From: April 4, 2026
“From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth” (Psalm 76:8–9 ESV).
The psalmist declared that God alone is the righteous Judge who speaks from heaven with authority. He described a moment when God’s voice brought such awe that the whole earth fell silent before Him. This stillness was not emptiness, but reverent anticipation, for God was preparing to act. The psalm held together two truths: God comes to establish judgment against evil and to bring salvation to the humble. His rising was certain, even when not yet seen. The temporary silence of the earth anticipated the announcement of His resurrection and redemption.
We recognize in this picture the sacred stillness of Holy Saturday, the day when Jesus lay resting in the tomb. All seemed quiet. The disciples were scattered. Hope appeared buried. Yet heaven was not done. The cross had accomplished judgment against sin, but the resurrection was drawing near to reveal salvation. We remember this pattern from Genesis: God created man on the sixth day and rested on the seventh. In the same way, Christ completed the work of redemption on the sixth day and rested in the tomb on the seventh.
When life feels silent and God seems hidden, we are tempted to think nothing is happening. But this passage reminds us that divine stillness is never divine absence. God is poised to act. His purposes are unfolding even when we cannot see them. Therefore, we choose to trust Him in the quiet. We humble ourselves before Him, believing that He will rise on our behalf in His perfect time. We can rest in the stillness, knowing that salvation is already here.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You that we can rest in You. When we walk through seasons when You seem absent, teach us to trust that You are at still at work. Thank You for the finished work of Christ, that just as You rested after creation, He rested after accomplishing our redemption. Help us to remember that judgment has been satisfied through Christ and that salvation is secure for those who humble themselves and believe. Keep us steady in the quiet, knowing that all was still the day before He arose. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: April 4, 2025
“And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones” (Deuteronomy 27:5-6 ESV).
Moses instructed Israel to build an altar of natural, “uncut stones” after they crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land. They were to offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD. But why did God insist that the altar be built with uncut stones?
The most obvious reason for leaving the stones uncut was because God commanded it. Moses and the Israelites had spent forty years in the wilderness learning to simply trust and obey the Lord. If God said it, they obeyed it.
Perhaps another reason the stones were to be left natural was to prevent the altar from becoming an idol. The pagan peoples of that land made intricately carved, manmade altars in the high places and the Lord did not want His people to worship the altar. He wanted them to worship Him.
Yet, surely the most meaningful reason is an allegorical one. The stones were to be left natural and uncut because God’s salvation is the work of God alone without any human effort. In this sense, the uncut stones point to Christ. For Jesus is the stone that “was cut out, but not by human hands” (Dan. 2:34). He is the “stone that the builders rejected [that] has become the cornerstone” (Matt. 21:42). As Isaiah prophesied and Peter preached, the Lord has said, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame” (Isa. 28:16, 1 Pet. 2:6). Christ is that Cornerstone laid by God himself.
Today, rest in the finished work of Christ and worship Him—not the altar, not your efforts, but Him alone. Live in humble obedience, offering your life not as a means to earn grace, but as a grateful response to it.
PRAYER: Lord, thank you for Christ, the Cornerstone and foundation of our salvation. We have believed in Jesus and received your great salvation. What wonder and awe we feel as we contemplate the work of salvation you began even before the foundation of the world. There is nothing we can add or subtract to the work of salvation you have provided for us in Christ Jesus. We offer our bodies as living sacrifices in response to your great love and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: April 4, 2024
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42 ESV).
Martha was working hard in the kitchen while her sister, Mary, sat at the feet of Jesus listening. Martha was hurt, feeling that Jesus didn’t care that her sister had left her serving alone. But Jesus approved of Mary’s choice to sit and listen to Him, enjoying His presence without working. He instructed Martha that listening and resting in Him was the right choice, the “one thing” needed.
What are you “anxious and troubled about” today? Believe in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who has defeated sin, death and the grave. Rest in Him. Listen to His voice. For Jesus still invites us to come to Him for rest and not only rest but purpose and meaning.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we believe in the Resurrected One, Jesus Christ. We rest in His great work and listen to His voice. Speak to us this day. Lead, guide and direct our path. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: April 4, 2023
“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:13 NLT).
Does God give good gifts when we ask? Can we trust His response to our prayers? If we give ourselves fully to Him in prayer, will He test us with things we don’t want and take away things that we do?
Jesus answered these implied questions by asking His own: “If a son asks any father among you for bread, or fish, or eggs, will he give a rock for bread, a serpent for fish, or a scorpion for an egg?” (Luke 11:11-12).
I’m sure His hearers must’ve responded with laughter at the ridiculous imagery of His rhetorical questions. “Certainly not!” They no doubt replied.
Jesus taught us to ask, seek, and knock in prayer expecting the Father to answer. We need not worry whether such persistence might cause the Father to give us hurtful or undesirable gifts. For if a sinful, mortal father knows how to give good gifts, certainly the righteous God will give not only give good gifts, but even the gift of the “Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” In other words, God will give Himself to those who ask!
Never doubt the Father’s love and care for you. You can depend on Him to meet your needs when you ask. More than that, He knows your deepest need, namely, the Holy Spirit. For God has sent His Son to reconcile us to Himself, so that we might be adopted into His family by the Spirit of adoption, that we might truly be called children of God (cf. Rom. 8:15).
PRAYER: Dear Father, we are Your children and we are not afraid to come to You with our requests. For we are confident that You will always give us that which is not only good, but best for us. We therefore come to You today asking for healing for our nation, for a great revival to sweep our land, and for our daily needs, especially for the poor. We ask these things in the name of Jesus, knowing that You have already answered. Amen.
From: April 4, 2016
We live in an increasingly thin-skinned world. People seem so easily offended. Nearly every category of humanity is declaring victimhood. Yet, the Bible describes those who are easily offended as foolish. On the other hand, those who ignore an insult are called “prudent” or wise. Jesus is both our model, and our source of strength, for living with this kind of unoffendable wisdom. It was He who declared from the cross, “Father, forgive them they don’t know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34). His identity was unassailable from others for it rested in the Father’s approval. That’s the key. If our identity depends on the approval of others, we will be continually “vexed” by every felt offense. But if our identity is secure in Christ, we will care only for His approval, wanting only to please Him in everything. When our identity is found in Jesus, we are unoffendable when others insult us.