Read: Jonah 3:1-3, Matthew 28:16-20

I don’t know where I am, but I can feel the bottom . . . and see the shore! I’m not walking too well, but I’ll make it. That sun feels so good. But, Lord, now what?

I don’t know where I am, but I can feel the bottom . . . and see the shore! I’m not walking too well, but I’ll make it. That sun feels so good. But, Lord, now what?

Yes, I’ll go to Nineveh. It’s a long walk. It’ll be suicide to preach there, but I’m out of options. I know I can’t run from God, plus I don’t want to see the inside of that fish again! So I’ll go, and say what I’m supposed to say. It’s a big city, but I can cover it in three days. Those wicked people won’t get any encouragement from me, nor any enthusiasm or extra effort, either. What does it matter? They’re Israel’s enemy! They’ll probably kill me on sight. Is that the Lord’s plan? Well, what-ever happens, Nineveh will be destroyed. At least I can enjoy telling them that.

God, I do not understand what you are doing. Have I not been zealous for your law? These people represent everything contrary to it. Have I not hated your enemies? Nineveh does not belong to your covenant; they are not your people. I am here, I have your message, but why, God? I don’t understand. I should be with Israel, not these idol worshippers.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to believe I am blessed to be a blessing to others, and that your salvation is for all people. May I always be willing to joyfully obey your command to tell others this good news. Amen.

Author: Doug VanBronkhorst

https://woh.org/

Read: Jonah 2:1-10, Job 38:1-8

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? (Job 38:4)

This story isn’t about a fish or Jonah. It’s about me. What kind of fish? How could Jonah get inside and survive? What, you think I couldn’t do this? If I made the earth with all its oceans and creatures, could I not make a fish swallow a man? I arranged the stars in the universe, could I not arrange for Jonah to live for a few days in a fish? Who are you to get so worked up about the fish? Do you know me? Do you believe I am?

I told Jonah to take a message to Nineveh about their sin. I can still forgive them. Jonah knows this. That’s why he doesn’t obey me. Well, now he’s rethinking his ideas about crime and punishment. He’s uncomfortable and afraid, but praising my name. My grace—that’s what this is about, not the fish. That monster is just a small part of the story. It amused me to use a fish; seemed to fit Jonah’s personality. There’s more to come as Jonah responds to his deliverance. This will also be a great illustration for a future grace story I have in mind—one that includes a cross and empty tomb.

Prayer:

Lord, help me, a sinner, to see the miracle of your gracious salvation so rich and free. I believe you can create anything, even a new heart in me. Amen.

Author: Doug VanBronkhorst

https://woh.org/

Read: Jonah 1:1-3, Psalm 103

The Lord is compassionate and gracious . . . (Ps. 103:8 NIV)

It’s time to send a prophet to cry against Nineveh and tell them their wickedness is an affront to me as the one true God.

Lord, who shall have this great honor: Amos? Hosea?

No. Jonah, son of Amittai.

Lord, Jonah is on a ship taking him as far from Nineveh as a Hebrew can sail. Is he afraid?

Jonah is no coward.

Then why is he disobeying? Does he not know you are Lord of Tarshish also? He heard your command! How can he be so rebellious and foolish?

Humans have my Word and my presence in the world, but they choose the way that seems best to them, not my way. Jonah is so full of himself and his religion he isn’t open to really knowing me or my will. So he runs away and then rationalizes his disobedience. He’s wasting much time, effort, and money—and harming his relationship with me—and yet he feels righteous and justified. Sin is a deep-seated enemy within the human soul; even with my people.

Jonah should be punished, along with Nineveh!

That would be in keeping with my law; but my mercy, grace, and love are in this story also; in fact, they’re the most important part.

Prayer:

Lord, help me lose my willful self every day so I can be what you want me to be; choose your ways, not mine; and always be your humble obedient servant. Amen.

Author: Doug VanBronkhorst

https://woh.org/

Read: Matthew 12:38-41

No sign will be given . . . except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (Matt. 12:39)

I visited an old, abandoned church on the Turkish island of Cunda (pronounced JUNE-dah). It was a relic of the tragic aftermath of World War I when Greek Christians were either killed or forced to flee to Greece—while a similar thing was happening to Turkish Muslims in Greece. A man by the church door said I could “see the fresco,” for a small donation. On the church’s wall was a painting depicting Jonah. That story has always captured people’s imaginations, mostly because of that part with the really big fish.

