Verse from Psalm

我要一心称谢耶和华；我要传扬你一切奇妙的作为。(诗篇 9:1)

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 9:1)

Verse from 2 Timothy

因为上帝赐给我们，不是胆怯的心，乃是刚强、仁爱、谨守的心。(提摩太后书 1:7)

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)

We crave refreshment and well-being when we are plagued by anger, fear, or sadness. The God of the Bible is a “God of peace” (Heb. 13:20-21), One who gives His Holy Spirit to everyone who believes in Him. When we’re agitated or anxious, we can remember that God’s Spirit produces power, love, and self-control (2 Tim. 1:7). God’s influence in our lives can create a calming effect—one that leads to comfort and wholeness.

We’re grateful, 

Father, for the peace that You offer for our hearts. 

Nothing has the power to take that away. 

Thank You that Your peace has come to stay.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” —Jesus

Verses from 1 Corinthians

我因着神在基督耶稣里赐给你们的恩典，常常为你们感谢我的神，因为你们在他里面凡事都富足，很有口才，知识丰富，(哥林多前书 1:4-5)

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— (1 Corinthians 1:4-5)

The apostle Paul was amazing. He is writing one of the most problematic churches and yet finds reasons to give thanks for them. First, he is thankful for them because Jesus died for them. When God extends his grace to others, how can we not do the same? Second, he recognizes the areas of their abuse are also a reason to give thanks - they may have distorted it, but when reigned in to honor God, these gifts could bless their church. Even though he has tough words to follow, Paul's example reminds us that a child of God is something to be cherished, even if that child has problems.

Verse from Psalm

求你开我的眼睛，使我能看出你律法的奇妙。(诗篇 119:18)

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. (Psalm 119:18)

From our perspective of grace and having been liberated from law-keeping as a means of justification and righteousness, this is a very fitting prayer. We can look around our world and see the anarchy and brutality when there is no principle of law undergirding the soul of a society. God's law provided so many wonderful blessings, and can still bless us today if we will let it. 

Verses from Romans

并且仰望上帝的应许，总没有因不信心里起疑惑，反倒因信心里得坚固，将荣耀归给上帝，且满心相信上帝所应许的必能做成。(罗马书 4:20-21)

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:20-21)

Abraham stumbled but never failed in his trust in the promise he’d received (Gen. 15:5-6; Rom. 4:20-21).

Through years of waiting and mistaken attempts to help things along, Abraham hung on to God’s promise until Isaac was born.

I find this reminder to trust encouraging. We tell God our request. We remember that He cares. We know He is powerful. We thank Him for His faithfulness.

Lord, 

my patience is often lacking and my timetable often does not match Yours. 

Forgive me for my times of doubt, and help me to trust You more.

Thank You for Your faithfulness.

Some lessons of patience take a long time to learn.

Verse from 1 Peter

因此，你们是大有喜乐；但如今，在百般的试炼中暂时忧愁，(彼得前书 1:6)

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (1 Peter 1:6)

Even though the way of sorrow is hard, God sends reminders of His enduring presence. To the Israelites expelled from the Promised Land due to disobedience, God made His presence known by sending prophets like Jeremiah to offer them hope—hope for reconciliation through repentance. And to those He leads through times of testing, He shows His presence through a community of believers who “love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22). These indications of God’s presence during trials on earth affirm God’s promise of the living hope awaiting us at the resurrection.

The apostle Peter wrote his letters to a church that was enduring persecution for their faith. Though the “various trials” they were experiencing (1 Peter 1:6) may not be the same type of trials we must endure, the source of the strength to endure is the same. We are not alone in our trials, and our endurance in them is not due to our inner strength. It is God Himself who strengthens us to endure.

Verse from Colossians

倘若这人与那人有嫌隙，总要彼此包容，彼此饶恕；主怎样饶恕了你们，你们也要怎样饶恕人。(歌罗西书 3:13)

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)

During the Second World War, Corrie ten Boom’s family owned a watchmaking business in the Netherlands, and they actively worked to protect Jewish families. Eventually, the entire ten Boom family was sent to a concentration camp, where Corrie’s father died 10 days later. Her sister Betsie also died in the camp. While Betsie and Corrie were in the camp together, Betsie’s faith helped to strengthen Corrie’s.

That faith led Corrie to forgive even the ruthless men who served as guards during her concentration camp days. While hate and the desire for revenge continued to destroy many lives long after the concentration camps were gone, Corrie knew the truth: Hate hurts the hater more than the hated, no matter how justified it may seem.

