From: July 13, 2025
“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1 ESV).
Psalm 10 began with a cry of confusion and anguish. The psalmist felt abandoned by God in the midst of trouble. The wicked seemed to prosper while the righteous suffer, and God’s justice appeared delayed. This lament revealed the raw emotion of someone who believed in God’s goodness but couldn’t see it in the moment. Yet, as the psalm continued, the writer reminded himself that God does see, and He does act (vv. 14–18). This psalm, like many laments, moved from despair to confidence. The psalmist didn’t suppress his questions, he brought them directly to God. The very act of prayer reoriented his heart. Though he began with the feeling that God was distant, he ended by by declaring his trust in God to bring justice and defend the helpless. God was not absent. He was listening all along.
Sometimes, we feel like God is far away, especially when evil seems to go unpunished and our prayers seem unheard. But like the psalmist, we must remember that our feelings are not the final word. We can bring our raw emotions, our doubts, and our disappointments to God. He is not bothered by our questions. In fact, the Psalms invite us to cry out honestly to the Lord. As we pray, we find that our hearts are refreshed and realigned with God’s truth. Let’s not hide our hearts from Him, but pour them out before Him. When we feel distant from God, let’s draw near in prayer—and trust that He is already near to us.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for being a God who welcomes our questions. Even when You seem far away, help us to remember that You are always near. When trouble comes, give us the faith to keep praying and the honesty to pour out our hearts before You. We trust that You see, You hear, and You will act in Your perfect timing. Refresh our hearts as we seek Your face, and remind us that You never forsake those who belong to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: July 13, 2024
“…to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless” (Psalms 10:14b ESV).
The psalmist began by questioning where God is when the wicked persecute the poor. For the wicked appear to prosper and take advantage of the widow and the fatherless. Like a lion they lay in wait to attack the helpless and the vulnerable who have no apparent protection.
Yet God does see their trouble and grief. The helpless are not as helpless as they seem. For when they commit themselves to God, He is their Helper. For when the fatherless cry out to Him, He answers, adopting them as His own children.
I was a fatherless child. My father died when I was eight years old. My dear mother raised four children alone, yet not alone. For God was our Helper. When we cried out to Him, committing ourselves to Him, He answered. He was as a husband to my mother and a father to us. As the psalmist says in another place, “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows is God” (Psa.68:5).
PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I will never forget how helpless we felt when our father died. Yet, I will also never forget how real You became to us in every moment. For You became our Helper and the Head of our house. You became our Father in the real sense. Strengthen us to tell others who are feeling helpless and fatherless about Your great love. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: July 13, 2023
“Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does” (1 Chronicles 16:23-24 NLT).
David gave this song of thanksgiving to the Levites to sing on the day they brought the Ark into Jerusalem. In these two verses, he commanded his people to proclaim the good news that God saves to the nations.
Notice some of the details of David’s instruction:
1) Proclaim the good news every day
2) The good news is that God saves
3) Publish (using all available media) God’s good deeds among the nations
4) Tell everyone about what God has done
We have been given this same command by the Son of David, Jesus Christ. For He has said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20).
Are you ready to proclaim the good news that God saves?
PRAYER: Lord, fill us and empower us with Your Holy Spirit to proclaim the Good News that Jesus saves every day, to everyone, in every way, to every nation, everywhere. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: July 13, 2022
CREATION REVEALS THE CREATOR
In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he taught that all humanity was under God’s wrath because they had rejected even the most basic revelation He had given them, namely, creation itself. This is what theologians call General Revelation or Natural Revelation, which is the knowledge of God available to all through the observation of His creation. For many of God’s attributes may be readily ascertained by the observation and study of God’s creation. As a result, all humanity is without excuse for they have always had access to knowledge of Him.
Paul laid this foundational truth early in the book of Romans to prepare for his proclamation of God’s intervention through Special Revelation, that is, the word of the prophets, the Scriptures, and the supreme revelation of God through Jesus Christ, His Son.
Everyone has already received God’s general revelation, yet Christ has commissioned us to share God’s special revelation, which is most fully expressed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is so that the people of God might be ransomed by the blood of Jesus from every tribe and language and people and nation (See Rev. 5:9).
Before God inspired the writing of Genesis and all the Scriptures, He wrote large on the parchment of the earth and painted bright on the canvas of the heavens, so that every creature might have knowledge of their Creator. Yet, the clearest and brightest revelation of God is found in Jesus Christ. Knowing and following Him is the only way to truly know God.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we are thankful for Your creation. The heavens and the earth are beautiful and reveal Your great power and majesty. We are even more thankful for Your Son. For it is through Him that we have come to know You and become Your children. We praise You today for revealing Yourself to us and saving us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: July 13, 2016
The beauty and order of creation points to the unseen Creator, yet sin has lowered humanity’s vision to the visible creature. With an innate need to worship, they praise nature instead of nature’s God. This fallen focus puts a lie at the center of their thinking, so that their thinking devolves into foolishness and futility. This falsehood cannot be exposed without spiritual power. Mere words and human persuasion will not suffice. Sin has blinded their eyes and their minds are darkened. Only the power of God and the preaching of the gospel can shine the light of truth and reveal their need to repent and be saved.