WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 36

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned and there was a woman lying at his feet!” Ruth 3:8

WAIT… THERE WAS A WOMAN LYING AT HIS FEET?!

Imagine this.

Boaz has finished a long day at the threshing floor.

He’s eaten.

He’s settled down beside the grain.

He’s fast asleep.

Middle of the night

Something wakes him.

He rolls over.

Looks down

AND THERE’S A WOMAN LYING AT HIS FEET.

BIBLICAL JUMP SCARE.

Boaz:

“AHHH—WHO ARE YOU?!”

And honestly

that’s basically what happens next.

Verse 9:

“Who are you?” he asked.

Poor Boaz.

No romantic music.

No candlelight.

No carefully planned first date.

Just:

Middle of the night.

Sleeping peacefully.

Wakes suddenly.

SURPRISE RUTH.

If this were a movie, this is the exact moment the music would go:

DUN DUN DUUUUN!

But

Context REALLY matters with this one!

Ruth wasn’t hiding at Boaz’s feet because she wanted to scare ten years off his life.

Naomi had instructed Ruth to approach Boaz at the threshing floor.

When Ruth asks Boaz to “spread the corner of your garment over me,” she is essentially asking him to take the role of kinsman redeemer and provide protection for her.

This wasn’t some random midnight encounter.

It was connected to Israel’s customs surrounding family responsibility, redemption and marriage.

And Boaz responds honourably.

He doesn’t take advantage of Ruth.

Instead, he recognises her character and agrees to pursue the matter properly, while acknowledging that another relative has a prior claim.

So what initially reads like:

“WOMAN STARTLES MAN AWAKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT”

becomes part of one of Scripture’s beautiful stories of faithfulness, redemption and ultimately marriage.

And it gets even bigger.

Ruth and Boaz eventually have a son named Obed.

Obed becomes the father of Jesse.

Jesse becomes the father of David.

And generations later, this family line leads to Jesus.

So there is a beautiful redemption story unfolding on that dark threshing floor.

But still

Spare a thought for Boaz.

He went to sleep thinking:

“Another good day’s harvesting.”

And woke up thinking:

“WHY IS THERE A WOMAN AT MY FEET?!”

Sometimes biblical love stories begin with beautiful poetry.

Sometimes they begin with romance.

And apparently sometimes

THEY BEGIN WITH A MIDNIGHT JUMP SCARE.

Context still matters!

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 35

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael was embarrassed. Then the man of God began to weep.” 2 Kings 8:11

WAIT, HE STARED AT HIM UNTIL HE GOT EMBARRASSED?!

Have you ever had someone look at you for just a little too long?

At first you’re fine.

Then a few seconds pass

And they’re STILL looking.

So you start wondering:

“Is there something on my face?”

Another few seconds…

“WHY IS THIS PERSON STILL LOOKING AT ME?!”

Well, apparently Elisha was the absolute master of the intense, unblinking stare.

Hazael comes to speak with the prophet.

Elisha looks at him.

And keeps looking.

And keeps looking.

And

KEEPS. LOOKING.

Until Scripture actually tells us:

HAZAEL BECAME EMBARRASSED.

Imagine being Hazael:

“Okay… he’s looking at me.”

“Still looking.”

“Maybe if I look away”

“NOPE. STILL LOOKING.”

At this point, Hazael has apparently entered:

THE ELISHA ZONE

Normal eye contact:

Slightly uncomfortable eye contact:

This is getting awkward:
A
Elisha:

Staring

Hazael:

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MY FACE ANYMORE.”

But then something completely unexpected happens.

ELISHA BEGINS TO WEEP.

And suddenly the whole moment changes.

Context REALLY matters with this one!

Hazael was an official serving the king of Aram.

But God had shown Elisha something about Hazael’s future.

Elisha knew that Hazael would become king.

And he also knew about the terrible suffering Hazael would eventually bring upon the people of Israel.

So Elisha wasn’t staring at him because he was trying to win the ancient world’s longest staring competition.

He was looking at a man

while knowing what that man would become.

And then he cried.

That’s actually incredibly powerful.

The verse begins almost awkwardly enough to make us laugh:

“He stared at him, until Hazael was embarrassed.”

But it ends with:

“The man of God began to weep.”

Elisha saw something Hazael couldn’t yet see.

He saw what was coming.

And his response wasn’t smugness.

It wasn’t anger.

It was grief.

There is something beautiful hidden inside this strange little moment:

Sometimes seeing clearly doesn’t make you feel powerful.

Sometimes it breaks your heart.

But still

You have to imagine Hazael during those first few moments:

HAZAEL:
“Why is he looking at me?”

“Seriously”

“Is he EVER going to blink?”

“Maybe I’ll stare back.”

“Nope.”

“I’M OUT.”

Sometimes Scripture gives us conversations.

Sometimes it gives us dramatic prophetic declarations.

And sometimes apparently

THE LOOK SAYS EVERYTHING.

But when Elisha’s stare turned to tears, we discover there was much more happening than Hazael realised.

Context still matters!

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 34

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“The king of Israel answered, ‘Tell him: “One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.” 1 Kings 20:11

OOOH, THAT’S A BIBLICAL BURN.

King Ben-Hadad of Aram has been sending threats to King Ahab of Israel.

And he’s feeling VERY confident.

In fact, just before this, Ben-Hadad basically boasts that he’s going to completely destroy Samaria.

He’s talking like the battle is already over.

Victory apparently guaranteed.

Then Ahab sends back this message:

“One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.”

Translation into modern language:

“MATE, YOU HAVEN’T EVEN FOUGHT YET.”

Or perhaps:

“DON’T START CELEBRATING BEFORE THE GAME HAS EVEN STARTED.”

Imagine the messenger arriving back:

BEN-HADAD:
“Well? What did Ahab say?”

MESSENGER:
“Ummm…”

“Basically, he said you’re talking a lot for someone who hasn’t won anything yet.”

ANCIENT TRASH TALK: BIBLICAL EDITION.

It’s the equivalent of somebody walking onto the field wearing their uniform, taking one look at the opposition and immediately beginning their victory speech.

Ahab:

“Perhaps wait until you’re taking the armour OFF before you start boasting.”

Context still matters!

This wasn’t simply two kings exchanging clever insults.