Like Corrie, we each have the opportunity to love our enemy and choose forgiveness. Forgiveness doesn’t excuse the offense but when we forgive we show Christ to the world. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).

God will help you let go of every angry grudge as you watch the Spirit build into you a place where others see the Savior.

It's not easy but when you choose to forgive and let God work through you, you will be filled with peace.

Verses from Psalm

我因唉哼而困乏；我每夜流泪，把床榻漂起，把褥子湿透。

耶和华听了我的恳求；耶和华必收纳我的祷告。(诗篇 6:6, 9)

I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. (Psalm 6:6, 9)

In his grief, David not only found a song, he also found reason to trust God, whose faithfulness bridges all of life’s hard seasons. In the warmth of His presence, our sorrows gain a hopeful perspective.

Heavenly Father, 

life can be so wonderful, but also so hard. 

Help us to seek You in the good times as well as the bad. 

Help us to always be mindful that

You are our sure hope in a world that doesn’t always seem to care.

A song of sadness can turn our hearts to the God whose joy for us is forever.

Verse from Matthew

撒在荆棘里的，就是人听了道，后来有世上的思虑、钱财的迷惑把道挤住了，不能结实。(马太福音 13:22)

And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)

A restaurant owner in the village of Abu Ghosh, just outside Jerusalem, offered a 50-percent discount for patrons who turned off their cell phones. Jawdat Ibrahim believes that smartphones have shifted the focus of meals from companionship and conversation to surfing, texting, and business calls. “Technology is very good,” Ibrahim says. “But . . . when you are with your family and your friends, you can just wait for half an hour and enjoy the food and enjoy the company.”

How easily we can be distracted by many things, whether in our relationship with others or with the Lord.

Jesus told His followers that spiritual distraction begins with hearts that have grown dull, ears that are hard of hearing, and eyes that are closed (Matt. 13:15). Using the illustration of a farmer scattering seed, Jesus compared the seed that fell among thorns to a person who hears God’s Word but whose heart is focused on other things. 

There is great value in having times throughout each day when we turn off the distractions of mind and heart and focus on the Lord.

Focusing on Christ puts everything else in perspective.

Verse from James

这样，信心若没有行为就是死的。(雅各书 2:17)

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17)

The apostle James reminds us that we demonstrate our faith by our actions (2:18). The needs in our world are varied and overwhelming but when we love our neighbor as ourselves, as Jesus said (Mark 12:31), we reach people with God’s love.

Open your heart to God to learn compassion and open your hand to give help.

Verse from Numbers

人民发怨言，恶声达到耶和华的耳中；耶和华听见了，就发烈怒；耶和华的火就在他们中间焚烧，烧毁了营地的边界。(民数记 11:1)

Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. (Numbers 11:1)

Among the Israelites, too many people listened too long to complaints and began to agree with them. This displeased God, and for good reason. God had delivered the Israelites from slavery, and agreed to live in their midst, but they still complained. Beyond the hardship of the desert, they were dissatisfied with God’s provision of manna. In their complaint, Israel forgot that the manna was a gift to them from God’s loving hand (Num. 11:6). Because complaining poisons the heart with ingratitude and can be a contagion, God had to judge it.

There is a sure way to say “goodbye” to complaining and ingratitude: Each day, let’s rehearse the faithfulness and goodness of God to us.

Proclaiming God’s faithfulness silences discontentment.

Verse from Hebrews

你们也不要忘记行善和捐输，这样的祭是神所喜悦的。(希伯来书 13:16)

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:16)

Our ability to stand tall in spite of the buffeting winds of life is directly related to the love and support we receive from God and one another. And then, as the writer of Hebrews says, we are to “do good and to share” (13:16). Think of how tough it would be to withstand adversity if someone were not sharing the roots of their strength with us.

There is great power in the entwining gifts of words of encouragement, prayers of intercession, weeping together, holding each other, and sometimes just sitting with one another sharing the presence of our love.

Let the roots of God’s love in your life be entwined with others who need your support.

Verse from Mark

人就是赚得全世界，却赔上自己的生命，有甚么好处呢？(马可福音 8:36)

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:36)

Verses from Joshua

你一生的日子必没有一人能在你面前立得住；我怎样与摩西同在，也必照样与你同在；我决不离开你，也不离弃你。

你只要坚强，十分勇敢，谨守遵行我仆人摩西吩咐你的一切律法，不可偏离左右，好使你无论到哪里去，都可以亨通。这律法书不可离开你的口，要昼夜默诵，好使你谨守遵行书中所记的一切；这样，你的道路就必顺利，你必一路亨通。(约书亚记 1:5, 7-8)

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:5, 7-8)

In today’s Scripture passage, the newly commissioned leader of Israel is standing at the threshold of the Promised Land. More than 2 million Israelites are looking to him to lead them. How would he do it? God didn’t give him a detailed script, but He gave him the assurance that He would go with him.

