He left nothing outside his control.
Hebrews 2:8, PHILLIPS

 Recommended Reading: Hebrews 2:8-12

June DePriest, a Bible teacher in Jackson, Mississippi, faced a protracted burden over her husband’s health. On one occasion there were frustrating delays as they awaited word on a heart procedure. “All I could do, and yet the best thing to do, was spend time in God’s Presence,” June wrote. “I lingered there longer and longer. No answer. Heaven was silent. It is easy to fall prey to the darkness of doubt. What do we do when heaven is silent? Stay in His Word and cling tightly to the Father. Saturate your heart with His promises. Go back to Scriptures that have spoken to you in the past. We are to be confident that God is working behind the scenes on our behalf.”

The Old Testament heroes of Joseph, Ruth, Moses, and Elijah found themselves in places they didn’t understand. So did the twelve disciples, Paul, Silas, and a host more. God puts us all in places we don’t understand, but we can trust His sovereignty.

Be encouraged! He has left nothing outside His control.

Lingering in God’s presence will through prayer increase your faith in Him, provide a place for you to unload your burdens, remind you that God is always near, and help you not to panic.
Elizabeth George

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

he king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
Proverbs 21:1

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 2

Magnus Carlsen, 32, of Norway is one of history’s greatest chess players. He earned the title of grandmaster when only thirteen and became World Chess Champion in his early twenties. His good looks have led to a modeling career on the side. Carlsen claims he can see fifteen moves ahead and sometimes twenty. If so, he must be a genius, for that many moves involves a lot of possible variations.

The Lord can see a trillion moves ahead—really, an infinite number. He knows what will happen down the chain of events every time a president is elected, a king is crowned, a leader is assassinated, or a war is started. Every single event—large and small—is simply moving this world closer to His preordained prophetic conclusion.

Sometimes we can’t imagine why God has placed someone in a position of power, but He uses unlikely people to accomplish His will. Just look at the biblical characters of Nebuchadnezzar, Ahasuerus, and Herod. They were chess pieces in the hands of the Master of history. Don’t panic with the times. Rather, stand amazed at God’s providential omnipotence.

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does its successive journeys run.
Isaac Watts

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man…. For the Lord will be your confidence…. In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence.
Psalm 118:8; Proverbs 3:26; 14:26

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 118:5-9

A psychologist in Melbourne, Australia, told ABC Everyday that “keeping promises ‘is an incredibly important aspect’ of maintaining a healthy and secure relationship—and ‘that applies to all forms of relationships whether it be romantic, intimate, professional, or parental.’” Broken promises “can lead to trust rupturing, which can very quickly fracture a relationship.”[1]

If you’re suffering the pain of ruptured trust, here’s a comforting fact: God keeps His promises to His people! Even when we don’t know how He can do it, we can trust Him because of the fidelity of His nature. He Himself is our confidence. He “is not slack concerning His promise” (2 Peter 3:9).

Remember, it’s important to read the Bible carefully, taking every promise in its context. We shouldn’t twist God’s words to mean whatever we want. But when we have accurately understood one of His promises, we can stand on it and rejoice with confidence!

God does not change, nor do the glories of His person and the salvation He engineered for us. God’s promises are as dependable as He is.
Sheila Walsh

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Ecclesiastes 3:11

 Recommended Reading: Isaiah 61:1-3

During World War I, peasants would sometimes inspect recent battlefields, looking for shell casings, spent bullets, and bomb fragments. They would assemble them into items for their home. One woman in Washington state has a large collection of these decorative and practical items. Her curio cabinet displays items like salt and pepper shakers, candlesticks, and vases made from leftover fragments of war.[1]

For most of us, our life contains broken pieces. Life is a battlefield. Paul told Timothy to “wage the good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18). None of us escape without incurring some wounds. But God can use these to bring glory to Himself. He takes the fragments of pain, the scraps of sadness, the chunks of disappointment. In His hands, these can become the means by which we learn to trust Him and to comfort others.

