“When fear envelops me, I put my hope in You.” — Psalm 55:4
During a routine medical examination, four-year-old Calvin was found to have several spots on his body. He was given an injection, and the injection site was sealed with a plaster. At home, when it was time to remove the small adhesive film, the boy whimpered in fright. Trying to calm his son, the father said to Calvin: “You know that I will never do anything bad to you.” The father wanted his son’s trust in him to be greater than the fear of removing the plaster.
Four-year-olds are not the only ones who fear discomfort. Operations, separation from loved ones, mental or psychological problems cause us to fear, sigh, cry and moan.
One of the most frightening moments in David’s life was when he found himself in the territory of the Philistines, trying to escape from the envious King Saul. When David was recognized, he was worried about what might happen to him (see 1 Sam. 21:11-12). “David… was very afraid of Achish, the king of Gath” (v. 13). Reflecting on those dangerous circumstances, David wrote a psalm, which contains the following words: “When fear envelops me, I trust in You, – I will praise His word in God, I trust in God, and I will not be afraid – what will the flesh do to me?” (Ps. 55:4-5).
What should we do if life’s troubles cause us fear? We must trust Heavenly Father.
What current circumstances cause you fear? How can you rely on God’s care as you bring your fears to a loving Heavenly Father?
Dear God, because of my human nature and weakness, I am afraid. Help me to see and feel Your love and care even in the midst of trials and discomfort.
“I heard your prayer, I saw your tear! Behold, I will heal you!” — 2 Kings 20:5
“I’m having a brain scan. Please pray that it goes well.” “Pray for my children to return to church.” “Please pray for Dave who lost his wife.” Our team receives a list of similar prayer requests every week for us to pray and send a handwritten card to each person. Requests are overwhelming, and our efforts can seem small and unnoticed. Those thoughts changed when I received a thank-you card and a copy of the obituary from Dave, a husband who recently lost his wife, on the death of his beloved wife.
Jesus set the example that we should pray sincerely. He always found time to retire to prayer (Mark 1:35; 6:46; 14:32).
Hundreds of years ago, King Hezekiah of Judah also learned this lesson. He was told that the disease would soon take his life (2 Kings 20:1). In despair and bitter tears, Hezekiah “turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord” (v. 2). God’s answer was immediate. He healed Hezekiah, gave him fifteen years of life and promised to save the kingdom from the enemy (vv. 5-6). God answered his prayer not because Hezekiah lived a good life, but “for His sake and for the sake of His servant David” (v. 6). We don’t always get what we ask for, but we can be sure that God works through every prayer.
Who from your environment needs prayer support today? How to remind yourself to stop and pray more often?
Heavenly Father, thank you for hearing my prayers.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” —John 3:16
The “Monster” from Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein” is one of the most famous literary characters that captures our cultural imagination. Careful readers of the beloved novel, however, know that a strong argument can be made that Shelley’s portrayal of the monster is Victor Frankenstein himself, a flawed scientist who, having created a sentient being, denies it any guidance, companionship, or hope for happiness, seemingly guaranteeing the creature’s descent into despair and rage. During the meeting with Victor, his creature complains: “You, my creator, would tear me to pieces and triumph.”
The scriptures show how different the true Creator is with his constant and tireless love for His creation. God did not create on a whim. He created a beautiful and “very good” world out of love (Genesis 1:31). And even when humanity turned away from God, choosing terrible evil instead of Him, God’s affection and love for humanity did not change.
As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, God’s love for His creation was so great that He was ready to give even the most precious thing – “His Only Begotten Son” (John 3:16). Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice, taking upon Himself the consequences of our sins, so that “everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life” (v. 15).
We have a Creator to whom we can entrust our hearts and lives.
How does God’s affection for His creation affect you? What will be your response to His love for you?
Dear God, thank you for being a good Creator in whom I can trust.
What do you think, dear church, what topic is on everyone’s mind right now? Apparently, in addition to the fact that everyone is discussing the signing of aid from the United States, there is another topic that worries most men in Ukraine – this is the issue of mobilization and the signed law on this matter. If we do not touch on the corruption component of this law, namely, the fact that the fines for evading mobilization have been increased and the fees of all military commissars and heads of hospital commissions will increase accordingly, the next problem caused by this law is the division of society into evaders and those who are patriots, or simply normal citizens.
I won’t touch on the moral aspect of this issue today, but I’ll say right away – it’s not from God to divide people into some kind of varieties, like sausage. And I’ll tell you one old anecdote, but slightly modified for today’s realities.
Odesa. Evening. A husband and wife are talking in the kitchen.
– Imagine, Sagochka, that they hired me today, that I married you for love or to avoid mobilization.
– And what did you, Syo, answer them?
– Of course, to avoid mobilization!