Ben-Hadad had gathered a huge coalition against Samaria and was making arrogant demands of Israel.

Ahab had initially agreed to some of them, but Ben-Hadad kept pushing further.

Then came the boasting.

And Ahab’s reply carries a piece of wisdom that still makes perfect sense thousands of years later:

DON’T BOAST ABOUT A VICTORY YOU HAVEN’T WON YET.

And there’s another important part of the story.

Israel’s eventual victory wasn’t because Ahab was stronger or more impressive.

God sent a prophet and declared that He would deliver the enormous enemy army into Ahab’s hands so that Ahab would know:

“I am the LORD.”

So underneath the legendary comeback is something much bigger.

Human beings can boast about their strength.

Armies can look unbeatable.

Kings can make enormous threats.

But ultimately

GOD HAS THE FINAL WORD.

Still

You have to appreciate Ahab’s response.

Ben-Hadad:

“I’m going to destroy you!”

Ahab:

“Maybe finish the battle before you start giving the victory speech.”

Three thousand years later we might say:

DON’T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY HATCH.

Ahab apparently preferred:

DON’T BRAG WHILE YOU’RE STILL PUTTING YOUR ARMOUR ON.

Context still matters!

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 33

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. ‘Oh no, my lord!’ he cried out. ‘It was borrowed!’ The man of God asked, ‘Where did it fall?’ When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.” 2 Kings 6:5–6

WAIT, THE IRON AXE HEAD FLOATED?!

Let’s set the scene.

The company of prophets had outgrown their meeting place, so they headed down to the Jordan to cut timber and build somewhere bigger.

Everything is going well until…

WHOOSH!

An axe head flies off the handle…

SPLASH!

Straight into the Jordan.

And the man’s immediate reaction is:

“OH NO, MY LORD! IT WAS BORROWED!”

Forget the fact that you’ve just launched somebody else’s axe head into a river.

Forget explaining how you’re going to retrieve a heavy piece of iron from the bottom.

There’s only one thought going through this man’s head:

“I HAVE TO GIVE THAT BACK!”

Anyone who has ever borrowed something and accidentally broken or lost it understands this man’s panic completely.

Then Elisha asks:

“Where did it fall?”

The man points to the spot.

Elisha cuts a stick.

Throws it into the water.

And

THE IRON FLOATS.

Modern Bible reader:

“EXCUSE ME

THAT IS NOT HOW IRON WORKS.”

Imagine everyone standing beside the Jordan:

“Did that axe head just FLOAT?”

Elisha:

“Pick it up.”

And the man reaches out and takes it.

Problem solved.

Context still matters!

This wasn’t simply God performing a random supernatural trick.

Iron tools were valuable, and the man specifically tells Elisha that the axe was borrowed.

Losing something valuable that belonged to somebody else could have placed him in a genuinely difficult situation.

And that’s what makes this little miracle so beautiful.

This isn’t the Red Sea parting.

There isn’t an army being defeated.

Fire isn’t falling from heaven.

A nation isn’t being delivered.

It’s one man

with one borrowed axe head

at the bottom of a river.

And God cared.

Sometimes we can think that God is interested only in the enormous, life-changing problems.

But this little story reminds us that what seems insignificant to everybody else can still matter to Him.

The man cared about that axe.

So God met him right there beside the Jordan.

But still

Imagine having to explain this when you returned the axe:

OWNER:
“Everything go okay?”

BORROWER:
“Well, technically I lost part of it in the Jordan.”

OWNER:
“YOU WHAT?!”

BORROWER:
“It’s fine. Elisha made it float.”

OWNER:
“……”

Sometimes God parted the sea.

Sometimes He called down fire.

Sometimes He defeated armies.

And sometimes

HE HELPED SOMEBODY RETURN A BORROWED TOOL.

Because nothing that concerns us is necessarily too small for God to care about.

Context still matters!

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 32

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:15

WAIT… BITE AND DEVOUR EACH OTHER?!

Apparently Paul had reached the point in his letter where he needed to tell the church:

“CHRISTIANS… PLEASE STOP EATING EACH OTHER.”

Imagine being a first-time Bible reader.

You’re peacefully reading Galatians.

Freedom in Christ.

Love your neighbour.

Serve one another.

And then suddenly:

“IF YOU BITE AND DEVOUR EACH OTHER…”

Modern Bible reader:

“EXCUSE ME… WHAT EXACTLY WAS HAPPENING IN THE GALATIAN CHURCH?!”

Was the fellowship lunch getting a little out of hand?

Did somebody forget to bring enough food?

Paul:

“NO. IT’S A METAPHOR. KEEP READING.”

PAUL’S CHURCH CONFLICT RESOLUTION GUIDE:

☑ Love your neighbour.

☑ Serve one another.

☑ Walk by the Spirit.

☑ And apparently this needed saying

DON’T BITE EACH OTHER.

Context still matters!

Thankfully, Paul wasn’t dealing with a congregation of Christians literally trying to eat one another.

He was using deliberately vivid language to describe conflict and division among believers.

Just before this, Paul tells them:

“Serve one another humbly in love.”

Then he reminds them:

“Love your neighbour as yourself.”

His warning about “biting and devouring” paints a picture of what happens when people do the exact opposite.

Arguments.

Hostility.

Criticism.

Division.

People tearing one another down instead of building one another up.

And Paul’s warning is surprisingly serious:

If you keep consuming one another

EVENTUALLY EVERYBODY GETS HURT.

The imagery might make us laugh

but the warning still has TEETH.

Because a church can become so busy fighting one another that it forgets who the real enemy is.

Instead, Paul points them toward something completely different:

Walk by the Spirit.

Love one another.

Serve one another.

Build one another up.

So no

Paul wasn’t issuing an apostolic ban on biting people at the church fellowship lunch.

But still

Imagine walking into the Galatian church and seeing a notice on the door:

WELCOME TO CHURCH!

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR.

SERVE ONE ANOTHER.

AND PLEASE

NO BITING.

Sometimes Scripture gives us beautiful imagery.

Sometimes it gives us comforting imagery.

And sometimes Paul apparently decides:

“I’M GOING TO MAKE THIS SO VIVID THEY NEVER FORGET IT.”

Context still matters!

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 31

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.” Ezekiel 4:12

I’M SORRY, USING WHAT FOR FUEL?!

