"Praise the Lord, O my soul". This phrase found at the end of several psalms comes like the crash of symbols on the final beat of a great anthem. The Psalmist has been picking his way through a harvest-field of blessings. Now he calls on everyone to praise the Lord - the angels, mighty ones ... Read more

"What things". Jesus asked this of the two He joined on the Emmaus Road when they asked Him if He knew what had been happening in Jerusalem over the last few days. He knew the answer, of course, but He let them tell him the details. Jesus still asks His disciples 'What things?' What things ... Read more

"that you may heal him of his leprosy". Naaman and his entourage arrived at the King of Israel with the request for healing on the strength of a servant girl's word taken captive from Israel some years earlier. The king was completely at a loss what to do. He had the prophet Elisha in his ... Read more

"He is going ahead of you". If the empty tomb bewildered the visiting disciples, the message of the angel resurrected them. Mark the steps in the revelation that He gave: Don't be affrighted - Jesus who was crucified is risen. He is no longer to be found in a tomb. You may see the place ... Read more

"the lion and the adder: the young lion and the dragon". This personification of our enemy can represent three kinds of trouble. The lion coming at us with a bound: we can see him coming. And we can see many of our troubles coming. The adder or cobra comes on us silently and unexpectedly until ... Read more

"Put this fellow in the prison". Micaiah the prophet was not the last man to be interned at the whim of a ruling despot. He did not prophesy favourably according to the king's desire and lost his freedom as a result. But putting Micaiah in prison did not silence the voice of truth, or King ... Read more

"What I have written I have written". Pilate meant that the wording of the superscription above the cross of Jesus was not going to be changed. How little did he realise the import of his words! The enemies of the cross, urged on by the devil himself, would have had these words removed. They would ... Read more

"Better … a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city". Lose your temper and we fear you cannot be trusted with anything. The most wonderful and at the same time the most fearful thing you have is yourself. This is why we need to place our emotions into the hand of ... Read more

"Peter followed him afar off". No one was willing to identify with Jesus at this time. The crowds had turned tail and those that did not openly oppose Him became mute or stayed away. His disciples forsook Him and fled and though John obtained admission to the courtroom, he contributed nothing to Jesus' defence and ... Read more

"the wisdom of God … which none of the princes of this world knew". The Apostle Paul is here arguing that it was because the leaders of the nation were unaware of the plan of God that they allowed Jesus to be crucified. The earthly wisdom of princes did not extend to the heavenly wisdom ... Read more

"Michal loved David". Michal was Saul's younger daughter and this must be counted as one of the outstanding love matches of the Old Testament. Saul really wanted to do away with David but two things stood in his way. First, the obvious way the Lord was with David and secondly the genuine love that Michal ... Read more

"Great are the works of the Lord". Great because of their magnitude - His handiwork extends from the universe to beyond. There is no knowing how great the Lord is. Great because He provides for you - there is not a need He cannot meet or a prayer He will not hear. He knows what ... Read more

"Euodias, and … Syntyche". Two respected and influential ladies in the church in Philippi. Talented and with much to give, they had apparently clashed over a certain issue and what should have been a combined ministry of care and hospitality for the saints became a running conflict and divided the assembly. Things like this happen ... Read more

"like a tree planted by the water". This is a description of the person who trusts in the Lord. This tree is not burned by the heat or withered by drought. The water supply is always there and the green leaves indicate a fruitful tree. So it can be for all whose trust is in ... Read more

"Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with the good". This was Jehoshaphat's advice to the judges of the people. It is counsel that stands for all who have to settle disputes today. Courage to do what is right and to uphold the truth is never wasted. But to act honourably at all times calls ... Read more

"The things which God has prepared for those who love him". Many biographies have been written about men and women who have devoted themselves to Christ and given their lives in His Service. But no volume, or library of volumes, could describe the preparation God has made for those who respond to His love in ... Read more

"Give us day by day our daily bread". Asking for one's daily bread assumes that one is dependent upon God for it. The labourer may toil to gather the harvest, but it is with strength the Lord gives, he does so and it is God's law of nature he is harnessing. Requesting daily bread in ... Read more

