Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23

Recommended Reading

1 Thessalonians 5:24

A young girl finishes swim practice at 8:00 p.m. on a dark, winter’s night. Standing in front of the swim club building, she waits for her father who has promised to pick her up by 8:15. By the time all other parents, children, and cars have departed, she stands alone, still waiting. An hour later, she sees her father’s car approaching. After explaining he had to change a flat tire, she says, “That’s okay; I knew you’d come.”

That young girl waited without wavering. There is a difference between waiting while hoping a promise will be kept and waiting while knowing a promise will be kept. Waiting while knowing leads to waiting without wavering. A child learns by experience that a parent is trustworthy. And Christians learn about God’s faithfulness the same way. The difference is thousands of years of experience versus a few years. The Bible is a record of God’s faithfulness to His people over millennia.

If you are waiting on God, wait without wavering. He is never late; He always keeps His promises; He is always true to His Word.

The promises of God are nothing more than God’s covenant to be faithful to His people. It is His character that makes these promises valid.

Jerry Bridges

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Mark 12 – 13

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Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done,” says the LORD.

Jeremiah 31:37

Recommended Reading

Jeremiah 33:24-26

Astronomers estimate the universe to be at least 93 billion light years in diameter—and a light year is six trillion miles. But the universe is expanding. As for the depths of the earth, the deepest part of the ocean is 6.85 miles—and it is nearly 3,959 miles to the center of the earth. So we have barely scratched the surface.

The prophets knew nothing of these numbers. They used the immensity of the universe and the size of the earth as measures of impossibility. When it came to the probability of God going back on His promises to Abraham, Jeremiah said (paraphrasing), “You could measure the universe and depths of the earth before God would go back on His Word. And we know the heavens and the earth cannot be measured.” It turns out that Jeremiah’s pre-scientific analogy was very accurate. Just as there is no end to the universe, so there is no end to God’s loyalty to Israel.

As a follower of Jesus, you are a spiritual child of Abraham. God’s promises of spiritual blessing to Abraham are promises to you as well.

God promises to keep His people, and He will keep His promises.

Charles H. Spurgeon

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Mark 10 – 11

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Always in every prayer of mine [I pray] for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

Philippians 1:4-5

One list of longest-married couples in the world cites 47 couples. The shortest marriage—that of couple number 47 on the list—was 81 years, 31 days. The longest marriage on record is 90 years, 60 days.1 Those numbers stand in stark contrast to the length of the average American marriage: 8.2 years.

Recommended Reading: Philippians 2:12-13

We are surprised today when we hear of a couple staying together for decades. It says something about the nature of commitment in modern societies. When it becomes acceptable in society to go back on commitments, spiritual commitments also become easier to break. Paul knew that and so commended the Philippian Christians for their commitment to the Gospel “from the first day until now.” The Philippians were staying true to Christ, and Paul prayed joyfully for them to remain true to their calling and commitment.

Trials bring the temptation to abandon vows and promises. Pray for all your commitments—to marriage, to Christ, to the Gospel, to your children. Ask God for grace to stay committed regardless of what may come.

The call to Christian commitment is not basically a call to enjoy happiness but to endure hardness.

John Blanchard

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Mark 6–9

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Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.

Psalm 42:5

Recommended Reading

Isaiah 57:15

If you haven’t used a spray bottle of liquid for a while, you have to squeeze the trigger a few times to expel the air. That’s priming the pump. A primer is something that makes something else work: a primer coat makes the finish coat of paint stick better; an infusion of capital can prime the economic engine of a company; a squirt of gasoline can prime an engine that has sat idle too long.

What is the primer for revival? In most of the verses on revival in Scripture, God sends the revival. But does man play no part at all? Or can we “prime” the revival pump? When the psalmist was discouraged and in need of revival, he took the initiative. He confronted his condition and reminded himself: “Hope in God.” If he did, he knew he would “yet praise [God] for the help of His countenance.” The famous verse on revival in 2 Chronicles 7:14 begins with God’s people humbling themselves, praying, and repenting. Only then would God “forgive their sin and heal their land.”

If you are in need of revival, prime the revival pump by humbling yourself before God and asking Him to revive your heart and soul.

Revival is the exchange of the form of godliness for its living power.

John Bonar

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Mark 4–5

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Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?

