Verse from Romans

“惟有基督在我们还作罪人的时候为我们死，上帝的爱就在此向我们显明了。”

罗马书 5:8 

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 

In Japan, wakeari is a catchphrase for people who are obviously less than perfect.

Jesus loves all people—including the wakeari who society casts aside. When a woman who had lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at a Pharisee’s house, she went there and knelt behind Jesus at His feet, weeping (Luke 7:37–38). The Pharisee labeled her “a sinner” (v. 39), but Jesus accepted her. He spoke gently to her, assuring her that her sins were forgiven (v. 48).

Jesus loves imperfect, wakeari people—which includes you and me. And the greatest demonstration of His love for us is that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). As recipients of His love, may we be conduits of His love to the flawed people around us so they too may know that they can receive God’s love despite their imperfections.

I know I’m not perfect, Lord, so help me not to be hypocritical and pretend I have it all together. 

Open my heart to others in acceptance and love so that they might know Jesus’s concern for them.

Broken people are made whole by God’s love.

Verse from Hebrews

“你们要记念被捆绑的人，好像与他们同受捆绑；也要记念遭苦害的人，想到自己也在肉身之内。”

希伯来书 13:3 

“Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.”

Hebrews 13:3 

Put on the R70i Age Suit and you immediately feel forty years older as you experience impaired vision, hearing loss, and reduced mobility. The Age Suit was designed to help caregivers better understand their patients. Wall Street Journal correspondent Geoffrey Fowler wore one and wrote, “The unforgettable, and at times distressing, experience shed light not just on aging, but also how virtual reality equipment can teach empathy and shape our perceptions of the world around us.”

Empathy is the power to understand and share the feelings of another. 

Jesus calls us to stand with others as if we were in their place.

Verse from Amos

“那创山、造风、将心意指示人、使晨光变为幽暗、脚踏在地之高处的，他的名是耶和华—万军之上帝。”

阿摩司书 4:13 

“For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind And declares to man what are His thoughts, He who makes dawn into darkness And treads on the high places of the earth, The LORD God of hosts is His name.”

Amos 4:13 

The Bible uses many metaphors to describe God and His work in our lives: For example, God is a “shepherd” (Ps. 23:1; Isa. 40:11), a “rock” (Gen. 49:24), a “consuming fire” (Deut. 4:24), and a “spring of living water” (Jer. 2:13). 

But at the dawn of creation, God was likened to a powerful wind. Genesis 1:2 says “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” The Hebrew word rendered “Spirit” in this verse means “wind.” 

We can’t see the wind, but we can feel the coolness of a gentle breeze and witness the raw power of a violent tornado uprooting trees and destroying everything in its path. The wind pictures for us God’s invisible presence, His sovereign will, His awesome power, and His mysterious ways. 

Jesus spoke of this same power of the Spirit of God at work in transforming our lives: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

As you reflect on our powerful God, how does your heart respond?

Verse from Job

“但我必用口坚固你们，用嘴消解你们的忧愁。”

约伯记 16:5 

But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief. (Job 16:5)

Caleb was sick. Really sick! Diagnosed with a nervous system disease, the 5-year-old suffered from temporary paralysis. His anxious parents prayed. And waited. Slowly, Caleb began to recover. Months later, when doctors cleared him to attend school, all Caleb could manage was a slow, unsteady walk.

One day his dad visited him at school. He watched his son haltingly descend the steps to the playground. And then he saw Caleb’s young friend Tyler come alongside him. For the entire recess, as the other kids raced and romped and played, Tyler slowly walked the playground with his frail friend.

Job must have ached for a friend like Tyler. Instead, he had three friends who were certain he was guilty. “Who ever perished, being innocent?” asked Eliphaz (Job 4:7). Such accusations prompted Job to bitterly declare, “Miserable comforters are you all!” (16:2).

How unlike Jesus. On the eve of His crucifixion He took time to comfort His disciples. He promised them the Holy Spirit, who would be with them forever (John 14:16), and assured them, “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (v. 18). Then, just before He returned to His Father, He said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

The One who died for us also walks with us, step by painstaking step.

Father, 

we tend to say too much to our hurting friends. Help us choose our words wisely. 

