Sometimes, we just cannot understand why God is letting things happen the way they are. Terrible tragedies happen to innocent people, people lose their loved ones, evil people seem to succeed. We try and try to find the logic in the events, but cannot.

In those times, a few of the following verses may help:

Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding.”

Psalm 91:14, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust my name.”

Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?”

Psalm 27:14, “Wait patiently for the Lord, Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

Psalm 23:4, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”

We may not understand the work God is doing, but we can know that He is in control, and He is there for us.

Dear Lord, You know how difficult life can be for some people, be with those who mourn, help them feel your presence and comfort. Give use the words, wisdom, and love to be your hands of caring to those in need. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

It is not difficult to do enough to get to Heaven.

It is impossible.

This is a bit of a play on words, but it is clear that we don’t “do” anything to be saved. God is the doer, he saves us by his grace through our faith in Jesus Christ, we cannot save ourselves.

I am reemphasizing this truth because I have what may be a slightly different perspective on the story of the rich man that is recorded in Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18. In the story, a rich man comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. The man said he had obeyed all the commandments since he was a child. Jesus tells him, “go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Jesus then tells his disciples that it is harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

What I see in this story is that Jesus told the rich man, and is telling us, to follow him as our first priority, and put everything else below. The reason it is more difficult for a rich person is the common tendency to rely on riches as their “god.” Their riches are what they rely on to solve their problems, make them happy, and give them peace and security. It is also what they often spend their time and energy thinking about. It doesn’t take a lot of riches to fall into this trap.

Dear Lord, it is not only difficult for the rich man, but also for us to rely on you more than ourselves and our money. We often believe intellectually that you are there with unlimited power to save and support us, but we don’t always put this belief into practice. Help us remember to put our trust in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Occasionally we get very clear evidence that we are living in a world ruled by the devil. We read about terrible acts of evil, injustice and immorality all over the news and the internet.

2 Corinthians 4:4 Says “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.”

It is however not our job to condemn, but to love, as Jesus did. We cannot be proud because we think we are not as sinful as someone else In Romans 2:4 Paul tells us “Don’t you realize how patient he (God) is being with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see that he has been waiting all this time without punishing you, to give you time to turn from your sin? His kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” Roman’s 3:23, says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

2 Timothy 2:25-26 Says “Be humble when you are trying to teach those who are mixed up concerning the truth. For if you talk meekly and courteously to them, they are more likely, with God’s help, to turn away from their wrong ideas and believe what is true. Then they will come to their senses and escape from Satan’s trap of slavery to sin.”

We can only control our own actions and live our faith. Paul continues in Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world.” Sadly in the end, many will not accept Christ’s salvation. In Matthew 22:14 Jesus says, “for many are called but few are chosen.”

Dear Lord, Please come and show your influence in our world. Help us have the courage to witness to your good news that your salvation and peace are available to all who will turn to you. Help us also put a priority on electing representatives who will support our Christian beliefs. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Often times, we wait until we have tried everything else to deal with a problem or difficult situation before we pray about it. Unfortunately, it is the last resort for many people even after they have given up hope of a successful outcome.

God wants us to interact with him all the time, like he is a part of our lives every moment. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Never stop praying.” When we have that mindset, we start our problem solving with prayer; Asking God, who has the power to make anything right, and solve any problem we might have, first.

James 5:16 writes, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Prayer is not a long shot, “it can’t hurt,” last resort. It is a powerful demonstration of our faith in and relationship with God. We need to believe that it will produce results, and it will.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the ability to come to you with our cares and concerns. Help us to keep you in our thoughts throughout our day and bring our needs to you, believing that you will give us what we ask or something better. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Paul writes in Hebrews 11:1, “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.” TLB

There is a scene in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where Indiana Jones is standing on the edge of a gorge. He is looking at a diagram in an ancient book that indicates a bridge should be there, but there is no bridge. After studying the ancient document, he believes he has it figured out, that the only way to find the bridge is to step into the abyss, and the bridge will appear. Without seeing, he must act.

In the same way, Jesus’ teachings in the Bible are our ancient map, and in order to see the support God promises us we must to step forward in faith.

Dear Lord, often it is very difficult for us to take that first step of faith we know you want us to take, whether it is volunteering in our church, inviting a friend to worship, witnessing to someone in need, or putting our tithe in the offering plate, we all have a step we could be taking. Give us the courage to take the step and experience the joy of trusting you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.