Just When You Least Expect It

God Will Make You Strong

We each, inevitably, arrive at a point where all hope appears lost; where we can't see how we'll survive; where any faith we may have had in God seems so fragile in light of the terrible circumstances that confront us. Perhaps you've been there, perhaps it's yet to come. Vilhjalmur Stefansson was an Arctic explorer of Icelandic descent. In 1913, his ship was trapped and destroyed by pack ice, leaving him and his men stranded in one of the most inhospitable places on earth. Facing starvation, polar storms, and total isolation, Stefansson leaned on his deep faith and unshakable belief in God's providence. He adapted by learning from the Inuit, surviving entirely on local resources, and leading his team to safety after years in the Arctic. He later testified that it was the certainty of God's presence and strength that sustained him when all human hope was gone. Said God to His people Israel, close to the end of seventy years in exile as slaves in Babylon, when all hope appeared lost, when they couldn't see how they'd ever be saved, when their faith in Him seemed so fragile against the might of the Babylonian Empire … Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. (HCSB). When every human resource fails, God's presence doesn't just comfort you—He gives you the strength, the wisdom, the resilience to walk out of the terror back into life once more. That's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Live in the Light

I've always loved technology … each new thing seems to offer so much potential to the human race. And yet, I wonder, have we gone too far? Have we allowed it to rob us of living life to the full? A man buys the latest virtual reality headset, boasting the most vivid worlds imaginable. He spends hours each day in its glow, wandering neon streets, conquering digital empires. But in his obsession, he forgets to open the curtains. One day, the power goes out. He tears off the headset. The room reeks of stale air. The blinds are caked in dust. And when he pulls them open, sunlight pours in, dazzling his eyes. It's warmer, richer, more real than anything the headset could ever have given him. 1 John 1:7 We should live in the light, where God is. If we live in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood sacrifice of Jesus, God's Son, washes away every sin and makes us clean. How sad is it that so many wander in the imitative half-light of this world when the light of God's love shines so brightly, if only they'd open the curtains to see? That's precisely what I did for the first 36 years of my life. And yet, now forgiven by Jesus' sacrifice on that Cross, my life is richer, it has more meaning, more joy, more peace than anything this world alone could ever have offered me. Friend, there is so much more to life than the glittering trinkets of this world that so readily steal our gaze. Some people live their whole lives in pixels when the sun of God's truth is just outside. Live in the light. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Behold the Glory of the Lord

A pilot trying to land her plane in a terrible storm has a choice to make. Amidst the violent turbulence, the zero visibility and the unquestionable danger, she can either trust her instruments to guide her to the landing strip, or panic and lose direction. The best choice? Pretty obvious, isn't it?! Perhaps you, like me, profess a faith in Jesus, believing (as the Bible says) that the glory of God fills the whole earth. But storms happen. The daily grind grinds you down, at which point, just like our hypothetical pilot, you have a choice to make … one which is far from hypothetical, one which in all honesty will set the course of the rest of your life. Isaiah 6:1,3 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a very high and wonderful throne. His long robe filled the Temple. Seraph angels stood around him. … The angels were calling to each other, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD All-Powerful. His Glory fills the whole earth." King Uzziah had been a strong, long-reigning king. His death (around 740 BC) marked a time of national uncertainty. This vision comes to the Prophet Isaiah at a time of leadership vacuum and spiritual decline in Judah. He's granted a vision of the true King — not dead, but reigning. I saw Adonai, translated as sovereign, exalted master. And where did Isaiah see Him? High and lifted up, His robe filling the temple, angels surrounding Him. And friend, that's the reality still. Will you trust that truth to lead you home, or panic and lose direction? The best choice? It's obvious, right? For His glory fills the whole earth. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

The Wellspring of Life

Obedience is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, societies depend on it for good order, well-being, and basic safety. On the other, as we saw yesterday in discussing the 1994 Rwandan genocide, blind obedience can have devastating consequences. Mitsuo Fuchida was the commander of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, killing thousands and drawing the Americans into WWII. After the war, bitter and disillusioned, he encountered a story that stopped him cold: a young Christian woman, Peggy Covell, had cared for Japanese POWs with love — even though Japanese soldiers had executed her missionary parents. She obeyed Christ's command to love her enemies — a command that Fuchida found utterly incomprehensible. What she did and how she did it shattered him. So he read the Bible. He wrestled with Jesus' words. And eventually, he gave his life to Christ, spending the rest of his days preaching the gospel — including to his former enemies. All that, because one obscure young woman, against every human instinct, obeyed Christ's command - love your enemy. Writes the psalmist … Psalm 119:93 I will never forget your commands, because through them you gave me new life. Many consider God's commands in His Word, the Bible, to be outdated, inconvenient and, at times, utterly incomprehensible. How can you possibly love your enemies? And yet it's been demonstrated time and time and time again, that when we hunker down and obey Him against all odds, against what every fibre of our being is screaming at us, a newness of life breaks out and ripples across the waters. Never forget His commands, because through them He will give you a new life. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Don't Believe Everything You Hear

It's difficult, these days, to know what to believe anymore, isn't it? Much of what used to be trusted journalism has descended into spin and propaganda - for the left, for the right, for people peddling their pet perspectives. On top of which, social media algorithms feed us more and more of what we consume, drawing many inexorably into the vortex of conspiracy theories. Back during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, the media played a devastating role in inciting and amplifying violence. State-backed radio, television and print media broadcast and printed hate propaganda, dehumanising Tutsis as "cockroaches" and openly calling for their extermination. It coordinated attacks, revealed hiding places, and encouraged ordinary citizens to kill. Rather than merely reflecting tensions, the media actively fuelled genocide, turning words into weapons. People believed them and acted upon them, demonstrating the terrifying power of propaganda when wielded without moral restraint or truth, costing close to a million lives in just 100 days. Three millennia ago, wise old King Solomon wrote this: Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (NIV) It's been said that 'the people' generally get the governments they deserve. I don't know, but whatever governmental system you live under (and not everyone gets to choose) be careful, very careful, of who you support, what you choose to believe or reject, and what you choose to say. Because so far as it's up to us, our job is to help the righteous into authority so the people may rejoice … not blindly to regurgitate the propaganda that fills our news and social media feeds. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.