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And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you.”
Genesis 26:24

Recommended Reading: Genesis 26:23-33

In Genesis 26, the patriarch Isaac faced multiple pressures. A terrible famine was threatening his livelihood (verses 1-5). He was in hostile territory, and he was worried he’d be killed by someone wanting his beautiful wife, Rebekah (verses 6-7). He also angered Abimelech, king of the Philistines, and was driven from his territory (verses 8-16). Local tribesmen constantly harassed and argued with him and his servants (verses 17-22).

Have you ever experienced a time when multiplied pressures and problems bore down on you? We all have! But that’s exactly when God appeared to Isaac and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you” (verse 24, NIV).

When you’re fearful or discouraged, learn to draw near to God. If you’ve admitted your fears to Him and called out to Him, He will deliver you. God doesn’t always remove you from your circumstances, but He will be with you through all of them, protecting you.

An awakened soul feels that his chief happiness is in coming before God…. In His presence is fulness of joy.
Robert Murray M’Cheyne

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For they all were trying to make us afraid.
Nehemiah 6:9

Recommended Reading: Nehemiah 6:1-9

In his autobiography, missionary John G. Paton wrote of being surrounded by hostile warriors, their weapons raised. “I expected next instant to die. But God moved me to talk to them firmly and kindly; I warned them of their sin and its punishment; I showed them … that my only desire to live was to make them all as happy, by teaching them to love and serve my Lord Jesus. I then lifted up my hands and eyes to the Heavens, and prayed aloud for Jesus to bless [them], and either to protect me or to take me home to Glory…. One after another they slipped away from me, and Jesus restrained them once again.”¹

The world wants to make us afraid. When fearful, we need to acknowledge the reliability of our God. He is in charge! When you feel fear, lift up your hands and eyes to heaven and pray aloud for Jesus to bless those around you and protect you—or to take you on to Glory!

Did ever mother run more quickly to protect her crying child in danger’s hour than the Lord Jesus hastens to answer believing prayer, and send help to His servants in His own good time and way, so far as it shall be for His glory and their good? 
John G. Paton

1. John G. Paton, John G. Paton: Missionary to the Hebrides (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1890), 266-67, 365.

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Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

Recommended Reading: Proverbs 6:20-23

The first automobiles were equipped with gas lanterns to provide light when driving at night. Fast forward to today—modern LED headlights can illuminate the road hundreds of feet ahead. Regardless of advances in technology, there is no headlight that can provide total illumination.

The psalmist seemed to understand this when he wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The lamp of which he spoke was a small, handheld clay lamp, fueled by olive oil, that created a flame only an inch or two high. Such a lamp only provided enough light to illuminate the next few steps. The psalmist refers to God’s Word as such a lamp. And for the one who trusts in God, that is illumination enough. We don’t need to know exactly what the future holds as long as we know who holds the future. The Bible doesn’t tell us everything about the future, but it does tell us how to trust in God for the steps immediately ahead of us.

The more we read and meditate on God’s Word, the more our path will be illuminated.

Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.
V. Raymond Edman

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Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground.
1 Samuel 25:23

Recommended Reading: 1 Samuel 25:2-42

Women of wisdom and courage are noted often in the Old Testament—see the stories of Deborah and Jael (Judges 4) and the woman of Abel Beth Maachah (2 Samuel 20:14-22). Abigail belongs on that list for the way she prevented David from committing a massacre.

Before King Saul died and David became king, David and his army were a paramilitary force in the land. After David protected the servants of a wealthy man named Nabal (“fool”), David asked Nabal for provisions for his men (1 Samuel 25). When Nabal refused, David gathered his army and went to attack Nabal. When Nabal’s wife, Abigail, heard of David’s plan, she gathered provisions and intercepted David and his army—without telling Nabal. She apologized for Nabal’s behavior and begged David to avoid needless bloodshed. David accepted her gifts and her courageous counsel and called off the attack. David was so impressed with Abigail’s wisdom and courage that after Nabal’s death he took Abigail as his wife.

