Rather than rely on our feelings, recall God’s promises to mind

Understanding the tenses

Past tense is used to describe things that have already happened. For example, “I was walking outside in the cold yesterday.” Future tense is used describe things that have not yet happened. For example, “Next year, I’m going to attend college.” Present tense is used to describe things that are currently happening, right now, or things that are continuously happening.

Bible verses about God being with us

Perhaps today you’re feeling as though you’re all alone. Loneliness affects each one of us at some point or another, even when we’re surrounded by other people. It’s encouraging to remember that though we may feel alone, or may actually appear to be physically alone, God promises that He is with us right now. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God:” (Isaiah 41:10). Jesus Himself promises “lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20).

As if God’s promises aren’t enough, prayer is a powerful way of reassuring us that we are not alone. God promises that when we pray according to His will, “he heareth us:” (1 John 5:14). God doesn’t just promise to be with us in the future; He states matter of fact that He is with us right now! He promises that He hears us when we pray! We are not alone.

What to do when we’re feeling lost

Besides feeling lonely, in our present circumstances it’s very easy to feel lost, or to feel as though life is on hold until things get better. Jesus tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life:”. He is also the Word, so if we’re not spending time daily in His Word to know His way, it should come as no surprise that we’re feeling lost.

What to do when circumstances leave us feeling uncertain about the future

Not only do our present circumstances sometimes make us feel lost, our circumstances and world events can also leave us feeling uncertain about the future. To this, God says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 1:8, 21:6). Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. God is not only the first and the last; He’s all the letters in between too (yes, including Delta and Omicron).

The point is, God is not surprised by what’s going on all around us; there is no event to which He responds, “Oh boy, I didn’t know that was going to happen.” When we’re feeling uncertain and fretting about the future, we ought to fix our thoughts on the One who holds the future. When we’re feeling like there’s more to life, and we’re just not satisfied, there’s a good chance we’ve forgotten what Jesus says: “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35).

Our spirits will never truly be satisfied until we know Jesus as our Saviour. Like bread is to our physical body, Christ is to our soul; we need Him to truly live.

Originally published as “Present-tense promises” Independent Plus. February 3, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Even when we don’t see it, God cares about every detail

After Herod killed James, he put Peter in prison. Certainly this is not an encouragement, but as with many Biblical accounts, the transcript of Peter’s imprisonment and subsequent miraculous release in Acts 12 is filled with so many details to encourage us. Specific details are included in Scripture because they’re important. Our great God cares about every detail.

The importance of “But” verses

Many of us are familiar with the “But God” verses of the Bible, where a verse begins with a hopeless statement and ends with encouragement through the grace of God. This passage in Acts contains two important “but” verses. First in verse five, “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” Peter was in prison, but people were praying for him.

We read that “prayer was made without ceasing” for Peter. “Without ceasing” is translated as earnestly or fervently. It’s no surprise that Peter would later go on to write in 1 Peter 4:8, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves:” Fervent charity in this case took the form of fervent prayers. The result? God sent His angel to break Peter’s chains and lead him to freedom.

The second important “but” verse is found at the end of the chapter in verses 23-24, “…and he [Herod] was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. But the word of God grew and multiplied.” This passage should prove to encourage us, as when the enemy seems to have everything on his side – politicians, institutions, and even public opinion – we have the greater power still, that of prayer and God who hears our prayers.

Encouraging testimony, not discouraging details

As Alexander Maclaren so aptly put it in his Expositions of Holy Scripture, “Here you get, on the one hand, all the pompous and elaborate preparations-‘four quaternions of soldiers’- four times four is sixteen-sixteen soldiers, two chains, three gates with guards at each of them, Herod’s grim determination, the people’s malicious expectation of having an execution as a pleasant sensation with which to wind up the Passover Feast. And what had the handful of Christian people? Well, they had prayer; and they had Jesus Christ. That was all, and that is more than enough.”

Another detail important to observe is that while we’re waiting, God is working. We struggle to sleep over lesser worries; imagine how difficult it would be to sleep if one of your friends were martyred, and you were taken prisoner, chained to soldiers, next in line to be killed? And yet, we read in Acts 12:6 that “Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains:”. Peter could sleep because he knew that God was working.

God has never been conventional

While His solution for us most likely won’t come in the literal form of an angel, we can be sure that God knows the best way to bring us out of chains and challenges. God has never been conventional. His ways have always been and will always be far above our own (Isaiah 55:8-9). His thoughts toward us are more in number than the sand (Psalm 139:18). He knows more about us than we know about ourselves (Luke 12:7). God cares about every detail.

Originally published as “Every detail.” Independent Plus. November 18, 2021: 5. Print. Web.