There are moments when you’re reading the Bible and you genuinely have to go back and read the verse again.

This is one of them.

God had given Ezekiel instructions for another prophetic demonstration.

There was bread involved.

So far, so good.

Then came the cooking instructions.

USE HUMAN EXCREMENT AS FUEL.

Ezekiel:

“LORD, SURELY NOT THAT.”

And to be fair to Ezekiel

HE ACTUALLY OBJECTED.

He tells God that he has never defiled himself by eating anything ceremonially unclean.

And God responds:

“Very well, I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.” Ezekiel 4:15

Ezekiel:

“THANK YOU?”

Let’s just appreciate this for a moment.

GOOD NEWS:

God changed the cooking instructions.

BAD NEWS:

COW DUNG WAS THE IMPROVED OPTION.

Imagine Ezekiel explaining dinner to somebody:

“What’s cooking?”

“Barley bread.”

“Smells interesting. What are you using for fuel?”

Ezekiel:

“YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW.”

Context REALLY matters with this one!

This wasn’t God giving Ezekiel an unusual Bible recipe.

Ezekiel was acting out a prophetic sign of what was coming upon Jerusalem.

The city would experience siege.

Food would become scarce.

People would carefully ration what little they had.

And the people would eventually eat defiled food among the nations where they were being driven.

Ezekiel’s uncomfortable demonstration was meant to be confronting because the reality he was warning them about was confronting.

Once again, we discover that being an Old Testament prophet sometimes meant considerably more than simply standing up and saying:

“Thus says the LORD”

Sometimes the prophet had to become the visual aid.

And apparently Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry came with some particularly unusual assignments.

THINGS NOT MENTIONED IN THE PROPHET JOB DESCRIPTION:

☑ Speak God’s Word.

☑ Warn the people.

☑ Act out prophetic messages.

☑ Lie on your side for hundreds of days.

☑ Cook your dinner over

ACTUALLY, LET’S JUST STOP THERE.

But underneath the strange details was a serious warning:

God was showing His people what their continued rebellion would lead to.

The prophetic sign was uncomfortable because God wanted them to PAY ATTENTION.

Still

You have to imagine Ezekiel hearing:

“You may use cow dung instead.”

and thinking:

“Well apparently that’s the good news today.”

Sometimes God gave the prophets a message to preach.

Sometimes He gave them a message to demonstrate.

And sometimes

THE PROPHETIC OBJECT LESSON CAME WITH COOKING INSTRUCTIONS NOBODY ASKED FOR.

Context still matters!

The Name We Cry Out

“He has also set eternity in the human heart.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

A thought struck me recently.

Is there something innate within humanity that reaches for God?

There are people who don’t go to church, don’t identify as Christians, and may even say they don’t believe in God. Yet when something suddenly goes wrong, what so often comes from their lips?

“Oh God!”

“God, help us!”

“Jesus Christ!”

We hear it in movies. We hear it in moments of tragedy. We hear it in footage of disasters as people suddenly find themselves facing circumstances completely beyond their control.

Even the name of Jesus is used so commonly as an expression of shock, anger or pain that people can speak His name without ever stopping to consider the One whose name they are calling.

Of course, sometimes these expressions are simply cultural habits. Saying “Oh God” doesn’t necessarily mean someone consciously believes in Him.

But I wonder if there is something deeper worth considering.

The Bible tells us:

“He has also set eternity in the human heart.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

And in Acts, Paul spoke to people who did not know God and said:

“God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him.”
Acts 17:27

Perhaps there is something within the human heart that knows there must be something beyond what we can see.

Most of the time, we can convince ourselves that we are self-sufficient.

We have our plans.
Our abilities.
Our money.
Our technology.
Our doctors.
Our emergency services.
Our own strength.

Until suddenly we face something none of those things can fix.

The water rises.

The accident happens.

The diagnosis comes.

Someone we love is in danger.

And suddenly all our human resources seem terribly small.

Crisis has a way of stripping away the illusion that we are in control.

And when we reach the end of ourselves, something within us can begin reaching beyond ourselves.

Perhaps that is why the instinctive cry of so many people is simply:

“God, help me.”

There is a beautiful example of this in Peter.

Peter stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus on the water. But when he saw the wind and the waves, fear overwhelmed him and he began to sink.

There wasn’t time for an eloquent prayer.

There wasn’t time for carefully chosen religious words.

There were only three:

“Lord, save me!”
Matthew 14:30

And I love what happened next.

“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.”
Matthew 14:31

Immediately.

Peter cried.

Jesus reached.

Maybe that tells us something about the heart of God as well as the heart of humanity.

God isn’t waiting for desperate people to find the perfect words.

He hears the cry.

Romans tells us that creation itself reveals something of its Creator, and Ecclesiastes tells us that eternity has been placed within the human heart.

Perhaps humanity’s instinct to look upward when everything around us is falling apart shouldn’t surprise us.

We were created by God.
We were created for God.
And somewhere deep within the human heart is a longing that nothing created can completely satisfy.

We may spend years depending upon ourselves.

We may ignore Him.

We may question Him.

Some may even deny that He exists.

Yet there are moments when our strength runs out and a cry escapes from somewhere deeper than our carefully constructed thoughts:

“God…”

And perhaps one of the greatest demonstrations of His mercy is this:

When someone finally cries His name, even if they haven’t spoken to Him for years, God has not forgotten theirs.

The God we instinctively reach for in our darkest moment is the God who has been reaching toward us all along.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 29

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace…” Daniel 5:5

WAIT… A HAND JUST APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE AND STARTED WRITING ON THE WALL?!

Picture the scene.

King Belshazzar is throwing a massive feast.

There are a thousand guests.

Everyone is eating.

Everyone is drinking.

The king decides to bring out the sacred gold and silver vessels that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem and use them at the party.

And then…

SUDDENLY A HAND APPEARS.

Not a person.

Not an angel standing there holding a pen.

Just…

FINGERS.

And they start writing on the palace wall.

Modern Bible reader:

“EXCUSE ME?!

WHERE DID THE REST OF THE PERSON GO?!”

At this point, the party atmosphere changes rather quickly.

Daniel 5:6 tells us that the king became so terrified that:

“his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.”

In other words…

THE KING WAS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED.

Imagine being one of the guests.

