Verse from Isaiah

“My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭48‬:‭13‬ ‭

In 1939, with the recent outbreak of war for Britain, King George VI sought in his Christmas Day radio broadcast to encourage citizens of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth to put their trust in God. Quoting a poem that his mother found precious, he said: “Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the Hand of God. / That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.” He didn’t know what the new year would bring, but he trusted God to “guide and uphold” them in the anxious days ahead.

The image of God’s hand appears in many places in the Bible, including in the book of Isaiah. Through this prophet, God called His people to trust that He as their Creator, “the first and . . . the last” (Isaiah 48:12), would remain involved with them. As He says, “My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens” (v. 13). They should put their trust in Him and not look to those less powerful. After all, He’s their “Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (v. 17).

Whatever we face as we look toward the new year, we can follow the encouragement of King George and the prophet Isaiah and place our hope and trust in God. Then, for us too, our peace will be like the river, our “well-being like the waves of the sea” (v. 18).

Verse from Psalms

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬ ‭

Jim has been battling a motor neuron disease for more than a year. The neurons in his muscles are breaking down, and his muscles are wasting away. He’s lost his fine-motor skills and is losing his ability to control his limbs. He can no longer button his shirt or tie his shoelaces, and using a pair of chopsticks has become impossible. Jim struggles with his situation and asks, Why is God allowing this to happen? Why me?

He’s in good company with many other believers in Jesus who have brought their questions to God. In Psalm 13, David cries out, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?” (vv. 1-2).

We too can take our confusion and questions to God. He understands when we cry out “How long?” and “Why?” His ultimate answer is given to us in Jesus and His triumph over sin and death.

As we look at the cross and the empty tomb, we gain confidence to trust in God’s “unfailing love” (v. 5) and rejoice in His salvation. Even in the darkest nights, we can “sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to [us]” (v. 6). Through our faith in Christ, He’s forgiven our sins, adopted us as His children, and is accomplishing His eternal good purpose in our lives.

Verse from Genesis

“Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭11‬:‭4‬ ‭

In Genesis 11, we encounter a major building construction project. “Let us build ourselves a city,” said the people, “with a tower that reaches to the heavens” (v. 4). A big problem with this effort was that the people did it to “make a name for ourselves” (v. 4).

This has been a recurring issue for humans; we build monuments to ourselves and our achievements. Later in the biblical narrative, this story is contrasted with Solomon’s motivation for building God’s temple: “I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God” (1 Kings 5:5).

Solomon understood that what he built needed to point to God and not himself. This was such an important lesson that he even wrote a psalm about it. Psalm 127 opens with “unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (v. 1). What we build will not last, but God’s name and what we do for Him has lasting significance. 

Verse from 2 Kings

““Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.””

‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭6‬:‭22‬ ‭

In the novel About Grace, David Winkler longs to find his estranged daughter, and Herman Sheeler is the only person who can help him. But there’s a hitch. David’s daughter was born from David’s affair with Herman’s wife, and Herman had warned him never to contact them again.

Decades pass before David writes to Herman, apologizing for what he’s done. “I have a hole in my life because I know so little about my daughter,” he adds, begging for information about her. He waits to see if Herman will help him.

How should we treat those who’ve wronged us? The king of Israel faced this question after his enemies were miraculously delivered into his hands (2 Kings 6:8-20). “Shall I kill them?” he asks the prophet Elisha. No, Elisha says. “Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master” (vv. 21-22). Through this act of grace, Israel finds peace with its enemies (v. 23).

Herman replies to David’s letter, invites him to his home and cooks him a meal. “Lord Jesus,” he prays before they eat, “thank You for watching over me and David all these years.” He helps David find his daughter, and David later saves his life. In God’s hands, our acts of grace toward those who’ve wronged us often result in a blessing to us.

Verse from Psalms

“My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27‬:‭8‬ ‭

David’s prayer in Psalm 27—voiced in the midst of opposition that required assistance beyond the capability of the closest human allies (vv. 10-12)—includes these words: “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming’ ” (v. 8 nlt).

Difficult times rightly compel us to “seek his face” (v. 8). But that’s not the only time we can or should be in face-to-face fellowship with the one in whose “presence is fullness of joy”; at His “right hand are pleasures forevermore” (16:11 nkjv). If you listen closely, at any time you may hear Him say, “Come and talk with me.”

