Secret Oil and Pervasive Grace
Read: 2 Kings 4:1-7 Shut the door. (v. 4) Two important details in this story are easily overlooked: the role of the neighbors and the fact that the miracle takes place behind closed doors. We’ll take them each in turn. First, it is clear that the community had turned its back on the woman and her […]
Life and Death
Read: 2 Kings 4:1-7 Your servant my husband is dead. (v. 1) This story is a roller-coaster ride of emotions, beginning in the depths of human tragedy—a father dies before his time, leaving a widow and two young children helpless and vulnerable—and ending with the soaring declaration: you and your sons can live (v. 7). But let’s […]
Once or Twice?
Read: 2 Kings 2:1-18 When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other. (v. 14 NRSV) The Hebrew language is as different from English as any two languages can be. The structure of its grammar, the ways that words connect to make meaning (syntax), and even the […]
The Passing of the Mantle
Read: 2 Kings 2:1-18 He picked up the mantle of Elijah. (v. 13 NRSV) In high school I ran on the track team. One of my least favorite events was the 4×400 meter relay. I didn’t like it for two reasons. First, it is a grueling race; running 400 meters as fast as you can leaves […]
In Their Own Words
Lives are being changed every day in India because people there are gaining access to Scripture in a language they can understand. Because of your donations and prayers, many are hearing of God’s love for them for the first time. Their words of gratitude and testimony are so encouraging! A young man named Param wrote […]
A World without Birds
Read: Jeremiah 4:23-28 I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled. (v. 25) The July 2, 2021, issue of The Old Farmer’s Almanac contained an article about birds’ sensitivity to temperature and barometric pressure. Watching their behavior can help us predict the weather. For example, they are […]
A Descending Dove
Read: Matthew 3:13-17 The Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22 NIV) The nurses in a local hospice facility attach a laminated white paper dove to the wall outside the […]
Like a Hen and Her Chicks
Read: Isaiah 31:1-5 How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. (Matt. 23:37 NIV) The word woe expresses grief, regret, or distress (Webster’s). Isaiah 31 begins with a “woe . . .” warning to those who trust in military […]
Worth More Than Sparrows
Read: Matthew 10:26-33 You are of more value than many sparrows. (v. 31) If you are familiar with gospel tunes, the song “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” probably comes to mind when you read this passage. The repeated phrase “I know He watches me” provides comfort and reassurance because God is good, and as our […]