It is easy to wonder sometimes why God made salvation so seemingly complicated, sending his son to earth as a human, having him live so humbly and ultimately be killed. Wouldn’t be easier if God just showed himself to everyone and told everyone, “do what I say, or you are going to die and suffer in hell forever?”

We don’t know all the reasons God arranged things the way he did, but we know that we have the free will God gave us, and we can make our own decisions and act how we choose, right or wrong.

In Hebrews 2, Paul is explaining how Jesus was truly man when he was on earth, in verse 18 Paul writes, “Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.”

One reason that Jesus came and lived on earth as a “regular” human, is to show us that he experienced the temptation and testing that all humans do. When we pray for relief from our temptations and fears, release from problems, achievement of our desires, or protection of our loved ones, Jesus knows what we feel because he experienced the same thing when he was human. He can empathize with us.

Dear Lord, how beautiful are the intricacies of your plan. Having been like us, truly human, you know what it is like, and we can pray to you knowing you empathize with us. Help us keep this in mind to give us strength to endure our trials and temptations, and the knowledge that as human you endured more than we will be called to endure. As a result of you we can have Salvation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There are some people that are so good at writing or delivering a speech that they can change people’s perspectives and behaviors enough to change the course of history; People like Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, John Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, Margaret Thatcher, and Ronald Reagan.

Isaiah was given this type of capability by God to influence people’s lives as well. Isaiah 50:4 says, “The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.”

God may not give us visions, and the ability to prophesy, like Isaiah, but he can use any of us to offer encouragement and hope to those that are weary, distraught or discouraged. Proverbs 16:24 says, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Any of us can be the one to provide the needed “gracious words.”

Dear Lord, give us the insight and understand to see those in need of healing words, and provide us the words that can make a difference in people’s lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Many personal development books and coaches emphasize the importance of visualizing what you want to occur in your life. Some also say that if you dwell on your fears they are more likely to occur, and conversely, if you focus on the positive, those things are likely to occur.

It is interesting that this idea has its origin in the bible. Proverbs 10:24 says, “The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted.” This ties in also with Jesus’ words in several places including Matthew 8:13, saying “..because you believed, it has happened.”

Dear Lord, help us keep our thoughts our hopes, dreams and prayers on the positive, and help us avoid negative, self defeating thoughts. Help us remember that everything is within your power. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

You may know that I am a pilot. One interesting thing about flying, particularly flying an instrument final approach into an airport when the clouds are close to the ground, is the process of transitioning from focusing solely on instruments to navigate to seeing the ground “breaking-out” below the clouds and flying the short remaining seconds or minutes looking outside.

After trusting the instruments to identify where you are for minutes or hours previously, it is always a relief to see the runway out in front of the airplane, just where the instruments said it should be. Every time it is a rewarding feeling to see everything clearly rather than having to rely on the instruments in anticipation of seeing with my own eyes.

In a way I think Psalm 119:18 describes something similar, saying, “Uncover my eyes so that I may see the miraculous things in your teachings.” GW

On occasion God does “uncover our eyes” and makes some Biblical teaching crystal clear to us; We have what some call an “ah ha” moment. It is a very rewarding feeling to recognize when this happens, and hopefully the better understanding helps us act more in line with God’s will.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the bible as our guidebook for our lives. Thank you also for revealing the miraculous things in your teachings. Help us use them for your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

There is a funny, but insightful perspective about success that goes, “you don’t wait for all the traffic lights to be green before leaving your driveway.” The point is that there will always be unknowns in our path that we cannot anticipate, but we need to begin anyway.

This concept may have originated with Solomon’s teaching in Ecclesiastes. He writes in Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.”

We need to have our plan, then get moving, and adapt, with God’s help, as we proceed.

Dear Lord, as Solomon says, you do all things, and we cannot understand the intricacies. We do know that you love us and with are us through it all. Help us act with confidence in your care and live our lives as good examples for you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen