’re bad!) Young children need to be fed, bathed, fed, helped, fed, entertained, fed, combed, fed, separated, fed, and tucked in. Did I mention fed? I weigh more than the combined weight of the two of them, yet they easily consume three times more food than me. Each. But we love them so much that it’s worth selling off half my wife’s stuff to keep them in hot dogs and French fries. :-)))
As they're getting older now, watching them becomes a bit of a dance. They have their own opinions about things. Actually, about EVERYTHING. So the dance is trying to do our best to care for them without trying to control them. It’s not always easy. My grandkids know what they WANT, but not always what they NEED. They know what they ENJOY, but not always what is SAFE. They live fully in TODAY, but they don’t really live with a sense of THE FUTURE. So, we advise, admonish, correct, and when necessary, intervene. All because we want them to have the BEST life possible. But for all of our efforts to love and care for them, ultimately, they will have to choose their own path.
We’re just like that, aren’t we? Listen to the words of the psalmist again. “We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care If only you would listen to his voice today!” God watches over us. God cares for us. God LOVES us. He advises, admonishes, corrects, and at times, intervenes. But He doesn’t control us. He hopes that we will heed His Words. We see what we WANT. He knows what we NEED. We know what we ENJOY. But we don’t always know what is SAFE. We live for TODAY. But God is always thinking about our FUTURE. Jesus said, “I have come that you might life and have it to the FULL.” That’s God’s desire for all His Children.
Lean into Him today. Take to Him any of your concerns, worries, or hurts that you have. Like a loving Father, He is watching over you and cares for you. But I would also encourage you to LISTEN to Him! Because though He cares for you, He won’t control you. He’ll show you the way, but He won’t force you to take it. God invites you to let Him guide you to your Best Life possible. He’ll do His part if you’ll do yours. So, listen to Him. He LOVES you more than you’ll ever know. Even if you eat Him out of house and home! That’s God’s Word for you today.

What are you facing that is intimidating you right now? What obstacles are you up against that seem insurmountable? What problem is overwhelming and unsolvable? What is causing fear to grip your heart and leave you paralyzed today? Can I tell you a secret? Your problem is not your problem. Your image of God is. Somewhere, in the shadow of whatever it is you’re facing, your God has shrunk. You’ve become so focused on what you fear that you have lost sight of The One you have your faith in.
Fear has a myopic effect. It draws your attention to the thing that is right in front of you until it’s all you see. Faith takes a step back. In fact, faith takes a few steps back. Faith doesn’t ignore the fear. It just puts it into perspective. Did you read our verse today? “He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.” Our God is a BIG God. When we lose sight of THAT, our problems become gigantic.
I have no idea what you’re facing today, but I do know this: God is BIGGER. He is bigger than your diagnosis of cancer. He is bigger than your marriage problems or that problem with your kid. He is bigger than that addiction that has you shackled in bondage. He is bigger than that huge failure that has you reeling with guilt. He is bigger than that stack of bills on your kitchen table. Read the verse again, but out loud. “He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains.” Now read it again like it’s TRUE.
Take a step back and regain your perspective. Imagine God holding the oceans in one Hand and all the mountains of the world in the other. Now say this: “My God is BIGGER!” Say it over and over until it makes its way from your mouth to your brain and into your heart. Say it until your eyes turn away from whatever is holding you as a hostage of fear and begin to lock in on The One who sets you free. Focus on God until your soul floods with faith again. God holds the depths of the earth. God holds the mountains. God holds your problem. And God holds YOU! If you are serving a small God, then throw up your hands and run for the hills because you are most likely doomed. But if your God is the One True God, then He holds those hills. Run to Him. That’s God’s Word for you today.

Who or what is your “god?” The answer to that lies in a few simple questions. “What is the singular, most important thing in your life?” Notice I said what IS, not what you think OUGHT to be. “Who or what DEFINES you?” In other words, who or what do you look to as the source of your value or worth? Here’s a tough one: “What lies at the CENTER of your heart?” The reason these questions become vital is that it’s not unusual for God to simply become “a god” rather than “The God” in our lives.
Most of us have some things we care deeply about that are GOOD things. But if we’re not careful, those things can move to The Throne of our hearts. Like our jobs. I love what I do. I believe my work to be important, and I want to be the best I can be. Even though I work FOR God, my job is not my god. It’s not who I am. There was a time, though, when being a pastor did become my god. I defined myself by my career and measured my worth by my performance. It’s an easy trap to slip into. Maybe some of you can relate to this.
Others of us may have hobbies or sports that become our god. We live for the feeling of accomplishment it gives us. Some of us, if we’re honest, have made a person or a group our god. We define ourselves by their acceptance. We measure our worth by how they feel about us. We do this with friends, romantic interests, spouses, kids, and even parents. To love them and value them is good. To make them your ultimate reason for living or the measurement of your value is to make them your god. Some of us have crossed that line.
Our verse reminds us today that there is only One King. He is the Great God who is above all other gods. Our jobs, our hobbies, and those people who are in our lives are wonderful gifts that we ought to cherish and give attention to. But we can never let those things sit on The Throne. Because the minute we make them the center of our lives and define ourselves by our performance or the opinions of other people, we give them more power than they should have. They can add a lot of joy and fulfillment to our lives, but there is only room for One King.
Define yourself by your job, and you’ll become a workaholic with an empty soul. Define yourself by the opinions of others, and you’ll become a slave to their rollercoaster ride of “Love you today, hate you tomorrow.” Let the Great God define you. You are His Child, made in His Image, to live for His Purposes. Let the other things of your life have places of importance, but don’t let them have your soul. Save The Throne of your soul for The King. That’s God’s Word for you today.

