Author: Nathaniel Colt

Read about It

Read: John 4:43–50

This government official in our Bible reading had probably heard about Jesus’ power to work in impossible situations. The man was so worried that his son would die that he had traveled to a nearby town to ask Jesus to come. He believed that Jesus could heal his son. After the man begged Jesus to come home with him and heal his son, Jesus told him to go home because his son would live! When Jesus spoke to him about his son, everything changed. The official didn’t question Jesus or hesitate. Verse 50 says, “The man believed what Jesus said and started home.”

We know that Jesus has power to do the impossible. That means, even in our hardest problems, He has all power. God wants us to have the kind of faith this man did. When God says something, we believe Him, and we do what He says. We don’t have to question Him or wait to obey. We can trust what God tells us and trust in His power.

Read about It

Read: John 11:28–45

Can you imagine what it might have been like to be there on the day that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead? Mary and Martha were sad because of their brother’s death. They had been waiting on Jesus to get there. Some people there said things like, “Well, Jesus healed a blind man. If He had been here, couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” The place was filled with sadness and doubt. Even though Jesus didn’t come when people thought He should, He had a plan. He wanted people to see the glory of God. Imagine the reaction people must have had when they saw Lazarus walk out of the tomb alive!

When we remember, there are times that God has done things for us that only He can do. There are times when we’ve had pain and sadness, and God has shown up to help us. Even though He may work in a different way this time, we can trust His timing and His ability to solve our problems. He has always been faithful to us, and He won’t stop.

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Read: James 1:2–4

Good things can come from enduring tough times. Sports team members have to endure intense practices to get in and stay in shape. Through running, lifting weights, and other exercises, they prepare for upcoming seasons. Sometimes, some athletes quit. But those who endure through the exercises get into the physical shape needed to compete in their sport. Keeping up the challenging workouts means that they come out better in the end.

Sometimes, God allows us to endure challenges and troubles in life, too. In those times, we learn to trust Him more. Our faith in God can grow through those problems. We don’t always know God’s reasons for letting us go through rough times. But we can trust that when we follow Him, we will grow in our relationship with God and be better for it in the end.

Read about It

Read: John 11:1–7, 20–27

When we read this story, it would be easy for us to ask why Jesus waited to go and see Lazarus when he was sick. But Jesus knew what He was doing. Even though Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, He made them wait. He finally went to be with them after Lazarus had died. Jesus asked Martha if she believed He was who He said He was. Jesus was basically asking Martha if she trusted Him.

It’s easy to sometimes doubt God’s timing when we don’t understand what He’s doing. Sometimes, we have ideas in our head as to how we think our story should play out. Then when God does something different, we can be tempted to become impatient, angry, and even bitter toward God. It’s important for us to wait well. It’s normal to have questions for God because we don’t understand why something is happening, But it’s important to remember that He knows what is best and can be trusted. If He’s telling us to wait, He has a reason for it.

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Read: Isaiah 40:28–31

Have you ever used an electronic device and noticed that the batteries were slowly dying? Some, like electric toothbrushes or remote control cars, get slower as the batteries get weaker. If you use the device until the batteries are dead, you may be really surprised how powerful it is when you put in new, strong batteries. Stronger batteries make a big difference.

The Bible promises us that those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. It’s not always easy for us to trust God, but trusting Him means that He will give us the strength we need exactly when we need it. The Creator of all the universe knows every detail of our life. He knows the difficult times we go through, and He sees our heart. When we go to Him, even in the middle of our frustration, He will help us.

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Read: Jeremiah 29:10–13

Have you ever been in your room and tried to get your mom or dad’s attention? Instead of just getting up and going to them, you start yelling for them. You yell louder and louder, and begin to get frustrated that they’re not answering. So, you finally get up and go to them, and that’s when they answer you. They were there the whole time, and they heard you calling out to them. But, they wanted you to come closer so they could talk to you.

It can feel a little like this with God. When we’re in the middle of something hard, it can seem like we’re calling out to Him over and over, and He’s not listening. But God is always there and is always willing to answer us. Sometimes, He wants us to come closer to Him so we can hear from Him. He wants us to spend time in His Word and in prayer. He wants us to take time in our day to be quiet and talk to Him. Sometimes, it’s in those moments that He speaks to us and answers what we’ve been asking Him for.

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Read: Psalm 91:14–16

Phones didn’t always let you put someone on hold so you could answer another phone call. Phones could only handle one call at a time. If you tried to call someone and they were already talking to someone else, you would hear a beeping sound called a busy signal. You had to hang up the phone and try to call back later. This could be a problem, especially if there was an emergency. Now, phones have call waiting and we can quickly switch from one call to another. This is better, but we still depend on the other person to answer.

Thankfully, God doesn’t work like this. At any time, we can call on God. When we call on Him, He will answer and He will be with us. He’s never too busy for us, and our problems are never too small or too big for Him. We can trust that He will always answer our call for help. It may not be in the way we think He should answer, but He will always answer. We can depend on Him.

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Read: Luke 1:57–66

Can you imagine how Zechariah and Elizabeth must have felt after John was born? They had served God faithfully in the time when they had prayed to God for a baby and didn’t get the answer they were hoping for. They continued to obey God, and at just the right time God changed their situation. God knew what He was doing. Not only did He have a plan for Zechariah and Elizabeth, but He had a plan for the baby, John, as well. God’s plan was bigger than what Zechariah and Elizabeth could have ever imagined.

The Lord answered their prayers exactly as He had said He would. Everything that God had told them would happen actually happened. God is true to what He tells us, and when He says He will do something, He will. We can depend on Him. When His Word, the Bible, says something, we can trust that it will happen. God’s plan for us is more than we could imagine. Even when it’s hard, we can trust that God knows what He’s doing. He answered and kept His word for Zechariah and Elizabeth, and He will for you too.