One minute you’re enjoying dinner.

The next:

FLOATING HAND.

MYSTERIOUS WRITING.

PANICKING KING.

And nobody knows what the words mean.

WELL… THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY.

Eventually Daniel is called in to interpret the message.

Context REALLY matters with this one!

This wasn’t a supernatural party trick.

King Belshazzar had deliberately dishonoured God by using the sacred vessels from the Jerusalem temple while praising idols.

The writing on the wall was a divine warning of judgment.

Daniel explains that Belshazzar had been weighed and found wanting, and that his kingdom was about to be taken from him.

That very night, Belshazzar was killed and Babylon fell.

So underneath one of Scripture’s most extraordinary supernatural scenes is a very serious warning:

God will not be mocked.

Human power can look impressive.

Kings can believe they are untouchable.

Empires can appear unstoppable.

But God is still sovereign.

And here’s something fascinating:

Our modern expression “the writing is on the wall” comes directly from this biblical story.

We still use it when the signs show that someone’s downfall or the end of something is approaching.

So thousands of years later, people quote Daniel 5…

WITHOUT EVEN REALISING THEY’RE QUOTING THE BIBLE.

But still…

Imagine being Belshazzar.

You’re halfway through your banquet when suddenly:

A HAND APPEARS AND STARTS WRITING ON YOUR WALL.

Forget calling someone to repaint it.

YOU NEED DANIEL.

Sometimes Scripture gives us unexpected details.

Sometimes it gives us supernatural ones.

And sometimes…

THE WRITING REALLY IS ON THE WALL.

Context still matters!

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 25

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet.” 1 Samuel 24:3 KJV

“SAUL WENT IN TO COVER HIS FEET.”

Sounds innocent enough.

Except…

“Cover his feet” is generally understood here as a rather polite biblical way of saying:

THE KING NEEDED A BATHROOM BREAK.

So Saul finds himself a nice secluded cave.

Finally.

A little privacy.

Nobody around.

Or so he thinks…

Because hiding further inside that exact same cave are:

DAVID AND HIS MEN.

Saul:

“Finally… somewhere private.”

Narrator:

IT WAS NOT, IN FACT, PRIVATE.

Imagine David and his men sitting silently in the darkness as the king who has been hunting them walks straight into their hiding place.

David’s men are basically thinking:

“THIS IS IT! God has delivered Saul right into your hands!”

And David is probably thinking:

“Could we perhaps discuss this AFTER he finishes?”

Context still matters!

Behind this incredibly awkward situation is actually a powerful moment in David’s life.

Saul was pursuing David and wanted him dead.

Now David suddenly had the perfect opportunity to retaliate.

Instead, David refused to kill Saul.

He secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe and afterward even felt troubled about doing that.

David had an opportunity to take matters into his own hands…

and chose restraint.

He trusted God with the outcome rather than forcing it himself.

That’s a pretty significant lesson hiding inside one of the Bible’s most awkward bathroom stories.

But still…

Saul walked into that cave believing:

“At last… some privacy.”

Meanwhile, somewhere in the darkness:

David

David’s men

Worst. Bathroom location. Ever.

Nothing Is Too Hard for You

“‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.’”
Jeremiah 32:17

Jeremiah spoke these words during an incredibly difficult time.

Jerusalem was under siege.
The situation looked hopeless.
There seemed to be no obvious way out.

Yet Jeremiah began by reminding himself of who God is.

“You made the heavens and the earth.”

In other words:

If You created the universe, then this situation is not beyond You.

It reminds me in some ways of the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”
Matthew 6:9

Before Jesus teaches us to ask for our daily bread, forgiveness or deliverance, He teaches us to begin with God.

Our Father.
In heaven.
Holy is Your name.

Before we look at the size of our problem, we remember the greatness of our God.

Jeremiah does something similar.

Before focusing on the impossible situation surrounding him, he turns his attention toward the God who created everything.

And perhaps that is something we need to learn to do.

There are times in life when everything becomes too hard.

We find ourselves trapped in circumstances where there seems to be no way forward.

Sometimes we arrive there because of our own choices.

That was part of Israel’s story in Jeremiah’s time. Their rebellion against God had consequences.

But sometimes we face situations that are completely outside our control.

Either way, eventually we all encounter something bigger than ourselves.

Something we cannot fix.

Something we cannot reason our way through.

Something our own strength simply cannot overcome.

And perhaps sometimes God allows us to reach the end of our own ability because there are things we can only learn when we discover that our strength was never meant to replace His.

Think about the Red Sea.

Israel had nowhere to go.

The sea was in front of them.
Pharaoh’s army was behind them.

Humanly speaking, there was no solution.

Then God made a way where there wasn’t one.

Think about Lazarus.

By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days.

It wasn’t simply difficult anymore.

It was impossible.

And then Jesus called:

“Lazarus, come out!”

Sometimes God allows a situation to move beyond what human strength can accomplish so that when He moves, there can be no question about where the answer came from.

Yet something about our human nature still struggles with this.

The Israelites saw the Red Sea divide.

They saw God’s provision.

They experienced things we would describe as miraculous.

And yet they still struggled to trust Him.

People watched Jesus perform miracles.

They even saw Lazarus raised from the dead.

Some believed.

Others still resisted Him.

And that makes me wonder:

Why are we so determined to rationalise the things of God?

Why do we sometimes find it easier to believe in coincidence, chance or fate than to believe that a divine Father loves us and is actively involved in our lives?

Perhaps part of the answer takes us all the way back to the Garden of Eden.

The serpent’s first attack wasn’t simply against Adam and Eve’s obedience.

It was against their trust in God’s character.

“Did God actually say…?”
Genesis 3:1

The enemy planted a question.

Can you really trust God?

Is God really good?

Is He withholding something from you?

And humanity has wrestled with those questions ever since.

Maybe one of the consequences of the Fall is that we find it easier to trust what we can control than the God we cannot.

We want explanations.

We want evidence.

We want guarantees.

We want to understand exactly how everything is going to work.

But faith asks us to trust God even when we cannot see the way forward.

And that is where Jeremiah’s words become so powerful.

Jeremiah wasn’t saying:

“This situation isn’t difficult.”

He was saying:

“This situation isn’t too difficult for God.”

There is a difference.

Faith doesn’t deny reality.