Sometimes life calls for bold moves like Abigail’s. Wisdom plus courage will often bring godly results.

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.
Anonymous

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And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts.
Genesis 18:5

Recommended Reading: Genesis 18:1-8

The patriarch Abraham was sitting in the doorway of his tent when three strangers approached. Jumping up, he offered them water and a “morsel of bread” to refresh their hearts. The Lord does the same for us. In the heat of every day’s pressures, He provides fresh nourishment from His Word—daily morsels to refresh our hearts.

Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul” (NIV).

When we immerse ourselves in the Word of God, it can be more restorative than an afternoon nap, a strong broth, or a hot cup of tea. It will delight us. Digging into Scripture will help us understand who we are as children of God, and, even more, we will better know the God who restores our souls. Do you need a daily refreshment? Restoration? Come to His Word and seek Him out. Open it today and find a morsel of bread to refresh your heart.

Somehow, from the day men begin systematically to read the Bible, they begin to be sensible of a new power at work in mind and heart…. I would put higher value on one chapter of God’s Book than on all other books put together.
A. T. Pierson

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I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom.
Deuteronomy 4:5-6

Recommended Reading: Deuteronomy 4:5-10

We may think of Bible study as a chore or obligation, but the psalms use the word “delight” to describe our relationship with Scripture. Psalm 1:2 says our delight should be in the Word day and night. Psalm 94:19 says His Word will delight us even in the multitude of our anxieties. Psalm 112:1 tells us to delight greatly in God’s commands. And Psalm 119 contains nine exclamations about delighting in the Lord’s Word.

Christians should delight in the Bible. If your desire is to please God, reading His Word is a key part of learning how to please the Father. Each time you come to Scripture ask God to show you something that will help you please Him. As He shows you His wonderful truths, be careful to observe them, for this is your wisdom.

Can you honestly say that the Bible is a delight to you?… If you don’t desire the Word as much as you’d like, there is a solution. Ask the Lord to teach you to delight in it. Then start reading and meditating on a passage.
Charles Stanley

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May 6, 2026

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Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
Hebrews 2:1

Recommended Reading: Hebrews 2:1-9

It’s thrilling to see a shooting star. But it’s no fun for the meteoroid. When a space rock flies too close to our planet, it’s pulled into our atmosphere by gravity. The heat generated by friction causes intense heat, and the meteoroid is usually burned up.

Don’t become a shooting star! The world—along with the flesh and the devil—project a gravitational field. We’re drawn to them. We easily veer into sin, which burns us. We must be constantly on guard. Henry B. Carrington, a nineteenth-century Civil War soldier and writer, said, “There is a subtle pull also in the drift of fashion and usage which carries away everyone who is not established on a Bible conscience.”

Take attending church, for example. Losing the habit can start with a small, seemingly innocent decision to skip one week, then continue as you gradually miss more and more until the pattern is virtually burned up by the world’s atmosphere. Take care each day to avoid being drawn into the gravitational pull of the world.

The downward pull of sin is tremendous. To be able firmly to say, “Yet will not I,” requires the grace from above in the heart.
Henry B. Carrington 

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Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14

Recommended Reading: Psalm 46:7-11

Greg Livingstone, the missionary giant who died last year, never knew his dad. Nor was his stepfather in his life. Greg was raised in foster homes. But when he found Christ as Savior, he said Jesus took up residence in him. “I had finally been adopted by a Father who would stick with me.”¹

There are times you might feel alone, but always know God is with you. He’s immediately accessible to you wherever you go. Jesus was called Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” He has adopted you into His family. He loves you constantly. We certainly need human companionship, but when we don’t have as much fellowship as we need, let’s look to Him.

If you’re feeling alone today, you can talk to God and give Him thanks for never leaving your side.