Jonah’s “burial” in the sea and “resurrection” after three days was a sign, said Jesus, pointing to his own resurrection from the dead. And Nineveh’s repentance was important, too. The whole Jonah story, taken together, helps us better understand God and his ways, especially with sinful people. That’s where the Ninevites and their response come in, along with Jonah’s bad attitude.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll look at seven sections of Jonah’s story from his point of view, and then from God’s perspective as “conversations” in Jonah’s head and in heaven (italicized), at least as I’ve imagined them. Only they know exactly what they were thinking. However, we can apply what they said and did in ways that will, hopefully, help us be more like God in our attitudes and behaviors, and (sorry to say) less like Jonah.

Prayer:

Lord, help me see my own heart, and make me more like you.

Author: Doug VanBronkhorst

https://woh.org/

Read: 1 John 5:13-21

This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. (v. 14)

While in seminary I remember hearing about a prominent theologian who wrote his comprehensive understanding of the Christian faith in a systematic theology. But readers noted that something was missing. He failed to include a chapter on prayer! When asked about that he simply replied that he had forgotten to do so.

Unfortunately, that is what sometimes happens to us. We may love Bible study, worship, fellowship, and service to others, but prayer often is neglected. We forget to pray, or maybe we say a short prayer, but it feels like a perfunctory kind of thing that we do because we are supposed to.

Nothing could be further from John’s view of prayer. For the apostle, prayer is vital to the life of the believer. It is something Christians do with confidence! John wants us to know that we can count on God for help. If there is a genuine need and we ask according to God’s will, God will indeed hear us.

It’s interesting that some of the translations of verse 14, both older and newer versions, use the word “boldness” rather than “confidence.” Indeed, because God is our loving, gracious Father who desires to help us, we should be bold and feel free to ask for his help. How grateful we should be!

Prayer:

Thank you, Father, for hearing our prayers. Help us to never forget to pray, and to pray with confidence. Amen.

Author: John Koedyker

https://woh.org/

Read: 1 John 2:28-3:10

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (v. 1)

When you reach your fifties and sixties, you start to do some reflecting on your life. I remember a significant conversation I had with my mother somewhere in those years. She confided to me that if she would die then, she would have no regrets because she had been so richly blessed by God. She spoke of her family, her multitude of friends, her church, and most of all, the God who had lavished so many blessings on her. I know I agreed with her, because the truth of what she spoke was so evident. She was truly a joyful and grateful person.

This incident came back to me as I read the words of our key verse, 1 John 3:1. The word “given” or “lavished” (NIV) is the one that stands out in this verse. It means “to bestow something in generous or extravagant quantities.”

Looking back on my mother’s life, I know she wasn’t talking about wealth or great prosperity. My parents weren’t rich, but they had enough. And what we had went far beyond material things. It was the spiritual dimension of life—our relationship to Jesus and gratitude to God for what we had—that made life fulfilling. Indeed, it is a privilege and responsibility to be children of God.

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful love you lavish upon us. Help us to respond in gratitude and service. Amen.

Author: John Koedyker

https://woh.org/

Read: 1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of  the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father. (vv. 15-16)

Is it a bad thing to love the world? Doesn’t God love the world so much that he gave his only Son to save us from our sins? These are a couple of questions that may come to mind when we read today’s Bible verses.

To answer the second question first, yes, God does love the world. Sending his Son Jesus to pay the price of our sins is certainly proof of that. And also yes, we should love the world as our Savior does. Indeed, our desire, like God’s, should be that none should perish, but that “all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

But there is another meaning of the “world” here in these verses to which John is referring. His reference in these verses is to the world as a place where sin has domain. John describes this as an anti-God place, where sinful cravings of people dominate and things like lust and boasting hold sway. No, John says, these things are not of God. They are what we often used to hear described as “worldly.” And these things, although they may seem very attractive, do not last.

Prayer:

Lord, help us to “set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2). Amen.

