Author: Nathaniel Colt

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.

Read about It

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.

Read about It

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.

Read about It

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.

Read about It

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.

Read about It

Read: Luke 1:6–25

Have you ever had to wait a long time for something you really wanted? While we wait, we can often think that what we’re waiting for will never arrive. In that time of waiting for something to happen, it’s easy to feel hopeless, anxious, or even angry.

For many years, Zechariah and Elizabeth weren’t able to have a baby. And at the time of this story, they were both very old—too old to have a baby. They had hoped for a long time to have a baby. During that time, they remained faithful to God. Then the day came that God answered their prayer. Sometimes, God’s timing and the way He works is different from what we think it should be. But when we trust God and remain faithful to Him, He will always answer us in the way that He knows is best.

Read about It

Read: Psalm 91:1–6

Have you ever seen how a mother bird protects her babies? She takes her wings and wraps her babies up underneath her wings to cover them. This helps to keep them away from bad weather or animals that want to eat them. As the baby birds hide themselves under their mother’s wings, they are sheltered and protected.

The Bible says that when we go to God for protection, He will cover and shelter us with His “wings.” When we’re going through hard times, it feels like we are being attacked. When the problems won’t stop, we can run to God who is always with us. We can trust Him to be faithful. He is as close to us as the air we breathe. In the times that are hard, we can call on Him and know He will always be there.