Teach us to walk slowly with those in pain, as You walk patiently with us.

Sometimes the best way to be like Jesus is to sit quietly with a hurting friend.

Verse from Matthew

“要叫你施舍的事行在暗中。你父在暗中察看，必然报答你 。」”

马太福音 6:4 

“so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Matthew 6:4 

When Denise met a hurting young woman in her church, her heart went out to her and she decided to see if she could help. Every week she spent time counseling her and praying with her. Denise became her mentor. 

However, some church leaders didn’t notice Denise’s efforts and decided to assign a church staff member to mentor the woman. No one, they commented, seemed to be taking care of her.

While she was not expecting any credit, Denise couldn’t help but feel a little discouraged. “It’s as if I wasn’t doing anything at all,” she told me.

One day, however, the young woman told Denise how grateful she was for her comfort. Denise felt encouraged. It was as if God was telling her, “I know you’re there for her.” Denise still meets with the woman regularly.

We can take heart that God knows when we’re faithful in serving Him and others.

Verse from 1 Peter

“总而言之，你们都要同心，彼此体恤，相爱如弟兄，存慈怜谦卑的心。”

彼得前书 3:8 

“To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;”

1 Peter 3:8 

Have you noticed that when people receive a great honor for their accomplishments they often acknowledge their humble roots? Even legendary athletes admit that they were just an everyday kid from somewhere—just like us.

Peter sees how important it is for those who know they are God’s representatives to remember who they were. In recognizing their high honor (1 Peter 2:9), Peter urges followers of Christ to remember that once they had no sense of belonging to God; once they had not received mercy (2:10). Later in the same letter he reminds those who are leaders among the Lord’s people to recognize their own accountability to God and not to lord it over those entrusted to their care (5:3).

At best we are all common folks from somewhere who have been called to love others as God has loved us.

Verse from Isaiah

“主耶和华— 以色列 的圣者曾如此说：你们得救在乎归回安息；你们得力在乎平静安稳；你们竟自不肯。”
‭‭以赛亚书‬ ‭30:15‬

For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, "In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength." But you were not willing, (‭Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭15‬)

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exod. 14:14 niv). These are the words Moses spoke to the Israelites when they had just escaped from slavery in Egypt and were being pursued by Pharaoh. They were discouraged and afraid.

“Be still, and know that I am God,” the psalmist says (Ps. 46:10). When we remain still, we get to know God, “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (v. 1). We see our weakness apart from God and recognize our need to surrender to Him. “When I am weak, then I am strong,” says the apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12:10).

Daily we grind through stress and other frustrating situations. But we can trust that He will be faithful to His promise to care for us. May we learn to be still.

The Lord may calm your storm, but more often He’ll calm you.

Verse from Philippians

“弟兄们，我愿意你们知道，我所遭遇的事更是叫福音兴旺，”
‭‭腓立比书‬ ‭1:12‬

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. (Philippians 1:12)

Sometimes in life’s battles we can feel as if we are losing on every front. Family discord, business setbacks, financial woes, or a decline in health can put a pessimistic spin on the way we look at life. But the believer in Christ can always find a way to conclude: “Situation excellent.”

Look at Paul. When he was thrown in prison for preaching the gospel, he had an unusually upbeat attitude.

Paul saw his prison situation as a new platform from which to evangelize the Roman palace guard. In addition, other Christians became emboldened by his situation to preach the gospel more fearlessly (vv.13-14).

God can use our trials to work good in spite of the pain they bring (Rom. 8:28). That’s just one more way He can be honored.

Comfort us, Lord, when life’s trials assail—we fail and stumble so often. Renew us, and help us to grow so that others may also know Your goodness and comfort.

Trials can be God’s road to triumph.

Verse from Psalms

“全地都要向耶和华欢乐；要发起大声，欢呼歌颂！”
‭‭诗篇‬ ‭98:4‬

“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭98:4‬ ‭

Psalm 98 is jubilant in its invitation to praise God. In verses 4–6, the psalmist exalts God as King. He enlists the harp, trumpets, and horn to accompany the human voices lifted in praise and adoration of the sovereign King.

