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.

Verse from Isaiah

I will set . . . the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know . . . the Lord has done this. Isaiah 41:19-20

Isaiah invites us to know God as the one who brings life to desolate places. He reminded the Israelites during the barrenness of their captivity that God “[makes] rivers flow,” can “turn the desert into pools of water,” and grow “the cedar and the acacia” in the desert (Isaiah 41:18-19). God does these things not solely for His (and our) delight; He plants junipers, fir, and cypress “so that people may see and know” (v. 20) that He authors all and will ultimately redeem all—even those places thought to be a “wasteland” (v. 19).

All of creation can remind us of God’s redemptive power over our world and our individual circumstances—even in the wake (or fear) of devastation. Let’s seek His face as our source of hope and joy amid our struggles.

Verse from 2 Chronicles

 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 Genesis

Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care. Genesis 39:6

Despite being sold off as a slave and imprisoned later on, Joseph fulfilled all his assigned responsibilities with the greatest dedication. Instead of resenting his situation, he took his role seriously, so much so that “Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care” (Genesis 39:6). Joseph also ended up in charge of the prison—and, finally, all of Egypt.

Centuries later, the apostle Paul would also urge believers in Jesus: “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). While our situations may be far from ideal, may God help us to be faithful in the tasks assigned to us, for we’re working for Him—the one who sees our true heart.

Verses from Hebrews

Today, if you hear [God’s] voice, do not harden your hearts. Hebrews 3:7-8

Our hearts can gradually grow hardened toward God—one day and one choice at a time. Hebrews 3:7-8 (referencing Psalm 95:7-8) says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” After God delivered His people from Egypt, they “tested and tried [Him]” (v. 9) during their time in the wilderness.  

God had faithfully provided for His people, but they refused to see it (vv. 9-10). What about us? What habits nudge us away from God—day by day hardening our hearts against Him? We all make some of those choices. So I’m thankful that today, right now, God offers to exchange our hearts of stone for those softened by His love (see Ezekiel 36:26).

Verse from Jeremiah

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. Jeremiah 17:7

As Douglas Kent, a landscape architect, toured a charred Los Angeles neighborhood after the city’s raging 2025 wildfires, he encountered a shocking surprise—trees, alive and green, right next to melted cars and burned buildings. Many of them bore lush palms and leaves, abundant fruit, and strong trunks and branches. How?

After two consecutive rainy winters, the trees’ roots had reached deep into the soil to draw moisture, carrying it to branches and leaves. In a fire, they proved resistant. “What I saw,” said Kent, “was that if you were deep-rooted, you survived.”

Our faith during the fiery trials of life can be like that. As we set our spiritual roots deep in Christ and His love, we become “like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:8).

Jeremiah, who never minced words, warned that those who trust in “mere flesh” are “cursed” (v. 5). “That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes.” Instead, “they will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives” (vv. 5-6). How much better to trust in God! Well-watered by His sustaining love, we thrive even in raging times, bearing spiritual fruit in Him.

Verse from John

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; [Jesus has] come that they may have life. John 10:10

We sometimes find ourselves victimized by the evil in our world. But our loving God invites us into a practice of discernment where we learn to recognize and avoid the voice of our enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy. As we tune our ears to the voice of our Good Shepherd, we can trust Him to lead us to life “to the full” (v. 10).

Verse from Psalm

The Lord wraps himself in light. Psalm 104:2

In nineteenth-century poet Gerard Manley Hopkins’ sonnet “God’s Grandeur,” this literary artist celebrates the countless ways creation is “charged”—intensely filled—with “the grandeur of God.” Hopkins describes God’s breathtaking glory flaming and glistening “like shining from shook foil.” But if God’s beauty is so vibrant, why do so many people miss it? Hopkins suggested one reason is that humanity has covered everything with “man’s smudge” and “man’s smell”—leaving many unable to see anything beyond themselves.

Psalm 104 is also a celebration of God’s beauty in creation. Using vivid imagery, the poet describes God “clothed with splendor and majesty” (v. 1), revealing His beauty, power, and care in wind and fire (v. 4), thunder and waves (v. 7), water, grass, and trees (vv. 10-16).

Countless gifts sustaining both body and soul (v. 15) point to “the glory of the Lord” (v. 31) whether we always realize it or not. In his poem, Hopkins concluded that, even when humanity is blind to God’s glory, because of His goodness, there always “lives the dearest freshness deep down things.” If only we’ll stop to see and wonder, there are countless reasons to see, believe in, and celebrate God’s beauty and goodness “as long as [we] live” (v. 33).

Verse from Proverbs

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:18‬ ‭

The account of King Nebuchadnezzar is an example of how pride can lead to a fall. The prophet Daniel reminded him that God had given him “dominion and power and might and glory” (Daniel 2:37). Nebuchadnezzar initially acknowledged Yahweh was “the God of gods and Lord of kings” (v. 47), but pride got the better of him when he ordered everyone to worship a ninety-foot-tall gold statue of himself (3:1–6). 

Ignoring God’s warning, he persisted in his pride and said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built . . . by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (4:30). Just as he was boasting about this, he was suddenly struck down by an illness, believed to be boanthropy, a rare mental disorder where a person believes he is a cow or ox (vv. 31–33). 

After seven years, God restored Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity. Then he humbly confessed, “Now I . . . praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven. . . . Those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (v. 37). The arrogant king learned that “when pride comes, then comes disgrace” (Proverbs 11:2) and “pride brings a person low” (29:23).

Verse from Luke

“Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:15‬ ‭‬ ‭

Irish poet Oscar Wilde said, “When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.” His comment was made tongue-in-cheek; he lived only to age forty-six, so he never truly was “old.” Wilde fully understood that life is not about money.

