I suspect you’ve experienced similar anxiety. What if we make the wrong choice? 

I wish I had read Genesis 24 as a high school senior. I could have learned from Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, and avoided a host of sleepless nights. 

A Lesson from Eliezer

Abraham was living in Canaan, the land God had promised to give him and his descendants. At this point he only had two sons and one plot of land – the burial site of his beloved wife, Sarah. 

But Abraham believed God was going to raise up from him a nation of people to follow the Lord. So when the time came for Isaac, Abraham’s sole heir, to take a wife, Abraham knew he couldn’t marry a pagan Canaanite. He had to marry kin. (It was okay in those days. The gene pool hadn’t yet become corrupted.) 

So he dispatched his trusted servant, Eliezer, on a mission – find a wife for Isaac from among my family in Mesopotamia. This was huge, and Eliezer knew it. Abraham had just entrusted him with the continuance of his line (and the future nation of Israel). 

But Eliezer had grown up in Abraham’s home, and he had watched his master make wise (and not-so-wise) decisions in his hundred years of walking with God. He knew what to do. 

6 Principles for Decision Making

From his example, we can draw six principles for decision making. 

1. Follow the revealed will of your master. 
Abraham was very specific: Do not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac (Gen 24:3). When we face similarly-significant life decisions, we don’t always have such specific instructions from God, but we do have the general wisdom of the Bible. It’s a no brainer, then, that we should never violate any of God’s biblical principles or commands. 

2. Pray and invite God into the search. 
Eliezer asked for God’s favor and direction: “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.” This point seems simplistic, but it’s the one we most often forget. We consult friends and advisors, but we fail to ask the wisest of all Counselors to bless and guide our decision. 

3. Pray specifically. 
Eliezer didn’t ask for “some pretty girl to cross his path” that he could bring home to Isaac. Instead, he looked up, saw the young women of the city coming to draw water from the well, and asked God for specific direction. “May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’ – let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master” (v. 14). 

 And what do you know? “Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor” (v. 15). 

Notice he didn’t pray outlandishly: “God, please make a spotlight appear over her head and a host of angels surround her with rainbows and unicorns to show me she’s the one.” Instead, he simply prayed for God to reveal his will through timing and circumstances. 

4. Worship God when he answers your prayer. 
When Eliezer realized God had answered his prayer and Rebekah was the one, he bowed in holy awe. “Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives” (v. 26-27). 

5. Tell others how God has guided you.
Sharing faith stories with others strengthens their faith and helps them trust God, too. When Eliezer described the details of his quest to Rebekah and her family and how specifically God had answered his prayers, they couldn’t doubt that the circumstances were from God. They surrendered eagerly and wholeheartedly to God’s will. 

 “Laban and Bethuel answered, ‘This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the LORD has directed’” (v. 50-51). 

 6. Watch how God uses your obedience in far-reaching ways. 
Eliezer’s assignment was to find a wife for his master’s son, Isaac. We know that Isaac married Rebekah, who gave birth to twins, Jacob and Esau. Jacob had twelve sons. Their descendants became the twelve tribes of Israel. Through the tribe of Judah came a young virgin named Mary came. She gave birth to a tiny baby named Jesus, the Messiah, who brought salvation to every tribe, tongue, and people in the world.

“Through you, God told Abraham, all peoples on earth will be blessed.” And blessed indeed are we.  

Learning to Trust and Obey

My fretful, tormented time of decision making as a young adult ultimately led me to see how much I needed God’s wisdom to guide me. I surrendered my life to his control and have never looked back. 

Each year I learn more about what it means to trust and obey him. I hope, as I share my flawed and sometimes fragile faith, others will be inspired to trust him, too. Like Abraham, I want others to be blessed because of what God has done and continues to do in me. 

How about you? Are you struggling with a decision and unsure what path to take? Why not follow Eliezer’s example? I’m confident that as you obey what God has already told you, pray specifically, worship God, and tell others about your experience, the same God who answered Eliezer’s cry for help will also answers yours. I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do.

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We read Isaiah 40:31 about mounting up on wings like eagles, running and not growing weary, and walking and not fainting, but it feels like we’re walking and fainting more than running and flying. 

But we know the Bible is true, and God never lies. So there must be a way to walk in faith. How do we access this superpower God promises to believers?

Three Easy Steps to Grow in Your Walk with God

Step 1: Realize you need God’s help.

Walking in faith begins with a realization—we must realize (and admit) that we need God’s help. That each day and all it contains is too big, too scary, and too uncertain to face in our own strength. 

For years, I relied on my own abilities to tackle every challenge. I was a Helen Reddy wannabe: “I am woman, hear me roar.” 

I had read books about marriage, so I knew how to make mine successful . . . until we faced challenges I hadn’t anticipated. Then I had to fall on my face and admit to God, “I don’t know how to fix this. I need You.”

I had read books about child rearing too. I followed the plan, but guess what? My daughters didn’t fit the examples given in the book. I could control their behavior (to a point), but I couldn’t, through the force of my will or the strength of my personality, compel them to love God.

I had to admit to myself and to God, “I don’t know what to do. I need Your help.”