Verse from Luke

“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬ ‭

One night the long-anticipated news was displayed in the heavens when an angel appeared to shepherds in Bethlehem announcing that the Messiah had finally been born. He told them, “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). After the shepherds saw Jesus, they praised God and “spread the word” (v. 17) about the baby.

God wanted the shepherds to know that the long-awaited baby had arrived so they could tell others about Jesus’ birth. We still celebrate His birth because His life provides rescue from the brokenness of the world to anyone who believes. We no longer have to wait to know peace and experience joy, which is good news worth announcing!

Verse from Matthew

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭

That star is a reminder of the birth of our Savior. The Bible tells of magi “from the east” who arrived in Jerusalem seeking “the one who [had] been born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:1-2). They’d been watching the skies and had seen the star “when it rose” (v. 2). Their journey took them onward from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, the star going “ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was” (v. 9). There, they “bowed down and worshiped him” (v. 11).

Christ is the source of light in our lives both figuratively (as the one who guides us) and literally as the one who created the sun, moon, and stars in the sky (Colossians 1:15-16). Like the magi who “were overjoyed” when they saw His star (Matthew 2:10), our greatest delight is in knowing Him as the Savior who came down from the heavens to dwell among us. “We have seen his glory” (John 1:14)! 

Verse from Hebrews

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭24‬ ‭

Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil of Caesarea were celebrated leaders in the fourth-century church and also close friends. They first met as philosophy students, and Gregory later said that they became like “two bodies with a single spirit.”

With their career paths so similar, rivalry could’ve arisen between Gregory and Basil. But Gregory explained that they avoided this temptation by making a life of faith, hope, and good deeds their “single ambition,” then “spurring each other on” to make the other more successful in this goal than themselves individually. As a result, both grew in faith and rose to high levels of leadership without rivalry.

The book of Hebrews is written to help us stay strong in faith (Hebrews 2:1), encouraging us to focus on “the hope we profess” and to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (10:23-24). While this command is given in the context of a congregation (v. 25), by applying it to their friendship, Gregory and Basil showed how friends can encourage each other to grow and avoid any “bitter root,” such as rivalry that might grow between them (12:15).

What if we made faith, hope, and good deeds the ambition of our own friendships, then encouraged our friends to become more successful in this goal than ourselves individually? The Holy Spirit is ready to help us do both.

Verse from 1 John

“We love because he first loved us.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬ ‭

The night before Jesus was betrayed, He commanded His followers to “love one another” (John 13:34) as He had loved them. Such sacrificial and unconditional love would be the irrefutable proof that they were truly His disciples (v. 35). The author of 1 John (traditionally believed to be the same John who wrote the fourth gospel), says that Christ’s disciples must “live as Jesus did” (2:6)—living a life of loving God and loving others. John reminds us that “God is love” and we must “rely on the love God has for us” (4:16). Reminiscent of the language of John 3:16, the author reminds us that God loves us in this way: “He sent his one and only Son into the world . . . as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). “He has given us of his Spirit” to help us live and love (v. 13).

Verse from Genesis

“You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭41:40‬ ‭

Geoff is a youth pastor today in the same city where he once abused heroin. God transformed both his heart and his circumstances in a breathtaking way. “I want to keep kids from making the same mistakes and suffering the pain I went through,” Geoff said. “And Jesus will help them.” Over time, God set him free from the slavery of addiction and has given him a vital ministry in spite of his past.

God has ways of bringing unexpected good out of situations where hope seems lost. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt and falsely accused and sent to prison, where he was forgotten for years. But God restored him and placed him in a position of authority directly under Pharaoh, where he was able to save many lives—including the lives of his brothers who’d abandoned him. 

There in Egypt Joseph married and had children. He named the second Ephraim (drawn from the Hebrew term for “twice fruitful”), and gave this reason: “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering” (Genesis 41:52).

Geoff’s and Joseph’s stories, while separated by three to four thousand years, point to the same unchanging truth: even the hardest places in our lives can become fertile ground for God to help and bless many. Our Savior’s love and power never change, and He’s always faithful to those who trust in Him.

When have you seen God bring something good out of difficulty in your life? How can you use your past problems to encourage others today?

