Tag Archives: faith

April 24
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“‘Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine [Goliath] will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.’ Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you.'” (1 Samuel 17:36-37, NIV)

Today’s scripture encourages us to use our memory of God’s faithfulness to provoke us to trust and faith in our heavenly Father — at all times, and in every circumstance.

David’s faith, confidence, and courage at the great, public, moment of his confrontation with Goliath had as its foundation the lesser, private, moments in his life when God had been equally faithful. God’s power and faithfulness are no less when we’re facing a giant before an audience of thousands, than it is when we were confronting ordinary foes in the wilderness.

When facing a giant (whatever or whomever it might be), recall to mind our heavenly Father’s faithfulness and power in the less public periods of your life. It will give you the faith, the confidence, and the courage you need!  – Luther

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April 17
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“So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him.’” (1 Samuel 1:20, NIV)

It is helpful for the disciple of Jesus to remember that between a vision and its fulfillment; between a promise and the delivery of what was promised; is “the course of time.” It is here — like nowhere else — that we are challenged because we often become tired of waiting; or we become frustrated with the pace of fulfillment, the timing of delivery; or we allow something else less worthy to divert our attention, or to curb our enthusiasm.

Hannah’s story began much earlier than what we read in today’s verse: She had been childless for a very long time, and had been praying for a very long time for a son. God had heard Hannah’s prayer and, through Eli the priest, had promised to give her a son. It wasn’t an instantaneous realization of God’s promise; the promise was realized “in the course of time” through something as common as conception, pregnancy, and childbirth.

Be encouraged by the fact that God always desires to work for us, in us, and through us. Do not lose heart when the hours creep or when the days seem never to end.  – Luther

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April 16
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“They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.” (Ruth 1:4-5, NIV)

It is hard to imagine a more dire situation than the one described in today’s scripture: Death, young widowhood, exile to a foreign land, and bleak economic prospects. This story of Naomi and her two daughters-in-law doesn’t end there, but it does begin in pain and uncertainty.

(There is more to this story, of course; and I encourage you to read the four short chapters that comprise the book of Ruth — which takes less time to read than many articles in the Sunday newspaper — for the rest of the story.)

Despite the dark outlook, Naomi, Ruth, Orpah, and others, persist in the practice of humility, hospitality, and honesty. Although they were not assured a positive outcome — none of us ever are — they are, nevertheless, confident of God.

We show our confidence (another word for “faith”) in our heavenly Father — as did Naomi and the others — by persisting in humility, hospitality, and honesty, particularly in hard times.  – Luther

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