I must learn the art of taking minute vacations—of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to smile at a child, to read a few pages from a good book. I need to take more time to reflect, ponder, and enjoy companionship with God.
Greg Livingstone

1. Greg Livingstone, You’ve Got Libya (Monarch Books, 2014), 52.

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O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
Psalm 139:1-2

Recommended Reading: John 2:24-25

Perhaps the greatest yearning of the human heart is to be known. When someone takes the time to know us deeply, it is a sign of worthiness and respect. And who doesn’t want to be respected and made to feel worthy?

God knows us. He created us in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27)—and a creator always knows the intimate details of what he has created. In one of his most beautiful psalms (Psalm 139), David expressed the profound ways in which God knew him. Beginning with his formation in his mother’s womb, David was known by God in every detail. The reason David praised God for His knowledge was that he knew only God could search his heart and show him what was truly in it (Psalm 139:23-24). David wanted to please God, so he asked God to look at his life and see if there was anything that might not be pleasing to God.

When you need direction, comfort, instruction—when you need anything—ask the One who knows you better than you know yourself.

God knows us all together and cares for us in spite of that knowledge.
J. Charles Stern

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Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
Genesis 18:11

Recommended Reading: Romans 4:18-21

In the Old Testament, children were considered “a heritage from the Lord … a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior …. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them” (Psalm 127:3-5). Hannah, the eventual mother of Samuel, is an example of an Israelite woman anxious because of her barrenness (1 Samuel 1:1–2:11).

Abraham and Sarah are another example of a barren couple. But at ages near-one hundred and ninety respectively, God appeared to them and promised them a son (Genesis 17:15-17). Sarah doubted God’s promise at first but eventually came to believe that her womb would bear the fruit she had longed for: “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised” (Hebrews 11:11). Abraham and Sarah were learning to trust the God who called them from Mesopotamia to Canaan to walk with Him. Sarah learned that patient faith would see the promises of God fulfilled.

If you are waiting on God to answer your prayer, combine your faith with patience. Like Sarah, “judge Him faithful.”

Hope is the foundation of patience.
John Calvin

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

Recommended Reading: Romans 1:18-23

If you could go anywhere in the world to see something spectacular, it probably wouldn’t be a palace or temple, which humans built. It would be a beautiful spot God has made in nature. Condé Nast Traveler frequently posts articles on the most beautiful places on earth, and the pictures are stunning: Zhangye National Geopark in China, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and Angel Falls in Venezuela.

Most of us can’t visit those spots, but we can look out our windows and see the marshalling of the clouds, the formation of a flock of birds, and the green variations in the grass and trees.

We need to understand ourselves in the context of the vast universe God has made. We can’t truly know who we are and why we’re here until we know God. He has made everything beautiful in its time, and He wants us to appreciate His artistry. We can know God better through His majestic creation. Try to spend some of your prayer time in nature or with a view of it, giving thanks to God for the beauty around you.

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone, alone with the heavens, nature, and God.
Anne Frank

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And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:12-13, ESV

Recommended Reading: Hebrews 10:35-39

When Jesus and His parents went up to Jerusalem for the Passover feast, His parents left the city at the conclusion—but Jesus “lingered behind in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:43). On his second missionary journey Paul left Berea, but Silas and Timothy “remained there” (Acts 17:14). Both these phrases—“lingered behind” and “remained there”—are translations of the Greek word that is elsewhere translated “endure.” In other words, “endure” means “to remain fixed when others are leaving.”

When Jesus taught about the troubling times that will come in the future, He said that the love of many will grow cold—their faith will fail, and they will fall away. But He said, “the one who endures”—the one who remains fixed in place when others are leaving the faith— “will be saved.” That’s what it means to endure—to remain in place, in the faith, in the face of persecution and tribulation.

The time to be committed to enduring is before the trouble begins, whether now or in the future. Make firm today your commitment to endure to the end for the sake of Christ.

Endurance is the ability to stand up under adversity. 
Jerry Bridges

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And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:3-4

Recommended Reading: Hebrews 12:1-3

The story is told of a young, aspiring musician visiting New York City who wanted to see Carnegie Hall. She stopped a stranger on the street and asked, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” The stranger, also a musician, replied, “Practice, practice, practice!”