– But you know that when we got married, I didn’t have children, and now we have four of them!
– Well, Sagochka, who cares? If you are a father of 4 young children, then you are 100% simply a large-child evader!
And, as knowledgeable people say, after the Cabinet of Ministers published a list of critically important enterprises and organizations where, along with the Verkhovna Rada apparatus and Silpo stores, workers of a traveling circus also appeared – in Ukraine, in addition to the usual term “evader”, a new one should be introduced – “booked evader of a traveling circus”.
But today I want to tell you, dear church, about one very famous evader. Why exactly about Him? Because this evader influenced the entire history of mankind.
If you are already wondering: What is this evader? Then I will tell you in secret, but you do not tell anyone, this evader is our Lord Jesus.
What did Jesus evade? He evaded sin and all the wrong expectations of people about Him. But at the same time He never evaded God’s will and His calling to save people. Perhaps you have already had a logical question, why did the pastor label Christ a evader? Am I not exaggerating here with hyperbole and maybe this is no longer a figure of speech, but an ordinary insult to Christ?
To show you that in fact I am not exaggerating anything, I want to ask you: what holiday is today? Yes, today we celebrate Palm Sunday, or as our people say – the holiday of Palm Sunday. What is this event? This is the day when Christ entered Jerusalem seven days before Easter. Why did this day become a holiday and do we remember this event from year to year? Because the people of that time had certain expectations about Jesus and I want to remember them today.
“And as he was now approaching the going down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples, rejoicing, began to praise God with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen,
Saying: Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:37-38 UBIO)
What did you pay attention to, dear church? Who did people perceive Jesus to be? Yes, you were not mistaken – for a king. But for which king exactly? As King of kings and Lord of lords? No. In fact, they perceived Him as an ordinary earthly king, who was called to free them from Roman occupation. Perhaps someone is sitting there and thinking that the pastor has invented something again. Then I will show you another place from the Gospel so that you can understand what the people expected of Jesus Christ.
“Then the people, when they saw the miracle that [Jesus] did, said that he is truly the prophet who is coming into the world. But Jesus, knowing that they would come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (John 6:15 NIV)
What did the people want to do with Jesus after the miracle of multiplying the loaves and fish? Perhaps they were convinced that He was God’s messenger? Yes, they 100% considered Him to be God’s prophet. But what conclusions did the people draw for themselves? Perhaps they decided to repent of their sins and dedicate their lives to serving God? No. They decided that they needed to use the power and authority of Jesus. For what? So that he, as the king of the Jews, would free them from Roman occupation. Was this a bad desire? I think not. But was it God’s will for Christ? No. And that is why Jesus evaded this desire of the people. And almost certainly, someone after that began to call Christ a “evader.”
Why am I telling you this today? I want to show you, through the example of Christ, that we are called to avoid the wrong expectations of people. Why? Because otherwise we will never do God’s will. We can please people so that we don’t get labeled as “evasive” or sectarian, but that will never help us live the way our Heavenly Father expects.
Did Jesus struggle with the desire to evade God’s will? Some probably think not? But remember Gethsemane. What did Jesus pray about there? Do you remember? And I will remind you, He:
“…prayed and pleaded, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…’ Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will…” (Matthew 26:39 UBIO)
What did Jesus want to evade? Yes, from death on the cross. But in this case, he did not run away, but on the contrary, he asked the Father for the strength to go through this path to the end.
Therefore, the first important truth that I want to draw your attention to is this:
Avoid sin and false expectations of people.
But at the same time, never evade God’s will and your calling. Do not try to please everyone, lest you be called a sectarian or an evader. On the contrary, pray and do all you can to please the Heavenly Father.
How do you understand which expectations of other people you need to evade and which you do not? In fact, everything is quite simple. If other people’s expectations do not lead to salvation, then you should run away from such expectations as far as possible. Conversely, everything that contributes to the salvation of others – you should listen to such expectations, because they will direct you to God’s path.
Do you know who the Speaker of the American Congress Johnson met with before the vote for aid to Ukraine? He met with a person who experienced a very great loss during today’s war.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson met with Ukrainian Serhiy Gaidarzhy, who lost his wife Anna and four-month-old son Timofey during the Russian missile strike on Odessa on March 2. This meeting gave Johnson a unique opportunity to hear directly from Serhiy about the deep pain and consequences of war felt by ordinary Ukrainians. And I think this meeting was another stone that struck the Goliath of indifference that had long held Johnson and many American politicians at bay.
It is testimonies like Serhiy’s that help politicians who have long strayed from God’s path to return to the role for which they were given power.
What inspires me about this story? Serhiy did not allow the evil that came to his family to steal his relationship with God. It seems that what good can there be in the loss of a wife and son? This loss gave Serhiy the opportunity to remind Johnson, who positions himself as a believer in Christ, of the values from which he evaded in the desire to keep his position and remain in power.