In verses 7–9, God is praised for being the righteous Judge. Marvelous word pictures are used to magnify His justice. The fullness of the sea is to roar, the rivers are to clap their hands, and the mountains are to be joyful together. Voice, instruments, and nature join in to praise God.

Throughout the psalm, David recounts these marvelous things: God’s faithfulness and justice to all nations, His mercy, and salvation.

Dwelling on who God is and what He’s done can fill our hearts with praise.

What “marvelous things” has God done in your life?

Worship takes the focus off us and places it where it belongs—on God.

Verse from Lamentations

“主虽使人忧愁，还要照他诸般的慈爱发怜悯。”

耶利米哀歌 3:32 

“For if He causes grief, 

Then He will have compassion 

According to His abundant lovingkindness.”

Lamentations 3:32 

God will either spare you from suffering or give you the grace to bear it.

Verse from John

“我留下平安给你们；我将我的平安赐给你们。我所赐的，不像世人所赐的。你们心里不要忧愁，也不要胆怯。”

约翰福音 14:27 

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

John 14:27 

We all have anxious weeks—filled with worries over the direction our culture is drifting or concerns for our children, our marriages, our businesses, our finances, our personal health and well-being. Nevertheless, Jesus has assured us that despite disturbing circumstances we can be at peace (John 14:27). 

Jesus’s days were filled with distress and disorder: He was beleaguered by His enemies and misunderstood by His family and friends. He often had no place to lay His head. Yet there was no trace of anxiety or fretfulness in His manner. He possessed an inner calm, a quiet tranquility. This is the peace He has given us—freedom from anxiety concerning the past, present, and future. The peace He exhibited; His peace.

In any circumstances, no matter how dire or trivial, we can turn to Jesus in prayer. There in His presence we can make our worries and fears known to Him. Then, Paul assures us, the peace of God will come to “guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). 

Even if we’ve had “one of those weeks,” we can have His peace.

Verses from Psalms

“我的肺腑是你所造的；我在母腹中，你已覆庇我。我要称谢你，因我受造，奇妙可畏；你的作为奇妙，这是我心深知道的。”

诗篇 139:13-14 

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.”

Psalms 139:13-14 

Like a potter, God shaped man from clay (Isa. 64:8) and breathed into him the breath of life (Gen. 2:7; Job 33:4). Humans are the only creatures privileged to have the breath of God, setting us apart from other creatures, for only humans are created “in the image of God” (Gen. 1:27). 

Each person is a unique individual, possessing the mental, emotional, and spiritual consciousness of our Creator and the capacity to have a personal relationship with Him. 

The Old Testament patriarch Job may be the first person to acknowledge that “[God’s] hands shaped me and made me. . . . [You clothed] me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews” (Job 10:8, 11–12). 

The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed that God had preordained his destiny and life even before he was formed in his mother’s womb! (Jer. 1:5). David, celebrating himself as one of God’s masterpieces, says that he has been “fearfully and wonderfully made” by God (Ps. 139:13–16).

Do you see yourself as God’s masterpiece? Reflect on how God has uniquely created you.

Verse from Ezekiel

“他对我说：「人子啊，以色列 家的长老暗中在各人画像屋里所行的，你看见了吗？他们常说：『耶和华看不见我们；耶和华已经离弃这地。』」”

以西结书 8:12 

“Then He said to me, "Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, 'The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.'"”

Ezekiel 8:12 

“You can’t see me!”

When small children play “hide and seek,” they sometimes believe they’re hiding just by covering their eyes. If they can’t see you, they assume you can’t see them.

Naïve as that may seem to adults, we sometimes do something similar with God. When we find ourselves desiring to do something we know is wrong, our tendency may be to shut God out as we willfully go our own way.

The prophet Ezekiel discovered this truth in the vision God gave him for his people, exiled in Babylon. (Ezek. 8:12). God misses nothing, and Ezekiel’s vision was proof of it.

You can try to hide your wrong from humans, but you can't hide from God. 

Verse from Philippians

“然而，你们和我同受患难原是美事。”

腓立比书 4:14 

“Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.”