He promised to be with Joshua wherever he went. Joshua responded with complete devotion and surrender to his amazing Guide, and “not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken” (21:45).

We can abandon ourselves to our Director and rest in His faithfulness.

Faith never knows where it is being led; it knows and loves the One who is leading. —Oswald Chambers

Verses from Proverbs

求你使虚假和谎言远离我；不要使我贫穷，也不要使我富裕，只要给我需用的食物。免得我吃饱了，就不认你，说：‘耶和华是谁？’又恐怕我贫穷，就偷窃，污渎了我神的名。(箴言 30:8-9)

Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:8-9)

Upon winning $314 million in a 2002 lottery, a happy business owner expressed noble desires. He wanted to start a charitable foundation, put laid-off workers back on the job, and do nice things for his family. Already wealthy, he told reporters the big win wouldn’t change him.

A few years later, a follow-up article described a different outcome. Since winning the biggest of all lotteries, the man had run into legal problems, lost his personal reputation, and gambled away all of his money.

A thoughtful man by the name of Agur wrote words that anticipate such heartbreak. Brought low by the awareness of his own natural inclinations (Prov. 30:2-3), Agur saw the dangers of having too much or too little.

Agur saw the special challenges that come both with wealth and poverty, but also with our own tendencies. Each gives us reason for caution. Together they show our need for the One who taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Discontentment makes rich people poor, while contentment makes poor people rich.

Verses from Lamentations

我们不致消灭，是出于耶和华诸般的慈爱；是因他的怜悯不致断绝。每早晨，这都是新的；你的诚实极其广大！

凡等候耶和华，心里寻求他的，耶和华必施恩给他。(耶利米哀歌 3:22-23, 25)

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; (Lamentations 3:22-23, 25)

Whether we suffer for our own choices or from those of others, despair may threaten to overwhelm us. When all seems lost, we can cling to the Lord’s faithfulness.

I’m thankful for Your faithfulness, Father, 

even in the times when I am unfaithful. 

Help me to remember, 

like Jeremiah, 

that my hope comes from You, 

not from my circumstances.

The anchor of God’s faithfulness holds firm in the strongest storms.

Verses from James

人被试探，不可说“我被神试探”；因为神不能被恶试探，他也不试探任何人。每一个人受试探，都是被自己的私欲所勾引诱惑的。(雅各书 1:13-14)

If people are tempted by such trials, they must not say, “This temptation comes from God.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But people are tempted when they are drawn away and trapped by their own evil desires. (James 1:13-14)

Verse from Psalm

你要以耶和华为乐，他就把你心里所求的赐给你。(诗篇 37:4)

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

Rather than seeing this as a way to get our wish list granted, let's see it for what it really is — an invitation to seek a love relationship with God above all other things. In finding Him, we will find our priorities properly aligned and our hearts tuned to know what is really valuable and what is not. Then we will see that what we have in Him is our hearts greatest desire.

Verse from Psalm

你要等候耶和华，要刚强，要坚定你的心，要等候耶和华。(诗篇 27:14)

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

If there is anything we don't like to do, it's wait. Maybe that is why God is so interested in us learning to do it! There is something purifying about remaining strong in tough times and remaining faithful when ill winds blow. 

Verse from Jeremiah

耶和华说：我知道我向你们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念，要叫你们末后有指望。(耶利米书 29:11)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Do u trust Him with your future and life? 

9 nov 2014

Today at church, I witnessed a pastor modeling out the verse: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

He humbly confessed what he had been going through and informed the whole church that he is going on sabbatical leave for a few months to refresh himself etc as he realised he had grow weary of continuous serving for few years and caused some tensions in the leadership team within the church and apologised in front of the whole congregation about the hurtful results of his actions to the leadership team which he didn't elaborate much. After that, the whole church stood up and prayed for him. 

I thank God for letting me witness this scene, it humanizes pastors, that they are humans like us as well, fallible to sins and need His forgiveness and grace too. And it reminds us that we are all in this together, that God wants us to do exactly the same thing. Being able to come forth in our cell groups etc and be open in our struggles, and receive prayers of support and healing at the same time.