Do you remember wise king Jehoshaphat, one of the good leaders of Judah? He led the people to worship God, but one day, the Moabites and the Ammonites, strong and terrifying people, came marching against Jerusalem, bent on destroying it and everyone who lived within its walls. Jehoshaphat was terrified, but instead of marshalling his forces, counting his bullets, and dusting off his fighter jets, he gathered the people, proclaimed a fast, and admitted that he needed help.

Second Chronicles 20:12 records his prayer: “Our God,” Jehoshaphat said, “we are powerless before this vast number that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you.”

I don’t know how many times I’ve knelt before the Lord and prayed a version of Jehoshaphat’s prayer, “Lord, I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on You. God, I need Your strength. I need Your wisdom, and I need Your guidance. I need Your provision and Your protection. I need Your promises, and I need Your power. Be glorified in me today.”

The apostle Paul was another godly believer who came to this realization. Paul wanted to walk and serve in health and wholeness. Instead, he had a debilitating physical condition. God had healed others through him, but God hadn’t healed Paul himself.

Do you remember what God told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9? “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”

What was Paul’s response? “Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.” Paul stopped relying on his own abilities and strength and admitted he needed God.

Like Jehoshaphat and Paul, we cannot walk in faith in our own strength. We must acknowledge that we need God’s help.

Step 2: Learn God’s character so you can trust Him.

The second step to walking in faith is learning God’s character so we can trust Him.

When I brought my first daughter home from the hospital, she didn’t trust me. Not one bit. My belly had been sliced open on an operating table to bring her into this world. I’d pledged my life to care for her, provide for her, and protect her, but she didn’t know that. 

All she knew was that she was hungry, or wet, or frightened.

So she screamed. Every single time she had a need.

Empty tummy? She screamed.
Wet diaper? She screamed.
Scary noise? She screamed.

Every time she screamed, I responded. 

I fed her. 
I changed her. 
I comforted her.
I kissed her, hugged her, and prayed over her.

Little by little, she learned about me. She didn’t know that she was learning my character, but she was. 

When I fed her, she learned that she could trust me to provide what she needed. I was her provider.

When I changed her, she learned that I was able and committed to care for her. I was her caregiver.

When I comforted her, she learned that her emotional needs mattered to me. I loved her.

Gradually, as her trust in me grew, she screamed less. She felt less fear. She trusted my timing. She had learned that I knew best what she needed, and she could trust me to provide it.

We can’t trust someone we don’t know, and the only way to get to know God is to learn about Him from His own words.

The same is true in our faith walk. To fully rely on God’s strength, we must learn His character. We can’t trust someone we don’t know, and the only way to get to know God is to learn about Him from His own words. 

Sermons, podcasts, and books are great, but when we read the Bible, we are reading the very words of God from His heart to ours. The Bible is how God reveals Himself to us so we can learn to love and trust Him. 

When we read the Bible—the whole Bible—we learn that God is:

• Powerful
• Loving
• Kind
• Wise
• Just
• Patient
• Tender
• Righteous
• Sacrificial

The list goes on and on. 

Day after day, year after year, as we read the history of His love for mankind that reaches from before time began and stretches into eternity, we learn His character and begin to trust Him. 

How could we not trust someone who is powerful, loving, kind, wise, just, patient, tender, and sacrificial?

We see how faithful and kind and patient He was with others in the Bible narrative, and we realize that the same God who worked in their lives is at work in ours. We realize He can give us the strength and ability to walk in faith. 

As our trust grows, it begins to manifest itself in our prayers. First, we trust Him with small things—a prayer here and a prayer there. We see how He answers, and our faith grows. 

Eventually, we trust Him with bigger things, and we see Him answer in wisdom and kindness. As He cares for us, we see how He loves us. Our needs aren’t burdensome to Him. He loves to give good gifts to His children. He loves to provide, protect, and comfort us.

Step 3: Come to God every day.

The final step to walking in faith is coming to God daily for the grace and help we need.

I wish when we accepted Christ as our Savior, we immediately received a lifetime supply of grace and strength. Just back up the semi-truck, Lord, and unload it. I’ll find somewhere to store it. If grace and strength worked this way, I’d be set. 

Feeling uncertain about a decision? Turn on the wisdom spigot.

Scared by a test result? Put the need cup under the faucet.

Hopeless because my loved one still isn’t following the Lord? Turn on the hose, and I’d have all the wisdom and faith I needed.

But you know what? If grace and strength and faith worked this way, I’d never need to sit before God and pour out my heart to Him. I wouldn’t have to labor in prayer and experience the joy when He answers. 

I’d never learn how tender and sweet He could be when my tears flow freely and my heart aches. Or how powerful He is when things seem impossible.

Remember the forty years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness? A million needy people, stuck in the desert with no way to provide for themselves. How did God feed them?

He sent manna.

Every day, just enough for the day, but enough for the day. No one ever went hungry. No one ever lacked what they needed. Day after day after day.

Lamentations 3:22–23 tells us “[The Lord’s mercies] are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!”

When we come to Him every day, we find that He is faithful to meet us there. He gives us the strength, hope, provision, and grace to walk in faith that day. 

And then tomorrow, He does it again. 

Day after day after day.

Do you know the posture God wants us to have as we come to him? He tells us in Psalm 81:10, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” 

He tells us to ask and we will receive (Matt. 7:7). He encourages us to ask in faith, believing (James 1:6).

So how do we supernaturally walk in faith?