Have you ever noticed that, for the most part, older people seem to have a stronger, more sure faith? I realized, reading our verse, that it really doesn’t have to do with their age as much as it has to do with their EXPERIENCES with God. Take a look at the first part of our verse. “But the LORD has become my fortress.” How do you build a fortress? Answer? One rock at a time.
When we’re young in our faith, we don’t have many experiences with God to draw from. That means we don’t have many “rocks” in our fortress. But after many years of God acting on our behalf, answers to prayer, and incidents of God’s redemption and protection, we have entire WALLS of rocks. When trouble comes, we don’t fear as much because the fortress of our faith in God is big and strong. When we only have a few rocks, it’s easy to grow fearful or for panic to overtake us. Sure, some older people haven’t leaned into God much, though they’ve been around Him for years, and their faith may still struggle. But for those who trusted the Lord and have found God true and faithful time after time, their fortress is STRONG.
So, what can we do to make OUR fortress of faith stronger? Let me suggest a couple of things. First, go back and gather your own stones of faith. Sometimes we have experiences with God we’ve just forgotten. A forgotten incident of God’s provision and power is as though it never happened at all. Read that last sentence again. That’s why God told His people time and again to write His works down and to commit them to memory. I’ll bet if you took even fifteen minutes to sit and simply write down all the times you can remember God answering prayer, giving you displays of His Power, or intervening on your behalf, you’d have a whole lot more rocks of faith than you have right now.
Another thing you can do is borrow some rocks of faith from others. Sit with some people who have walked with God and let them share some of the ways God has worked miracles for them. As they share their stories, they are handing you a rock for your fortress. THEIR rock of faith becomes YOUR rock of faith. That’s why God told us to tell these stories to our children. We build a fortress for them by telling them what God has done for us! Every time I sit with someone and they share how God healed, provided, or performed a miracle for them, my heart is lifted, and my faith is increased. Their rocks become MY rocks.
If you're struggling right now, my guess is you could use a few more rocks of faith. Spend some time with God, remembering what He’s done. Spend some time with others telling you their stories. Gather enough rocks, my friend, and you have more than just a bunch of stones. You’ve got yourself a FORTRESS! That’s God’s Word for you today.

Do you ever have doubts? Do you have some right now? It’s okay. We all have them from time to time. We have doubts about why God allows certain things to happen. We have doubts about whether or not God really does hear our prayers. If we’re honest, there are even times when we doubt if God exists. Most of those doubts come out of life throwing us curves we weren’t expecting, or times when we’re experiencing some great pain or loss. Mostly, the doubts come out of our emotions, not what we really think or believe.
That’s why I love what the psalmist says here. “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Notice that God doesn’t try to reason with the doubts. Nor does God answer the doubts with facts or logic. This is a great lesson we can all learn from. You don’t respond to emotions with information. You respond to emotion with something that will help heal the heart. So, what did God offer the psalmist? Comfort. God didn’t try to explain away the doubts. He simply came alongside the one struggling and gave soothing peace. And that’s what people who are struggling really need.
Maybe you need that today. Maybe the last week or two has put you back on your heels or caused you to be anxious and afraid. Maybe you’ve experienced a loss, had a setback, or walked with a good friend through some trauma in their life. And all of this has caused you to look to heaven and ask, “Why?” But it’s not really an answer you’re looking for. It’s a Presence. It’s a need to feel God near. It’s not as much your mind looking for a reason or an explanation as much as it is your heart needing some reassurance.
Reach out to God today. Not for an explanation from Him, but for an experience with Him. As you do, I’m praying in advance that God will meet you where you are in the middle of whatever it is you are going through. I’m praying that He will wrap His arms around you and calm your troubled spirit. I’m praying that God will lift all the heaviness that you are carrying and breathe into you renewed hope and cheer. I’m praying that God will meet you right there, with all of your doubts. Though you may not get all the answers that you’re asking for, I’m praying that God will give you something better. A peace that passes all understanding. Because it’s His Peace that calms our panic. And that’s when our doubts disappear. That’s God’s Word for you today.