John 11:21-22

Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.”

When Martha heard Jesus was coming after Lazarus died, she went to meet Him. Somehow, in the midst of her grief, she still knew He was her answer. She knew that if He had been there, He would have healed Lazarus out of His great love for him. Even though Lazarus was dead, she knew God would do whatever Jesus asked of Him. Her hope and her faith was still firmly planted in Jesus.

When we experience times of grief or heartache, we may feel like God has let us down. We may even feel as if He is punishing us or that life is just not fair. While it can be easy to become angry or disappointed with God, our answer is always found in Him. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Martha had faith, even in her disappointment. Now that Jesus was there, He would have an answer for her. He gave her back what she had lost and displayed an even greater power than she expected.

Jesus has an answer for us, too. He can restore what was lost in our lives and reveal greater power than we expect, as well. Jesus responds to faith, and when our faith is firmly planted in Him, He will act. Don’t turn away from Him if it seems He has let you down; He is still there for you. Allow faith to rise up in you, and run to meet Him. Tell Him your disappointment, but express your faith that you know He can still work it all out for your good and His glory. Expect an answer, and watch to see how He restores your life and increases your faith. God still hears His prayers, and He still intercedes on your behalf.

Have a blessed day!

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will triumph in the LORD; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!

Habakkuk knew hard times were coming. As a prophet, God warned him of pending judgment. Regardless of what may soon happen, Habakkuk knew his victory was in the LORD. Even if things would not change as he had hoped, he placed his hope in God.

We don’t always get what we want. Things don’t always happen as we hope, but God is still on His throne. Our hope for triumph in the midst of adversity is found in Jesus Christ and in the sacrifice He has made for us. When we see bad days coming, our best strategy is to move even closer to God and cling to Him with all our might.

God can still give us reason to rejoice, even in the midst of heartache. Praising Him in the bad times is a sacrifice, and He honors a sacrifice of praise because it is birthed from trust in Him. If God doesn’t give you what you want, can you praise Him anyway? Will you serve Him anyway?

We must remember that God is our salvation. If we are required to face difficult times, and we all do, He is the One who saves us through them. He is our victory – our triumph. Whatever is left after the storm is what He will bless and multiply for His kingdom. If He didn’t answer your prayer the way you’d hoped, you still have hope in Him. Praise the God of your salvation, and know you will ultimately triumph in Him.

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 65:18-19

Then be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy, and its people to be a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people. The sound of weeping and crying will no longer be heard in her.

We serve a creative God! Real breakthroughs in life come from creativity and the ability to form something new that meets a need in people. God knows the inner longings of our soul and what is necessary to fill it. He will create a new heaven and a new earth that is free from all the things that hurt us now. One day, all sorrow will end, and we will rejoice in the new world God creates just for us – His people.

Until that day comes, however, we must accept sorrow as a part of this life. God can take any sorrow we face and create something new from it. He can use the very thing that hurts us to form something that brings joy and ministers to others. In the process, we can find our own healing. Nothing is a waste for Him, and He can re-purpose anything or anyone by giving them new life in Christ.

If you are facing sorrow today, submit your hurt to God, and trust Him to create something new from it. God has an answer for any problem you have, and His creativity can provide an answer you never dreamed possible. Allow Him to work through you to comfort, encourage, teach, help, organize, or do whatever gift He has given you. He can take that gift, combine it with jewels from your sorrow, and create something beautiful to adorn your life. He can open doors you never knew existed in your dark world. He can even create a door if needed. Rejoice in the fact that you serve a creative God, and trust Him to create something new for you.

Have a blessed day!

Ephesians 3:16-19

I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height, and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with the fullness of God.

God created us to live a full life in Him. We begin to find that fullness when we are firmly established in the fact that He loves us. I want you to see what The Message Bible has to say about verse 18:

And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

When you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God loves you and are firmly planted on that fact, you can begin to experience the extravagant dimensions of His love. I’m overwhelmed by the verbs we see in The Message Bible translation. Reach, test, plumb, and rise to experience God’s fullness. Reach beyond your comfort zone to grab hold of the things God has placed in your hearts. Test the Scriptures God has shown you to know they are true. Plumb the depths of His love for you by helping someone less fortunate. I promise you that you will be humbled and begin to see just how much God has blessed you when you do! Rise above your current situation by climbing higher. Get out of your rut and rise to a new level or perspective. Stop complaining about how things are and make them better. When you do these things, you will find God opening doors for you that no man can shut. He will work in you to do things greater than you ever imagined.

