I wonder if Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego thought they’d end up in the furnace. Surely they didn’t think it unimaginable that King Nebuchadnezzar would toss them in the flames, but I wonder if they thought it would really come to that. In their speech to King Nebuchadnezzar, they claimed that God would deliver them from…
Your Sorrow Will Turn to Joy
Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. — John 16:20 Read John 16:16-24 Jesus spent His last evening before the cross comforting His disciples. Jesus understood that it’s easier to endure a season of trial if there’s an…
His Eye Is on You
His Eye Is on You In Luke 12:4-7, Jesus told His followers not to fear those who can harm them because God is ultimately in control. God cares greatly about His followers when they experience pain and suffering. This stems from the watchful care God has for all of His creation. The Almighty who keeps…
Do Our Kids Know How Adored They Are by God?
As parents, we constantly strive to raise emotionally healthy children, don’t we? We do our best to provide our kids with safe, stable and supportive home environments where words of love are spoken, acts of kindness are practiced daily, and mercy, grace, and forgiveness flow freely. We make it our parental priority to tend…
Peace With God at Last
And God shall wipe all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. — Revelation 21:4 We now know what it means to be a Christian. We know the price that was paid to get these elusive things called peace and…
The Cross: From Hell to Hope
I have loved you… Fear not, for I am with you. – Isaiah 43:4-5 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4 Crucifixion was ugly and vile, harsh and degrading.…
The Sacred Ache: No Tear Forgotten
In the midst of our pain and grief — and especially at the front end — we may imagine God has abandoned us, forgotten us, dismissed us, or simply ignored us. We’re not the first occupants of this broken planet to feel this way, nor will we be the last. Even a quick stroll through…
What Makes Heaven Heavenly?
In one of his Far Side cartoons, Gary Larson depicts a winged man seated in heaven on a cloud. No one near. Nothing to do. Marooned on his celestial post. The caption witnesses his despair: “Wish I’d brought a magazine.” We can relate. Eternal life? Clouds in our midst, harps on our laps, and time…
Applying the Gospel to Suffering
The Gospel of Christ’s grace deals thoroughly both with the sins we have committed and with the evils we have suffered. Somewhere along the way, some of us may have gained the mistaken notion that to address suffering means minimizing sin and capitulating to a secular psychology perspective on victimization. While I understand that concern,…
Jesus is Our Hope
I give you hope—hope that the best part of your life is not behind you. Rather, it stretches out before you gloriously: into an eternity of experiences that will get better and better and better. For now, though, you inhabit a world of death, sorrow, crying, and pain. Let the hope of heaven empower you…