circumstance

Pray… And Then Pray More! (Jonah 2)

“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said, ‘In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.'” (Jonah 2:1-2)

Even as a prophet of God, Jonah was as human as you and I, making many mistakes during his time of ministry. He ran away from God to the point where he was cast overboard from a boat, and the Lord sent a great fish to swallow him whole, where Jonah stayed three days and three nights. (more…)

When Bad Things Happen (John 9:2-3)

“His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'” (John 9:2-3)

“Why do bad things happen to good people?” This is a very popular cosmic question that tries to assign blame for any number of reasons we may find ourselves in difficult life situations. (more…)

My Soul Waits (Psalm 130:5-6)

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.” (Psa. 130:5-6)

This is a moving comparison to watchmen or sentinels, whose job was to laboriously watch and guard throughout the night, from dusk till dawn. The author captures the weight of their weariness and burden as he repeats “more than watchmen wait for the morning… more than watchmen wait for the morning.” (more…)