Now is the time – the time for you to finally do the thing God has placed in your heart. Stop waiting for opportunity to come to you and reach for it. As you do, you will find the love of God waiting for you. If you feel isolated, depressed, discouraged, rejected, or worthless, you are not yet established in His love for you. Your world is too small. Christ died for you! No greater love exists! Believe that this incomprehensible love is for you, and begin to reach, test, plumb, and rise to learn just how great He truly is in your life. Make your world bigger by searching the breadth, length, depth, and heights of the Father’s extravagant love for you, and live life in the fullness of God.

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 21:8

Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.” She also said, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Sarah’s laughter was filled with joy. God had certainly given her joy she could never imagine in her old age, and everyone could rejoice with her. She had the kind of laughter that resonated with everyone and made them feel her joy, too.

I didn’t marry until I was 34 years old. I remember when we announced our engagement, everyone seemed to rejoice with excitement. People truly shared in our happiness, and news of our upcoming marriage seemed to create delight everywhere. The same was true when we announced my pregnancy. After three miscarriages, we kept the news quiet until we had an ultrasound and could see the heartbeat. People could not contain their excitement for us when we finally shared the news. There is just something about the fulfillment of a long awaited desire that gives everyone hope and creates celebration as they see dreams come true before their eyes. No one waited longer than Sarah, and everyone who heard her could laugh and rejoice with her.

The Devil hates this kind of laughter because it gives glory to God. It reminds people of His presence and gives them hope for the voids in their own lives. Such laughter magnifies God’s purpose and His work among creation, and Satan will do all he can to try to prevent it. Dreams fulfilled are blows to his reign in a person’s life, and his lies have no more credibility as hope gains ground and testimonies of faith emerge to silence his influence. Sarah’s laughter was her victory cry over the sadness, loss, and void Satan had handed her all her life.

If you feel a void in your life today, begin to laugh. Rejoice that God has a purpose in that void that defeats the enemy in your life. Your story is not over, and Satan has victory only if you give it to him. Rejoice, oh barren woman! God has great plans for you!

Have a blessed day!

Hebrews 3:13

But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.

Sin’s deception is discouragement. Satan is the father of lies, and he bombards our minds with negative thoughts to discourage us from continuing the good work God has destined for us to accomplish. The Devil works in our emotions and our thoughts to direct our behavior, and his greatest tactic is to paralyze us from moving forward. By discouraging us, we often give up before we complete our task and forfeit the blessing God has waiting. In this way, we become hardened by sin’s deception.

By encouraging each other daily, we help one another see a different perspective that combats the negative thought patterns the Devil has planted in our heads. Encouragement is so important in the body of Christ that God gives it as a spiritual gift to some people. They are the ones that always find the best in everyone and everything and boost us when we are down. Whether or not we have the gift of encouragement, we can all be an encourager to someone. At times, we can also encourage ourselves by simply admitting we don’t have all the answers and refusing to make a judgment on incomplete information.

We never know when one encouraging word can be someone else’s breakthrough. God will give us opportunities to encourage others, and when we fail to do that, we have no idea the blessings we miss. Take every opportunity to encourage and to build-up other believers. We all need a different perspective from time to time, and you could be the next victim of deception who is tempted to believe a lie and give up. Rise up, Encouragers! The fields are white unto harvest, and you have plenty of opportunity before you.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 119:65

LORD, You have treated Your servant well, just as You promised.

God always treats His servants well, and He keeps His promises to us. When He calls us to do something, He expects full obedience. In return, He makes sure our needs are met.

We must come to see our service to God as a privilege. He uses those He can trust, and He invests in His children in a way that will benefit them and bring Him glory. When we give of ourselves to meet His needs, He meets the needs we cannot meet within ourselves. He will use our service to bless others and to ultimately bring blessing to us. Our service to Him opens a door for Him to show His favor upon us. If we just sit back and always let someone else do the work, we forfeit blessing and opportunity.