Faith looks reality directly in the face and then remembers who God is.

And later in the same chapter, God answers Jeremiah:

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”
Jeremiah 32:27

Jeremiah says:

“Nothing is too hard for You.”

And God responds:

“Is anything too hard for Me?”

But that doesn’t mean God immediately removes every difficult circumstance.

Jerusalem would still fall.

There would still be consequences.

Yet God promised that destruction would not be the end of Israel’s story.

Restoration was coming.

And perhaps that is where faith becomes deeper than simply believing God can perform miracles.

Faith says:

I know You can change this situation.
But even while I am waiting, I will trust You in it.

Maybe the greatest lesson of Jeremiah 32 isn’t simply:

God can do the impossible.

Maybe it is:

When I am facing the impossible, I can trust the God for whom nothing is impossible.

I don’t have to understand everything He is doing.

I don’t have to see the way out.

I don’t have to know what tomorrow looks like.

I simply need to remember who He is.

He is the God who made the heavens and the earth.

He is the God who divided the sea.

He is the God who called Lazarus out of the grave.

And He is still the same God today.

So when everything around me says,

“There is no way.”

Faith reminds me:

“Nothing is too hard for Him.”

Maybe faith isn’t seeing enough evidence to finally believe.

Maybe faith is knowing God well enough to trust Him even when we cannot yet see.

Because sometimes I won’t understand what God is doing.

Sometimes I won’t know how He is going to do it.

Sometimes I won’t even see a possible way forward.

But I can still say with Jeremiah:

“Ah, Lord God! You made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.”

Formed for the Target

“He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of His hand He hid me;
He made me into a polished arrow
and concealed me in His quiver.”
Isaiah 49:2

While I was praying, the words came into my thoughts:

“Flies straight like an arrow.”

As I sat with those words, another thought followed:

A bent arrow won’t hit the target, no matter how hard you aim.

And I began to wonder whether this was an invitation to understand something about where we are positioned in God’s timing.

There are three parts to the journey of an arrow:

THE STRAIGHTENING.
THE HIDING.
THE RELEASE.

Before an arrow can fly straight, the arrow itself must be straight.

You can pull the bow harder.
You can aim more carefully.
You can put more effort behind it.

But greater effort cannot compensate for misalignment.

Sometimes God is not asking us to try harder.

He is doing the quiet, internal work of alignment.

Straightening our character.
Healing hidden wounds.
Refining our motives.
Removing the things that could pull us away from the direction He intends.

God works in the arrow before He works through the arrow.

What feels like correction may actually be preparation.

What feels uncomfortable may be God gently removing the bends that would cause us to miss the target later.

Isaiah says the polished arrow was concealed in His quiver.

There are seasons when we may feel hidden.

Waiting.
Unseen.
Uncertain of what God is doing.

But hidden does not mean forgotten.

An archer does not leave his arrows scattered on the ground.

He places them safely in his quiver, protected and close to him, until the exact moment they are needed.

Perhaps the quiver isn’t rejection at all.

Perhaps it is protection.

Perhaps it is preparation.

Perhaps God is keeping you close while He prepares both the arrow and the target.

The hidden season is not necessarily an empty season.

There may be polishing happening there.

Sharpening.

Straightening.

Preparing.

But the quiver was never meant to be the arrow’s permanent home.

There comes a moment when the Archer reaches into the quiver.

He chooses the arrow.

He places it against the bow.

He draws it back.

And then

He releases it.

The arrow does not determine the target.

The arrow does not decide the trajectory.

The arrow does not choose the moment of release.

The Archer does.

Our responsibility is surrender.

His responsibility is direction.

And because the arrow allowed the Archer to straighten it in the secret place, when the moment of release comes, it can fly true.

With focus.

With purpose.

With divine accuracy.

Toward the target the Archer had in mind all along.

Maybe some of us are trying desperately to discover the target when God is saying:

“Trust My hand.”

You don’t have to know exactly where you are going.

You don’t have to manufacture your own opportunity.

You don’t have to force yourself out of the quiver.

Allow Him to straighten what needs straightening.

Allow Him to polish what needs polishing.

Allow Him to heal what needs healing.

And trust Him with the timing of your release.

Don’t despise the quiver.
Don’t resist the straightening.
Don’t rush the release.

The Archer knows the target.

You are not being forgotten.

You are being formed for the target.

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 24

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything.”
Ecclesiastes 10:19

WAIT… MONEY IS THE ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING?!

Well then.

Apparently we’ve just discovered the Bible verse every prosperity preacher has been waiting for.

Got a problem?

MONEY.

Need an answer?

MONEY.

Something going wrong?

HAVE YOU TRIED… MONEY?

Imagine finding this verse completely by itself:

BIBLICAL FINANCIAL ADVICE

Problem

Money

Problem solved

Modern Bible reader:

“Solomon… I feel like we’re going to need some context here.”

And Ecclesiastes replies:

“PLEASE READ THE REST OF THE BOOK.”

Because…

CONTEXT REALLY MATTERS WITH THIS ONE!

Ecclesiastes is NOT teaching that money can solve every problem in life.

The writer spends much of the book examining life “under the sun” observing how the world works when viewed from an earthly perspective.

And practically speaking, money does answer many material needs.

Food costs money.

Celebrations cost money.

Buildings cost money.

Daily life requires resources.

But Ecclesiastes repeatedly shows us something much bigger:

Money cannot give life its ultimate meaning.

You can have wealth.

Pleasure.

Possessions.

Success.

And still discover that none of them can satisfy the deepest needs of the human heart.

In fact, Ecclesiastes has already warned:

“Whoever loves money never has enough.” Ecclesiastes 5:10

So no…

Ecclesiastes 10:19 is probably NOT permission to put:

“MONEY IS THE ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING THE BIBLE”

on your next financial vision board.

But still…

You have to feel for the person who opens their Bible randomly, reads:

“MONEY IS THE ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING.”

closes it…

and thinks:

“Well, that was unexpectedly straightforward.”

Meanwhile Ecclesiastes:

“COME BACK! THERE ARE ELEVEN MORE CHAPTERS OF THIS!”

Sometimes one verse makes you say:

“WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE?!”

And the rest of the book reminds you:

CONTEXT STILL MATTERS!