First, we realize and admit that we need God—that we cannot do it alone. 

Second, we read the Bible—the whole Bible—to learn God’s character and why we can trust Him.

Finally, we come to Him every day for the grace and help we need.

Walking in faith, compared to flying or running, is decidedly unglamorous. One clunky step after another. Walking is slow, methodical, and decidedly ungraceful. 

This is why I was surprised that Isaiah included walking in his glorious description of the believer who hopes in the Lord: 

Those who trust in the LORD
will renew their strength; 
they will soar on wings like eagles; 
they will run and not become weary, 
they will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Most of us can probably describe a time when we soared—a season when all was right with the world and we were on top of it. Life was effortless and glorious.

We may also recall times when we ran with strength and speed. We tackled life’s challenges with endless enthusiasm.

Flying and running days, however, are the exception for the Christian. As my pastor pointed out one day, we spend most of our lives walking.

Thankfully, God promises that if we:

Realize and admit that we cannot do it alone . . . 

Learn His character so we can trust Him . . . 

Go to Him every day for the help we need . . . 

He’ll help us walk and not faint. 

Every single day. 

Until He returns or calls us home.

*This post first appeared on Revive Our Hearts and is based on Lori’s book Walking in Faith: 60 Devotions to Renew Your Strength, published by Our Daily Bread Publishing.

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Lori here — How do we cling to hope when we’re ready to quit praying? Today’s Refresh post shares powerful reasons to hope even when life seems hopeless. Thanks for reading today.

 

 

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Prayer is a lonely business.

 

 

Especially those middle of the night prayer times, when the world is asleep, and we are awake. It’s easy for our hearts to grow faint when darkness looms loud and the sky seems an impenetrable ceiling.

 

 

Satan Whispers

 

 

Satan, that deceiver of the brethren, whispers softly, so as not to awaken those resting peacefully nearby. He might as well shout it from the housetops; it’s already ringing loudly in our ears—

 

 

Why bother?

 

 

What’s the use? 

 

 

How long will you continue to pray?

 

 

Sometimes he’s the snake in the garden. Did God really say . . . 

 

 

Other times he’s a ventriloquist, using Job’s wife as his puppet. Curse God and die.

 

 

Our ears fill with tears, reservoirs for the streams that leak from our eyes unchecked into salty puddles. We lie there, frightened, paralyzed by what if’s and the worst possible scenario, some of which has already come true. Our minds defeat us before we breathe our first prayer, and we gasp our pleas to an almighty God whom we’ve rendered powerless by our lack of faith.

 

 

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6-8).

 

 

“. . . but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it” (Mat. 14:24).

 

 

And the waves threaten to drown us, and the sea rages around us, and the sky is inky black.

 

 

Then Jesus Comes

 

 

Yet it was in that fourth watch of the night—the most profound of darkness—that Jesus came to them, walking on the lake, because even mustard seed faith is enough to summon the Lord of the seas.

 

 

“Take courage!” he calls, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 

 

 

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter (and we) reply, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

 

 

“Come,” he said. 

 

 

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

 

 

And our fledgling faith steps falter, and we sink flailing into the sea.

 

 

 

 

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 

 

 

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

 

 

If You’re Weeping

 

 

If you’re weeping in the darkness and drowning in the sea today, take comfort. The wind and the waves obey our Lord’s command. Satan is a defeated foe who trembles at his name. And the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:16).

 

 

Pray on, dear friend, and rest in the knowledge that there’s no safer place than in the eye of the storm if Jesus is in the boat with you.

 

 

“Christianity,” a wise pastor once said, “is less about you holding on to God, and more about him holding on to you.”

 

 

“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:7-9).

 

 

Your Storm

 

 

What storm are you facing today? If you’ll leave your name in the comment box, I’d like to pray for you.

 

 

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• 6 Principles When You’re Struggling to Make a Decision – How to Know God’s Will by LoriAHatcher
• Three Easy Steps to Grow in Your Walk with God by LoriAHatcher
• How To Cling to Hope When You’re Ready to Quit Praying by LoriAHatcher
• Three Simple Ways to Tackle the Hard Things in Your Life by LoriAHatcher
• 3 Simple Habits that Can Chart the Course of Your Life by LoriAHatcher
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Hard Tasks

What’s the hardest task you’ve ever faced?

I can imagine a variety of answers. 

Many would say motherhood. The thought of caring for one or more children from before birth to independence (and beyond) often overwhelms new and prospective parents. To bear the sole responsibility for feeding, clothing, educating, protecting, nurturing, shepherding, doctoring, training, and the myriad of other tasks that fall under the job description Parent is monumental. 

Others would say being a caregiver is the hardest thing they’ve ever done. Many have accepted (or had thrust upon them) the responsibility of caring for a sick spouse, child, or parent. In many ways, this responsibility can be even more complex and difficult than caring for the needs of young children. 

Still others would say single parenting, working in a challenging and thankless job, staying married to a difficult spouse, parenting a prodigal child, pastoring a struggling church, battling an addiction, completing a long-term project, or clinging to faith in desperate circumstances is overwhelmingly difficult. 

Consider Noah

If you’re facing an insurmountable task today, consider the story of Noah in Genesis 6 and 7. “Noah was a just man,” Genesis 6:9 says. “Noah walked with God.” 