If you think that the term dodger applies only to men who do not want to go to war, then I will tell you that at zero, every soldier must be a professional dodger. Why? Because everyone in the trenches must dodge enemy bullets, mines, shells and drones. And if you don’t see the danger in time, it can cause serious injury and even loss of life. It so happened today that we rejoice in every event when our military was able to dodge Russian shelling and save their lives. And we also rejoice when the Russians fail to do this. And as they wrote recently in the news:
HIMARS visited the meeting of Russian officers of the 24th Motorized Rifle Regiment in the Kherson region.
The meeting ended early: 8 officers have the status of full evaders, and 7 more have temporary ones.
But it’s not only at the front that you need to be a professional evader. Did you know that believers in Jesus Christ are called to be evaders? No, you didn’t? Then I’ll show you what the word of God says about this. In the first epistle of the apostle Peter in chapter 3 we read:
“For whoever wants to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it!” (1 Peter 3:10-11 UBIO)
Do you see this? The apostle Peter calls on believers to be evasive? Well, this is somehow not at all popular, especially in our realities. But evasive from what? From evil, from slander and in general everything that can be bad for another person.
Therefore, the second important truth for today:
Be evasive – turn away from evil and do good.
Preach the gospel, help everyone who needs your help, live in such a way as to bring peace to our country. How to do this? You need to see in your circumstances the evil that God has called you to avoid. And it is also important not only to avoid this evil, but on the contrary, to do everything to turn it into good.
And in conclusion, I want to tell you about an ordinary girl. Or rather, she is not quite ordinary for me, because she managed to see in her life circumstances something more than the evil that befell her family. If you ask what this girl’s name is, I will tell you that her name is Lera and she lives in Dnipro. I had the opportunity to meet her personally at a recent seminar for children’s ministers at the Favor Center. You may have a question, what exactly is special about this girl? She is special because she is raising a special child. Her eldest son has autism, and anyone who has encountered such children knows how difficult it is for parents and children themselves in our society, especially now during the war.
What did this young wife and mother do when she and her husband found out about their son’s diagnosis? At first, they struggled with disappointment and misunderstanding, how did it happen that they had a child with this special feature? They had many questions. Why is it so with them? They serve God, their husband is a pastor of the church… And there were many different reasons. But there was an answer from the Lord and today they serve such children and their parents. They opened a kindergarten for such children, where they are engaged in their rehabilitation and adaptation to ordinary life. Their family turned away from evil and disappointment and began to serve those who are going through similar trials in their lives.
But there is another important moment in this story. Do you know what caused Lera’s ministry to special children to begin? Because their church began to accept refugees after the start of a full-scale war. It was from these people that the Lord raised up ministers who are now working with special children.
And in conclusion, I want to remind you of two truths for today.
First:
Turn away from sin and from false expectations of people.
But at the same time, never turn away from God’s will and your calling.
And the second truth:
Be a turnaway – turn away from evil and do good.
Preach the gospel, help everyone who needs your help, and live in such a way as to bring peace to our country.
Even after Jesus set my son Jeff free from years of drug addiction, I still worried. We’ve been through a lot together, and I sometimes focus on his difficult past instead of thinking about the future God has in store for him. Parents of ex-drug addicts are often troubled by the thought of a possible relapse, and one day at a family gathering I took Jeff aside and said: “Remember our enemy, because he is strong.” “I know, father,” he answered, “he has power, but he has no power.”
In that moment I remembered the incomparable power of Jesus that saves us from our sins and changes our lives if we look to Him. I immediately thought of His words to the disciples shortly before He returned to His Heavenly Father: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. So go…” (Mt. 28:18-19).
Crucified and resurrected Jesus opened the way to God for us, no matter what our past. He owns both our past and our future. Because Jesus promised to be with us always (v. 20), we can be sure that He will accomplish His purposes. Our lives are in His safe hands. Jesus gives us an incomparable hope, a hope so great that we cannot keep it to ourselves. The devil and the world may have some power temporarily, but all power belongs to Jesus forever.
How does Jesus’ authority give you hope? What of what He has done for you that you can share with someone else?
Dear God, thank you for lovingly calling me to You. Please lead me to someone I can show Your love to.
“We love Him because He first loved us.” — 1 John 4:19
Once as a child, my now-adult son Xavier spread his arms wide and said, “I love you so much.” In turn, I spread out my long arms and said: “And I love you so much.” In response, Xavier said: “And I loved you first.” I shook my head. “I loved you even when God put you in my belly.” Xavier’s eyes widened. “You won.” “No, we both won,” I said, “because Jesus first loved us both.”