The God Of The Man Who Worked Down The Hall

We all know the story of Daniel in the lions’ den.

But this morning, I noticed something I had never really stopped to think about before.

King Darius.

After being tricked into signing the decree that condemned Daniel, this powerful king suddenly discovered there was something even his authority couldn’t fix.

Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den.

And Darius went back to his palace.

But look at what happened that night:

“Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.”
Daniel 6:18

Think about that.

Daniel was surrounded by lions.

Darius was surrounded by all the comforts of a palace.

Yet it was Darius who couldn’t sleep.

He refused food.

He refused his usual entertainment.

He tossed and turned through the night, completely helpless to change what had happened.

And something struck me.

What makes a Gentile king, who did not worship the God of Israel, spend the night fasting and hoping that Daniel’s God might somehow intervene?

It wasn’t a theological debate.

It wasn’t a sermon.

It wasn’t a royal decree.

It was Daniel’s life.

Before Daniel was ever thrown into the lions’ den, Darius had been watching him.

Daniel 6:4 tells us that Daniel was trustworthy and that no corruption or negligence could be found in him.

His faith wasn’t something he pulled out when trouble came.

It was how he lived.

His faith filled his work.

His integrity.

His decisions.

His attitude.

His everyday life.

Darius knew this.

That is why, before the stone was placed over the lions’ den, he said:

“May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”
Daniel 6:16

Whom you serve continually.

Those words say so much.

Darius had seen enough of Daniel’s life to know that Daniel didn’t serve God occasionally.

Not just when it was convenient.

Not just when people were watching.

Not just when he needed something.

Daniel served God continually.

Then morning came.

Darius hurried to the lions’ den and cried out:

“Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Daniel 6:20

There it is again.

Whom you serve continually.

And notice what Darius calls Him now:

“The living God.”

The God Daniel had faithfully served in the ordinary days became the God Darius reached toward in an extraordinary moment.

And after witnessing Daniel’s miraculous deliverance, Darius declared:

“For he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end.” Daniel 6:26

What a progression.

Darius watched Daniel’s faithfulness.
He hoped Daniel’s God could save.
He witnessed God’s power.
Then he publicly acknowledged the living God.

Never underestimate the power of your daily witness.

You may think nobody notices when you quietly choose integrity.

When you refuse to compromise.

When you keep trusting God.

When you treat people differently.

When you remain faithful in the ordinary things.

But someone may be watching.

Someone who would never walk into a church.

Someone who wouldn’t listen to a sermon.

Someone who isn’t interested in hearing what you believe.

But every day, they are watching how you live what you believe.

And one day, when everything they have trusted in fails them, they may remember the only real thing they have ever witnessed:

the God of the person who worked down the hall.

You don’t have to be loud to make an impact.

You just have to be faithful.

Because sometimes your greatest witness isn’t what you say about God.

It’s living in such a way that when someone else’s world falls apart, they remember the God they have seen in you.

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 23

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more.” Amos 4:4

WAIT… WHAT?!

Did a prophet of God just tell people to:

GO AND SIN…

and while you’re at it…

SIN SOME MORE?!

Imagine opening your Bible for some wholesome morning encouragement and reading:

“Go to Bethel and sin.”

Modern Bible reader:

“Ummm… Amos?

I FEEL LIKE WE’RE MISSING SOME IMPORTANT CONTEXT HERE.”

We are.

Because Amos isn’t actually encouraging anybody to sin.

HE’S BEING SARCASTIC.

The people were continuing to visit their religious centres.

They were bringing sacrifices.

Giving offerings.

Performing all the outward religious activities…

while continuing to live in rebellion against God.

So Amos essentially says:

“Fine then!

Go to Bethel.

Keep doing your religious stuff.

Keep piling sin upon sin.”

In other words:

“HOW’S THAT WORKING OUT FOR YOU?”

Apparently prophetic sarcasm was alive and well thousands of years before social media.

Context REALLY matters with this one!

Amos wasn’t giving Israel permission to sin.

He was exposing the absurdity of thinking they could continue religious activity while their hearts and lives remained far from God.

Their sacrifices didn’t impress God when they weren’t accompanied by genuine obedience.

And underneath the sarcasm is a challenging truth for us too:

God isn’t looking for religious performance.

He wants our hearts.

But still…

You have to feel for the person who opens their Bible for the first time, lands randomly on Amos 4:4 and reads:

“GO… AND SIN YET MORE.”

PLEASE KEEP READING.

Sometimes the verses that make you say:

“WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE?!”

are exactly the verses that prove why…

CONTEXT STILL MATTERS!

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 22

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. ‘Get out of here, baldy!’ they said. ‘Get out of here, baldy!’” 2 Kings 2:23

You start reading this story and think:

Okay… apparently Elisha is having a rough day (a bad hair day).

He’s walking along the road when a group comes out and starts mocking him:

“GET OUT OF HERE, BALDY!”

And you’re thinking…

Well, that’s rude.

Then you read the next verse.

Elisha turns around.

He pronounces a curse in the name of the LORD.

And suddenly…

TWO BEARS COME OUT OF THE WOODS.

Modern Bible reader:

“I’M SORRY…

WHERE DID THE BEARS COME FROM?!”

That escalated considerably faster than expected.

Context REALLY matters with this one!

This isn’t simply a story about some little children making fun of a bald man and receiving an unbelievably harsh punishment.

The Hebrew expression translated “boys” or “youths” can refer to young people rather than necessarily small children, and there were more than 42 in the group.

Their words also appear to be more than a playground insult.

Elisha had just succeeded Elijah as God’s prophet, and “Go up!” may carry the sense of telling him to leave or disappear as Elijah had. They were showing contempt toward God’s appointed prophet.

And this happened as Elisha approached Bethel, a major centre of Israel’s idolatrous worship.

So this strange little episode sits within a much bigger biblical story about rejecting God’s authority and His word.

It isn’t:

“Don’t call someone bald or bears will get you.”

But still…

You have to admit that Scripture gives absolutely no warning for the reading experience:

Verse 23:

“Baldy!”

Verse 24:

BEARS.

First-time Bible reader:

“Well… that took a turn.”

Sometimes the verses that make us stop and say:

“WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE?”

are also the ones that make us dig deeper and discover why context really does matter.

