It is very common in our human nature to dwell on our problems. We can describe in great detail how big the problem is, how long it has been going on, how it runs in our family, etc…..

One interesting thing about successful people is that they spend much more time, energy, and thought avoiding, ignoring, and overcoming their problems than thinking about the problem.

As Christians also, we need to spend more time and energy remembering how big and strong our God is rather than the size of our problems.

Deuteronomy 1:28-31 tells part of the story of the Israelites coming to the Promised Land, “What are we getting into? Our brothers who spied out the land have frightened us with their report. They say that the people of the land are tall and powerful, and that the walls of their cities rise high into the sky! They have even seen giants there—the descendants of the Anakim!’ “But I said to you, ‘Don’t be shocked or afraid of them! The Lord God is your leader, and he will fight for you with his mighty miracles, just as you saw him do in Egypt. And you know how he has cared for you again and again here in the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child!’ But nothing I said did any good.“They refused to believe the Lord our God”

They put more faith in their obstacles than in God’s ability to support them moving toward where He was leading them.

We need to remember that the will of God will never lead us where the love of God will not support us.

Dear Lord, you are bigger than any obstacle we can ever face. Help us remember to believe that and put our focus on your power to support us rather than the obstacles we face. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

It is great to pray for little things, and have an ongoing conversation with God throughout our day. Thessalonians 5:17 says to “pray continually.” We can ask for God to help us do well on a test, or close an important sale, or have a good report from a doctor visit. These are all fine to ask for, but those things could happen with or without God’s help.

However, how often do we ask for really significant things that cannot happen without God’s intervention? Things like unexpected funds for your church to make needed improvements, healing of a chronic medical condition, or straightening up of a wayward relative or friend. In John 14:13-14 Jesus says, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” If we truly believe in God’s power, and believe that what we want will bring Glory to God, we should be asking for things that are impossible without God’s supernatural input.

Dear Lord, Help us also remember that you are God and there are no limits to your capabilities. Help us also remember your promise to do whatever we ask so that it brings glory to God. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

John 7 has an account of Jesus responding to criticism from the Jewish leaders who said it was wrong of him to heal a man on the Sabbath day. The Jews had religious laws that no work was allowed on the Sabbath day, which originated with the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Jesus tells them in John 7:24, “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” I believe he was telling them that they were misinterpreting the point of the commandment. God gave them the rules, or commandments, but they had to interpret them and put them in practice.

We too must interpret God’s direction as provided to us in the Bible. This requires us to actively use the mind God gave us to “look below the surface,” as Jesus tells us. I like the description of “checking our premises.” Our premises are our assumptions and pre-conceived ideas that we all have and use to interpret things around us.

We need to take some time to ask ourselves where the authority for those pre-conceived ideas came from. If we look beneath the surface and find that our premises do not conform to the two “greatest commandments” from Matthew 22, “love God, and love our neighbor” then we may need to change our thinking.

Dear Lord, we all struggle with the conflict between our wants and pride and your will. Help us regularly check our premises so we can judge correctly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A few years ago a bald eagle moved into my neighborhood. I usually see it once or twice a month flying along the coast of the lake nearby my home. One morning, driving along the shore, the eagle flew along the shoreline about 50 feet above the lake right along the path I was driving, for almost 5 minutes. I was amazed that it did not flap its wings for the entire time. It soared effortlessly, like it could continue for hours.

In a familiar verse, Isaiah uses this beautiful image of the eagles’ flight to describe what our lives can be like when we put our trust in God. He writes in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Dear Lord, your power is unmeasurable to us, but you provide it to those who trust in you. Help us remember to come to you for strength, endurance, and renewal. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is an old saying we have all heard that goes, “we cannot see the forest for the trees,” meaning we are so wrapped up in all the details (the trees) that we cannot see the bigger situation (the forest) which is the important part.

In Jesus’ time, the Jewish leaders were regularly attempting to trick Jesus into breaking the old Jewish laws. They would use all the technical rules in the Old Testament to demonstrate their own superiority, and critique Jesus’ activities. They were too wrapped up in the details of their rules to see the important point of the rules.

Jesus tells them in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!”

I think we can fall into this trap as well. We can get so tied up in how we need to act, and what rules we need to follow in order to be “good enough” for God, that we miss the big picture. The big picture is God gave us Jesus, and Jesus did all the detail work for us.

Dear Lord, amidst all our religious activities, help us remember not to miss the important part which is Jesus and what he did for us. In His name we pray. Amen.