Verse from Isaiah

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭8‬ ‭

Throughout history, flawed human beings have embraced ever-changing versions of truth or personal preferred realities to suit their desires. However, the Bible points to one truth, the one true God, and one way to salvation—the Messiah—through whom “the glory of the Lord will be revealed” (Isaiah 40:5). The prophet Isaiah affirmed that people, like all created things, are temporal, fallible, and unreliable (vv. 6-7). He said, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (v. 8).

Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah provides a dependable foundation, a safe refuge, and a secured hope. We can trust God’s Word because Jesus Himself is the Word (John 1:1). Jesus is the Truth who never changes.

Verse from Genesis

“God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬ ‭

It was 1968, and America was mired in a war with Vietnam, racial violence was exploding in cities, and two public figures had been assassinated. A year before, fire had taken the lives of three astronauts on the launchpad, and the idea of going to the moon seemed like a pipe dream. Nonetheless, Apollo 8 managed to launch a few days before Christmas.

It became the first manned mission to orbit the moon. The flight crew, Borman, Anders, and Lovell—all men of faith—broadcast a Christmas Eve message: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). At the time, it was the most watched TV event in the world, and millions shared the God’s-eye view of Earth in a now iconic photo. Frank Borman finished the reading: “And God saw that it was good” (v. 10).

Sometimes it’s hard to look at ourselves, all the hardships we’re mired in, and see anything that’s good. But we might return to the story of creation and see God’s view of us: “In the image of God he created them” (v. 27). Let’s pair that with another divine-eye view: “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16). Today, remember that God created you, sees the good despite the sin, and loves the you He created.

Verse from Deuteronomy

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭18‬:‭15‬ ‭

“I’ve got to declare an emergency. My pilot’s deceased.” Doug White nervously uttered those words to the control tower monitoring his flight. Minutes after takeoff, the pilot of the private plane Doug’s family had chartered suddenly passed away. Doug stepped into the cockpit with just three-month’s training in flying less sophisticated aircraft. He then carefully listened to controllers at a local airport who talked him through landing the plane. Later, Doug said, “[They] saved my family from an almost certain fiery death.”

We have one who alone can help us navigate the challenges in life (Deuteronomy 18:15). This promise pointed to a succession of prophets God provided for His people, but it also spoke of the Messiah. Both Peter and Stephen would later state that this ultimate prophet was Jesus (Acts 3:19-22; 7:37, 51-56). He alone came to tell us the loving and wise instructions of God (Deuteronomy 18:18).

During Christ’s life, God the Father said, “This is my Son . . . . Listen to him!” (Mark 9:7). To live wisely and avoid crashing and burning in this life, let’s listen to Jesus as He speaks through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. Listening to Him makes all the difference.

Verse from Matthew

“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭

What began as a normal cable car ride across a Pakistani valley turned into a frightful ordeal. Shortly after the ride began, two supporting cables snapped, leaving eight passengers—including school children—suspended hundreds of feet in the air. The situation sparked an arduous twelve-hour rescue operation by the Pakistani military, who used ziplines, helicopters, and more to rescue the passengers.

Those well-trained rescuers are to be commended, but their work pales in comparison to the eternal work of Jesus, whose mission was to save and rescue us from sin and death. Prior to Christ’s birth, an angel instructed Joseph to take Mary home because her pregnancy was from “the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18, 20). Joseph was also told to name his son Jesus, because He would “save his people from their sins” (v. 21). Yet, while this name was common in the first century, only this child was qualified to be the Savior (Luke 2:30-32). Christ came at the right time to seal and secure the eternal salvation of all who repent and believe in Him.

We were all trapped in the cable car of sin and death, suspended over the valley of eternal separation from God. But in His love and grace, Jesus came to rescue us and bring us safely home to our heavenly Father. Praise Him!

Verse from 1 Thessalonians

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬ ‭

An Indiana schoolteacher suggested that her students write notes of encouragement and inspiration for their peers. Days later, when a school tragedy occurred in a different part of the country, their notes buoyed the spirits of their fellow students as they dealt with the resulting fear and pain that something could happen to them too.

Encouragement and mutual concern were also on Paul’s mind when he wrote to the believers at Thessalonica. They had lost friends, and Paul instructed them to hope in Jesus’ promised return to bring their loved ones to life again (1 Thessalonians 4:14). While they didn’t know when that would occur, he reminded them that as believers they needn’t wait in fear of God’s judgment when He returned (5:9). Instead, they could wait with confidence in their future life with Him and meanwhile “encourage one another and build each other up” (v. 11).