As Xavier prepares for the birth of his first child, I pray that they will have a strong love for each other. Instead, as I prepare to become a grandmother, I marvel at how much I’ve grown to love my grandson since the moment Xavier and his wife told us they were expecting a baby.
The apostle John claimed that Jesus’ love for us gives us the ability to love him and others (1 John 4:19). Understanding that He loves us gives us a sense of security that deepens our personal relationship with Him (vv. 15-17). Realizing the depth of His love (v. 19), we can grow in love for Him and show it in other relationships (v. 20). Jesus not only helps us to show love, but also commands us to do it: “And we have this commandment from Him, that whoever loves God should also love his brother” (v. 21). God always shows more love than we do. No matter how hard we try, we still cannot surpass God!
How has understanding that God loves you helped you love others? How can you show love to others?
Loving Savior, thank you for loving me first so that I could love others.
“Behold, I am sending Angel before your face, so that he will protect you on the way.” — Exodus 23:20
Bev was forced to undergo medical examination after examination; it made her overworked and tired. The doctors worried the woman when they said that they were looking for cancer in her body. Every day God faithfully encouraged her with promises of His presence and constant peace when she turned to Him or read the Bible. The woman tried to cope with uncertainty and learned to trust God with everything. One morning, Bev came across a verse from the book of Exodus, while she was preparing for a major operation: “Behold, I am sending an Angel before your face to guard you on the way” (Ex. 23:20).
God spoke these words through Moses to His people, the Israelites. He gave His laws, which His people had to obey, and led them to a new land (vv. 14-19). And in the midst of these instructions, God told the Israelites that he would send an angel before them “so that he would guard [them] on the way.” Although Bev’s situation was not like this, she remembered that the guardianship of angels is also mentioned in other biblical texts. In Psalm 90:11 it is said: “He will command His angels concerning you to watch over you in all your ways.” And in Hebrews 1:14 it is said that God sends “ministering spirits” to serve believers in Jesus.
If we know Christ, He sends an angel or angels to help us.
What can God do for you through His angels? How does that encourage you?
Dear God, I am thankful that You are always near and that Your angels are watching over Your children.
“And the one sown among the tares is the one who hears the word, but the troubles of this age and the delusion of riches drown out the word.” — Matthew 13:22
After planting a few seeds in my yard, I began to wait for the results. After reading that the seeds should germinate in ten to fourteen days, I checked often by watering them. Soon I saw several green leaves poking through the soil. However, my illusion was quickly dispelled when my husband said it was weeds. He encouraged me to pull them out quickly so they wouldn’t choke out the plants I was trying to grow.
Jesus also spoke about the need to act decisively on things that can hinder our spiritual growth. He explained part of His parable as follows. When the sower sowed the seed, some of the seeds “fell into the weeds… and [he] choked them” (Matt. 13:7). This is exactly what weeds do to plants – they stop their growth (v. 22). Worry, no doubt, also stunts our spiritual growth. Reading the Scriptures and praying are great ways to grow in faith, but I have learned that I need to beware of the weeds of anxiety because they will “choke out” the good word planted in me, forcing me to focus on what could go wrong.
The fruit of the Spirit spoken of in Scripture includes love, joy, and peace (Gal. 5:22). However, in order to bear this fruit, we need to, with God’s help, pull out the weeds of anxiety and doubt that can distract us and force us to focus on something other than God.
How does God help you grow the seed He has planted in you? How to pull out the weeds of anxiety?
Dear Heavenly Father, please remind me more often of the need to pull out the weeds of anxiety and delusional thoughts so that I can grow in You and bear fruit.
“You, both once and twice, sent me for my needs.” — Philippians 4:16
Rescuers have teamed up to help two men stranded on an island in Micronesia. Coordinated teamwork was necessary, as the disease prevalent at the time required them to limit contact with each other. The pilot who first spotted the exiles radioed a nearby Australian Navy ship. The ship sent two helicopters to deliver food, water and medical supplies. The US Coast Guard later arrived to check on the men and deliver the radio. Eventually, a Micronesian patrol boat took them to their destination.
We can achieve a lot when we work together. The believers in Philippi joined forces to support the apostle Paul. Lydia and her family welcomed him into their home (Acts 16:13-15). Clement and even Euodia and Syntychia (who did not get along with each other) worked directly with the apostle for the sake of spreading the Gospel (Phil. 4:2-3). Later, when Paul was imprisoned in Rome, the church collected the necessary things and handed them over through Epaphroditus (vv. 14-18). Perhaps most important, however, was that the Philippians prayed for him throughout his ministry (Phil. 1:19).
Cooperation with other believers can produce far more powerful results than if we were to do it alone. Someone said: “Alone we are one drop, but together we are an ocean.”
When have you served well with other Christians? What is your spiritual connection with them based on?
Dear God, please show me how to join those who serve You.