One day God called Noah to a monumental task – to build an ark. 

I’ve read these four words a hundred times. Maybe a thousand. My eyes slide over them with barely a pause. “Noah, build an ark.” Got it. 

But think for a moment. 

What exactly did God call Noah to do? Build an ark. Not a boat. Or a barge. Or a flotilla. An ARK – an ark that could comfortably house two of every species of bird and animal in the world. 

Did you know the ark was 450 feet long? And 75 feet wide? That’s 150 feet longer and 25 feet wider than a football field. A FOOTBALL FIELD. It was three stories high, built of gopher wood, and covered in pitch. 

One man, Noah. Three sons (I assume they helped). And three axes. (There were no saw mills, hardware stores, or power tools back in Noah’s day). 

The Ark

Ken Ham, from Answers in Genesis, set out to build a true-to-size model of Noah’s ark as part of the Ark Encounter exhibit. According to the Wikipedia, the giant boat, which was constructed by Amish builders using traditional timber framing techniques, required more than 1,000 craftsmen. Even with modern tools, a thousand workers, and pre-cut lumber, the project took more than five years to complete. 

It took Noah and his sons twelve decades. One hundred and twenty years. One 40-hour work week, times four men, times 120 years equals 998,400 man hours. 

Can you imagine what went through Noah’s head when God called him to this overwhelming task?

I’m thankful God hasn’t called any of us to build an ark. But he calls many of us to undertake monumental, overwhelming, I-can’t-do-this-on-my-own tasks every day. 

How did Noah accomplish his incredible feat? And how do we accomplish the seemingly insurmountable tasks God calls us to every day? 

Three Tips We Can Learn from Noah

1. Take One Day at a Time

I’m confident Noah didn’t peer into the future and calculate how many trees he’d have to cut down to build a 450 foot boat. He rose every morning and asked God’s blessing on that day’s work. “Do not worry about tomorrow,” Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:36, “for tomorrow will worry about its own things.” This doesn’t mean we fail to plan beyond today. It means we do our best and trust God with the rest. 

2. Tackle One Task at a Time

Every day Noah awakened from sleep, picked up his hammer, and did the next thing. He cut a board, hammered a nail, or smeared some pitch. While he followed the grand plan, he knew he’d grow discouraged if he pondered the enormity of the project. By tackling the first task of the day, and then the next, and then the next, we can follow his example. Focusing on the individual steps in the grand plan will help us slowly but surely accomplish the task God has called us to. 

3. Accomplish One Act of Obedience at a Time

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.” I suspect Emerson gleaned this thought from the parable of the stewards (Mat. 25:14-30), where the master rewarded those who faithfully obeyed his instructions in his absence. As they acted upon the master’s promise to reward them upon his return, they secured both temporary and future rewards. 

Like Noah obeyed God’s call to build an ark and trusted God to enable, equip, and provide for him, we too can accept the callings God has ordained for us, even when they seem greater than our abilities. 

Don’t Give Up

Many of you are facing monumental tasks. Whether you’re praying for a prodigal, wrestling with cancer, caring for a loved one, or fighting for your marriage, don’t give up. With God’s help, you can build your ark – one day, one task, and one act of obedience at a time. 

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). 

Have you ordered your copy of Walking in Faith? Click the image to order.

When you order a new release within the first month, you show retailers that it’s a book worth stocking. They’ll share it with other readers and thoughtful seekers. Thanks for helping me reach more people with words of hope and faith! And if you’ve already enjoying a copy, would you please leave your honest review on Amazon? I’m nearing my goal of 50 reviews. Only 12 more to go!

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Lori here: What do cavities and daily habits have to do with your spiritual life? Today’s Refresh post connects the two and shares three simple habits that can chart the course of your life. Thanks for reading today!

 

 

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“What you do every day will either keep you or kill you.” This pearl of wisdom often drops from my dentist/boss’s mouth.

 

 

Case in point

 

 

 

 

 

One day a college student who worked at a fast food restaurant several nights a week came in for his semi-annual dental checkup. We found 12 cavities. When we quizzed him about his daily habits, he admitted that he often sipped his favorite soft drink, Mountain Dew, to keep awake during his late-night shifts. He was shocked to learn he had so many cavities. 

 

 

We weren’t. 

 

 

Another patient, an older man who taught at a local school, was also surprised when I announced he had two cavities. “You must be mistaken,” he said. “I haven’t gotten a cavity in 20 years.” 

 

 

He’d complained earlier about a dry mouth, so I asked him about his daily habits. “Do you regularly suck on candy or chew sugared gum?” 

 

 

His eyes grew wide. “Now that you mention it,” he said, “I started sucking on peppermints to keep my mouth moist while I lecture.” 

 

 

Mystery solved. 

 

 

Unfortunately, destructive daily habits aren’t limited to the dental realm. Regular smokers die of cancer and emphysema. Regular drinkers experience liver disease, digestive problems, and heart disease. Chronic couch potatoes are often obese and diabetic. 

 

 

The Destructive Power of Poor Spiritual Habits

 

 

More serious than any health problem I’ve mentioned, though, are the destructive results of poor spiritual habits. Studies have shown that those who never miss a Facebook update are more likely to be depressed and discontent. Those who spend every Sunday on the golf course or the beach have great tans but pale spiritual lives. Those who seldom miss a workout but never exercise spiritual discipline are strong on the outside and weak on the inside. 