Verses from Genesis

从前你们的意思是要害我，但上帝的意思原是好的，要保全许多人的性命，成就今日的光景。现在你们不要害怕，我必养活你们和你们的妇人孩子。」于是约瑟用亲爱的话安慰他们。(创世记 50:20-21)

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. (Genesis 50:20-21)

The familiar Old Testament story of Joseph follows a favorite son whose brothers hated him (Gen. 37–50). Yet Joseph refused to build a wall of hatred between himself and his brothers who sold him into slavery. When a famine brought them face to face after many years, Joseph treated his brothers with kindness, saying, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good . . . . And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them” (50:20-21), helping to restore the relationship between them.

If we’ve built walls of anger and separation between ourselves and others, the Lord is willing and able to help us begin tearing them down today.

Anger builds walls; love breaks them down.

Verse from Proverbs

你要专心仰赖耶和华，不可倚靠自己的聪明，在你一切所行的事上都要认定他，他必指引你的路。(箴言 3:5-6)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

1) Do u trust Him, fully? 

- God will always want something from us first - our heart and trust, before He gives us information to make our choices

- He wants control of our lives, wants us to surrender our lives in His hands

Discovering the will of God is not seeking advice. 

It's allowing God to be in control over our lives, therefore it begins and ends with trusting His Lordship

We have to choose either to listen to Him or to lean on our own understanding, we can't choose both. 

2) do u acknowledge Him in the way of giving thanks in all circumstances? There is always something in every situation to give thanks about, even if it's something small. 

Those who struggle the least know His words the best 

The will of God is not about making the right decision. 

It's a way of living before God, therefore I can be assured that I'm in the centre of His will as I acknowledge Him in all my ways. 

give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

3) He will help you walk in His will, are you listening to Him and trusting Him to guide u in life? Do u believe that He knows better than u what's best for u? 

Walking in the will of God is not a tightrope of right decisions.

God is active in straightening our decisions, therefore pay attention to His specific directives and respond. 

Verse from Psalm

众民哪！你们要常常倚靠他，在他面前倾心吐意；因为神是我们的避难所。(诗篇 62:8)

Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:8)

Verse from Proverbs

你要听劝告，受管教，好使你将来作个有智慧的人。人心里的谋算很多， 唯有耶和华的计划能实现。(箴言 19:20-21)

Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:20-21)

"Man proposes, heaven disposes." Most of us rush to give advice and make grandiose plans. The Wiseman reminds us that wisdom comes from submitting to instruction for a significant period of time and then, only at the end of long listening does it come. If you are like me, you would do much better to let your plans ripen a bit more in the light of the Lord before you launch into them. I am comforted that James, the wisdom writer of the New Testament, reminds us that God will give that wisdom if we seek it and not doubt. But while we pray for wisdom, let's pray also for patience to listen to the Lord's truth in Scripture so we may recognize wisdom when it comes!

Verse from Genesis

你向仆人所施的一切慈爱和诚实，我一点也不配得；我先前只拿着我的杖过这约旦河，如今我却成了两队了。(创世记 32:10)

I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. (Genesis 32:10)

Unlike those who think highly of themselves, Jacob knew that he had been ruined by sin (Gen. 32:10). He thought himself a man unworthy of God’s grace. He had cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright (ch.27), and his brother hated him for it. Now, years later, Jacob was going to face Esau again.

“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies,” Jacob prayed, using a word for “least” that suggests the tiniest object. “Deliver me, I pray” (32:10-11).

How odd to see those phrases side by side: I am unworthy of Your mercies . . . . Deliver me! Yet Jacob could pray for mercy because his hope lay not in his own worth, but in God’s promise to look with favor on those who throw themselves at His feet. Humility and contrition are the keys that open the heart of God. Someone has said that the best disposition for praying is being stripped of everything. It is crying out of the depths. It comes from the soul that knows its deep depravity.

Such prayers are offered by those who are thoroughly convicted of their sin and shame, but, at the same time, are convinced of God’s grace that goes out to undeserving sinners. God hears best those who cry out: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13).