Give the broken pieces of your life to the Lord, and let Him create some trench art. He does all things well, and He makes everything beautiful in His time.

Even though you might look at parts of your life as ugly or shameful, God can make all things work together for your good and His glory…The God of hope is making all things beautiful in His time.
Karen Whiting

–

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

I was despondent. They dug a pit ahead of me, but they fell into it!
Psalm 57:6

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 57

In his book, A Spiritual Clinic, J. Oswald Sanders devotes a chapter to despondency among Christians. “Who among us has not experienced that nameless feeling of misery and hopelessness?” he wrote. Sanders points out that such biblical heroes as Moses and Elijah had moments of great discouragement. For Moses, God prescribed the help of seventy elders; for Elijah, a time of withdrawal in a solitary place where the Lord met him.

“God prescribes individually for each of His patients. God delights to restore each depressed soul to a sphere of increased usefulness,” said Sanders.[1]

When we face daunting challenges, we can remember that God is always with us. He will give us wisdom and courage. He will deal with us individually, prescribing what is best. Take a moment to ask the Lord to show you the next immediate step you should take toward restoration and increased usefulness. He doesn’t want you to live in chronic despondency when His joy can be your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

It is not without its comfort that the two men who conversed with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration both broke under the strain of their ministry and prayed that they might die.
J. Oswald Sanders

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And she arose and served them.
Matthew 8:15

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 8:14-17

Perhaps you have established patterns of daily prayer and Bible study, and you’re part of a good church. Yet you feel there’s something missing from your Christian experience. During the weekends of March, let’s spring forward with four additional opportunities, beginning with servanthood.

Kentucky pastor Jerrell White, who pastored for more than sixty years, passed away at age eighty, one month after preaching his last sermon and baptizing four new believers. His granddaughter said, “He modeled servanthood. I went with him many times to nursing homes or to visit people in the church. I saw the ways he and my grandma intentionally gave and visited and served and loved. He was always so encouraging. He modeled to us what a genuine Christian looked like. He studied God’s Word and he lived it out.”

This March, ask yourself if you model servanthood. How can you better live out God’s Word? Developing the servanthood habit may be as simple as letting a traveler exit the plane before you or picking up a piece of litter thrown onto a neighbor’s lawn. Often it’s the small things that enable us to spring forward.

Any good thing…that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now.
Henry Drummond

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Psalm 139:16

 Recommended Reading: Acts 16:6-10

The longest and most detailed illustration of a confused soul in the Bible is the story of Job. At the beginning of his story all was well. Then everything fell apart in his life—he lost it all. Then he spent 37 chapters dialoguing with friends about what had happened. Then at the end of his story he listened to the wisdom of God, and his eyes were opened (and his life restored). Two things made a difference: time and listening to God.

Who among us does not encounter and experience things we don’t understand? It happens often—sometimes daily. Waiting (time) doesn’t mean passivity; it means active faith in God’s purposes and plans. It means walking by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). The active part of waiting is seeking God for wisdom and understanding.

God knows our future even before we take the steps that lead us there. Indeed, “the Lord directs [our] steps” (Proverbs 16:9). If you experience confusion, patiently seek the Lord and trust that He is working out His plans for you.

God’s purposes always have God’s provision.
John Blanchard

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

 Recommended Reading: Esther 2:1-18

The ability to see, with both eyes, an object clearly from twenty feet away is referred to as 20/20 vision. (In Europe, it is called 6/6 since they use a distance of six meters instead of twenty feet.) While not everyone has 20/20 vision, it is often said that hindsight is always 20/20. That is, we may not be able to see everything clearly as it happens, but after the fact we can see things much more clearly.

While hindsight is not always perfect, from a biblical perspective it means that we sometimes have to wait to see what God’s purpose was in allowing something to happen. There are certainly enough biblical examples to prove that premise. Job, Joseph, David, Daniel, Esther, Paul, and others were puzzled at what God allowed to happen in their lives—but soon came to see God’s hand at work. Especially Esther who saved the Jewish people from genocide in Persia.