 

 

3 Spiritual Habits that Will Keep You, Not Kill You

 

 

If you’d like to cultivate daily spiritual habits that will keep you rather than kill you, here are a few suggestions:

 

 

1. Read good books.

 

 

One godly woman I admire has three books going at all times—one spiritual, one practical, and one just for fun. She puts them in strategic places like in her car, on her nightstand, in her purse, and yes, in the bathroom. Even if she only reads a few pages, she’s still reading more than if she hadn’t been intentional about it. 

 

 

2. Keep a thankful journal.

 

 

Ann Voskamp began the movement to catalog at least three gifts from God every day in her book, One Thousand Gifts. It is a habit with strong biblical roots. Physically writing down the acts of God in our daily lives helps us remember that he is always working on our behalf. Being thankful protects us against ingratitude, entitlement, and doubt. 

 

 

3. Speak blessings.

 

 

 

 

We live in a world characterized by negativity. Every day our husbands, children, and friends are pelted with words that hurt their hearts. When we speak blessings over them, we kiss the bruises.

 

 

Imagine how your husband would face the day differently if the last words he heard from you as he walked out the door were, “I’ll be praying for you today. You’re going to do great.” How might your child feel as he climbs onto the school bus after you remind him of the special ways God has gifted him? How might your coworker feel if you greet her with a smile and tell her one specific thing you appreciate about her? 

 

 

And here’s an interesting observation: In the dyslexia of the divine, God somehow often manages to multiply the blessings we give away so they come back to us. 

 

 

Habits Chart the Course of Our Life

 

 

I hope these three spiritual habits (and my cavity-ridden patients) have caused you to think about what you do every day. Habits, good or bad, chart the course of our lives. “As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it,” Job 4:8 reminds us. 

 

 

The prophet Hosea offers a better way: “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you” (10:12). 

 

 

Now it’s your turn.

 

 

 Are your daily habits killing you or keeping you? What habits have positively or negatively affected your life? What spiritual habit would you add to my list above? Leave a comment and share your thoughts. I’d love to hear them. 

 

 

---

 

 

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Lori here — Do you ever wonder what heaven might be like? What will it look like when we cross the heavenly finish line? Today we’ll imagine together what that day could be like.

The morning was cool for a southern September day. Grey skies hid the sun and kept the temperature hovering in the low 80’s. My husband and I joined the other families jockeying for spots as we set up our folding chairs to face the lake. Behind us, a red banner strung between two poles declared FINISH LINE.

All eyes were trained on the horizon, straining for a glimpse of the first swimmer in the Lake Murray Dam Swim. We checked our watches. It had been forty minutes since the first wave of competitors had entered the water on the other side of the lake, two-and-a-half miles from the finish line. 

Our granddaughter was among them. 

Watching for Pink

“Watch for pink caps,” my grandson said. “The first group is wearing pink ones.”

In the distance, we could see DNR boats with their blinking lights marking the path. Buoys, kayakers, and paddle boarders flanked the lanes, providing visual markers for the swimmers. 

Some swimmers, confused by the vast expanse of the lake and the necessity of swimming with their head down in the water for such a long distance, drifted off course. They wasted valuable time and energy reorienting and correcting their course.

On shore, a ripple ran through the crowd.

In the Distance

“I think I see someone!” a man said, pointing. “It’s a pink cap. And there’s an orange one behind it.”

We all looked, curious to see who’d be the first competitor to swim into the flag-lined finish chute, run down the sandy beach, step on the touch pad, and cross the finish line. 

More than one hundred swimmers were competing that morning, so they were released in heats. The winners would be the ones who crossed the lake in the shortest amount of time, not necessarily the first to cross the finish line. 

And so we watched, eager to cheer for every swimmer who successfully completed the long journey across the lake. 

Not all would. 

Not All Would

Some would grow tired and quit. Others would succumb to fear. Some swimmers would start out too fast or too slow and never find their rhythm. Still others would allow doubt to overwhelm them. Some had come unprepared or undertrained. 

Those who couldn’t finish were pulled from the lake and ferried back to shore.

“Here they come!” someone yelled. Sure enough, an armada of caps bobbed in the distance. The first swimmers approached the finish chute. A muscular young adult emerged from the water and jogged across the line as the crowd cheered. Two more followed him.

“Here comes the first female,” a woman near me yelled and pointed. “I think that’s Joanie!”

We all cheered when Joannie slogged across the sand, dripping and triumphant. We could feel her joy at not only finishing, but finishing well.

Sometimes in clumps and other times alone, swimmers crossed the finish line as we strained for a glimpse of our girl.

Spotting Our Girl

“There she is!” my grandson yelled, pointing to a pink cap in the distance. Steady and strong, our granddaughter’s arms rose and fell in the water as she neared the end of her race.

We yelled, then we yelled louder. “Go, girlie, go! You’ve got this! Finish strong! You’re almost there!”

Tears sprang to my eyes as I watched my granddaughter cross the line, breathing hard, flushed with exertion, and smiling. 

Smiling.

The crowd clapped, and we cheered. Relieved and proud, we swarmed her in hugs.

Later, as I reflected on the excitement of the morning, I wondered.

Is This What Heaven Is Like?