Psalm 85:6

Recommended Reading

Psalm 85 and 86

When reports of the 1857 American revival reached overseas, the Presbyterian Synod of Ireland sent two men to investigate. They returned with stories that created great hunger for revival among the Irish. In answer to that hunger, a revival broke out and 1859 became known as “God’s Year of Grace” across the Irish nation.

“One after another were gloriously saved in homes and in schoolhouses. People opened the windows so that those outside and around the buildings could hear the prayer and praise inside. Careless sinners broke down and wept like children. Drunkards were awed into solemn silence. Often people did not go to bed for two or three nights. Passersby heard people crying aloud for mercy inside their houses, calling out to God in prayer, or singing hymns and songs. Business almost came to a standstill… Prayer meetings in private homes were held at all hours of the day and night… The faces of the new converts beamed with such joy that the newly saved were easily identified.”1

Oh, that God would send such a revival to our lands today! Let’s make this our daily prayer: “Lord, revive us again!”

Revival starts with a handful of praying people who develop an insatiable burden to plead with heaven for revival, as in Psalm 85:6: “Will You not revive us again…?”

David Jeremiah

1Wesley Duewel, Revival Fire (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 139-140.

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Mark 1 – 3

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For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout….

1 Thessalonians 4:16

Recommended Reading

1 Thessalonians 4:13-16

In her book Not Good If Detached, Corrie ten Boom told of a woman reading her Bible one morning and studying the Rapture of the Church in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. As the passage came alive to her, she became caught up in its truths and didn’t hear the doorbell. After a while, it registered and she went to the door to find an impatient milkman. “You must be getting deaf, madam,” he said. “I had to ring three times.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It is not that I am deaf, but I have just read something in my Bible so glorious I forgot everything else. Do you know that it is possible that some day you may come to my door and I will no longer be here? Also you may find every Christian home empty. I’ve just read that when Jesus comes again we shall meet Him in the air. We shall be suddenly changed, and then we shall see Him face to face.”

We have a glorious future, and the Bible fuels our optimism by giving us more verses about our Lord’s return than we can count. He gives us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Great is His faithfulness!

If you accept Jesus as your Savior, you, too, will become a child of God and be among those who will meet Him in the air.

Corrie ten Boom

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Matthew 27 – 28

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And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.

2 Kings 19:30

Recommended Reading

Isaiah 10:20-23

Remnant stores are almost a thing of the past. These are shops that specialize in bits of cloth helpful to those who make their own clothes or need patchwork pieces for quilts. The word “remnant” has to do with bits, pieces, and fragments that are left over. A good seamstress can do a lot with remnants.

God can do a lot with remnants, too. In the Bible, the word “remnant” often referred to what was left of a community following a catastrophe. After the Babylonian captivity, for example, a remnant of Jewish people returned to the Promised Land. There by God’s grace, they took root downward and bore fruit upward.

In our world today, Christians often feel they represent the remnants of godliness in our communities. But by God’s grace we can take root downward and bear fruit upward. Wherever there is a remnant that serves the Lord, there is hope.

Remnant stores may be few and far between, but remnant stories are abundant among God’s people. Don’t worry if you’re in the majority or minority, if you’re popular or alone. Just take root downward and God will make you fruitful where you are.

No matter how wicked the world scene may appear, God always has a remnant that is faithful to Him. Sometimes that remnant is small, but God is always great.

Warren Wiersbe, in The Wiersbe Bible Commentary

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Matthew 25 – 26

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Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!

Psalm 27:14

The Bible is beloved for its realism. Case in point: the Bible’s heroes were sometimes afraid. That’s right. Moses was afraid to return to Egypt for a face-off with Pharaoh. Joshua needed courage when it was time to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. David feared for his life when he was chased by Saul through the wilderness. Even Jesus experienced tremendous spiritual pressure on the night before His crucifixion. Who among us wouldn’t have needed courage if we had been in those situations?

Recommended Reading: Joshua 1:6-9

Today we have things of our own to fear: the loss of a job, unexpected health issues, international terrorism, drug-resistant organisms, storms and natural calamities, and more. We never know what the headlines, or our own personal experiences, will bring each day. We need courage when life is so unpredictable. In fearful moments, David’s counsel is to “wait on the LORD” and “He shall strengthen your heart.” What do we do while we are waiting? Pray and meditate on the promises of His Word.

If the Bible’s heroes needed courage, it is okay for us to need it, too. God will give it as we pray and wait upon Him.