When we experience painful losses or senseless tragedies, it’s easy to be overcome with fear and sadness. Yet Paul’s words are helpful to us today, just as when they were written. Let’s wait in hopeful expectation that Christ will restore all things. And meanwhile, we can encourage each other—with written notes, spoken words, acts of service, or a simple hug.

Verse from 2 Timothy

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭

Timothy had the legacy of a godly mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5) —and a spiritual mentor, the apostle Paul. 

We may think our lives haven’t been positive enough to be a good example for others. Maybe the legacy passed down to us wasn’t a good one. But it’s never too late to build a legacy of faith into our children, grandchildren, or any child’s life. Through God’s help, we plant seeds of faith. He’s the one who makes faith grow (1 Corinthians 3:6-9).

Verse from Song of Songs

“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.”

‭‭Song of Songs‬ ‭8‬:‭6‬ ‭

If you were to stroll along the old brick wall stretching between the Protestant and Catholic graveyards in Roermond, Netherlands, you’d discover a curious sight. On each side, flush against the wall stands two identical towering headstones: one for a Protestant husband and one for his Catholic wife. Cultural rules during the nineteenth century required they be buried in separate cemeteries. They wouldn’t accept their fate, however. Their unusual headstones are high enough to reach above the fenced obstruction so that at the top there’s only about a foot or two of air separating them. Atop each, a sculptured arm reaches out to the other, each clasping the other’s hand. The couple refused to be separated, even in death.   

The Song of Songs explains love’s power. “Love is as strong as death,” Solomon says, “its jealousy unyielding as the grave” (8:6). True love is powerful, ferocious. “It burns like blazing fire” (v. 6). True love never surrenders, won’t be silenced, and can’t be destroyed. “Many waters cannot quench love,” writes Solomon. “Rivers cannot sweep it away” (v. 7).

“God is love” (1 John 4:16). Our strongest love is only a fractured reflection of His ferocious love for us. He’s the ultimate source of any love that’s genuine, any love that holds fast.

Verses from Daniel

““I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.””

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭6‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭

Daniel knew of God’s keeping presence. In his exile in Babylon, he prayed in “his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem” (Daniel 6:10) despite the king’s decree not to do so (vv. 7-9). From his prayerful vantage point, Daniel would remember God whose keeping presence sustained him—hearing and answering his prayers. Thus, God would hear, answer, and sustain him again.

Yet, despite the new law, Daniel would still seek God’s presence regardless of what might happen to him. And so he prayed just as he had done so many times before (v. 10). While in the lions’ den, an angel of the Lord kept Daniel safe as his faithful God rescued him (v. 22).

Looking to our past during present trials may help us recall God’s faithfulness. As even King Darius said of God, “He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth” (v. 27). God was good then, and He’s good now. His presence will keep you.

Verse from Luke

“and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬ ‭

Many of us have heard that Jesus was born in a stable, largely due to the translation of the Greek word katalymaas “inn” in Luke 2:7 in some versions. This, combined with the detail that Jesus was placed in a “manger,” has led many to assume Mary and Joseph were turned away from an inn and found refuge in a stable. But katalyma is better translated “guest room.” In ancient Near East peasant homes, there would often be a space reserved for guests separated from the area of the home where animals would also stay. Joseph went to Bethlehem to stay with family during the census (v. 4). But because there wasn’t enough room in the guest area of the house, Mary gave birth in the area of the home that had an animal manger (v. 7), an ideal shape for cradling a newborn.

Verse from Jeremiah

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭12‬ ‭

A passage in Jeremiah sheds light on why we perceive that God hears and answers prayer: God cares! He assured His beloved but sinful, exiled people, “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you’ ” (29:11). God anticipated a time when they would return to Him. “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me,” He said, “and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (vv. 12-13).

The prophet learned this and more about prayer while confined to prison. God assured him, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (33:3).

Jesus also urges us to pray. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him,” He said (Matthew 6:8). So “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” in prayer (7:7). Every petition we make draws us closer to the one who answers. We don’t have to be a stranger to God in prayer. He knows us and wants to hear from us. We can take our concerns to Him right now.