When Satan tempts me to despair Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, And anyone who comes to me I will never drive away. John 6:37 Read Job 1:6—12 Job lived in the land of Uz once upon a time.[1] The story starts in a faraway country at a faraway time,…
My friend and protector The Lord your God you shall fear; Him you shall serve. Deuteronomy 6:13 Read Matthew 4:1—11 I can see that before Jesus even began his ministry he had thought all about the chosen people, Israel, and in his one short life he relived their life and brought it to its…
On a panicky night And while others thou art calling, Do not pass me by. Frances Jane van Alstyne Read Mark 6:45—52 It is evening. Night closes in. The wind is up. The sea is up. We’re rowing, but we’re going backwards. It’s a panicky night coming on. And however Jesus has been in…
The secret giver Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, Shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. Psalm 126:6 Read Matthew 6:1—8 What a pity. What a pity it is, if, finally, I am moved to generosity, and I can’t tell a soul. It would be nice if…
The promise Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, For the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness. Psalm 115:1 Read Genesis 15:1—6 Here I stand at the beginning of the response of humanity to God’s promise. I stand in the line of Abraham. All he…
Whenever you fast The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, And then they will fast on that day. Mark 2:20 Read Matthew 6:16—21 This could be a journey ahead for me, the question of fasting. Jesus sets the spirit of it. It is to be something between God and…
Despised and rejected He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, Yet he did not open his mouth. Isaiah 53:7 Read Luke 9:51—56 This was no ordinary tour, the journey to Jerusalem. I reflect on this tonight: Jesus deliberately, purposefully prepared the way for his journey. He accompanied it with his own commentary. Jerusalem, he…
A faithful heart From you let my vindication come; Let your eyes see the right. Psalm 17:2 Read Genesis 13:7—13 This man Abraham is my companion tonight. The revered man of God. Reverend Abraham! All that he had was the promise of God. The land before him: he was led to it by God.…
An attempt to understand As one from whom others hide their faces He was despised, and we held him of no account. Isaiah 53:3 Read Luke 18:31—34 The events that Jesus predicted I can look back on as past tense. For me they have been turned into a precious, immeasurably precious saving work. I…
The Sabbath rest So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, Because on it God rested from all the work that he had done. Genesis 2:3 Read Hebrews 4:9—13 I will think about the Sabbath rest tonight before I go to my daily rest. It is God’s time. It is the time that…