While that wasn’t the answer the young musician was looking for, it was probably the answer she needed. Enduring thousands of hours of painful practice is the only path. The apostle Paul said something similar about suffering: “We also glory [rejoice] in tribulations.” Why? Because just as the toil of practice leads to Carnegie Hall, so the “toil” of hard times leads to perseverance, which leads to character, which leads to hope. And hope “does not disappoint” because it leads to the realization of God’s love for us (Romans 5:5). As the writer of Hebrews wrote, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-2). We keep our eyes on the One who endured as our example.

Remain strong in your troubles, knowing that they have a purpose: perseverance, character, and hope.

Perseverance is the rope that ties the soul to the door post of heaven.
Frances J. Roberts

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[The man Jesus healed of blindness] answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”
John 9:11

Recommended Reading: 1 John 1:1-3

“All we want are the facts, ma’am.” Those were the words of Sergeant Joe Friday in the popular 1950s television series, Dragnet. If we had to describe what it means to give a testimony of faith in Christ, Sergeant Friday’s words would apply. New Testament writers used that framework when bearing witness to Christ—they talked about what they had “seen and heard” (Acts 4:20; 22:15; 1 John 1:1-3).

One of the clearest examples of a testimony came from a blind man whom Jesus healed. When he was interrogated about his healing, he recounted the simple facts about what Jesus had said and done (John 9:10-41). The apostle Paul twice delivered a longer testimony of how he came to faith (Acts 22:6-21; 26:12-18). Every believer should be ready to testify to how they came to believe (1 Peter 3:15).

If you have never done so, write out your personal testimony of faith in Christ. And ask God to provide opportunities for you to share it.

Every believer is a witness whether he wants to be or not.
Donald Grey Barnhouse

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I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7

Recommended Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Rev. James Fleetwood, a beloved nineteenth-century Baptist preacher, died on December 20, 1862. His biographer put it vividly: “On the evening of his departure, at about nine o’clock … he commenced to praise God … and bidding goodbye to his wife [and others], with the light of heaven beaming from his emaciated countenance, he made a convulsive and strenuous effort to exclaim ‘Glory,’ And then…the weary wheels of life stood still, and his glorified spirit took its place before the throne.”

A friend of Fleetwood’s said of him, “He lived the Gospel which he preached.”¹ Could there be a better testimony than that!

Oh, that we might all live the Gospel we preach so that when the “weary wheels of life” stand still, we will be able to shout “Glory!” and be with our Lord. One of the best ways to spread the Gospel is by living it. Do you show others the love of Christ in your daily life? Ask God to show you opportunities to exhibit His love by helping others each day.

To love to preach is one thing—to love those to whom we preach, quite another.
Richard Cecil

1. James Marshall, “Memoir of the Reverend James Fleetwood,” The Primitive Methodist Magazine: June 1863, vol. 1 (London: Richard Davies), 321-324.

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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14

Thunderstorms can be majestic, but they can frighten us. At any given moment, about two thousand thunderstorms are raining down on earth! That means two thousand active storm cells exist simultaneously on the globe every minute.¹

That’s hard to grasp! But here’s something else to “pour” over. God is continually sending down His showers of spiritual blessings on us, and we have more to come in the future. Harold Hoehner said, “[These blessings are] defined as ‘spiritual.’ In the Old Testament the benefits were primarily material … [and] have their source in the Spirit of God…. So God has blessed the believer with every spiritual benefit necessary for his or her spiritual well-being.”²

Some of these are for us now—peace, joy, forgiveness, grace, fellowship with God, insight into Scripture. Others we’ll experience in eternity. None of us like being caught in a rainstorm, but when it comes to God’s showers, we don’t mind being drenched each day!

Spiritual benefits that come from heaven are for the believers united with Christ, who ascended into heaven.
Dr. Harold Hoehner

1. “Severe Weather 101: Thunderstorm Basics,” NSSL: NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory.
2. Harold Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Baker Academic, 2002), 167-168.