"whatever my God says, that I will speak". The first thing to note is that Micaiah was in touch with God. He received guidance, counsel and instruction to pass onto others. The second thing is that Micaiah conveyed what he heard faithfully and fearlessly, even though his was a lone voice in the world of ... Read more

"Watch … and pray". The three disciples had opportunity to witness the greatest drama of all time as Jesus wrestled in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, but they fell asleep. One of the greatest conflicts known took place in that Garden, but it mattered little to them for they slept through it. Jesus wanted ... Read more

"Lord, you have been our dwelling-place in all generations". Many generations have crossed the stage of time since the Psalmist uttered these words. Not one has found them to be untrue. Customs and habits, behaviour and dress change but God is there. Ever the same; true to His word: reaching out toward us when we ... Read more

"your work of faith". Faith is much more than a vague wish. Faith leads to action that produces results. But it's not about how much faith we have but rather who our faith is in. As someone once said, "It's not whether you have great faith in God but that you have faith in a ... Read more

p>"if we neglect". It is the easiest thing to do because it is doing nothing. Conscientious people do not easily succumb to it, though the pressures of modern life can cause them to fail on this point. The neglect that the writer is referring to happens when men and women do not seek the Lord ... Read more

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord". Our situations and circumstances will change. Things happen that we have little, if any, control over which can deeply affect us. Like Israel, facing imminent captivity, life may look very bleak at times, but our circumstances must not prevent us from rejoicing in the Lord. He is still ... Read more

"Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul". You couldn't have found a kinder man. He was both a source of consolation, as his name means, and an encouragement. Saul owes his being launched into his mission to the Gentiles to Barnabas because he came and sought him out for the task. Less gentle brethren, even ... Read more

"the books were opened". God keeps a record and we can be sure that His record is accurate and complete. His judgment will be final, for He is Sovereign. That we get so far into the book of the Revelation before the books were opened could mean that there were those who thought they would ... Read more

"how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God". This is because you can't trust your riches and trust the Lord. You should know that to trust riches is failure in the long run, but most ignore this. The Bible says that the love of money is the ... Read more

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed". Might we have some surprises if we did this? Would many fiascos in which we engage have been nipped in the bud, if we had carefully sought the Lord's counsel before embarking upon them? On the other hand, many of those dwarf bushes ... Read more

"knowing what had happened to her". Just as the Lord knew that power had gone out from Him, so this lady knew that power had rushed into her and she knew that she had been healed. There was no need for the doctors to examine her, no need to get a certificate of health. 'She ... Read more

"why has all this happened to us? ". This was Gideon's question when the angel told him that the Lord was with him. He wanted to know why he needed to thresh his wheat in the winepress because of the invading Midianites. He asked where all the wonders he heard about had gone: why had ... Read more

"my God shall supply". We know all the riches of heaven are His. Scripture tells us that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth of every mine. He created all things and upholds them. His storehouse holds more than Joseph's in Egypt, His wisdom far exceeds that of Solomon and His ... Read more

"my flesh shall rest in hope". Naturally speaking my body, or my flesh is slowly dying. I am trying to get done all I can before my last breath heralds an enforced rest. But he whose hope is in the Lord knows One who rose again triumphant from the grave: mightily and victoriously overcoming the ... Read more

"Because I live, you will live also". The truth that Jesus is alive infuses life into every one of His followers. The day of His resurrection poured a flood of light on those dark days at Calvary. He died to save us, He lives to intercede for us. We can expect and experience new life ... Read more

"Does a person gain anything if he wins the whole world but loses his life? ". Life is as valued by the beggar as it is the prince, though in vastly contrasting ways. The world is valuable but in real terms only if you can enjoy and benefit from it. If you have to barter ... Read more

"The hope of the righteous shall be gladness". Hopes and aspirations can change quite considerably as life goes on. When we think of some of the things we hoped for we wonder where our sense was. Hope can fade - in later years it generally does: to see it fade in a younger person is ... Read more

"Who has determined the course of history? ". God determined history and carried it out. Sending His Son into our world He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. The Incarnation, when God took upon Himself our likeness in the Person of His Only Son, altered the course of history for all time. Men no longer look forward ... Read more