In Times of Need

October 14

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will

inherit salvation?

Hebrews 1:14

Lew had outlived his three-month life expectancy by two years before hospice

was called in. For those two years, Lew lived: visiting museums, taking walks

with his beloved, Patty, and working in his garden from time to time.

On the eve of his death, Lew kept calling for Judy. Judy was, as she put it,

Lew’s wash girl; her ministry had been to tenderly meet Lew’s bathing needs.

Knowing Judy wasn’t scheduled to work that day, Patty called hospice, asking

that they send her anyway. “Lew is asking for Judy. Please tell her.”

When later the doorbell rang, Patty was pleasantly surprised to find

Brenda, Lew’s RN, smiling through the door at her! “I just left the Healing

Hands of Christ seminar and felt led to stop by and see Lew. Would that be

okay?” she asked.

“Oh, yes!” Patty exclaimed, welcoming Brenda with a hug.

After simmering a pot of hyssop, frankincense, and myrrh, Brenda anointed

Lew with the spices, salving his hands and feet and head while hymns softly

played. As she finished, Lew lifted his right hand, pointing toward the corner

of the room.

“Do you see someone, Lew?” Brenda asked. His head nodded yes. “Is this

someone you know?” she prompted. He shook his head no. “Is this someone

speaking to you?” she asked.

“Can’t you hear him?” Lew said in wonder.

“No, we can’t,” they replied.

“It’s the Angel of the Lord, come to take me home.” Trying to sit up, Lew

remarked, “You can’t take a trip lying down!”

h

God’s conspicuous attention through the persons of Judy and Brenda, as well

as revealing His Angel’s presence as He took Lew home, was personal.

And this is the hope we have in Christ Jesus when we choose to accept

Him as our Lord and Savior.

It is appointed unto man once to die; we will not escape this life alive. But

we can take great comfort in the knowledge that having made the choice to

become one of God’s children, in times of need, we will be tended by minister-

ing spirits.

Prayer

“Loving Father, be near to those who are in need today,

regardless of the reason. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 The Root of Jesse

October 13

From his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

Isaiah 11:1

They planted the sapling in the corner of the yard. “Daddy,” his young

daughter questioned, “can we use it for a Christmas tree someday?”

He chuckled at her optimism; she saw potential in this small, vulnerable sap-

ling. “You bet, honey. We’ll nurture it to make it the best Christmas tree ever.”

She cocked her head curiously. “What does nurture mean, Daddy?”

“It means we’ll need to love this tiny tree, honey, and treat it with tender-

ness. We’ll need to cut away dead branches and unwanted growth. We’ll have

to make sure the roots have a chance to grow deep so it will grow big and

strong.”

Then, as an afterthought, he added, “The weather will actually cause the

roots to grow deeper. As the wind and rain, sun, and cold weather beat down on

the sapling above ground, the little tree will tell its roots to grow deeper, giving

it the ability to stand against the harshest weather.”

So for eight years they nurtured the tree, shaping it by cutting back

unwanted growth.

Over time, the pine grew strong and tall. Then something unexpected hap-

pened. Birds began building their nests in the tree’s sheltering branches and ate

its pine nuts for life-giving nourishment.

When the time came to harvest the tree, the girl decided to leave it for

God’s wildlife. And instead of cutting it down, they decorated it right where it

stood, giving the birds the most beautiful home in the neighborhood.

h

Our heavenly Father is also optimistic when He looks at us. He sees great

potential in each of us. He wants to be our refuge when spiritual winds blow,

nurturing us, growing us to maturity.

When we are assaulted by spiritual elements, He patiently waits for us to

seek His assistance. As we come, He prunes away unwanted, sinful growth,

leaving us stronger and better equipped to stand against the trials of life.

As we grow, we can see our roots being anchored in the root of Jesse. Only

there will we find the spiritual nourishment necessary for our own sustenance

and be able to bear fruit for His kingdom.

Prayer

“Lord, grow my roots deeper. Make me a strong branch, able

to bear fruit for those in need. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 The Coming Storm

October 12

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds beat against the

house; yet it did not fall.

Matthew 7:25

Her husband had always known what to do: stay and ride it out or to seek

shelter inland, away from the fury of the storm. Yet he had died six years ago,

and this decision was hers alone.