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 21

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.”
Ezekiel 37:7

EZEKIEL HAS JUST WALKED INTO THE BIBLICAL VERSION OF A SCARY MOVIE.

Picture the scene.

God takes Ezekiel into a valley.

Not a nice valley.

Not green pastures.

Not somewhere with a lovely little stream.

A valley…

FULL OF BONES.

And Scripture makes sure we know:

There were A LOT of them.

And they were VERY DRY.

Then God asks Ezekiel:

“Son of man, can these bones live?”

Ezekiel wisely responds:

“Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

Which may be the biblical equivalent of:

“Lord… I have absolutely NO IDEA where this is going.”

Then Ezekiel starts prophesying.

Suddenly…

RATTLE.

clatter…

RATTLE RATTLE.

Bones start moving.

Bone connects to bone.

Skeletons begin forming.

Tendons appear.

Flesh appears.

Skin covers them.

At this point, if Ezekiel had turned around and started running…

I DON’T THINK ANY OF US WOULD HAVE JUDGED HIM.

But then something incredible happens.

God breathes life into them.

What looked completely dead…

LIVES AGAIN.

Context still matters!

Ezekiel 37 isn’t a biblical zombie story.

God explains that the dry bones represent the people of Israel, who were saying:

“Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone.”

They believed everything was finished.

God showed Ezekiel:

IT WASN’T.

The valley of death becomes an extraordinary picture of God’s power to restore what appears completely beyond hope.

So underneath one of the most visually dramatic scenes in Scripture is an incredible promise:

GOD CAN BREATHE LIFE INTO WHAT LOOKS DEAD.

But still…

Imagine being Ezekiel.

You’re standing alone in a valley surrounded by thousands of skeletons.

Suddenly you hear:

RATTLE… RATTLE… RATTLE…

Modern person:

“NOPE.”

Ezekiel:

“Apparently we’re staying to see how this ends.”

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 20

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.”
Proverbs 27:15–16

Apparently saying:

“Constant arguing is exhausting.”

wasn’t quite descriptive enough for Proverbs.

No.

Instead, we’re given the picture of lying in bed during a rainstorm listening to:

DRIP…

DRIP…

DRIP…

DRIP…

ALL. NIGHT. LONG.

And just when you think the imagery couldn’t get any more dramatic, Proverbs basically adds:

“Oh, you want to stop it?”

Sure.

Just go outside and…

CATCH THE WIND.

Or perhaps try:

GRABBING A HANDFUL OF OIL.

Good luck with that.

Imagine an ancient husband standing under his leaking roof with a bucket.

Someone asks:

“Have you tried fixing it?”

Him:

“THE ROOF OR THE ARGUMENT?”

Context still matters!

Proverbs is using deliberately vivid imagery to describe how exhausting and destructive persistent quarrelling can become within a household.

The point isn’t that women are the problem or that husbands should mock their wives.

Scripture repeatedly warns all of us about quarrelling, anger, foolish speech and unnecessary conflict.

The humour is in just how dramatically Proverbs paints the picture:

A dripping roof.

The wind you can’t catch.

Oil slipping through your fingers.

Basically:

“THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE EASY.”

And underneath the humour is some genuinely useful wisdom:

Constant conflict eventually wears everyone down. Peace is worth protecting.

But still…

Three thousand years later, apparently two sounds remain particularly difficult to sleep through:

DRIP… DRIP… DRIP…

and…

“AND ANOTHER THING!”

Some things really are timeless.

Though the Night May Seem Long

Though the night seems endless,
and the morning feels a long way off,
joy comes in the morning.

Sadness may endure for a night,
and the darkness may seem to linger,
but morning always comes.

The darkness begins to fade,
and a new day dawns
a day filled with promise, hope and possibility.

The tears of the night have dried,
and somehow, in the light of a new day,
things begin to look different.

The circumstances may not have changed.
The situation may still be the same.
But I have changed.

Because I spent the night in His presence.

There were tears
tears of pain, tears of travail,
tears that soaked my pillow
as I cried out to God.

But I survived the night.

And when morning came,
His presence filled the places
where sorrow had been.

The darkness could not stay forever.
The tears were not wasted.
And the night did not have the final word.

The light began to fill my heart again,
and with it came a new joy.

I may not know what this new day will bring,
but I know the One
who brought me through the night.

So I will rise.
I will breathe.
I will trust.

For His mercies are new every morning,
and if He carried me through the night,
He will walk with me into the day.

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 19

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“My breath is offensive to my wife; I am loathsome to my own family.” Job 19:17

APPARENTLY THE BIBLE EVEN COVERS BAD BREATH.

Job is having possibly the worst season of anyone’s life.

Everything has gone wrong.

He’s suffering.

His friends aren’t exactly helping.

His family has distanced themselves.

And then, just when you think things couldn’t get much worse…

EVEN HIS WIFE CAN’T HANDLE HIS BREATH.

Somewhere, every married person who has ever rolled over in bed first thing in the morning and been greeted with:

“GOOD MORNING, DARLING.”

is suddenly feeling very biblical.

Job:

“My breath is offensive to my wife.”

Modern spouse:

“I love you dearly…

BUT PLEASE FACE THE OTHER DIRECTION.”

Or perhaps:

“Job, I’m standing with you through this difficult season…

just from over here.”

Context still matters!

This verse is actually part of a deeply painful passage.

Job isn’t giving us ancient marriage advice or complaining that his wife won’t buy him breath mints.

He is describing just how isolated and rejected he feels in his suffering. Even the people closest to him have drawn away from him.

So underneath the unexpectedly funny wording is the heartbreaking picture of a man who feels completely alone.

But still…

Thousands of years later, Job 19:17 has unintentionally provided married couples everywhere with biblical confirmation that sometimes the most loving thing you can say is:

“DARLING… PLEASE HAVE A MINT.”

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 18

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus.” Song of Solomon 7:4

WE’RE BACK WITH ANCIENT DATING ADVICE.

And apparently the flock of goats was only the beginning.

Forget:

“You have beautiful eyes.”

Solomon is going with:

“YOUR EYES REMIND ME OF THE POOLS OF HESHBON.”

Okay… romantic.

Then:

“YOUR NECK IS LIKE AN IVORY TOWER.”

Getting a little more adventurous…

And finally:

“YOUR NOSE IS LIKE THE TOWER OF LEBANON LOOKING TOWARD DAMASCUS.”