When God allows circumstances in your life, the purpose of which is not clear, remember the examples and promises of Scripture: “All things work together for good.”

Contentment is an embracing of the providence of God.
George Seevers

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
1 Corinthians 12:18

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 139:13-14

Although the phrase is ancient and, therefore, the origin uncertain, one of the earliest uses of “green with envy” came from the pen of William Shakespeare. In Othello, Iago warns Othello, “Beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”

Why do we envy others? Why does jealousy sneak in like a silent fog, clouding our vision of God’s blessings? It is because we fail to appreciate that God has blessed each person with unique gifts and abilities to be discovered and enjoyed by each one. The psalmist David wrote that God created each of us “fearfully and wonderfully,” in a “marvelous” way (Psalm 139:14). Therefore, our gifts and blessings are unique to us, as are those blessings God has given others. Paul wrote about gifts another way, likening us to the individual parts of the human body (1 Corinthians 12:14-26). Each part is unique and important and should be honored as such.

Whenever you feel a twinge of envy or jealousy, let it remind you to thank God for how He has made and blessed you. Then put your blessings to use for Him and others!

Hem your blessings with praise, lest they unravel.
Unknown

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:14

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 103:11-14

Most believers live with a sense of sanctified dissatisfaction. We want to emulate the emotions, attitudes, reactions, and habits of Christ. We long to perfectly please Him. But we’re not perfect, nor will we be until we get to heaven. This holy dissatisfaction should evermore prompt us toward greater personal holiness. But we must also realize God knows all about our imperfections, and He isn’t surprised when we fail.

The great hymn, “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven” by Henry Lyte has a wonderful phrase to encourage us. The second stanza says: “Praise Him for His grace and favor to our fathers in distress! Praise Him still the same for ever, slow to chide, and swift to bless!”

Whenever you stumble or fall, confess your sin quickly and ask for God’s help in the future. We should keep growing. But don’t keep beating yourself up over forgiven sin. Remember—He knows our frame, that we are dust. But in His wondrous grace, He is slow to chide and swift to bless.

Fatherlike He tends and spares us; well our feeble frame He knows. In His hands He gently bears us, rescues us from all our foes.
Henry Lyte

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

 Recommended Reading: John 21:15-19

On the television broadcast of an international tennis tournament, one commentator asked his partner, “How would you rate [name’s] serve on a scale of one to ten?” The other commentator answered, “8.5. And, by the way, I don’t believe in a perfect 10.”

And that certainly applies to the Christian life. If we were perfect and never sinned, there would be no need for the grace of God. But all who are honest will admit to seeking forgiveness from God for a failure that has been confessed before. At some point, we wonder how much forgiveness God is willing to give us. How many times is God willing to pardon our imperfections? How many second chances do we get? Thankfully, there is no limit to the grace of God: “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Romans 5:20). When Jonah, one of God’s prophets, disobeyed God, “the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time” (Jonah 3:1). Jonah got a second chance.

If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9). Our past, present, and future are covered by God’s grace.

Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin.
Haldor Lillenas

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

 Recommended Reading: Genesis 50:19-21

The oldest Baptist congregation in America, founded in 1638, still meets today in Providence, Rhode Island. Providence was founded by a Puritan theologian named Roger Williams, who, after advocating for the separation of church and state, was exiled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636. The new community he founded was named Providence to recognize God’s gracious direction in leading them there.

Providence is not a biblical word but has evolved into an idea that refers to God’s rule over the affairs of His creation. It is akin to the biblical idea of God’s sovereignty—God’s righteous rule over the affairs of men. For example, God “changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings” (Daniel 2:21). And, in Christ, “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17, NASB). Such an idea motivated Paul to write Romans 8:28, giving us confidence that God uses everything in our life for good.

Because God is good and sovereign, we can trust Him to work out His divine plans and purposes for creation—including for us personally.

Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence.
Augustine

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm 126:6

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 126

Beneil Dariush is an Iranian-born MMA fighter. Last year he won an important match, and during the post-fight interview he addressed his countrymen in Iran. “I need to dedicate this fight to my people in Iran,” he said. “I know you’re struggling. I know you’re fighting for freedom. I know it’s a tough struggle. I want you guys to know we’re praying for you, and we love you.”

Then he said, “Let me tell you one more thing…. There is true freedom, a freedom that no one can take from you in the name of Jesus Christ, the son of God. Don’t ever forget that.”[1]

We never know when we’ll have an opportunity to say a word for the Lord or to present the Gospel. When God leads you to share Christ with someone, obey immediately. He will give you the words you need. God can help you plant a seed in someone’s heart, even if you don’t immediately see the results. Let’s not miss any opportunities!

Success in witnessing is simply taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.
Bill Bright

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.
Acts 24:25

 Recommended Reading: Acts 24:22-27

When we procrastinate in an endeavor or decision, we’re yielding to sluggishness at the expense of change. It sometimes seems impossible to make ourselves move forward. But we must, especially in terms of the Gospel. We learn that from Felix in Acts 24.

Billy Graham once preached, “There never was a more convenient season for Felix. We never read that he ever responded to the Gospel of Christ. He procrastinated too long, and Felix tonight, as far as we know, is in hell.”

Graham continued, “I spoke to a man in Moody Church one Monday night…. He was trembling as he stood there under mighty conviction. And I said, ‘Sir, won’t you give your heart to Christ?’ He said, ‘Not tonight. I’ll give my life to Christ on Friday night’…. On Friday morning, a stray bullet from a policeman’s gun went through that man’s head, and he died and never came to Christ.”⁴

Don’t allow procrastination to impact your spiritual life. Today is the day of salvation!

To procrastinate the business of salvation is the real madness.
Timothy Dwight

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge.
Psalm 141:8

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 73:25-28

Our meager mind cannot comprehend the bottomless, limitless, measureless reign of Almighty God. His ways are past finding out; His majesty is incalculable; His power is inexhaustible; His lifespan is without beginning of days or ending of ages. He is eternal, Three in One and One in Three, the Source and Sustainer of all that exists, visible and invisible.

That means we have the privilege of living with mystery. We can’t interpret every situation as He knows it to be. Pastor Philip Doddridge (1702-1751) wrote, “What mysteries, Lord, in Thee combine!”

Because we are human, we can’t understand all of God’s plans and ways, but we can trust His sovereignty. In addition to His holiness, His purity, and His power are the attributes of love and goodness. He is good in His essence, and all His qualities are good and loving. He cares! He cares about the details of our life. When things seem to go wrong, we can say, “But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge.”

What mysteries, Lord, in Thee combine! Jesus, once mortal, yet divine! The first, the last, the end, the head, the source of life among the dead.
Philip Doddridge

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?
Matthew 11:3

 Recommended Reading: Matthew 11:1-6

There’s a difference between doubt and unbelief. The latter involves the heart. Doubt is a matter of a rational mind asking good questions, often during periods of stress. John the Baptist had such a moment in Matthew 11. It didn’t upset Jesus. God isn’t scared by our doubts. He can use our doubts to draw us closer to Himself. He has solid answers for honest questions.

If your children or grandchildren are asking questions—or if you are—don’t panic. Learn to search out the answers. Josh Rasmussen is a philosopher who went from Christianity to atheism. But his honest questions led him to evidence that drove him back to God. “The biggest threat to the discovery of God, and to productive truth seeking more broadly,” Rasmussen wrote, “is blind faith…. Seek truth. Follow the evidence. Align with reason…You may come to discover that the foundation of reality is greater than you had imagined.”[1]

When people fight their way through their doubts to the conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord, they have attained to a certainty that those who unthinkingly accept things can never reach.
William Barclay

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.
Hebrews 12:15

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 32:3-5

Many Southern home gardeners have made the mistake of planting mint to enjoy in their iced tea in the summer. After a few years they dig up the mint and then discover a year later that they didn’t dig up the mint. It’s still growing and spreading. Mint is one of many decorative yard species that are hard to eradicate once they gain a foothold—especially those that spread by extending their roots (rhizomes) underground. Leaving even a sliver of root in the ground will guarantee that your yard will be continually “defiled.”