Sometimes we have to look at the end result of those who do not serve God in order to see just how much He has already blessed us. Our lives may not be perfect, but they are extremely blessed in comparison to those who do not know Christ or refuse to serve Him. God created us with a need for significance, and we find that only in Him. Unless we are doing the very thing He created us to do, we will always have a void and a longing to be where we are supposed to be. Our rightful place is in His service.

God will keep His promises to you, and you will find them met in the state of servanthood. As you serve, He moves you one step closer to the fulfillment of His promise to you. Keep doing what He has called you to do, and know for certain that God will be good to you.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 4:6-7

Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?” Look on us with favor, LORD. You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound.

Grain and new wine represent prosperous times. If we look only at prosperity as a sign of God’s favor, we have failed to understand the true nature of God. Only God can give us real joy, which is found in His presence. When we have His presence, we lose our need for other things and can enjoy the peace, safety, and security of knowing we are in His care. Prosperity alone can give us temporary satisfaction, but it can also create problems and a dependence upon things that really don’t matter. God desires for us to be dependent upon Him, and when we are, we can truly find the joy of His presence.

God’s favor can open doors for us that lead us to prosperity. God’s favor can give us influence in the lives of people who need Christ and in the eyes of those who can grant us promotion. God’s favor can instruct, heal, deliver, and bless us. God’s favor can grant us joy that prosperity cannot give us. Our goal in life should be to seek God’s favor by pleasing Him and not prosperity in order to be independent from Him.

No one can give you more joy than God can, and David knew this well. Submit your heart and your future to Him today, and learn to just enjoy His presence. Whatever need you have can be met by His favor. Your answer is not found in more prosperity; your answer is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Seek His favor and His presence, and you will find joy rising up in your heart.

Have a blessed day!

Luke 11:9-10

So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Jesus taught His Disciples the importance of persistence in prayer. We are to keep asking until we receive an answer. We are to keep searching until we find what we need. We are to keep knocking until the door opens for us. Our persistence displays two very important things about our character.

First, persistence reveals just how much we really want something. If we ask and give up because we don’t get what we ask, just how important was that thing to us in the first place? If we want it badly enough, we won’t give up until we get it. This is why God often has to stir passion within us to motivate us and drive us to the point where we will do whatever it takes to fill the longing inside of us. Without that drive, we would give up much too easily.

Secondly, our persistence reflects our faith. If we know God has the ability and is willing to give us something, we will continue to push for it. If we really don’t think He will, we retreat. The more we persist, the more faith we have that God will grant that request. The more we keep pressing through to gain access, the more God reveals to us about the situation and just where He is working in the process. Our persistence may just be the very thing that engages us in relationship with God and keeps the dialogue going between us.

What has God placed in your heart? Don’t give up. Keep asking, searching, and knocking. He has an answer for you, but you will need to continue in faith until that dream is realized. Don’t fret because this is how God works through you. Your very persistence is bringing you closer to Him that you can imagine! Everyone who asks receives, so ask with confidence that He hears you and will give you the answer you need.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 130:1-6

Out of the depths I call to You, LORD! Lord, listen to my voice; let Your ears be attentive to my cry for help. LORD, if You considered sins, Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be revered. I wait for the LORD; I wait, and put my hope in His word. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning – more than watchmen for the morning.

The psalmist feels the despair of a pit he has dug for himself by his own sins. He cannot save himself and knows that only God can rescue him from his own failures. Out of desperation, He calls to God, relying upon His faithful love and forgiving nature.

Who among us has not dug a pit for ourselves? We serve a God who keeps no record of wrongs and is not trying to punish us by keeping us in the pit. If we truly want out, all we need to do is cry out to Him and receive forgiveness for our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive. And yes, He will lift us out of the pit and set us on higher ground! As The Message Bible explains, forgiveness is God’s habit, and He waits for us to cry out to Him.

The psalmist compared his wait as the watchmen waits for morning. Watchmen were stationed around the towers of a city to watch out for potential attack. They were to be on guard and ready to alert the townspeople if they saw an approaching threat. At daybreak, his shift was complete. As the watchmen waited and watched for attack, so we are to be on guard and watch for threats from the enemy until our shift is over and we can rest.

If you find yourself in a pit of despair – by your own doing or by circumstances beyond your control – cry out to God and wait. He is faithful and just to forgive, and He has a rescue plan for you. He can help you overcome, and He has not forsaken you nor forgotten you. Put your hope in Him because He truly cares for you.

Have a blessed day!