Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Wipe Away Tears (3/19/26)

Sarah came home in tears last night from horseback riding. Her favorite horse has a disease that appears incurable after several different treatments. He has been declining, and she was told that he will be put down soon. She hasn’t been able to ride him in quite some time.

Death is inevitable on this earth. However, God is preparing a new heaven and new earth, free from death and suffering. After the millennium and after Satan and his followers are thrown into the lake of fire (as we’ve studied recently in Revelation), Jesus’ followers will join God in the new and perfect creation.

Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

What painful struggles are you experiencing right now? How are you encouraged knowing there will be a day when that won’t be the case anymore, ever again? How does the promise of a future free from suffering bring you comfort and hope?

It is beyond imagination how glorious the new heaven and new earth will be! No death, no hurt, no fear, no pain, no conflict, no stress, no disappointment. The most elated feeling we have ever experienced won’t compare to the joy in God’s presence on that day and for all eternity!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - All-Knowing God versus Lamenting Job (7/11/24)

 I had a shooting stomach pain yesterday for about 30 minutes that was debilitating. As my stomach negatively reacted, I was reminded that I could still praise God for who He is while also asking for help and relief. It was hard not to start by calling out for help and stating the same thing over and over. It was helpful to remember His attributes of being All-knowing, able to use everything for His purposes, etc.

 

My temporary suffering was nothing compared to what Job experienced for days and maybe even weeks. Yet, as we learned a few weeks ago, he didn’t sin in what he said. He never cursed God, like Satan desired. He did curse his birth.

Job 3:1-4, 11-13, 20-21, 24-26      After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. ² He said:

³ “May the day of my birth perish,
    and the night that said, ‘A boy is conceived!’
⁴ That day—may it turn to darkness;
    may God above not care about it;
    may no light shine on it.

¹¹ “Why did I not perish at birth,
    and die as I came from the womb?
¹² Why were there knees to receive me
    and breasts that I might be nursed?
¹³ For now I would be lying down in peace;
    I would be asleep and at rest

²⁰ “Why is light given to those in misery,
    and life to the bitter of soul,
²¹ to those who long for death that does not come,
    who search for it more than for hidden treasure,

²⁴ For sighing has become my daily food;
    my groans pour out like water.
²⁵ What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded has happened to me.
²⁶ I have no peace, no quietness;
    I have no rest, but only turmoil.”

It sounds as though there was no relief for Job, even in sleep. His pleas and laments are understandable. He wished for death, but he didn’t take things into his own hands. As he said in chapter 2 verse 10: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

The next time you and I face a painful or difficult situation, let’s remember God is always praiseworthy. He can also handle our questions and respectful laments. In the midst of it all, we can submit to His all-knowing care and timing, as Job did! 

Thursday Devotional - Snake Bite Purpose

I wonder what Paul thought when he got the snake bite? Was he afraid? Did he wonder why God allowed yet another challenge and more pain?

After the drama we saw last week around the snake bite, we quickly see it was a way God used to draw attention to Paul and the Holy Spirit’s power and message through him.

Acts 27:7-10 ⁷ There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. ⁸ His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. ⁹ When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. ¹⁰ They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

The passage doesn’t say Paul preached the gospel and told the people on Malta about Jesus, but I don’t think Paul went anywhere where he didn’t talk about God’s message of Salvation. He must have told them it wasn’t his power (but God’s) that healed them. Paul could see now how God used the snake bite to give him a platform for sharing God’s power and message.  

This reminds me to have a different perspective when a family member or I experience pain or suffering. I can ask God for help AND ask Him to help me see how He is going to use it for His purposes.

That certainly wasn’t my first thought when my son, James, had a gymnastics injury Monday that left his vision blurred and half his face numb. I definitely asked God for help! It was a few hours, though, before I asked Him to show me how He might be using this for His purposes. As God answered prayers for direction and next steps (such as one of our doctors personally talking to us on the phone right as we got to ER and letting us come to his office immediately for an assessment, bypassing ER), we were able to share these answers to prayer with family members, coaches, and doctors!

James is still dealing with several issues, but we’re praising God he didn’t end up with a concussion and the nerve damage shouldn’t be permanent!

The next time you and I face a challenge, let’s remember to not only ask God for help, but to help us use it for His purposes!

Alice

Thurs Devo - Help for the Pain

My Mom just called from Virginia and said Mary is finally going into labor. Her contractions are now 1 minute apart! They are headed to the hospital now! She is in a lot of pain and throwing up, etc. from it all. She is a healthy and very strong lady, so we are praying she will be able to endure the pain well and that God will help Mom and Mark (her husband) know how to help her through this.

Because of sin, childbirth is quite painful, among many other things in life!

Genesis 3:16-19   ¹⁶ To the woman he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
    with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
    and he will rule over you.”

¹⁷ To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
    through painful toil you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.
¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.
¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow
    you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.”

God is there to help us through the pains of this life, though.

Hebrews 4:16     ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Psalm 46:7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Even before He helps us through our pains and suffering, we can praise God!

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

How will you and I trust God today for the pains, sufferings, troubles and difficulties we will face? We can praise God now, knowing He is faithful to help us!

Alice

Thurs Devo: Childbirth Concerns

My youngest sister, Mary, is about to give birth to her first child. She’s due on Monday! As exciting as it is, there are still fears and concerns over the many unknowns. When will she go into labor? How bad will the pain be? Will there be complications? Will it be a girl or a boy?
Well, take a look at this delivery situation pictured in Revelation 12: 
Revelation 12:1-6     A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. ² She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. ³ Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. ⁵ She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.⁶ The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
It’s a terrifying picture. There are enough concerns and pains during delivery, without having the added worry that someone is waiting to snatch your baby away. However, God took care of both the baby and the woman! (The baby probably represents Jesus the Messiah and the woman could represent the nation of Israel (inclusive of Mary) or more broadly the people of God). The dragon (definitely Satan, from vs. 9) is no match for God.
This encouraged me to remember that no matter how bleak a situation may seem, God will accomplish His purposes. He sees everything and Satan can’t do anything unless God allows it.
Also, God takes care of His own. Our times in the “wilderness” may be for our protection, and our times of pain may be necessary for the times of blessing to follow. I hear the pains of childbirth are often quickly forgotten when you hold the new precious baby in your arms! (Remember that this coming week, Mary!)

What other encouragement do you and I take from all this?  
Alice