Speaking of roots that defile—the writer to the Hebrews warned about a “root of bitterness” that can spring up and defile many. In other words, bitterness is an invasive spiritual species that can spread quickly throughout a group of people. Moses warned the Israelites about letting their hearts turn away from God in pursuit of idols, becoming a “root among you that produces such bitter poison” (Deuteronomy 29:18, NIV).

Don’t be bitter. Rip up bitterness by the root! Stay focused on God’s love, grace, and forgiveness—and extend the same to everyone you are around.

Difficulties make us either better or bitter.
Unknown

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation.
Psalm 18:2

 Recommended Reading: Psalm 91:14-16

An American missionary to Africa asked a tribal chief why the churches in Africa saw God work so many miracles. The chief replied, “In America, you have blessed insurance; in Africa, we have only blessed assurance!”

Insurance protects against catastrophic loss or injury and is prudent, especially if the law mandates it. But there is a danger in putting our trust in man-made forms of protection instead of trusting in God’s protection. There are biblical warnings to that effect: trusting in horses, chariots, and horsemen “because they are very strong” instead of looking to “the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 31:1). When we become a Christian, we enter into the family of God, thereby coming under the protection of God Himself. The apostle Paul wrote that there is nothing that can separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39).

Begin each day by affirming your trust in God’s provision and protection. Never doubt that His goodness and mercy are following you each day (Psalm 23:6).

A sovereign Protector I have, unseen, yet forever at hand; unchangeably faithful to save, almighty to rule and command.
Augustus M. Toplady

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32

 Recommended Reading: Colossians 3:12-15

Jesus was a Jew, so when He taught, He used typically Jewish literary styles. For example, He used comparisons for purposes of illustration. In Matthew 13 there are eight kingdom parables, seven of which compare the kingdom of heaven to ordinary things: agriculture, seeds, treasure, a fishing net, and the like. Jesus illustrated something complex by comparing it to something familiar.

The apostle Paul also used a comparison to illustrate how we are to forgive others. We are to forgive others “as God in Christ forgave you.” The question then becomes, how did God in Christ forgive us? He forgave us unconditionally, willingly, generously, permanently, graciously, completely, sacrificially…and the list goes on. That means we are to forgive others the same way. If that sounds daunting, it is. But it also provides insight into the depth of God’s love for us and the love He expects us to extend to others in the form of forgiveness.

As God forgives others, so must we. Rather than resentment, let forgiveness be our response to any who have offended us.

True forgiveness breaks a man, and he must forgive.
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Colossians 4:6

 Recommended Reading: Ephesians 4:29

“You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). These familiar words of Jesus suggest that our life is to accomplish the two benefits of salt: seasoning (attractiveness) and preservation. Paul applied the salt metaphor to speech when it came to relating to nonbelievers: Our speech should be graceful (kind, compassionate, encouraging, understanding)—seasoned with salt.

How might the two uses of salt—seasoning and preservation—apply to our speech when relating to those who might be opposed to our beliefs or actions? Seasoning suggests speech that adds an attractive flavor to the conversation or dialogue. And preservation suggests doing whatever we can, not just to preserve a relationship but to strengthen it. As Paul wrote in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” “All men” includes everyone we encounter—even those who may have done us wrong. Let us speak only “what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).

Look for an opportunity to encourage someone today with gracious words that are “flavorful” and that strengthen the relationship.

It is bad to think ill, but it is worse to speak it.
Matthew Henry

https://www.davidjeremiah.org