A very close friend passed away many years before she should have. It is a painful tragedy for her friends and her family.

It seems impossible to know what to think and what to say. We can, however, pray for, and comfort those who suffer as a result.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3,4, “God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

Please join me in praying for comfort to the family and friends of my friend Kim.

Dear Lord, you are the source of all comfort, hold closely those who suffer as a result of this tragic loss. Give them your peace to endure and the strength to overcome. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I think we all encounter situations where people we know in our churches, workplaces, or family complain and expect the worst, using one small negative experience as an excuse to expect everything that follows to be terrible. I call it the Chicken Little mentality, after the children’s story about the chicken who was convinced that the sky was falling because one acorn fell on his head.

The solution is to put our focus and faith on God.

This situation occurs in the book of Exodus, while the Jews are leaving Egypt, and Pharaoh’s armies are chasing them. Exodus 14:11-14 says, “And they turned against Moses, whining, “Have you brought us out here to die in the desert because there were not enough graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you, while we were slaves, to leave us alone? We said it would be better to be slaves to the Egyptians than dead in the wilderness.” But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today. The Egyptians you are looking at—you will never see them again. The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t need to lift a finger!”

The subsequent verses tell the story of the parting of the Red Sea and destruction of Egypt’s armies.

One leader, with his faith in God, overcame their Chicken Little mentality.

Dear Lord, help us be the faithful leaders in our churches, families, and workplaces that overcome the fears and negativity over others by putting our trust in you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

John 8:44 Jesus describes the devil as “a liar and the father of lies.”

We have all experienced the devil’s lies as thoughts put in our heads trying to convince us to turn from trusting God.

One of the damaging lies the devil hits us with is convincing us to think “God doesn’t love me.” This may occur when we receive terrible news, or when our prayers are not answered the way we hoped, or when things seem to be just getting worse and worse. Even though these are real things and very difficult for us, the devil tries to use these things to drive us to despair and discouragement. If he can convince us to believe God doesn’t love us, we will look for some other way to deal with our suffering.

In these times, what God wants us to do is put our entire faith and trust in Him. As difficult and painful as some things can be, God is there with us. We must endure with prayer, hope and trust in Him, with confidence that he knows and cares and will not give us more than we can endure.

As David shows us in Psalm 23, we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing….Even though I walk through the darkest valley I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me…Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.” For this we thank you Lord. Amen.

Do you exercise regularly and read about health and fitness routines to keep yourself healthy? Do you take vitamins and manage what you eat? These are good things to do, as it says in 1 Corinthians 6 our bodies are the Lord’s temple, and we should, as it says in verse 20, “glorify God in our bodies.”

But even more important than our health and fitness routine, is trusting in God’s wisdom and doing what he tells us. Proverbs 3:7,8 says, “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.” NLT

Dear Lord, help us turn away from those evil things we know we should avoid, and follow your will in our lives. Help us look to your word in the Bible, and believe your promise for the healing and strength. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

You have probably heard someone use this expression when they seemingly have tried everything to get something accomplished, “What’s it going to take to…….”

In the Old Testament, God sent prophets to the people to try to get them to change their ways. One of these prophets was Amos.

In Amos 4:6 he tells the people God’s message saying, “I brought hunger to every city and famine to every town. But still you would not return to me. says the Lord.”

God is saying in essence, “what’s it going to take to get you people to return and follow me?”

We cannot know if the causes of problems in our lives are put there by God to get us to return to him, but they may be. Either way, however, we should turn to him for help, comfort, and resolution of the struggles in our lives.

Dear Lord, When we have negative experiences, may they remind us to return to you. You are our strength, protection and salvation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.