Money is temporary; it comes and it goes. So life must be about more than money and what it can buy. Jesus challenged the people of His generation—rich and poor alike—to a recalibrated value system. In Luke 12:15, Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” In our culture, where there’s an abiding focus on more and newer and better, there’s something to be said both for contentment and for perspective about how we view money and possessions.

Upon meeting Jesus, a rich young ruler went away sad because he had many possessions he didn’t want to give up (see Luke 18:18–25), but Zacchaeus the tax collector gave away much of what he’d spent his life acquiring (Luke 19:8). The difference is embracing the heart of Christ. In His grace, we can find a healthy perspective on the things we possess—so they don’t become the things that have us.

Verse from 1 Samuel

“The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17:37‬ ‭

Young David persevered through an experience we might well call unpleasant. When Israel was challenged to send someone to fight Goliath, no one was brave enough to step up to the task. No one but David. King Saul was reluctant to send him to fight, but David explained that as a shepherd he had fought and killed a lion and a bear for the sake of the sheep (1 Sam. 17:34–36). 

Being a shepherd didn’t earn David much respect, but it prepared him to fight Goliath and eventually become Israel’s greatest king. We may be in difficult circumstances, but through them God might be preparing us for something greater

God uses present circumstances to prepare us for the future.

Verse from Isaiah

The word of our God endures forever. Isaiah 40:8

It’s easy for us to point to earthly realities like wealth, ambition, and mansions as destined to fade away. The words of Isaiah 40 remind us, “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field” (v. 6). Isaiah wrote to people enduring God’s discipline for their faithlessness. After He had corrected them, God would comfort them (vv. 1-2). What the prophet says about people, grass, and flowers is true (vv. 6-7). But the truth of God Himself? It will outlast men and mansions and wealth and ambition and accolades. Yes, “the word of our God endures forever” (v. 8).

It’s good to keep in mind how fragile we are. And it’s wise to remember God’s word is everlasting.

Verse from John

“When they kept on questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.””

‭‭John‬ ‭8:7‬ ‭

Jesus was teaching in the temple courts when He made that statement. A group of teachers of the law and Pharisees had just dragged a woman caught in adultery before Him and challenged, “In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” (v. 5). Because they considered Jesus a threat to their authority, the question was “a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him” (v. 6)—and getting rid of Him.

Yet when Jesus replied, “Let any one of you who is without sin . . .” not one of the woman’s accusers could bring themselves to pick up a stone. One by one, they walked away.

Before we critically judge another’s behavior while looking lightly at our own sin, let’s remember that all of us “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Instead of condemnation, our Savior showed this woman—and you and me—grace and hope (John 3:16; 8:10–11).

Verse from John

In [Jesus] was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:4

In 1905 a scruffy young man holed up in his apartment in Bern, Switzerland, engaging in complex thought experiments regarding the nature of the universe. With frenzied focus, the physicist worked and reworked his calculations. Four mind-crunching months later, this man had rewritten much of what was known about how the world works. The man was Albert Einstein. He was twenty-six.

Yet despite possessing a great scientific mind, Einstein said, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”

The Bible frequently points to the majesty of God reflected in His creation: “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1), and Job also predated Einstein’s words: “Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens” (Job 11:7-8).

But God’s creation glory is even greater than the expanse of universes: “In the beginning was the Word. . . .The Word became flesh” (John 1:1, 14). There are no mathematical calculations that can explain God’s extraordinary act of entering humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. God is not just “out there” in a universe we cannot begin to know, but He’s here alongside us, the Word among us, the light of life (1:4) whom we can know personally and intimately.

Verse from Romans

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

The apostle Paul wrote to the early church, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). In his letter, Paul exhorted believers to do many things that displayed love in action—hating evil and loving good (v. 9), honoring others above yourself (v. 10), passionately serving God (v. 11), and practicing hospitality (v. 13). These good works would be empty without the love of Christ working in us. That’s where faithful prayer comes in. Paul called his friends to “join [him] in [his] struggle by praying to God for [him]” (15:30). Specific requests for safety from opposers and a favorable reception in Jerusalem (vv. 31-32) were on Paul’s list.

Prayer empowers us to live in a way that “overcomes evil with good” (12:21).

Verse from Matthew

Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” Matthew 15:28

A daughter’s condition drove a woman to seek Him. “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly” (v. 22). Her “great faith” (v. 28) in Jesus contrasted with the faithlessness of the Jewish leadership whose hearts were far from God (v. 8). While Christ recognized the outward pedigree of those belonging to Abraham, His commendation was for a gentile woman who possessed the faith of Abraham.

What compels you to look to Jesus today? A personal, family or community need? Whatever prompts you to go to Jesus, go—even if you feel that you’re limping. Go to Him because it’s not the size of your faith that matters. What matters is the object of your faith: Jesus and Jesus alone.

Verse from Psalms

“Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭55:22‬ ‭

Sunlight glittered on the swimming pool in front of Jennifer. She overheard an instructor speaking to a student who had been in the water for quite a while. He said, “It looks like you’re getting tired. When you’re exhausted and in deep water, try the survival float.”

Certain situations in life require us to spend our mental, physical, or emotional energy in a way that we can’t sustain. David described a time when his enemies were threatening him and he felt the emotional weight of their anger. He needed to escape the distress he was experiencing.

As he processed his feelings, he found a way to rest in his troubled thoughts. He said, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you” (Ps. 55:22). He recognized that God supports us if we dare to release our problems to Him. We don’t have to take charge of every situation and try to craft the outcome—that’s exhausting! God is in control of every aspect of our life.

Instead of trying to do everything in our own effort, we can find rest in God. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking Him to handle our problems. Then we can pause, relax, and enjoy the knowledge that He is sustaining us.