Do our believing loved ones who have gone on ahead watch the horizon, straining for a glimpse of us? Are they cheering us on, encouraging us to finish well? Will they meet us on the other side and envelope us in teary hugs? Will they tell us how proud they are?

Scripture doesn’t tell us everything, but it’s fun to imagine.

No matter what that hallowed day looks like, I know one thing: It will be glorious.

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus

Philippians 3:13–14

And so we press on. 

We finish strong.

We finish well.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Hebrews 12:1–2

Run (or swim) your race. People are watching.

Now it’s your turn. What do you imagine your entrance into heaven will look like? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

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“Son of man, can these bones live?” 

To Ezekiel, surrounded by a valley of dried bones, God’s question seemed . . . absurd. 

Heart-wrenching and hopeless. 

Maybe even cruel. 

I’ve stood at the bedside and caskets of dead loved ones. If anyone had asked me, “Can these bones live?” I would have answered as Mary did long ago, “‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection,’ But not now. He’s dead” (John 11:24). 

Ezekiel’s Vision

Ezekiel wasn’t sitting beside a deceased loved one or standing by the coffin of someone who had passed away. He was surrounded by a vast expanse of beyond-dead bones—bones that had laid there so long they were one footfall away from dust. And yet God asked, “Can these bones live?” 

Ezekiel, faith-filled prophet and priest that he was, answered God’s question in a way that defied the obvious and left room for a miracle. 

“Sovereign Lord, you alone know” (Ezekiel 37:3). 

How many times have you looked at a loved one or a friend and seen what Ezekiel saw—a valley of dry bones? Not physical bones like those that littered the plains of Ezekiel’s vision, but spiritual ones? Dry bones that housed a soul running hard away from God and in danger of disintegrating when the next crisis came? 

How often have you cried over, prayed for, begged, and witnessed to someone you love who seemed determined to march straight into eternity separated from God? How many times have you stopped praying, thinking there was no hope, only to shoulder the prayer burden again, clinging to the knowledge that it’s not God’s will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance? 

With rare exception, physical resurrection belongs to the realm of the miraculous, but spiritual resurrections happen all the time. 

Paul Had Dry Bones

The apostle Paul was one. His spiritual bones, though zealous and religious, were deader than dead. “For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13-14). 

Yet the God he blasphemed called his name. Rebuked him for his sin. Filled him with faith. And breathed spiritual life into his soul. Paul passed from death to life in a transformation so glorious he never stopped talking about it. 

I Had Dry Bones Too

Unlike Paul, I had no religious cloak to cover my spiritually dry bones. I was lost without pretense or hope. I couldn’t claim, as he did, that I was seeking to please God. I was seeking to please myself. I was number one, and there was no number two. 

Yet, to borrow from Paul’s testimony in Galatians 1:15, God, “set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace.” 

A Trail of Dry Bones

God’s been breathing life into dry bones for millennia. He began with Adam. Then He plucked Abraham out of the pagan land of the Chaldees, and made of him a great nation. 

He chose David from the sheep folds and transformed him into a man after his own heart. He plucked Josiah, a tiny boy of eight, and Methuselah, an aged man of centuries and made them compatriots in the vast army of believers. 

He’s summoned into life the dry bones of princesses and prostitutes, drug addicts and doctors. No heart is too hard, and no sin too great for God’s breath to resurrect. Over and over again I’ve seen him replace hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, transforming haters of God into lovers of God.

If someone you care about looks like a pile of spiritually dry bones, and you wonder if they could ever live, I invite you to stand in the valley with Elijah. Lift your eyes from the dead bones to the living Savior and say in faith and hope, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” 

What Happened in the Valley

“And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 

“Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army” (Ezekiel 37:7-10). 

Unlike Elijah, we can’t command spiritual life into anyone, but we can ask God to work.

What Can We Do?

I invite you today—will you join me, in faith and trust, and invite the Lord God to breathe life into our loved ones’ souls? May we live to see God raise up a vast army of Jesus followers from the dry bones of those we love, for their good, and for His glory. Amen. 

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When you order a new release within the first month, you show retailers that it’s a book worth stocking. They’ll share it with other readers and thoughtful seekers. Thanks for helping me reach more people with words of hope and faith! And if you’ve already enjoying a copy, would you please leave your honest review on Amazon? I’m nearing my goal of 50 reviews. Only 12 more to go!

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The post Are You Losing Hope for Your Unsaved Loved Ones? appeared first on Lori Hatcher.

        

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What are you waiting for? It’s time to use the bunny bowls.

I come from a long line of “savers.” My grandmother saved the soft nightgown we gave her for Christmas in case she went into the hospital. My aunt saved her favorite dress “for special occasions.” My mom saved “the best” China for company that seldom visited.

Years ago, the United States Navy deployed my son-in-law to Yokosuka, Japan. As a new bride, my daughter went with him. She traveled 6,970 miles away from her home and family.

As soon as I could, I visited. We hugged a lot, ate authentic sushi, and shopped in the fun little stores in her new town. I bought traditional Kokeshi dolls as souvenirs for my friends and family, but I wanted a more practical item for myself. 

Bunny bowls

The Japanese are known for their pottery. One day we visited a shop filled with hand-painted and beautiful pieces. As I browsed the store, I spotted a set of pale blue bowls. Frolicking rabbits and Ginko tree leaves danced across the outside. On the inside, the artist had painted a fat-bottomed bunny, complete with whiskers and a fluffy tail.

