Verse from Psalm

Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Waiting for God to move in our lives, or to rescue us from our trials, can be challenging. David was facing much adversity, which he mentions throughout Psalm 27. Yet he still placed his hope and trust in God and waited for Him to respond. David didn’t know how long it would take for God to act, but he knew God would help him. “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (v. 13).

It may take longer than we’d like to experience our breakthrough, but let’s take courage in these words: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (v. 14). As we turn to the Psalms and the rest of Scripture for encouragement, we can take comfort in knowing God is working even while we wait.

Verses from Leviticus

If [Israel] will confess their sins . . . I will remember my covenant with Jacob. Leviticus 26:40-42

God desires our obedience. But He also knows we’re prone to disobey Him. In Leviticus 26:1-13, God outlined His plan for Israel. If they obeyed His commands, He said, “I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers” (v. 9). 

But habitual disobedience would bring curses and afflictions designed to bring the people to repentance. Then God said that if disobedient Israel would “confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors” (v. 40), He would remember His covenant with them.

The key to restoring relationship with God is our admission of what we’ve done wrong. Blaming others keeps us trapped in the guilt cycle, powerless to vindicate ourselves.

Feeling far from God? A good place to start is by saying, “It was me.”

Verse from Philippians

I will continue to rejoice. Philippians 1:18

Nancy’s cancer treatment caused so many ulcers in her mouth and throat that she couldn’t even swallow a piece of bread. She had to rely on milk to fill her stomach for many painful days. The only thing that brought a smile to the sixty-year-old’s face was the joy of knowing Jesus—and her grandsons. Being with them each week helped her to not dwell on her situation. “If not for the boys, I would have given up,” she said.

The apostle Paul also found joy in Jesus and others despite his difficulties. His joy came from Jesus and living for Him. Despite being imprisoned (Philippians 1:13), he found strength to encourage others. He spoke of the joy that came from partnering in sharing the good news about Jesus, and from knowing what awaited him upon death (vv. 3-5, 18, 20). That confidence enabled him to say, “To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (v. 21).

Paul could rejoice because Jesus was his life. His sense of contentment and security didn’t come from any possession or situation but from knowing he belonged to Christ. Thus, in a letter written in the worst of circumstances, he could say in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

May we find joy in Jesus, who loves us, cares for us, and gives us strength to rejoice in any circumstance.

Verse from Proverbs

The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy. Proverbs 12:22

When we practice integrity, we please God and inspire others. Solomon says God delighted in his integrity: “The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy” (Proverbs 12:22). He uses strong language to describe God’s view of dishonesty—He detests it. When God’s people lie or “deceit is in [their] hearts” (v. 20), it defies Him and goes against His character. In contrast, when His people have “truthful lips” (v. 19) and deal faithfully, it brings Him joy. So treating others well is more than just telling the truth—it reflects God’s own character. And in a world where deception can seem profitable, our integrity is something He “delights in” (v. 22).

Let’s commit to act with integrity as God helps us. Even if the world doesn’t notice, He’s delighted when we walk in His ways.

Verse from Psalm

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. Psalm 3:5

David realized that God, not Absalom, was in charge of his situation. David even sent the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem, acknowledging that the future was fully in God’s hands (2 Samuel 15:25-26).

Sleep feels especially fleeting when we’re facing adversity in our waking hours, but it’s a good reminder of how many things are outside our control. Yet God sustains us and, as we trust Him, He can help us lie down in peace.

Verse from John

In the years after His death, Jesus’ followers would encounter great challenges where they needed God’s answers in seemingly impossible situations. In John 14, Jesus promised He would not leave them alone but would come to them with help (v. 18). Further, God would provide an ongoing flow of help: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (v. 26).

Sometimes the questions we face seem impossible to answer. We need God’s help and answers with our children, our work, our neighbors, and our world. When we don’t have the answers, He can provide them.

Verse from 2 Corinthians

 The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

In 1849, Henry “Box” Brown (a US enslaved man from Virginia) folded himself into a wooden crate marked “dry goods,” and two friends shipped him from Richmond to Philadelphia. Brown was inside the box (3 x 2.5 x 2 feet) for the 26-hour trip, with three small holes cut for air. As abolitionists pulled Brown from the box, he sang a paraphrase of Psalm 40, expressing his hope in the God who promises freedom. “If you have never been deprived of your liberty, as I was,” Brown later wrote, “you cannot realize the power of that hope of freedom, which was to me indeed, an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast.”

Freedom is central to how God operates in our hearts and in our world. His wisdom leads to spiritual freedom, but false wisdom leads to oppression. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is,” Paul says, “there is freedom” from sin, death, and condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:17). When we listen to God and follow His ways, freedom results. Unfortunately the opposite is also true: When we ignore Him and resist His invitations, we become ensnared and confined. God liberates and transforms us by His Spirit (v. 18), but sin and rebellion traps us.

We sometimes believe that God limits and obstructs our possibilities and pleasure. But in truth, He’s the only one who can lead us into an expansive future, the only one who can guide us into genuine freedom.