As the surf pounded the sand with increasing intensity, she sensed the fury

of the coming storm. And although the storm was still hundreds of miles out,

she realized it might be a direct hit. They’d prepared for storms many times

over the years, closing shutters against the strong winds. They had even rebuilt

twice, saying, “We will not give in to this unwanted aggressor.”

She watched the waves pound with a force that belied the storm’s awesome

power and knew this one would be bad. Having been through some rough

storms in the past, she decided to board up and head inland, taking the kids to

her sister’s, not risking their lives to protect inanimate objects.

The storm bore down on the coast, rending wooden structures as if they

were made of cardboard. When she was finally granted access to her neighbor-

hood, she found only piles of debris shoved up against the palms; not one shred

of the house was left standing.

Only now did she realize with clarity how important the decisions of life

could be. She was thankful for having made the right one.

h

Many times, spiritual storms strike without advance warning, giving no sign

of the coming struggle. They develop quickly, like a tornado out of a supercell

thunderstorm, leaving no time to prepare or run for shelter.

Because of this frequent lack of warning, we must take steps ahead of time

to shore up the structures most vulnerable and valuable: our spiritual being.

Jesus says the only way to assure survival from these storms is to build our

lives on a solid foundation by immersing ourselves in His Word, spending time

with Him in prayer, and meeting with others of like mind. We can prepare for

the coming storm.

Prayer

“I need Your protection, Lord Jesus. Teach me

how to stand on You and Your Word as the

Foundation for everything I do. Amen.”

 Words of Life!

October 11

The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

John 6:63

“Mom?” Steph said, calling for her attention. “Jesus said that our flesh counts

for nothing and that only the Spirit gives us life. Then He said the words He

spoke are spirit and life. Is He referring to the written word alone? Or do His

spoken words have more meaning for us?” 

Steph had been given a religion class assignment to explain what spiritual life 

meant to her. She’d focused on the New Testament, the red-lettered spoken words 

of Jesus, to be more precise.

“Well, what do you think He’s saying?” her mom prompted, wanting her to

answer the question for herself before she received any outside influence.

“I guess I think it’s a combination of both,” she said with a tinge of unresolved doubt.

“So why do you feel He meant both?” Mom asked.

“Well, first of all, I believe He’s talking about the natural life versus the

spiritual life, specifically, eternal life versus eternal damnation. And that if

we rely on ourselves for all the answers, we’ll become introspective and self-

deceived by thinking we can walk through life apart from God without any

need of a Savior.” Then she added, “I believe when we speak God’s written

word, it comes alive, you know, sharper than any two-edged sword. So what do

you think?” she asked.

“Sounds to me like you’ve got things well in hand, honey,” Steph’s mom

said, noting the twinkle of satisfaction in her daughter’s eyes.

h

How many times have you read, read, and reread the same verse of Scripture

only to have it jump off the pages in one blindingly revealing moment? Every-

one who has ever been a student of Scripture will have this phenomenon occur

many times over his or her studies of the Bible. 

It is the inherent Word of God, our lifeblood, which the Holy Spirit opens for our 

understanding as we prayerfully read. God intended us to study His Word in order 

that we would, through that nourishing act, receive the life of the Spirit.

Prayer

“Lord, reveal spirit and life to me as I read Your

written account of the story of Your love for me

and all mankind. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 The Enemy Within

October 10

Who am I?

Exodus 3:11

“Why did you just up and quit?” Reece was trying to understand how someone

with Tim’s drive and intuition would abandon his life’s goal. So far he hadn’t

figured it out. So once again, he asked, “Why’d you pull up short, Tim? And

why now?”

“You really want the truth?” Tim seemed to resent the questioning of his

motives.

But as Reece looked into Tim’s eyes, he recognized something from hav-

ing seen it in the mirror himself: fear.

“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” he said, bewildered. “I can’t believe it. You of all

people, afraid of what the future holds. So you’re pulling the plug before you

lose control?”

Reece was dumbfounded. He’d never suspected his closest friend wasn’t as

sure of himself on the inside as he appeared on the outside.

This had him stymied. “Tim … ” He struggled for the right words with

which to encourage his friend. “I’ve watched you take on challenges that would

have brought many a good man to his knees. You always stressed that to believe

in myself only required the knowledge that God’s always got my back. You

gonna tell me now that you really don’t believe that?”

“It’s not that simple,” Tim blurted. “What if people don’t respond favor-

ably? Then what?”