I was in love.

The pottery was pricey, but I knew I’d found the perfect remembrance of my trip.

I wrapped them in layers of clothing and tucked them into my carryon. No way was I trusting the baggage handlers with my precious bunny bowls.

The dishes arrived home intact, and after I showed them to my family, I squirreled them away in the back of the kitchen cupboard. There they stayed, safe and protected.

I didn’t use them because they might get chipped or broken, and that would be sad. Occasionally I’d take them out, look at them, and smile, but for the most part, they stayed tucked away in the cupboard.

After several years, I’d almost forgotten them. 

One Day

But one day, as I looked for a seldom-used dish, I saw them. Their paint was as bright as the day I brought them home. I admired the delicate brush strokes and smiled at the cotton-tailed bunnies painted on the inside.

I’m going to use a bunny bowl today, I decided. It seemed fitting to use my favorite bowl for my favorite treat, so I scooped some cookies and cream ice cream into the bowl. As I savored the creamy goodness, I smiled. Memories of my daughter and the places I’ve visited with her and her husband flooded my mind. 

When I spooned the last bite of ice cream into my mouth, I looked down and smiled again. On the bottom of the bowl, coated with the remnants of my dessert, sat the whiskery bunny I’d fallen in love with years before.

I’d tucked away the bunny bowls because if I used them, they might get chipped, broken, or worn out. I’d protected them from harm, but I’d also kept myself from enjoying them. 

God Doesn’t Promise Tomorrow

I’ve come to realize the truth that God doesn’t promise us tomorrow. “This is the day that the Lord has made,” He tells us in Psalm 118:24 (ESV). Today is the day to rejoice—in soft nightgowns, favorite dresses, and bunny bowls.

We don’t have to bank joy for another day. When we do, we say to God, “Your blessings are limited, and I don’t believe you’ll send more. I must hoard them.” 

But God says, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it!” (Psalm 81:10).

Every Day

Now I use my bunny bowls almost every day. I smile as I eat cereal in them. I scoop stew into their blue beauty. I fill them with oatmeal and fruit—and ice cream—so much ice cream.

One day, as I washed one of the bowls, my dishcloth snagged. The edge of blue paint that adorned the rim no longer ran interrupted around the top. A small piece had chipped off, exposing the white pottery underneath.

I sighed. What I had originally feared had happened. My beloved bunny bowl wasn’t perfect any more.

Should I return the remaining bowls to the back of the cupboard?

I rinsed the suds from the dish and dried it with a soft towel. I glanced again at that fat-bottomed bunny.

Then I reached for the ice cream.

One Day

One day my bowls will break beyond repair, and I’ll be sad. But I’ll never forget that joyous trip to visit my girl and the thousands of meals I’ve enjoyed in my dishes.

I’ll smile, because the same God who gave me my bunny bowls has new gifts waiting for me. 

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).

What special gift from God are you reluctant to enjoy? 

It’s time to use the bunny bowl.

What have you “tucked away” that you’ve been reluctant to enjoy? I’d like to hear what that is. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

P.S. Have you been reading Walking in Faith? If you’ve enjoyed it, would you please share your honest thoughts in an Amazon review? Reviews help other readers find great books. I”m hoping to get 50 reviews by next week, and I’m only 16 away. Your review can help me get there! Thanks so much! (Click the image below to leave a review.)

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LORD, WILL YOU OVERWHELM ME?

2 Chronicles 6:41–7:3

It’s impossible to imagine eternity. I can’t visualize the majesty of God’s presence and the breathtaking reality of seeing Jesus: His scars, His smile, and the love in His eyes. My desire to be with Jesus continues to grow; yet “now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”¹⁰

I’m going to live with God forever, and I’ll worship Him for all eternity. The curtains of this world will be drawn back, exposing the splendor of His eternal presence. My humanity causes this vision to fade, but when I truly focus—when I cast the cares of this world behind—I almost get a glimpse.

“In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”¹¹ Come, Lord Jesus.

PRAY WITH ME

Father in heaven, You exceed description. Your glory transcends all else. I confess my worship could be so much more if I devoted myself to You more fully. Thank You for awakening my heart to the riches of Your glory. Please overwhelm me with Your loveliness. 

In Jesus’s matchless name, amen.

Read 2 Chronicles 6:41–7:3 and reflect on these thoughts

King Solomon closed his prayer by inviting the Lord God to enter His resting place. Solomon included the priests and godly ones in his closing words, and he beseeched the Lord to continue showing favor toward him in memory of His love for King David.

God immediately responded in an awe-inspiring manner. Fire signifying His presence¹² descended from heaven, consuming the burnt offering and sacrifices. This outstanding display confirmed that “the Lord, enthroned above the ark in the temple, accepted, well pleased, the sacrificial service carried on on the altar of this temple.”¹³Everything reached a crescendo as the Lord’s glory permeated the temple.

Nothing could have readied the people for the magnitude of God’s presence, and the priests couldn’t even step inside. When the Israelites gazed upon this fiery sight and beheld God’s glory, they knelt “with their faces to the ground.”¹⁴ This posture eliminated the fire from their sight, but they still felt its heat. What an extraordinary yet fearful experience! Worship rose while words of the Lord’s goodness and eternal lovingkindness gushed forth.