There can be no courage in men unless God supports them by His Word.

John Calvin

Read-Thru-the-Bible: Matthew 18 – 22

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Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 150:6

Recommended Reading

Psalm 150

The book of Psalms ends on a climactic note of joyful praise in Psalm 150. In only six verses, this psalm answers one question after another involving praise and worship. In fact, the word “praise” occurs thirteen times in Psalm 150. The first verse tells us what we are to do. We’re to “Praise the Lord.” In the original Hebrew, it’s literally: Hallelu Yah or Praise Yahweh.

Verse 1 also tells us where to praise: “Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament!” Praise is the unifying activity that links together heaven and earth.

Verse 2 tells us why to praise God: “Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” And verses 3-5 provide the how of praise – “with the sound of the trumpet… the lute and harp… the timbrel and dance… stringed instruments and flutes… loud cymbals… clashing cymbals.”

Verse 6 ends with the question of who should praise God: “Everything that has breath.” What joy we have as believers in Christ—praising Him today, tomorrow, and forever!

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! / O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!

Joachim Neander

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Matthew 14–17

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Whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.

Matthew 10:42

Recommended Reading

Matthew 10:40-42

Kay DeKalb Smith passed a chocolate shop at the airport. She’d been hungering for chocolate all week, but she told herself she didn’t need the calories. She lined up at the pretzel shop instead. The young man ahead of her asked for a sample, but the girl at the counter refused. Kay noticed a cup of hot water in his hand and remembered times she herself had drank hot water from lack of funds and taken advantage of free samples. She ordered two bags of pretzel bites and went looking for the fellow. She found him working behind a counter and handed the pretzels to him, saying, “Remember, if it matters to you, it matters to God.”

Back at the gate, she sensed someone approaching her. It was the young man. He said, “That was such a nice thing you did. I had to bring you this to thank you.” He handed her a bag from his shop and was gone. It contained a small box of chocolates. The Holy Spirit whispered in her heart: “If it matters to you, it matters to Me.”

Small acts of kindness matter to God, even a bag of pretzels or a cup of cold—or hot—water.

They do well and wisely who give the “cup of cold water” whenever they have opportunity…. This is to have the mind of Christ.

1. C. Ryle, in Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

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Matthew 12 – 13

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By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:35

Recommended Reading

Luke 10:25-37

When the pictures, problems, and questions of hundreds of people scroll across our social media accounts, it is difficult to discern when and where to lend a hand. The man questioning Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” was hoping for a boundary that would allow him to write off a group of people as undeserving of his love. As Christians who have experienced the generosity of God, the story of the Good Samaritan invites us to ask Him, “Who are You calling me to love?”

Instead of feeling inadequate or scared that God may call us to a grandiose gesture on behalf of a stranger, we can confidently await His guidance. Small acts of kindness build momentum in our own lives and in the lives of those we serve. A mustard seed becomes a towering tree. As we practice giving and receiving, our capacity for both expands. Although our gifts and impact may seem small, God delights in expanding them. Just as Jesus multiplied the fish and loaves after asking the disciples to feed the hungry crowd, He will provide all you need to do what He calls you to.

Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did.

1. S. Lewis

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Matthew 7 – 9

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He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Psalm 23:3b

Recommended Reading

Psalm 19:7-11

Aleister Crowley was an early-twentieth-century British artist, novelist, and occultist. He founded a religion he called Thelema and saw himself as a prophet who would guide humanity into an age of self-realization. The Beatles were fans—Crowley was one of those appearing on the cover of the famous “Sgt. Pepper’s” album cover. Supposedly, the guiding rule of his religion was, “’Do what thou wilt’ shall be the whole of the Law.” Many people trace one of the guiding maxims of the 1960s—“If it feels good, do it”—back to Crowley.

“The Sixties” took that principle to heart and many today still do. How often do we hear people explain a decision by saying, “It just felt right”? But is “feeling good” enough of a guiding principle for life? Think about your own feelings: Today you feel good and tomorrow you don’t. The decision you make today, you wouldn’t make tomorrow. We need something more permanent, consistent, and dependable as a guiding principle for life. The psalmist trusted in God’s guidance (Psalm 23:3b) and in God’s Word (Psalm 19:7-11).

Don’t get caught up in the religion of “anything goes.” Establish your life on the guiding principles of God and His Word.

Men give advice; God gives guidance.