Author: John Koedyker

https://woh.org/

Read: 1 John 2:7-11

I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning . . . [yet] it is a new commandment. (vv. 7-8)

In our society, it seems that people always want what’s new—a new car, a new house, new clothes—you name it. New is best, or so it seems.

Sometimes it definitely is! A friend had an old car that experienced one problem after another. Worn out and unreliable the car was no longer safe to drive. We all breathed a sigh of relief when he bought a newer model. But in many cases we get rid of things too soon. Second hand stores have sprung up everywhere because the “old” things people get rid of still have some life to them. So new can be good, but old can be good too.

John had something similar in mind when he said that what he was writing was both old and new at the same time. What he was talking about was the command to love. That command had been around for a long time: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). But this old command had been given new life by Jesus. Through the life of the Savior, the meaning of love was expanded to include all people—not just fellow Jews. And besides that, the love Jesus displayed was absolute and inexhaustible. Arrest him, mock him, beat him, and crucify him, and his response was still, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Prayer:

Lord, please help us to love like Jesus. Amen.

Author: John Koedyker

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 37:1-17, 34

Trust in him, and he will act. (v. 34)

My wife and I, with our young children in the back seat, were taking a car tour of the Gettysburg battlefield listening to a provided audio. It described the sights. Audio: “On your right, you are seeing a southern soldier on his horse.” Number 1 Child: “Daddy. That looks like a cannon.” Audio: “On your left, you’ll see soldiers, with rifles raised.” Child Number 2: “That’s a barn!’’ My frustration is growing. Everyone is now offering their solutions and directions. It’s getting hot in the car. I uttered something un-preacher-like.

Silence. Then volleys of laughter erupted from the back seat. I make a U-turn, seeing another family car doing the same, as confused as we were. That helped. We went back to the starting point and realized we had made one left turn, one turn too soon. We started over. Soon the described scenes were in sync with what we were viewing! The self-inflicted detour was over!

We hate to see the sign: DETOUR AHEAD. Yet detours in life can teach us humility and perseverance. Consider: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act” (v. 5); “Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you . . .” (v. 34). Detours are able to increase our hope and courage.

Foolishly we resent or rebel against painful experiences of life while knowing the strong hand of God guides our journey and will bring us home at last.

Prayer:

Lord, forgive our foolish ways, especially when we create our own detours in life.

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 62

Truly my soul finds rest in God. (v. 1 NIV)

Her name was Sharon Lampert. She wore a sequined red mask, flowing white cape over a black body-stocking and white go-go boots. She called herself an anti-stress superhero, pushing her sales on the busy streets of Manhattan. Sharon sold a “one and only anti-stress kit,” which consisted of a mix of toys, including a little white teddy bear, “a friend who will unconditionally love you.” At $19.95 it was a steal!

Our stress-filled life style is hazardous to our emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. Why do we rush about when the best gifts of life come not from endless activity with its stress and strain but from the generous hand of God? See the road sign for Christians: REDUCE SPEED. The Lord is not in a hurry. No need to rush to travel with Jesus. Psalm 62 calls us to speed less and trust God more.

Think of the things we value most. The love of God, the love of a marriage partner, your family gathered around the dinner table, the companionship of a friend, a good night’s sleep, a sun-filled day. Now ask yourself a question. Do any of these come from my work or business or are they gifts from the hand of God?

Isaiah reminds us, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will . . . soar . . . like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (40:30-31 NIV).

Prayer:

I rest in you, Lord.

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 34:1-14

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! (v. 8)

Recall stopping your car at roadside fruit and veggies stands? Of course you do! And There’s nothing like freshly picked produce from the garden or fruit from the orchard.

Psalm 34 calls us to enthuse even more over a table laden with spiritual food and drink. “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!” To experience God’s goodness we need to seek him and trust in him daily. At the same time we must be alert to sins that tempt us while we also develop a greater conscience, a greater sense of our responsibilities toward our good God and the needy human family. As you look around you and review your past years isn’t it evident that God does bless those who obey him, while those who disregard the laws of God suffer for it?