Philippians 4:14 

Paul was a tentmaker by trade and often worked to support himself while he ministered to people in various cities (see Acts 18:3). 

However, at times Paul relied on the giving and generosity of others (see Phil 4:14–16). He also encouraged generosity among the churches, calling on members of the global body of Christ to meet each other’s needs (see 1 Cor. 16:1–4).

Many times God provides for us through the giving of others. 

Reflect on how God has provided for you or used you to meet the needs of others.

Verse from Psalms

“知道向你欢呼的，那民是有福的！耶和华啊，他们在你脸上的光里行走。”

诗篇 89:15 

“How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance.”

Psalms 89:15 

As Psalm 89 confesses, the fitting response to the Creator of all who rules the oceans and is worshiped by hosts of angels is to lift up our lives—our whole lives to Him. When we understand the beauty of who God is we “hear the joyful call to worship”—whenever and wherever we are, “all day long” (vv. 15–16 nlt).

Whether it’s standing in store or airport lines, or waiting on hold minute after minute, our lives are full of moments like these, times when we could get annoyed. Or these can be times when we catch our breath and see each of these pauses as an opportunity to learn to “walk in the light of [God’s] presence” (v. 15).

The “wasted” moments of our lives, when we wait or lay ill or wonder what to do next, are all possible pauses to consider our lives in the light of His presence.  

What opportunities can you take today to praise God?

Verse from Job

“他必杀我；我虽无指望，然而我在他面前还要辩明我所行的。”

约伯记 13:15 

“"Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.”

Job 13:15 

If we really want to learn how to worship, we must do it when the microphones are turned off and the singers have gone home, when the room is quiet and our hearts aren't fueled by feelings that swell with the music. We must learn to worship in the midst of life ... and even in the midst of suffering. 

Worship God, Not Comfort 

You may be in the midst of a true season of pain. Perhaps this season has lingered and has now become two seasons. Perhaps you've looked for comfort but haven't found much. Maybe your heart aches and feels empty. Has your lack of comfort dried up your words of worship? Has the loss of ease emptied your heart of gratitude? 

It may be that the most important thing you could do is also one of the most unnatural things you could ever imagine doing: Giving thanks to God, praising and worshiping Him. Regardless of your circumstances. 

Worship in its truest form ascribes and acknowledges that the truth is about God. Worship reminds us of who He is and who we aren't. He alone is God. He is in control. He is the just God, the compassionate and loving God. He knows everything. He knows our condition. 

God-centered worship ultimately comforts us because it reminds us of the truth about life. It brings hope. 

When life seems most uncomfortable, worship God.

Verse from 2 Chronicles

“祭司耶何耶大在世的时候，约阿施行耶和华眼中看为正的事。”

历代志下 24:2 

Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. (2 Chronicles 24:2)

Joash must have been confused and frightened when he was told about the evil deeds of his grandmother Athaliah. She had murdered his brothers to usurp the power of the throne in Judah. But baby Joash had been safely hidden away by his aunt and uncle for 6 years (2 Chron. 22:10-12). As he grew, he enjoyed the love and instruction of his caregivers. When Joash was only 7 years old, he was secretly crowned king and his grandmother was overthrown (23:12-15).

Young King Joash had a wise counselor by his side—his very own Uncle Jehoiada (chs. 22–25). Joash was one of the rare “good kings” of Judah, and while his uncle was alive he obeyed the Lord by doing right (24:2). But once his uncle was no longer there to teach and lead by example, Joash fell away and his life ended badly (24:15-25). It seems that the roots of his faith did not run very deep. He even began to worship idols. Perhaps Joash’s “faith” had been more his uncle’s than his own.

Others can teach us the principles of their faith, but each of us must come individually to a lasting and personal faith in Christ. For faith to be real, it must become our own. God will help us walk with Him and become rooted and established in the faith (Col. 2:6-7).

Verse from 2 Corinthians

“你们既然在信心、口才、知识、热心，和待我们的爱心上，都格外显出满足来，就当在这慈惠的事上也格外显出满足来。”

哥林多后书 8:7 

“But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”

2 Corinthians 8:7 

Cheryl was in for a surprise as she pulled up to deliver her next pizza. Expecting to arrive at a home, she instead found herself outside a church. Cheryl confusedly carried the pepperoni pizza inside, where she was met by the pastor.

