DID YOU KNOW The Sadducees approached Jesus with what they believed was an unbeatable riddle. They referred to the law of levirate marriage, under which a man was expected to marry his deceased brother’s childless widow so the brother’s family line could continue (Deuteronomy 25:5–10). They imagined a woman who had successively been married toContinue reading “When God Refuses to Play Our Games”
Category Archives: Did You Know
The God We Trust and the Excuses We Make
DID YOU KNOW Trust shapes nearly every decision we make. We follow directions because we trust the person giving them, accept advice because we trust its source, and take risks because we trust the promised outcome. The Parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19:11–27 asks us to examine whether we truly trust the characterContinue reading “The God We Trust and the Excuses We Make”
When God Creates a Way We Never Imagined
DID YOU KNOW Innovation usually describes the human ability to produce something new, solve an old problem, or discover a better way forward. Yet long before people spoke about innovation, Scripture revealed the God who creates possibilities where human wisdom sees only barriers. Isaiah 45–47, Luke 18:9–19:10, and Job 10 show people facing political captivity,Continue reading “When God Creates a Way We Never Imagined”
When Complaining Becomes a Conversation with God
DID YOU KNOW Complaining can become almost automatic. We complain about the weather, traffic, our work, our health, our families, and sometimes matters so small that we scarcely remember them an hour later. At times, complaining is little more than conversational filler. Yet even casual complaints can disclose hidden expectations. Beneath the words may beContinue reading “When Complaining Becomes a Conversation with God”
God Is at Work in the In-Between
DID YOU KNOW Life rarely moves in straight lines. We pass through beginnings and endings, joy and disappointment, certainty and confusion. Some seasons feel like winter, others like spring, and many of the most difficult days are the ones between the two. We know where we have been, but we cannot yet see where GodContinue reading “God Is at Work in the In-Between”
The Father Who Comes Looking
DID YOU KNOW Failure has a way of narrowing our vision. When we have made a mess of something important, we can become so focused on what we did wrong that we lose sight of what God is doing next. We replay the mistake, rehearse the regret, and quietly assume that our failure has becomeContinue reading “The Father Who Comes Looking”
The Comfort That Calls You Forward
DID YOU KNOW There are times when comfort is all we think we want. We are tired, bruised by life, disappointed in ourselves, or simply worn down by circumstances we did not choose. In moments like those, the words of Isaiah 40:1–2 sound especially tender: “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly toContinue reading “The Comfort That Calls You Forward”
When the Dots Refuse to Connect
DID YOU KNOW We are remarkably uncomfortable with unanswered questions. Give us a few facts, leave several spaces empty, and most of us will begin drawing lines between them. We do it with relationships, health problems, disappointments, unanswered prayers, and even with God. We would often rather have an incomplete explanation than admit that weContinue reading “When the Dots Refuse to Connect”
When the Wilderness Begins to Bloom
DID YOU KNOW Anxiety has an unusual ability to make tomorrow feel more real than today. We can be sitting safely in our own home, surrounded by people we love, with enough food for the evening and enough strength for the moment, yet our minds can already be living inside a disaster that has neverContinue reading “When the Wilderness Begins to Bloom”
When Fear Loses Its Authority
DID YOU KNOW Fear has a way of making earthly power look larger than it really is. A hostile person can appear overwhelming. A threatening circumstance can dominate our imagination. A religious authority, employer, institution, diagnosis, financial crisis, or personal failure can begin to feel as though it has the final word over us. JesusContinue reading “When Fear Loses Its Authority”