Category Archives: Faith & Hope

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November 14, 2013

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Faith & Hope, Trusting God

He Cares

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. [1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)] 

The more we trust Him, the easier life becomes. Our troubling circumstances may not change; in fact, they could even get worse. Yet, when we trust God, we change because the burden of our challenges has been lifted. Thank you, God, for your gift of hope and peace.

When I said, “My feet are slipping,” your mercy, O Lord, continued to hold me up. When I worried about many things, your assuring words soothed my soul. [Psalm 94:18-19 (GW)]

 

 

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November 13, 2013

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Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, Miracles, Trusting God

Expect a Miracle (Part 2) – He has No Limits

“A boy who has five loaves of barley bread and two small fish is here. But they won’t go very far for so many people.”

 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” The people had plenty of grass to sit on. (There were about 5,000 men in the crowd.) Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to the people who were sitting there. He did the same thing with the fish. All the people ate as much as they wanted. When the people were full, Jesus told his disciples, “Gather the leftover pieces so that nothing will be wasted.” The disciples gathered the leftover pieces of bread and filled twelve baskets. [John 6:9-13 (GW)]

Although the disciples’ resources were limited, they forgot that God has no limitations. In Jesus’ hands, the boy’s meager offering would be more than enough to feed the crowd.

Lord Jesus, don’t let our inadequacies and shortcomings constrain our vision of what we can do together. Don’t let us limit your work by deciding what is and isn’t possible. No matter how meager our resources may be, if we offer them to you, you can make them more than enough. You can multiply anything we give to you!

 For nothing is impossible with God. [Luke 1:37 (GW)]

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November 12, 2013

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Bible Stories, Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Miracles, Trusting God

Expect a Miracle (Part 1)

2013-11-12Toward the end of the day, the twelve apostles came to him. They said to him, “Send the crowd to the closest villages and farms so that they can find some food and a place to stay. No one lives around here.” Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish. Unless we go to buy food for all these people, that’s all we have.” [Luke 9:12-13 (GW)

Over 5000 people had followed Jesus and evening was approaching. The disciples saw the massive crowd and they knew they had a predicament. How could they possibly feed all of those hungry people? Although all four gospels report this story, none mention any of the disciples saying something like, “Jesus, we’ve got a problem; we need to pray!” or “Do you think we could find a way to feed this crowd? Could a miracle be possible?” No! Knowing they didn’t have enough money to purchase that much food, they simply suggested sending the crowd away. Jesus and his disciples had been healing the sick and lame. Jesus had freed people from demons, calmed a storm and even brought a young girl back to life. The disciples probably knew about the wine making miracle at Cana. Did it not occur to them that yet another miracle could occur?

Lord Jesus, forgive me when I don’t bring you my problems and trust you with a solution.

Jesus said to him, “As far as possibilities go, everything is possible for the person who believes.” [Mark 9:23 (GW)]

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November 4, 2013

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Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Miracles, Prayer

Prayer Can Move more Than Mountains

Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God! I can guarantee this truth: This is what will be done for someone who doesn’t doubt but believes what he says will happen: He can say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done for him. That’s why I tell you to have faith that you have already received whatever you pray for, and it will be yours.” [Mark 11:22-24 (GW)]

We need faith to pray, but as we pray we gain faith. True faith, however, includes faith in God’s will, not ours. God can do the impossible but he isn’t going to perform miracles to prove his existence to us. Am I disappointed because I haven’t moved a mountain by prayer? No, because there is no need for me to move any mountains. But, when I have prayed in faith, God has moved people, changed lives, and healed troubled souls. He has, indeed, performed miracles in response to prayers offered in faith.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” [Mark 10:27 (NLT)]

 

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November 1, 2013

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Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Prayer

Ask and Receive

So I tell you to ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the person who knocks, the door will be opened. [Luke 11:9-10 (GW)]

Everyone who asks will receive, but they may not always receive what they asked for. When I look back, I find that God’s denials of my requests have resulted in far better gifts than I ever could have imagined. They have led me to new and better places. His refusals have, indeed, opened doors, just not the ones I expected!

Grantor of all good things, give me a thankful heart when my prayers aren’t answered the way I’d hoped. Keep me mindful that you have promised to always provide and that you know far better than I what needs to be done and how it can be accomplished.

 

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October 25, 2013

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Faith & Hope, Prayer, Trusting God

Do You Ever Want to Run Away?

I said, “If only I had wings like a dove – I would fly away and find rest. Indeed, I would run far away. I would stay in the desert. I would hurry to find shelter from the raging wind and storm.” [Psalm 55:6-8 (GW)]

Do we ever outgrow the urge to run away from it all when life gets really messy or complicated? We may not literally pack our bags but we do quit our jobs, change where we live, disconnect from those who love us, retreat into work or the internet, or even get a divorce. Some people escape by turning to obsessive or addictive behavior. We may run from our problems by concealing our feelings, hiding behind a façade of serenity, or even by denying their very existence, thinking if we don’t admit them we won’t have to face them. Instead of running away, however, we need to run to someone; we need to run to God!

But I call on God, and the Lord saves me. … Turn your burdens over to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will never let the righteous person stumble. [Psalm 55:16, 22 (GW)]

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. [Corrie ten Boom]