VIDEO When Things Get Hot

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:2

One night last year, Shane McCrea, a retired Marine, was driving down a North Carolina highway when he saw a car on fire. He and another passerby ran to the burning car and saw a man inside, unconscious. They struggled to get the man out, and then gave him CPR. The man survived. One of the rescuers said he is seldom out late at night, but that evening, he said that it was God who sent him there.¹ 

The Lord has a million ways of getting us through the fiery crashes of life. When the three Hebrew boys were thrown into the fiery furnace, the Fourth Man came and walked among them.

God promises to be with us when we walk through the fire. He is with us in whatever circumstances we find ourselves: illness, divorce, financial issues, joy, loss, and so on. He promises to be with us, and He keeps the flames from harming us. Offer God a prayer of thanksgiving that we’re never alone—we can experience the presence of God even when things get hot.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
“How Firm a Foundation”

1. Michael Hennessey, “‘God Sent Me There’: Men Reunite After Saving Unconscious Driver From High Point Car Fire,” Fox8, September 29, 2023.

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Fear Not — Isaiah 43:1-2

Courage in Christ

I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. Esther 4:16

Near the dawn of the twentieth century, Mary McDowell lived worlds apart from the brutal stockyards of Chicago. Although her home was just twenty miles away, she knew little about the horrific labor conditions that prompted workers in the stockyards to strike. Once she learned of the difficulties faced by them and their families, McDowell moved in and lived among them—advocating for better conditions. She ministered to their needs, including teaching children at a school in the back of a small shop.

Standing up for better conditions for others—even when not directly impacted—is something Esther did as well. She was the queen of Persia (Esther 2:17) and had a different set of privileges than her Israelite people who’d been dispersed throughout Persia as exiles. Yet Esther took up the cause of the Israelites in Persia and risked her life for them, saying, “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (4:16). She could have remained silent, for her husband, the king, didn’t know she was Jewish (2:10). But, choosing not to ignore her relatives’ pleas for help, she worked courageously to reveal an evil plot to destroy the Jews.

We may not be able to take on massive causes like Mary McDowell or Queen Esther, but may we choose to see the needs of others and use what God has provided to help them.

By:  Katara Patton

Reflect & Pray

How are you using what you possess to help others? What role can you play in providing for those who may not live near you?

Dear God, please give me the wisdom and courage to serve those in need.

Bridge to God’s Promises

Faith is the pathway to abundant life in the Lord. Romans 10:14-17

Northern California is home to the Golden Gate Bridge, a famous landmark and marvel of human engineering. Stretching across the strait between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, it connects two shores that were once separated and provides safe passage across the expanse. 

In our spiritual life, faith can also be seen as a type of bridge—one that links us, who were once far from God, to His promises (Isaiah 59:2). This span is foundational to our relationship with the Lord, offering hope on our journey. And the more we immerse ourselves in God’s Word and absorb His principles, the stronger this bridge of faith becomes. We can depend on it to provide safety as we navigate life’s trials.

As believers, we can find comfort knowing we’re connected to God’s love, grace, and redemption. Through faith, we can walk boldly on the path Jesus has laid out for us, safely traversing chasms of danger and doubt.

Whenever you see a bridge, let it serve as a symbol of how faith unites us with the living God and guides us to abundant life in Him. And keep in mind that a regular intake of Scripture reinforces our “bridge,” adding to its strength and stability.

One Of Our Problems With God Is That He Seems To Be On A Different Time Schedule

Living as we do in the fast-paced world of deadlines and a “Time is Money“paradigm, the idea of waiting around for God to do something comes off as impractical, mystical, and… well — Irritating. We can identify with the guy who prayed for patience, “Lord, I want patience, and I want it now!!“

And yet… that is often what God expects us to do: Wait. We have to admit that His sense of timing often mystifies us:

• He calls Abraham, promises him a great nation and then waits 25 years before allowing him to have his first son, Isaac. (See Genesis 12, 16).
• He allows the Nation Israel to languish under Egypt’s heel for 430 years of slavery before calling Moses to their rescue. (See Exodus 12:40).
• And when He finally does call Moses, He first has him out tending sheep for 40 years. (See Exodus 2, 3)

Certainly we can concur with God’s statement, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways… “(Isaiah 55:8)

So let me ask you: Are you usually rushed? In a hurry? Driving toward a goal? Anxious about getting things done?

Could it be that from time to time you get out in front of God by pushing things your way… accomplishing your agenda on your time table?

Our Sovereign Father who knows the end from the beginning, promises to make “All things beautiful in His time.“(Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Everything God intends, will happen: “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand.“(Isaiah 14:24)

Perhaps we need to be reminded that the Scriptures usually equate rushing with sinning:

“It is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who makes haste with his feet errs.“(Proverbs 19:2)

So take heart dear friend in Christ. Rest in the Psalmist’s admonition to “Let go, relax, and know that I am God.“(Psalm 46:10)

Our loving Father is profoundly interested in every detail of your life. He will see you through to the end… if you will let Him do it His way and on His timetable.

“He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.”

Esther 6

Esther 6:1

he who commanded a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, could not command a little sleep;

Esther 6:1

To while away the weary hours, and help him to slumber.

Esther 6:2

Singular was the providence which led to the reading of this record; the hand of the Lord was in it.

Esther 6:3

The monarch was impressed with the great service which Mordecai had rendered, and perhaps struck with the stern uprightness for which he was famous; and he felt that so loyal an adherent ought not to have been passed over and left unrewarded.

Esther 6:5

He was up betimes to make a halter for the man he hated, but the Lord thought not so. Providence had brought him where he would mix for himself a bitter cup.

Esther 6:6-9

He went as far as he well could, imagining that all these honours were intended for himself.

Esther 6:12

Not at all elated, he took his old place.

Esther 6:12

As full of spleen and malice as he could hold.

Esther 6:13

This was cold comfort. He had been the dupe of the soothsayers, and now they render him no consolation.

Esther 6:14

Little did he know how that banquet would end, and little do the enemies of the Lord know how surely and terribly they will be overthrown. May grace prevent our ever fighting against God!

He can raise the poor to stand

With the princes of the land;

Wealth upon the needy shower;

Set the meanest high in power.

He the broken spirit cheers;

Turns to joy the mourner’s tears;

Such the wonders of his ways:

Praise his name—for ever praise.

Wisdom from God

Things which are seen are temporal… things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

The thinking of our generation often reflects a willingness to exchange a high view of God’s eternity for a short-term concept called “here and now.” Technology is presumed to be paramount but the answers science gives us are short-term answers.

The scientists may be able to keep us alive for a few extra years but believing Christians know some things that Einstein did not know!

For instance, we know why we are here. We can say why we were born. We also know what we believe about the value of things eternal.

We are thankful that we have found the promise from the God of all grace that deals with the long-term and the eternal. We belong to a company of the plain people who believe the truth revealed in the Bible.

Actually, the wisest person in the world is the person who knows the most about God; the person who realizes that the answer to creation and life and eternity is a theological answer—not a scientific answer!