Fellas…

If your partner asks:

“Do I look nice today?”

perhaps DO NOT stare lovingly into her eyes and respond:

“Darling… your nose reminds me of a massive tower overlooking Syria.”

And then blame Solomon when it doesn’t go well.

Context still matters!

Song of Solomon is beautiful love poetry filled with imagery that would have communicated beauty, dignity, grandeur and admiration in its ancient setting.

These weren’t insults.

THIS MAN WAS ROMANCING HER.

The imagery sounds unusual to modern ears because we don’t generally compare someone’s physical features to architecture, pools, livestock and military landmarks when we’re trying to be romantic.

But there’s something lovely underneath all those unusual comparisons.

He isn’t giving her a generic:

“You look nice.”

He’s paying attention.

He’s describing her extravagantly.

He’s basically saying:

“There is nobody else quite like you.”

So perhaps we shouldn’t copy Solomon’s exact compliments…

but we could learn something from the enthusiasm.

Still…

ANCIENT ROMANCE LEVEL:

“Your eyes are beautiful.”

“Your nose resembles a strategically positioned Lebanese tower surveying Damascus.”

ABSOLUTELY SMOOTH, SOLOMON.

Safe In the Cleft

The wind blows all around,
the snow falls without warning,
the storm rages in every direction,
yet I am not moved.

I am held safe
in the cleft of the Rock,
hidden in the place
where You keep me.

The wind cannot knock me
from where I stand,
for I do not stand alone.
I am held in Your arms.

Though the storm ravages
all that surrounds me,
I remain unmoved,
secured in Your presence,
protected from every element.

The warmth of Your love
is my shield,
my covering,
my refuge.

I have no fear
in this place of Your love.
Though the storm presses in
on every side,
You will not let it come near me.

Your love surrounds me,
a fortress I did not build.

Held in grace
I cannot understand,
in love I do not deserve,
yet freely given.

It costs me nothing
but surrender.

So I rest here,
in the cleft of the Rock,
hidden, held,
forever safe in You.

Colour – the Language Of His Beauty

He paints
with a myriad of colours,
and His palette
never runs dry.

Colours so bold,
so brilliant,
that only He could create them.

Alive with purpose,
rich with meaning,
they do not fade
as empty things do.

They carry something deeper
a quiet whisper
of intention,
of care.

They say a picture paints
a thousand words,
but Yours speak millions.

Each colour placed with precision,
with thought,
with beauty that reaches beyond sight
and settles into the soul.

From the vast stretch of the sky
painted in shifting hues,
to the smallest insect
hidden among the leaves,

each one displays a beauty
beyond depth,
beyond description.

Nothing is accidental.
Nothing is wasted.

A world without colour
would feel empty
silent
without life.

But colour breathes.

It pulses.
It speaks.

In every bloom,
in every rainbow,
in every detail we might overlook,

there is a message:

You are seen.
You are loved.
You are cared for.

For the One who created it all
did not hold back.

He filled the world with beauty
so that we might see
just a glimpse
of Him.

The Shadows

Dappled, dancing shadows
cast their lines in patterns not easily traced.
The small becomes mighty,
the towering made gentle
each one a display of mystery and delight.

In the world of shadows,
nothing is quite as it seems.
For without the light,
what shadow could ever be formed?

Darkness tries to hide within the shadows,
yet the light will always find it.
And in the deepest dark, there is no shadow at all
so where does my shadow go?

Even there You are present.
Your light breaks through, showing the way.

I have no need to fear the shadow,
for without You, it cannot exist.

Once, in days long gone,
a shadow cast could bring healing
and still today,
under the shadow of Your wings,
I find refuge.

I am safe.

To walk within Your shadow
is to remain close
held, covered, kept from harm.

For darkness is the absence of light,
but in Your shadow
there is light,
there is love,
there is protection.

Grace Found Me Searching

Looking for God
in all the wrong places,
trying to find
true peace of mind.

Lost in a world of darkness,
searching for the light,
but in all the places I looked,
peace was nowhere in sight.

The tranquillity I needed
was too hard to find,
nothing seemed able
to quiet my mind.

Then grace found me searching
and showed me the way,
to a place I had not known,
where I was welcomed to stay.

The light was so bright
I wanted to run,
but I was taken by the hand
and led to the Son.

I saw through the pain
of all I had been,
to the One who could finally
cleanse me from sin.

I reached for His touch,
but ashamed of my state,
I wanted to run,
to turn and escape.

Then a gentle voice whispered,
“There is no need to fear.
You will find love
and compassion here.”

Fighting the fear,
the shame and the pride,
I found myself
no longer trying to hide.

I reached for the love
poured out for me,
and in the blink of an eye,
for the first time

I FELT FREE.

WAIT… THAT’S IN THE BIBLE? — DAY 17

A lighthearted look at some of the wonderfully unexpected things you discover when you actually read your Bible, context still matters!

“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.”
Proverbs 18:2

Long before social media comment sections…

Long before internet forums…

Long before somebody could type “WELL ACTUALLY…” from the comfort of their lounge room…

PROVERBS HAD ALREADY MET THAT GUY.

You know the conversation.

Someone patiently explains the facts.

Provides evidence.

Gives context.

Answers the question.

And then someone arrives in the comments:

“I DIDN’T READ ANY OF THAT, BUT HERE’S WHAT I THINK…”

Proverbs:

“Yes. We have a verse about you.”

The funny thing is, the verse doesn’t simply say the fool has a bad opinion.

It says he “finds no pleasure in understanding.”

That’s the problem.

He’s not listening so he can learn.

He’s listening for a gap in the conversation so he can say:

“ANYWAY, MY OPINION IS…”

Context still matters!

Proverbs is contrasting wisdom with foolishness. A wise person values understanding, listens and is willing to learn. The fool is more interested in expressing himself than discovering whether what he believes is actually true.

So perhaps before hitting POST COMMENT, Proverbs 18:2 gives us a handy little checklist:

Did I understand what they actually said?
Did I listen before responding?
Do I know the facts?
Am I contributing something useful?

Or am I simply thinking…

“THE INTERNET NEEDS TO KNOW MY OPINION IMMEDIATELY.”

Three thousand years later, technology has changed enormously.

Human nature?

Apparently we’re still working on the software update.