Leonard Ravenhill

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Matthew 5 – 6

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I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

Psalm 77:11

Recommended Reading

Joshua 4

Although the tools for capturing memories have increased, we are just as forgetful as the Israelites when it comes to God’s goodness. When the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River with Joshua, they were commanded to pick up rocks from the river bed to create a monument of remembrance. The rocks were a symbol and a tangible reminder of God’s deliverance, power, and compassion.

While we may not hear a voice from heaven commanding us to gather rocks, Scripture urges us to remember the work of God in our lives. We have cameras, journals, and computers at our disposal, and yes, even rocks. When we keep tangible reminders of God’s goodness, we are strengthened to trust God with today and the future. Just as crossing the Jordan was not the final challenge the Israelites faced, we will continue to be faced with difficulty throughout our lives. Instead of being surprised by it, we can gaze at our rocks of remembrance and have confidence that the God who helped us then is the same God of today. He never changes and He delights in strengthening and delivering His people.

Faith is a reasoning trust, a trust which reckons thoughtfully and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God.

John R. Stott

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Zechariah 11 – 14

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He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.

Deuteronomy 32:10

Recommended Reading

Deuteronomy 32:7-12

Earlier this year, a television crew from Animal Planet was filming a scene on a deserted island in the South Pacific. Suddenly the crew spotted a man yelling and waving his arms. He was a genuine castaway, a stranded fisherman, suffering dehydration and sunstroke. The man had given up hope, said his prayers, and was prepared to die. The crew rescued him—and made a television program about the adventure.

None of us like to be cast into a desert place in life, but the Lord knows how to rescue us. He finds us where we are. He encircles us. He instructs us, and He keeps us as the apple of His eye.

If you’re in a desert place, don’t give up your hope. Desert places can become places of deliverance, and God can even turn spiritual deserts into times of refreshment. Isaiah 35 says, “…the desert shall rejoice and blossom… for waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert” (verses 1, 6).

Jesus often meets us in the desert places of life.

If He be the Source of our mercies they can never fail us. No heat, no drought can parch that river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God.

Mrs. Lettie B. Cowman

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Zechariah 6 – 10

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Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

Psalm 30:4

Recommended Reading

Psalm 30

Before coming to Christ, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, traveled from England to Georgia as a missionary, but the experience was a failure. As he returned home in frustration, his ship ran headlong into a terrible storm. Wesley was terrified, but he couldn’t help noticing a group of German Christians aboard the ship. They trusted God so completely they held a worship service in the storm. In the middle of their singing, a wave rose over the vessel and bore down like Niagara. But the Christians didn’t miss a note. Wesley realized the German believers had something he didn’t have; and through their influence, he shortly afterward trusted Christ completely and felt his heart “strangely warmed.”

Trusting Christ enables us to sing in the storm. Our Lord gives songs in the night, and He teaches us to sing songs of deliverance as we wait on Him. An old hymn says “Singing I go along life’s road, praising the Lord, praising the Lord.” Others, noticing the melody of our lives, will be drawn to Christ.

Today sing a song of deliverance. Sing a song of praise.

To God—the Father, Son, and Spirit—One in Three, / Be glory; as it was, is now, and shall forever be.

John Wesley, in his hymn “We Lift Our Hearts to Thee”

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Zechariah 1 – 5

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Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:18

Recommended Reading

Titus 2:11-14

Worry and discomfort can create a downward cycle of emotions. You receive some bad news—the death of a loved one, perhaps. In your discouraged state you find yourself unable to respond to additional troubling events, weakening you further. And the downward cycle continues until hope and relief is interjected by yourself or another.

The apostle Paul found the Thessalonian Christians in a troubled state of mind. They were deeply worried about never seeing their loved ones who had died before Christ’s return. And they were afraid that Christ had already returned and they had missed His appearing. Paul wrote to them words with which they could comfort one another. The subject of His words? The Rapture of the Church—the appearing of Christ in the heavens to gather His followers to Himself just prior to the seven-year Tribulation on earth. Taking the sting out of death would go a long way toward relieving any other earthly trouble.

Are you troubled? Don’t let the downward cycle begin. Comfort yourself with the truth of the any-moment appearing of Christ to gather you to Himself and take you to heaven. That blessed truth is enough to overcome any earthly travail.

Let thy hope of heaven master thy fear of death.

William Gurnall

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Zephaniah 1 – 3

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