“Is it fair to say life hasn’t been easy for you?” the pastor asked her. Cheryl agreed it hadn’t. With that, he brought out two offering plates that church members had filled with money. The pastor then poured over $750 into Cheryl’s delivery bag as a tip! Unbeknownst to Cheryl, the pastor had asked the pizza shop to send their most financially strapped driver over. Cheryl was stunned. She could now pay some bills.

When the first Christians in Jerusalem faced poverty, it was a church that rushed to their aid. Though in need themselves, the Macedonian Christians gave sacrificially, considering it a privilege to do so (2 Cor. 8:1–4). Paul cited their generosity as an example for the Corinthians, and us, to follow. When we use our plenty to supply another’s need, we reflect Jesus, who gave away His riches to meet our own spiritual poverty (v. 9).

Cheryl told all her customers about the church’s kindness that day, and, following its example, donated the rest of the day’s tips to others in need. An act of generosity multiplied. And Christ was glorified.

Verse from 2 Chronicles

“我所要建造的殿宇甚大；因为我们的上帝至大，超乎诸神。”

历代志下 2:5 

“The house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all the gods.”

2 Chronicles 2:5 

King Solomon wanted to give to God a much greater gift than a “big birthday” would merit. He wished for the temple he built to be worthy of God’s presence in it. To secure raw materials, he messaged the king of Tyre. In his letter, he acknowledged that God’s vastness and goodness far exceeded what could ever be built with human hands, yet set about the task anyway out of love and worship.

Our God is indeed greater than all other gods. He has done wondrous things in our lives, prompting our hearts to bring Him a loving and precious offering, regardless of its external value. Solomon knew his gift wouldn’t match God’s worth, yet joyfully set his offering before Him; we can too.

Lord, 

You are indeed a great God, matchless in worth. 

May my offerings be pleasing in Your sight.

Verses from Genesis

“上帝说：「天下的水要聚在一处，使旱地露出来。」事就这样成了。上帝称旱地为「地」，称水的聚处为「海」。上帝看着是好的。”

创世记 1:9-10 

“Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.”

Genesis 1:9-10 

While orbiting the moon in 1968, Apollo 8astronaut Bill Anders described the crew’s close-up view of the moonscape. He called it “a foreboding horizon . . . a stark and unappetizing-looking place.” Then the crew took turns reading to a watching world from Genesis 1:1–10. After Commander Frank Borman finished verse 10, “And God saw that it was good,” he signed off with, “God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.”

The opening chapter of the Bible insists on two facts:

Creation is God’s work. The phrase “and God said . . .” beats in cadence all the way through the chapter. The entire magnificent world we live in is the product of His creative work. All that follows in the Bible reinforces the message of Genesis 1: Behind all of history, there is God.

Creation is good. Another sentence tolls softly, like a bell, throughout this chapter. “And God saw that it was good.” Much has changed since that first moment of creation. Genesis 1 describes the world as God wanted it, before any spoiling. Whatever beauty we sense in nature today is a faint echo of the pristine state God created.

The Apollo 8 astronauts saw Earth as a brightly colored ball hanging alone in space. It looked at once awesomely beautiful and fragile. It looked like the view from Genesis 1.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace, whose robe is the light, whose canopy space; His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, and dark is His path on the wings of the storm. Robert Grant

Verses from 2 Corinthians

“愿颂赞归与我们的主耶稣基督的父上帝，就是发慈悲的父，赐各样安慰的上帝。我们在一切患难中，他就安慰我们，叫我们能用上帝所赐的安慰去安慰那遭各样患难的人。”

哥林多后书 1:3-4 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 

This passage demonstrates how our personal pain can help others who suffer. Paul uses the word comfort both vertically and horizontally. 

God extends comfort to us, then we can offer comfort to others. In this way, our pain can become a conduit of care for those in distress and lead to gratitude in the midst of pain.

It is but another sign of His great love; and one we can share with others—sometimes in the simplest of gestures.