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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: Matthew 5:14-16

Perhaps you have been blessed enough to know a person who embodies love. Not only do they say loving things and perform loving deeds, but even when they are not speaking or acting, they still manifest a spirit of love that is undeniable. When you are around such a person, you wonder what the explanation is for their consistent, loving personality.

It is telling that Jesus cited agape love (unconditional, selfless love) as being the primary characteristic of His followers. He didn’t say that His followers would be known for their teaching, preaching, evangelism, churches, missionary efforts, or any other worthy traits. Instead He said that one trait would mark them as His followers: unconditional, selfless love. He said “love for one another”—meaning love among those who are His disciples. But He also said that the “light” of His loving life in them should shine so brightly that the whole world would see it (Matthew 5:14-16).

The fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22). Ask God to help you become a person who embodies the light and love of Christ—so that the world will recognize Christ as the source.

Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
Isaac Watts

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

Recommended Reading: Romans 5:6-11

We occasionally hear expressions like, “It takes one to know one,” and, “You can’t give away what you don’t already have.” Those words certainly apply when it comes to extending forgiveness to others—especially to our enemies.

Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 4:32 is an example. The first half of the verse is not unexpected—an exhortation to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving toward others. But it is the second half of the verse that is arresting in its implication: We are to forgive others just as God in Christ has forgiven us. We might be inclined to be kind and forgiving toward others without taking the standard of God’s forgiveness into account. And how did God forgive? Totally and unconditionally—for past, present, and future sins. In fact, God forgave us “when we were enemies” (Romans 5:10). So that is our standard when it comes to forgiving those who have hurt us—past, present, and future—unconditional forgiveness.

Take a moment to do an inventory of your forgiveness toward others. If there is someone you have not forgiven totally and unconditionally, purpose to forgive them as God has forgiven you.

The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness.
William Blake

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If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
Proverbs 25:21-22

Recommended Reading: Romans 12:14; 12:17-21

A strange, ancient practice used as a metaphor occurs in Proverbs 25:22 and in Romans 12:20. The metaphor is based on an apparent practice of a guilty party being forced to carry a container of burning coals on his head. Some scholars think the practice was common in Egypt; the intent seems to be to motivate a guilty party to repent of his actions. The writer of Proverbs and the apostle Paul both cite the practice (as a metaphor) when encouraging charitable actions toward one’s enemy. In other words, charitable actions toward an enemy may motivate him to repent of his evil deeds.

There are examples in Scripture of feeding and clothing enemy captives in times of war (2 Kings 6:22; 2 Chronicles 28:15), and exhortations against seeking vengeance against those who have hurt you (Romans 12:14, 17-21). Jesus corrected a Jewish tradition that allowed for hating one’s enemies: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you” (Matthew 5:43-44).

If you have been hurt, follow Jesus’ example and be kind.

The success of the Gospel exasperates its enemies.
Matthew Henry

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For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance.
Psalm 55:12-13

Recommended Reading: Matthew 24:9-10

We wonder what Jesus must have felt when He was betrayed by Judas and then denied by Peter. In His teaching on the End Times Jesus said that many will turn away from the faith and will betray their friends who choose to remain faithful (Matthew 24:10-11).

There are many examples of betrayal by friends in the Bible. Cain betrayed his brother Abel; Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers; Jacob betrayed his brother Esau. And David recounted numerous instances of his friends turning against him (Psalm 31:11; 38:11; 41:9; 55:12-13). It pays to choose friends wisely, though even a wise choice doesn’t guarantee loyalty. True friends are made for adversity (Proverbs 17:17), and there are friends who can be more loyal than family (Proverbs 18:24). One way to cultivate true friendships is by being the kind of friend you desire to have (Proverbs 18:24).

Give thanks today that Jesus is your truest friend (John 15:14-15).

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
Joseph M. Scriven

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