“Well, my best friend is always telling me, ‘Just put one foot in front of the

other and see where God leads you.’” Reece said, knowing that had been what

Tim needed to hear.

h

Our greatest enemy to accomplishing God’s tasks is the one within. We all,

at some level, fight Moses’ battle against inner fear. Satan introduces doubt

couched in the fear of rejection and failure or even our past. He intends to use

them as a means to stop us from reaching for a higher level of accomplishment.

Self-sufficiency is a weighty and dangerous thing. Only when we realize

that God will equip us completely for His work will we forge ahead.

Only God can defeat this enemy within. And then it’s only if we allow

Him into the battle.

Prayer

“Lord, I hate being afraid. And I don’t readily admit to fear.

Please send someone to encourage me to reach higher for

Your purposes if I begin to falter. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Listen to God, Then

Do What He Says

October 9

To prepare God’s people for works of service …

Ephesians 4:12

It had been a rough year. Medical issues had left a seemingly insurmountable

amount of debt. Yet they trusted in the Lord’s provision. This morning’s mail

brought an unexpected bill. Molly had forgotten to include the quarterly water

bill in the budget. She prayed, asking God to meet the need. Then Molly sent

her pastor an e-mail asking if the church’s benevolence fund might cover half

the water bill; they could handle the rest.

The phone rang. It was the bank asking Molly to please come and pick up

an envelope someone had left for her.

So, grabbing her coat, she headed out. Upon arriving, she was handed a

nondescript, white envelope. Thanking the young woman, she returned to the

car to open it. To her amazement, she found two five-hundred-dollar money

orders with an unsigned note. “Molly, we know how God uses you and how

you say, ‘Listen to God, then do what He says.’ We are listening to God. Please

receive this gift and use it as you see fit.”

Molly, tears in her eyes, ran back into the bank and asked the young lady,

“Who did this?”

“I’m sorry, but they asked to remain anonymous,” the girl answered.

In her excitement, she drove to the church to share the miracle with her

pastor! Unknown to her, he had responded to her e-mail, telling her to drop by

with the bill so they could pay it. When she showed up, he assumed she was

bringing the bill.

His smile grew as Molly shared her story of how God had moved on the

hearts of His people to meet her need before it was known.

h

God wants to move us to do good works on His behalf. He’s given us Scripture

to help us understand how to hear His voice. He has also raised up others to

aide us in distinguishing between His voice and the world.

Through their instruction, His Word, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and with

persistent practice, we can learn to filter out the world’s noise.

The Father’s desire is for us to listen to His voice and then do what He says.

Prayer

“Speak, Lord. Then help me do what You say. Amen.”

 Unsuspecting Martyrs

October 8

Isaac spoke up and said … ”Father?”

Genesis 22:7

Gabriel watched in horror as the woman in front of him pulled into

oncoming traffic. He wasn’t sure whether it was a mistake or intentional. And

there wasn’t much he could do to stop it from happening. Honking his horn for

lack of another option, Gabriel prayed she wouldn’t be hit.

The first two oncoming vehicles reacted instinctively, slamming on their

brakes and swerving to miss her. Those following closely behind were faced

with snap judgments. Many responded defensively, pulling over in time to

allow the wrong-way vehicle to pass by, unharmed yet unyielding.

Gabriel watched as car after car avoided her. Then, without warning, the

woman pointed her car right at the overpass abutment and slammed into it at

somewhere around seventy miles an hour.

Paramedics responded quickly but were unable to save the woman. She had

not been wearing her seatbelt and had been ejected through the windshield.

State patrol investigators later determined the woman was mentally unstable.

They found a suicide note on the passenger seat, the distraught woman saying

she could no longer live without her children. Further investigation revealed

they had been killed in an accident seven years before. She had been driving.

h

Life can be cruel. And many suffer for reasons not of their own making.

Just like Isaac, this woman’s children did not ask for their fate. Yet trag-

edies happen, and we must do our best to deal with the loss.

But what of the unsuspecting martyr and what of those times we suffer

when we feel it isn’t fair? Jesus told us we would have trials in this world. He

did not make the statement to scare us, rather to prepare us to choose how we

will respond as we meet life’s trials in our walk with Him.

If we find ourselves walking a road full of peace and prosperity, walk in

grace. If, however, we find ourselves on a road marked with sorrow and grief,

walk in communion with God, trusting Him to go through it with you.

Prayer

“Walk with me, Lord. Help me cope with the troubles

of today. Show me how to be gracious in the good times

and to lean on You in the bad. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”