Verse from Mark

They made an opening in the roof above Jesus . . . and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. Mark 2:4

The men who brought the paralytic man to Jesus for healing were persistent and had gone to a lot of work—carrying him, digging up the roof tiles, and lowering him into the room where Christ was found. So imagine their reaction when Jesus instead granted him forgiveness of sins (Mark 2:1-5). After His authority to forgive sins was questioned by the religious leaders (vv. 6-7), He used the verifiable act of healing the man as proof of the unseen and impossible-to-verify authority to forgive sins (vv. 8-12).

As the men in Mark 2 had confidence in Christ’s ability to heal, we too can have confidence that when we come to God in prayer—with the needs of others or our own needs—He’ll hear us and provide what we need.

Verse from 2 Kings

Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room. 2 Kings 4:35

In 2 Kings 4:18-35, we read that Elisha and his servant, Gehazi, responded to a Shunammite woman’s plea to help her dead son. At Elisha’s instruction (v. 29), Gehazi laid his staff on the child (v. 31). Elisha prayed. Then he laid on top of the boy. At last, “Elisha . . . walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy . . . opened his eyes” (v. 35).

Scripture doesn’t tell us why Elisha “walked back and forth,” nor does it say what he was thinking. What we do know is that when Elisha’s prayers weren’t answered, he didn’t give up. It’s not difficult to picture him talking to God in this urgent situation.

What do you do when you’re stuck at a dead end and don’t know what to do? Perhaps a “prayer walk” is in order. Whether we head out to a trail for a walk or pace back and forth in our home, connecting to God when we’re in need brings answers that address our circumstances.

Verse from Genesis

Whenever the rainbow appears . . . I will . . . remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures. Genesis 9:16

Owen was on holiday abroad when he received a disturbing message from a colleague: “The boss is looking to replace you.” Deeply upset, he prayed one morning at dawn and asked God, “Where are You?” Then he went to the window to open the curtains—and spotted a huge, beautiful rainbow suspended above the lake outside. Immediately a comforting warmth gushed over him. “It was as if God was simply telling me, ‘It’s okay; I’m here,’ ” he recounted later.

In Genesis 9, God promised not to destroy the earth through a flood again. He promised, “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth” (v. 16). This covenant was everlasting and unconditional. It depended totally on God’s protection and provision, not on humanity’s performance. And it was just the first of many promises God would make to His people. Jesus, too, said, “Surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).  

God doesn’t promise that we won’t suffer. But He does promise His ever-present comfort and personal presence. We may not get “rainbow answers,” but we have His assurance that no matter what happens to us in life, He’s always there for us, and we can draw on His strength, comfort, and presence.

Verse from Exodus

You shall not misuse the name of the Lordyour God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Exodus 20:7

The vintage photograph from World War II, taken outside a town’s Nazi headquarters, carries a warning for all of us. In the photo, a comfortably dressed woman is crossing the street. A man in a suit walks down the sidewalk, while another has stopped to read a bulletin board on the corner of the building. All seem oblivious to the large banner hanging above the headquarters’ front door, half as long as the building. It reads, “By resisting the Jew, I fight for the work of the Lord.”

This kind of treachery is what God had in mind when He commanded, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:7). This command covers misusing His name when we curse or when we carelessly shout God’s name when we stub a toe or smash a finger. It also includes perversion—using God’s name as cover for evil.

Verse from Isaiah

Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Isaiah 53:3

Most people avoided George Chase. He lived in a twelve-foot square shack in the woods where New England’s Pawcatuck River meets Little Narragansett Bay. To the locals, it was obvious George didn’t have a bathtub. They could smell the evidence. 

One day a hurricane brought the Atlantic Ocean rushing over the seacoast, washing away the beachfront with its attractive homes. Survivors pulled themselves from the bay and began searching for refuge. Eleven of them, soaked and shivering, found it in George’s cabin. He gave them everything he had: water, milk, ginger tea, and shelter. After the hurricane of 1938, the townsfolk had a far different opinion of George Chase.

It’s sad when we make superficial judgments about others, yet it’s our nature to do so. We do that with Jesus too. We might picture Him as He’s portrayed in old paintings, serenely handsome. But the prophet Isaiah said of the Messiah, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him . . . . like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:2-3). Yet this man gave us everything He had. “He took up our pain and bore our suffering” (v. 4). He offered His life for ours.

It’s tragic when we miss the humanity of our fellow human beings. How much more tragic to miss the divinity of the One we despised

Verses from John

Among you stands one you do not know. . . . the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. John 1:26-27

John was tasked with pointing people to Jesus as the Messiah—the one who fulfilled God’s promise to send a rescuer. But John garnered so much attention that the religious leaders wanted to find out exactly who he was. In response, Scripture records that John “confessed freely, ‘I am not the Messiah’ ” (John 1:20). Even when they pressed him, John was clear that his role was to announce Jesus’ arrival (vv. 21-23). Jesus was the one they’d longed for (v. 27).

This aspect of humility—not taking more credit than is due—is a way we can keep a proper perspective regarding our accomplishments while recognizing others for the assignments or roles they’ve been given.

Verse from 1 Thessalonians

“in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:18‬ ‭

In the suburb where Lawrence lives, he often complains about the constant power outages. They can hit three times in a week and last up to twenty-four hours, plunging the neighborhood into darkness. The inconvenience is hard to bear when he cannot use basic household appliances.

His Christian neighbor often asks, “Is this also something to thank God for?” She is referring to 1 Thessalonians 5:18. He always say, “Yes, of course, we thank God in all things.” But the half-hearted manner in which he say it is contradicted by his grumbling every time the power goes off.

One day, however, his belief in thanking God in all circumstances took on new meaning. He returned from work to find his neighbor visibly shaken as she cried, “Thank Jesus the power was off. My house would have burned down, and my family and I would have perished!”

A refuse-collection truck had hit the electricity pole in front of her house and brought down the high-tension cables right over several houses. Had there been power in the cables, fatalities would have been likely.

The difficult circumstances we face can make it hard to say, “Thanks, Lord.” We can be thankful to our God who sees in every situation an opportunity for us to trust Him—whether or not we see His purpose.