As we sing or meditate on this psalm we’re giving God glory and teaching ourselves to continue doing so. If we hope to spend our eternity praising God, it’s appropriate that we should spend as much time as possible doing so here and now. It’s a good thing to keep set times for giving praise to God as the psalmist did. Most of us find this discipline hard to maintain. Happily there is a way to give praise to God that is open for all of us undisciplined types. As we go through the day we see many occasions that are ripe for praise immediately. So let’s do so then and there.

Prayer:

Feed me Lord. Receive my praise.

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 37:16-26

The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives. (v. 21)

Albert Lexie was not a wealthy man. Yet he scraped together a $730 donation to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. This was in 1981. Since then he has given more than $90,000. So where did he come up with all the money? He saved over the course of many years from the tips he collected polishing shoes at the hospital and at local businesses. Meanwhile, on average, the richest one percent own more than half of the world’s wealth. On average they donate just two percent to charities.

As we travel through life it’s easy to make the mistake of envying those who have larger incomes than we and more leisure time as well. Jesus and the apostles warned against such a mistake. Outward prosperity doesn’t last while the gifts of faith, love and generosity last forever (1 Cor. 13).

Likewise, the apostle Paul reminds us we will always have enough to be generous. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8). It helps to give yourself a little test now and then. How much do I really need to happily serve God? Whatever your answer, I invite you to join me in making Paul’s commitment your own: “If we have food and clothing, with these we will be content” (1 Tim. 6:8).

Prayer:

Generous God, guide me on the path to greater generosity. I will begin today.

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 71:1-9

Upon you I have leaned from before my birth. (v. 6)

Evelyn tells how at a health exposition she noticed a young woman standing to one side, a stack of papers in hand. She made no effort to give them out. Instead, her eyes searched the faces of the passersby. As Evelyn approached, she smiled and handed her a brochure. Evelyn was flattered at being singled out. Her smugness disappeared when she saw the literature: it advertised the services of a plastic surgeon!

You know you’re getting older when you thrill at watching a competition skater on TV do a triple axle, and then you head for the kitchen trip over a throw rug. Should I reconsider the TV ad promoting another deal? I can order exercise videos to tone up my sagging muscles. For only $19.95.

What’s going on? Commercial interests find it profitable to appeal to our desire to not get old. Yet it’s as inevitable as graying hair. At birth we begin to age.

Rather than another sales pitch this psalm shows us a better way. Knowing the Lord by faith gives us confidence, for the struggles and challenges of the middle years; and gives hope and courage for dealing with the final years. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Ps. 1:3).

Prayer:

Lord, from birth I have relied on you. You have been my confidence since my youth. I place my hope in you for my remaining years. Amen.

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 137

How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? (v. 4)

My two-room school house is long gone, my high school building too. Grandpa’s farm was cut in half by an expressway. My boyhood church was sold and became, for a time, an antique store. As you read these words I dare say you’re thinking about changes in your own life. To be alive is to deal with change.

The world about us has changed so radically in recent decades that we find it a less congenial place than before to sing the Lord’s song. Our hymns, our professions of faith, celebrate an orderliness, a comforting rhythm of life that we don’t find once we step outside the church door. Still we go on singing expressing faith. No matter what things look like, our God is still in control. For some of us, the changes are close to home. A nagging physical ailment, a painful personal relationship, financial worries, or concerns for our children may quiet the music in our hearts. Yet we sing the Lord’s song by giving him our love and loyalty. We sing by believing God has a good plan for us, as he did for his people of old.

Not a few Hebrew captives believed they would again worship the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem. They did. The day came after 70 years. They returned to the Promised Land and rebuilt the temple. If we remain faithful to our Savior in our day, we too will sing the Lord’s song at home in heaven.

Prayer:

Redeemer God, my faith is in you.

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 37:1-9

I wait for you. (Ps. 25:21)

If you enjoy waiting, you’re rare. For most it’s among our least favorite activities. We wait in traffic lines, at the supermarket, at the bank. Husband and wives wait. Which wallpaper will she ever choose? When will he ever fix that leaky faucet?

If you’re typical, you probably find waiting especially hard. You want to “get on with it!” Yet waiting has its values. Waiting can deepen our faith. Waiting can produce acts of love that are helpful to others and ourselves. In the Bible waiting is almost synonymous with faith. We need to speak to our noisy, anxious selves. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Ps. 37:7). “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isa. 40:31).

