~ Revelation 21:4
“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.”

We often question why God allows so many painful chapters to unfold in our lives

It can feel impossible to believe that any of it has eternal meaning

Some prayers go unanswered in the way we hoped, & some doors close without explanation

We carry the weight of disappointment, wondering why the journey has to hurt so deeply

There is a coming moment when every confusing part of your story will finally make sense

His glory will outweigh every lonely night, every painful delay, and every tear you cried in private

Heaven is not just a reward at the end of suffering

God is faithful in every moment

The losses you grieved, the prayers He said no to, & the battles you barely survived were never wasted

All preparing your heart for glory so overwhelming that your pain will no longer define you

Stand in his presence

God has not forgotten you

Following Jesus is not easy, you will face many trials and tribulations but have faith in knowing God has gone before you, trust in his leadership, let him lead the way for you, and you will reach solid ground.

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.""
~ Deuteronomy 31:8

Psalm 103:1 is a verse from a psalm of David that commands us to bless the Lord with our whole soul and all that is within us.

Let us bless His holy name today

Psalm 1:1-2
1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

️“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion…”
~ Luke 15:20

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measures of man’s mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.❤
~ Frederick William Faber

With all the wars going on, God does not want ANYONE to perish temporarily, but to come to HIM in repentance, in order to live ETERNALLY.

Habakkuk 3:18 says, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be JOYFUL in God my Savior.”

In this verse, Habakkuk expresses a commitment to REJOICE in God no MATTER the circumstances.

He chose to trust God’s promise to bring GOOD out of hard times, even when it wasn’t easy.

The God of Habakkuk 2600 years ago, is the EXACT SAME GOD of Today. 2026.

Let us REJOICE in JEHOVAH, every single day forward to eternity!

That is really something to think about, and act on! ️

“The LORD your God is in your midst,
A VICTORIOUS WARRIOR.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
— Zephaniah 3:17

With all the war discussions at hand lately, there is only 1 eternal Victorious Warrior, the LORD OUR GOD.

Stress comes when we try to carry everything ourselves.
Peace comes when we place it back into God’s hands.

In John 14:27, Jesus reminds us that His peace is different from the world’s. It doesn’t fade when circumstances shift or fear rises. His peace steadies the heart even in the storm.

If your heart feels troubled today, release what you’re holding. His peace is already given.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27

LORD, direct us, correct us, and protect us, AMEN

As the Deer Panteth for the Water

Martin Nystrom, 1984
Based on Psalm 42


As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship Thee
You alone are my Strength, my Shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship Thee.

You're my Friend and You are my Brother
Even though You are a King
I love You more than any other
So much more than anything
You alone are my Strength, my Shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship Thee.

I want You more than gold or silver
Only You can satisfy
You alone are the real joy-giver
And the apple of my eye
You alone are my Strength, my Shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship Thee.

Psalm 103 1-5
Praise the Lord, my soul!
Praise his holy name, all that is within me.
Praise the Lord, my soul,and never forget all the good he has done. He is the one who forgives all your sins,the one who heals all your diseases,the one who rescues your life from the pit,the one who crowns you with mercy and compassion,
the one who fills your life with blessings
so that you become young again like an eagle.- The Lord is good forever, His love is forever, His mercy is forever, His truth is forever. Receive the one who is for you forever. That truth will never change.

Have a very blessed week.

“Rising early is a kind of fast. And coming to pray when it is hard to get there is another kind of fast. When we make such choices, we make war on the deceitfulness of our desires and declare the preciousness of prayer and the all-surpassing worth of God.”

- John Piper, ‘A Hunger For God’

Those two criminals.
Bleeding.
Bruised.
Guilty.

In the Savior’s final moments, one criminal hung on each side of Him.

Those two represent all of us.

We are each like
one
or the other
of them.

It’s no accident, this true picture.

There they were.
So close to Jesus.
Can you imagine?

They both knew who He was.
But only one of them would be saved.

For simply knowing Who Jesus is,
isn’t enough.

Satan, himself, knows Jesus is the Son of God.

Those two criminals both knew Jesus was said to be the Christ. The Son of the Living God. The Messiah.

But cognitively believing Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, is not enough.
For even the demons believe and shudder. (James 2:19)

And as those two criminals hung there, so very close to the Savior, only one of them would be saved.

And all of us,
when we are confronted the gospel respond as
one
or the other
of those two
bleeding, bruised, guilty criminals.

Like them, we have been found guilty and death looms right around the corner for all of us. (Rom 3:23)

One scoffed.

“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”(Luke 23:39)

He scoffed.
The lost world still scoffs.

“But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”(Luke 23:40-43)

Only one of those criminals recognized his own guilt. He said he was deserving of his punishment.

Don’t miss this!

The one who would be saved, recognized his own sin, saw the innocence of the Savior, and knew He, alone, held the keys to forgiveness, life and the everlasting Kingdom.

The guilty criminal, who was saved, humbly saw his own sin and turned to Jesus.

There is no salvation without confession and turning from our ways, to Christ -the ONLY salvation.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except by Him. (John 14:6)

And YOU can come to HIM!
No one has out-sinned God’s ability to forgive!

We come to Him by first confessing we are sinners in need of a Savior.

Unless we recognize our condition, lost in our sin, we will never appreciate what the sinless Lamb did for us on that Cross.

For “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9)

CLEAN!
Cleansed from ALL unrighteousness!

All my HOPE is in Jesus! I’ve been washed by the blood! Have you?! Let the redeemed say so!

Will you praise Him with me?

~Kim Jaggers

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23

In Christ Alone - Keith & Kristyn Getty, Alison Krauss

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.

Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalms 19

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23

"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
~ Jesus (Matthew 6:34)

"And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him."

Isaiah 30:18 KJV