Verses from Psalms

“有何人喜好存活，爱慕长寿，得享美福，就要禁止舌头不出恶言，嘴唇不说诡诈的话。”

诗篇 34:12-13 

“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.”

Psalm 34:12-13 

God reminds us that our words and the way we use our speech greatly impact the quality of life we enjoy. Nothing cuts short a vibrant life like evil speech and lies we tell. They set loose a force of deception and damage that we cannot control. 

Let's be people who speak what is right, good, wholesome, holy, true, and a blessing. (Ephesians 4:20-5:12)

Verse from Psalms

“耶和华啊，求你禁止我的口，把守我的嘴！”

诗篇 141:3 

“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

Psalm 141:3 

Cheung was upset with his wife for failing to check the directions to the famous restaurant where they hoped to dine. The family had planned to round out their holiday in Japan with a scrumptious meal before catching the flight home. Now they were running late and would have to miss that meal. Frustrated, Cheung criticized his wife for her poor planning.

Later Cheung regretted his words. He had been too harsh, plus he realized that he could have checked the directions himself and he had failed to thank his wife for the other seven days of great planning.

Many of us may identify with Cheung. We are tempted to blow up when angry and to let words fly without control. What can we do? Here’s a helpful tip: Think before you speak. Are your words good and helpful, gracious and kind? (See Eph. 4:29–32.)

Setting a guard over our mouth requires that we keep our mouth shut when we’re irritated and that we seek the Lord’s help to say the right words with the right tone or, perhaps, not speak at all. When it comes to controlling our speech, it’s a lifelong work. Thankfully, God is working in us, giving us “the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Phil. 2:13 nlt).

Dear Lord, 

help us always to think before speaking. 

Give us the words to say and the wisdom to know when to keep silent.

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

Verse from Ruth

“拿俄米 对儿妇说：「愿那人蒙耶和华赐福，因为他不断地恩待活人死人。」拿俄米又说：「那是我们本族的人，是一个至近的亲属。」”

路得记 2:20 

““The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers. ””

Ruth 2:20 

“How can you be so kind if you don’t even know me!”

By making some wrong decisions, Linda had ended up in jail in a country not her own. For six years she remained in prison, and when she was set free she didn’t have anywhere to go. She thought her life was over! While her family gathered money to buy her ticket home, a kind couple offered her lodging, food, and a helping hand. Linda was so touched by their kindness that she willingly listened as they told her the good news of a God who loves her and wants to give her a second chance.

Linda is a reminder of Naomi, a widow in the Bible who lost her husband and two sons in a foreign land and thought her life was over (Ruth 1). However, the Lord hadn’t forgotten Naomi, and through the love of her daughter-in-law and the compassion of a godly man named Boaz, Naomi saw God’s love and was given a second chance (4:13–17).

The same God cares for us today. Through the love of others we can be reminded of His presence. We can see God’s grace in the helping hand of people we may not even know well. But above all, God is willing to give us a fresh start. We just need, like Linda and Naomi, to see God’s hand in our everyday lives and realize He never stops showing us His kindness.

Verse from Ephesians

“上帝能照着运行在我们心里的大力充充足足地成就一切，超过我们所求所想的。”

以弗所书 3:20 

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,”

Ephesians 3:20 

Sometimes God takes His time in answering our prayers, and that isn’t always easy for us to understand.

That was the situation for Zechariah, a priest whom the angel Gabriel appeared to one day near an altar in the temple in Jerusalem. Gabriel told him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John” (Luke 1:13, italics added).

But Zechariah had probably asked God for a child years before, and he struggled with Gabriel’s message because Elizabeth was now well beyond the expected age for childbirth. Still, God answered his prayer.

God’s memory is perfect. He is able to remember our prayers not only for years but also for generations beyond our lifetime. He never forgets them and may move in response long after we first brought our requests to Him. Sometimes His answer is “no,” other times it is “wait”—but His response is always measured with love. God’s ways are beyond us, but we can trust that they are good.

Zechariah learned this. He asked for a son, but God gave him even more. His son John would grow up to be the very prophet who would announce the arrival of the Messiah.

Zechariah’s experience demonstrates a vital truth that should also encourage us as we pray: God’s timing is rarely our own, but it is always worth waiting for.