The Israelites’ God exists today, yet He now dwells in His people rather than in a hand-built, stone temple. His glory remains unspeakably magnificent, and He deserves every ounce of reverence. When recognized and honored, the Holy Spirit’s presence within us ignites passion. God’s radiance should shine freely through us into our dark world. May the Lord overwhelm us with His glory, drawing near to us as we draw near to Him.¹⁵

Apply this passage to your life

Which of God’s characteristics particularly awes you, and why?

How will you implement more reverence into your prayers?

Practice prayer on your own

Read Exodus 3:1–6 and Ezekiel 1:22–28. Write your own prayer in response.

Taken from Closer to God © 2026 by Emily Wickham. Used by permission of Our Daily Bread Publishing, P.O. Box 3566, Grand Rapids, MI 49501. Further distribution is prohibited without permission from Our Daily Bread Publishing at permissionsdept@odbm.org 

Closer to God: A 10-Week Study on Prayer is available at Our Daily Bread, Amazon, Christianbook, Barnes & Noble, and more.

EMILY WICKHAM shares God’s Word and wonders with women. She is the author of Closer to God: A 10-Week Study on Prayer, as well as a podcaster, Youtuber, and Lifeway writer. Married to Mark since 1989, she is a mom of four and a mother-in-love. Emily enjoys life close to the beach in South Carolina. Learn more about Emily at proclaiminghimtowomen.com and enjoy her weekly posts at heartstirrings.substack.com.

Connect with Emily on Social Media:

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Her comfort food of choice is a heaping pile of French fries. Mine is a cookies and cream milkshake. We know that comfort foods don’t change a thing (except maybe our caloric input and blood sugar levels), but misery loves company, and desperate times call for desperate measures.

I know you’ve been there.

You’ve talked about a situation, prayed it through, and accepted the loss, but sometimes simple pleasures help ease the sting.

So there we were

So there we were, her with her pile of fries and I with my milkshake, sitting across the table from each other. She dug into her fries (no ketchup, please), and I popped the lid off my milkshake. I dug my spoon into the creamy goodness and lifted it to my mouth. 

That’s when I noticed something dangling from the spoon. 

It wasn’t an ice cream drip. 

It was a long, dark, milkshake-covered hair.

Those of you who are thinking that I shouldn’t have been drowning my sorrows in a milkshake are nodding your heads right now and saying, “Um hm, I told you so,” but the rest of you are feeling my pain.

A hair in my consolation milkshake? Really? Wasn’t the initial disappointment enough?  Must I have sorrow upon sorrow?

I raised the spoon to double check that what I saw was true.

Yep. There it was.

“Well, Lauren,” I said, plopping the spoon back into the shake, “God says ‘In everything give thanks,’ so I’m going to be thankful that I discovered the hair in the first spoonful and not in the last.”

Minutes later I returned with a new milkshake. I lifted the spoon with considerably less eagerness than the first time, paused, then set it back in the cup.

We laughed—a sad sort of laugh—and she pushed her plate of fries toward me. 

Sorrow Upon Sorrow

Some days seem to pile on sorrow upon sorrow, usually much more serious than a cancelled trip and a hair in your milkshake.

Your car breaks down, forcing you to miss a day’s work (and a day’s pay) while still having to pay the towing and the car repair bills.

You’re stretched thin caring for an ailing family member and then you face a health crisis of your own.

You’re struggling in your marriage when you get a call that your teenager’s been picked up for skipping school.

I’m comforted that even super saints like the apostle Paul encountered overwhelming circumstances that disappointed and discouraged him. Listen to his words in 2 Corinthians 1:8–9:

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death.”

Paul’s faith in God didn’t eliminate the squeeze and the hardships of living in this world. Did you catch his words? We despaired of life itself. 

In 21^st century vernacular, Paul was saying, “I wanted to die.” Or maybe, “I thought we might die.” Either way, his struggle was real and deep.

How Did Paul Handle It?

Probably not with French fries and a milkshake.

He allowed himself to feel all the angst and anguish of his circumstances, but he didn’t stay there. He looked for what God might be doing in and through his circumstances. Based on what he knew about God, he knew that if God had allowed those circumstances into his life, then He had a good reason for them. God never wastes pain.

“But this happened,” Paul explained, “that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”

Maybe Paul had become overconfident in his own abilities. Maybe he hadn’t sought God’s direction or protection. Maybe he needed to come to the end of his own resources or knowledge before he cried out to God. Or maybe he was doing everything right. Regardless, when Paul cried out to God, God answered.

“He has delivered us from such a deadly peril,” Paul declared, “and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.”

Whether God delivered him in this life or in the next, Paul knew he could trust God to accomplish His good purposes in his life. 

Our Conclusion

My granddaughter and I reached the same conclusion.

“I don’t know why we’re not able to travel as we planned,” I said, “but God does. We can trust Him.”

My granddaughter nodded and grabbed another fry. I did too. 

Thank you, Lord, for speaking to our hearts. Thank you for being sovereign over all the events of our days. Thank you for loving us, even when we’re disappointed.

“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV)

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• 6 Principles When You’re Struggling to Make a Decision – How to Know God’s Will by LoriAHatcher
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