Verses from Mark

忽然起了狂风，波浪不断地打进船来，舱里积满了水。耶稣却在船尾靠着枕头睡着了。门徒把他叫醒，对他说：“老师，我们要死了，你不管吗？” 耶稣起来，斥责了风，又对海说：“不要作声！安静吧！”风就停止，大大地平静了。然后对他们说：“为甚么这样胆怯呢？你们怎么没有信心呢？”门徒非常惧怕，彼此说：“这到底是谁，连风和海都听从他？”(马可福音 4:37-41)

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:37-40)

Sometimes perception is reality. But not always—especially our perceptions about God. When Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a small fishing vessel, a sudden storm threatened to sink the boat. With Jesus asleep and the disciples on the verge of panic, they began to stir Him, asking, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38).

Their question sounds similar to questions I’ve asked. At times I perceive God’s apparent inactivity as a lack of care. But His care for me goes well beyond what I can see or measure. Our God is deeply concerned for what concerns us. He urges us to place all our care upon Him, “for He cares for [us]” (1 Peter 5:7). That is true reality.

O yes, He cares; I know He cares!

His heart is touched with my grief;

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,

I know my Savior cares. —Graeff

Even when we don’t sense God’s presence, His loving care is all around us.

And God knows you better than you know yourself, He knows your needs better than you. God knows what you truly need. 

Verse from Psalm

耶和华啊！求你垂听，恩待我；耶和华啊！求你帮助我。”(诗篇 30:10)

Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.” (Psalm 30:10)

Minnie and George Lacy were faced with some questions: “Is Jesus enough? Is our relationship with Christ sufficient to sustain us? Will He be enough to help us want to go on living? Does He care?”

While serving as missionaries in 1904, the Lacys’ youngest daughter fell ill. Then in rapid succession, all five of their children died from scarlet fever, none living to see the new year. In letters to the mission board George Lacy wrote about their deep loneliness and grief: “Sometimes it seems more than we can bear.” But then he added, “The Lord is with us and is wonderfully helping us.” In this, their darkest time, they found that Jesus was near and He was enough.

Many of us will face moments when we will wonder if we can go on. If our health fails, if our job disappears, if we lose those closest to us, will we find our relationship with the Lord real enough to keep us pressing forward?

The psalmist reminds us of God’s presence and faithfulness (Ps. 30). When he was deeply depressed, he cried out, “Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!” (v.10). God gave Him healing and comfort (vv.2-3).

As believers in Jesus, we will never lack what we need to persevere. The Lord will always be near.

Though tempted and sadly discouraged,

My soul to this refuge will flee

And rest in the blessed assurance,

“My grace is sufficient for thee.” —Anon.

Faith in an all-sufficient Christ enables us to press on.

Verse from Psalm

你们要休息，要知道我是上帝！我必在外邦中被尊崇，在遍地上也被尊崇。(诗篇 46:10)

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

The Hebrew word for “still” means to “cease striving,” or, literally, “to put our hands at our side.” At first glance this seems to be a rather risky piece of advice, since our first instinct in trouble is to keep our hands on the situation and control it to our advantage. God in essence is saying, “Hands off! Let Me deal with your problem, and rest assured that the outcome is in My hands.”

But knowing when to take our hands off and let God work can make us feel vulnerable. Unless, that is, we believe that God is indeed “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (v.1) and that “the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (v.7). In the midst of trouble, we can rest in God’s care.

Lord, 

forgive me for always wanting

to manage my own affairs.

Teach me to trust in Your wise and timely intervention in my life and to keep my hands out of Your way.

When we put our problems in God’s hands, He puts His peace in our hearts.

Verse from Ephesians

我们原是神所作成的，是在基督耶稣里创造的，为的是要我们行各样的善事，就是神预先所安排的。(以弗所书 2:10)

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

For 3 weeks every fall season, the city the author lives in becomes an art gallery. Nearly 2,000 artists from around the world display their creations in galleries, museums, hotels, parks, city streets, parking lots, restaurants, churches, and even in the river.

The winning entry in 2011 was a 9 x 13-foot stained-glass mosaic of the crucifixion by artist Mia Tavonatti. While viewing the artwork, the author heard the artist discuss how many times she had cut herself while shaping the pieces of glass for her mosaic.

As the author gazed at the beautiful rendition of what was a horrific event, the author saw more than a representation of the crucifixion—the author saw a picture of the church, the body of Christ. In each piece of glass the author saw an individual believer, beautifully shaped by Christ to fit together into the whole (Eph. 2:16,21). In the artist’s story, the author recognized the shedding of Jesus’ blood so that this unity could take place. And in the finished artwork, the author saw the act of love required to complete the project despite pain and sacrifice.

We who believe in Christ are a work of art created by God to show the greatness of a Savior who makes something beautiful out of the broken pieces of our lives.

Christ gave everything to make something beautiful of His church.