So when you find yourself in a waiting mode, make your waiting an act of faith. Quiet yourself before God. Tell God you offer your waiting to him as an act of faith. This will make your waiting more acceptable and more manageable for you. Think clearly about what future actions will be available for you.

As you wait in faith remember that God is active. When all you can do is wait, remember God is active. Imagine a bone-weary Hebrew father at the family table in ancient Egypt. He wonders, where is God? Meanwhile God is sending baby Moses’ sister down to the Nile River to save his life. Later this same Moses will lead the captives to freedom.

Prayer:

O Lord, I pray for those whose waiting is more painful than my own.

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 139:1-12

Even the darkness is not dark to you. (v. 12)

I drove to the hospital. A parishioner of mine was anticipating surgery. She was fearful. What will happen when the lights go out, she wondered, after she received the anesthetic? I read from Psalm 139:11-12, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you.” She was reassured. Dark for her won’t be dark to God.

Indeed as others have noted, God has a record of accomplishing great works in the darkness. When God set out to form and fill the world, “darkness was over the face of the deep” (Gen. 1:2). When Israel fled Egypt, God provided a pillar of fire to accompany them in the darkness. When Jacob fled his brother Esau, he wrestled with God in the dark of night. When Jesus died for our sins, darkness fell upon the earth for three hours. Jesus arose on Easter Sunday morning to give us eternal life. His redemptive work began in the darkness of the tomb.

Reflect on your spiritual journey. When did God speak to you in unforgettable terms? Wasn’t it often at night? Perhaps it was when you had your own “wrestling match” with God, when he was calling you to a certain path you had long resisted. Does your present path seem dark? Are you confused about which way to go or what to do? Call upon the Lord who to this day still does great things in the darkness.

Prayer:

In light or dark I am yours, O Lord.

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 42

My soul thirsts for God. (v. 2)

Can you go back to a place you’ve never been? Of course not. Can you miss someone you’ve never known or loved? No, not really. When you’re feeling discouraged your heart cries out, “My soul pants for you, O God.” When such a cry is real, be assured. Such a cry is sure evidence you know and are known by your heavenly Father and are loved by your Savior.

In the analogy of a journey, check your “review” mirror. Remember where you’ve been. Follow the example of the psalm writer, who was encouraged when he recalled the high places of his journey with God in the land of Jordan, the heights of Hermon (v. 6). You too can recall those past moments in worship with God’s people, rich moments of joy and thanksgiving as you heard God’s Word and sang hymns of praise with the congregation. Remember times when your heart felt filled with God. Such memories have the power of bringing you encouragement when you need it now.

Again, as the psalm writer did, question yourself, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (v. 4). Be sure to also make the psalmist’s affirmation, “I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (v. 5).

Prayer:

God of comfort and joy, be near to all shut-ins whose great loss is no longer being able to attend worship. Give to each one the confidence of saying, “I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/

Read: Psalm 112

He will not fear bad news. (v. 7)

“How ya doin’?” I asked the lady who cleans the condo unit next to ours. “Good,” she answered. Then added, “My mom did die last week.” I said, “I’m sorry.” She said, “It’s OK, she’s at peace. My brother and sisters aren’t though. They’re not believers.”

For unbelievers death ends dear relationships. In contrast, when you hope in the Lord, even death is not the end. You anticipate the joyful reunion God promises. Until then, our Good Shepherd provides all we want or need to complete our journey from earth to heaven. Our goal is, like the cleaning lady, to travel with a steadfast heart avoiding a fearful and wavering heart through the grace God gives us.

A suggestion for keeping a steadfast heart: avoid watching much “breaking news” on TV, lest you become a “broken person.” Pictures of floods, fires, killings, and wars—the devil is happy to use all of these to make us fearful. The way to certainty and confidence is to trust in the truth of God’s unfailing Word. Let his promises provide you with a steadfast heart.

When traveling, children ask, “Are we there yet?” You and I have not finished our course. Fix your mind on God. Memorize promises such as “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you” (Isa. 26:3). Refuse to be anxious about anything and pray about everything, and “the peace of God . . . will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).

Prayer:

Lord, I will focus on Christ my Savior.

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/