Trust

"Isaac - God Has Made Me Laugh" - By Jared Synan

"Isaac - God Has Made Me Laugh" - By Jared Synan

God promised Abraham and Sarah a child in their old age, and, despite their worldly attempts to bring about children on their own (possibly motivated by frustration, desperation or fear), God held true to His promise to them. Genesis chapter 21 shows Sarah giving birth to Isacc, with verse 2 specifying that she bore him "at the set time of which God had spoken to him" (NKJV). After being barren for so long, Sarah and Abraham were overjoyed with the blessing of their new baby, and in response to this they named him Isaac, which means "he laughs." Genesis 21:6 records Sarah saying "God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me" (NKJV). While it must be acknowledged that not all of Abraham and Sarah's actions or decisions were good ones, here we see at the very start of Isaac's life that they are properly responding to this blessing; not only rejoicing personally, but also glorifying God, recognizing His might and power at work, and making it known that He is the author and source of their happiness, as opposed to glorifying themselves or their own efforts.

"Unity, Trust, & Prayer" - By Ben Palmer

"Unity, Trust, & Prayer" - By Ben Palmer

This week’s reading plan invites us into Psalms 129–131 and Acts 4:23–31. Let’s walk through them together. Each of the psalms for our reading this week (Psalms 129-131) is a Song of Ascent. These psalms were sung by worshippers journeying to Jerusalem. Each of these psalms contains a common subject of unity.

"What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do" - By Jonathan Sadler

"What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do" - By Jonathan Sadler

The feeling of not knowing what to do in our lives our can be terrifying. It's especially terrifying when that comes from someone in leadership. When our leaders don’t know what to do, and that happens all the time in the world, it can crush us. This phenomenon also happens in our personal lives when we encounter hard situations.

"Why Should I Fear In Times of Trouble?" - By Jared Synan

"Why Should I Fear In Times of Trouble?" - By Jared Synan

As believers, we know that this physical world is not our true home, that we are secure in God’s love and protection, and that no force on earth or of Hell can separate us from Him. We know this, of course, and yet… many times we question, doubt, become downcast or even despair; the world is full of things to distract us, sadden us, stress us out, all of which pull our focus away from God and His teachings and works. It’s easy, especially so with everything going on in the world today, to become anxious or afraid, and in the whirlwind of news and dramas and fears and noise, to lose sight of the simple fact that, regardless of circumstance, God is and will always be victorious, and that even when life takes turns we didn’t plan for or would ever want, He has this all in hand. And we can be so thankful, not only for His saving power but also for His grace and understanding of how short-sighted and weak we humans are, that wisdom for such times was placed in scripture: as Psalm 49’s title reminds us, “Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?”