“Every promise of God is trustworthy; He protects those who seek refuge in Him.” In another translation of Proverbs 30:5, it says, “Every word of God is tested. He protects everyone who seeks shelter in Him.” Every word spoken by God can be seen as a promise from Him. With this in mind, I want to conclude this series with Jesus’ final words on the last page of the Bible. Just four words: “Yes, I […]
This series began with the promise that God is with us, and it concludes with the same promise. Every Sunday, pastors stand with their arms raised, congregation members with open hands, and we pronounce blessings over one another. A new journey and a new week await you beyond the threshold of the church building; no matter how uncertain it may be, one thing we know for sure is that the Triune God is our protector.
It’s so easy to take a verse—no matter how beautiful—out of context. You open the Bible at a certain spot, your eyes fall on a single verse, and suddenly you know: this is “my” verse. This just happened to me—I was looking for something, and voilà, my eyes caught these words from Paul: “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Wow. It’s almost
The promise of blessing that God made to our patriarch, Abraham (in Gen 17), is so significant that we find an exact reiteration of this promise in Hebrews 6:13-20. It wasn’t merely a promise; it was an oath—the writer of Hebrews calls it “two unchangeable things.” A promise upon a promise is a double-strengthened assurance. Furthermore, the writer repeats that all of Abraham’s heirs were included: “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of
I want to place a guard over my mouth when I write about human suffering – I, who live in safety; who have never gone to bed hungry; who do not know the horrors of suffering, displacement, or war. How dark must the darkness be to cry out, as David did, “My Rock, why have You forgotten me?” (Psalm 42:10). Yet, I know that each of us is familiar with what the 16th-century Spanish theologian,
Recently, I was involved in a discussion where a wide range of views were aired about the ongoing wars. What we ultimately had to acknowledge is that worldly peace (or the absence of war) has always been short-lived throughout the ages. We all long for worldly peace because, if we are honest, it is simply so we can continue with our lives without concern. But if we think carefully, war always has something to do
Few texts are as encouraging as these words from Jesus to His disciples: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matt 6:8). Paul was so confident in this truth that he encouraged the believers in Philippi with this strong promise: “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). The issue is that we often limit God’s riches to fulfilling only our
A dear friend of mine is going through an incredibly tough time. With him in mind, I write, knowing that there are other readers who are also carrying heavy burdens. In moments of trial, we can feel truly alone. Whether it’s health challenges, losses, or simply the exhaustion from life’s waves crashing against us, we all know this feeling. We all experience times when we long for refreshment, as we carry a deep, deathly weariness
I still want to linger on Jeremiah’s prophecy (that is, God’s promise), because something in chapter 32 continues to capture my thoughts. In Jeremiah 32:40b, it says: “I will put the desire in their hearts to worship Me and never turn away from Me.” The 1953 translation renders it slightly differently: “I will put My fear in their hearts so that they do not turn away from Me.” There is a significant difference between “fear
We continue the story: God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants to be their God (as discussed in #18). But repeatedly, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob traded the Living God for lifeless idols. A broken covenant cannot be glued back together; it’s like stone tablets that shatter upon hitting the ground. However, a new promise was made (in Jeremiah 31, see #19-20)—one that awaits fulfilment. It speaks of the future: “The
