Life out of death: The God who is for us
September 4, 20262 Kings 20:1-11 All of us have regrets in life when what we had hoped for did not happen. Some grieve over not having found a life-partner, others struggle with childlessness or single parenting, yet others long for a career that circumstances make impossible to pursue. Some know chronic pain and long-term illness that are not alleviated, others suffer the early loss of loved ones that leave a gnawing emptiness behind. Much as we carry disappointments, it is important for us to remember those other times when God stepped into a seemingly impossible situation and turned it around for us.…
The secret of the trusting weak against the strong
2 Kings 19:20-37 Last week, we saw Hezekiah’s growing trust of God as he took steps, albeit tentative, towards Him. Today, we hear God’s answer, His perspective, and learn about His character. This immediately raises the question for us: what…
How to grow trust in God after failing
2 Kings 19:1-19 On 21 December 1989, a fierce storm hit the northern coastline of Brittany, France. The waves crashing into La Jument lighthouse were 30 metres high (about 100 feet). The next morning, a photographer hired a helicopter to…
Clever tactics of discouragement and how to resist them
2 Kings 18:17-37 In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis imaginatively describes the tactics of Satan to discourage and lead Christians astray. His fictional character, Screwtape, is an experienced senior demon, who instructs his nephew in the art of temptation. The…
The challenge of faith and how we respond
2 Kings 18:1-16 According to Greek myth, Achilles’ mother dipped his baby son in the water of the Styx, the river that runs through the underworld, to make him invulnerable. His only exposed area was on his heel where his…
The nature of repentance and the way to healing
Hos 14:1-9 In the Harry Potter series, the arch-evil Voldemort splits his soul into multiple pieces through murdering others. Keeping these fragments hidden in various receptacles, he hopes to ensure his immortality. At one point the question arises whether such…
Holding onto life or death and why it matters
Hos 13:1-16 While grocery shopping the other day, I saw a woman ahead of me at the checkout buying traditional cigarettes. There was some delay in locating her favourite brand and as I watched the scene, I was startled at…
How to exchange toil for rest
Hos 11:12; 12:1-14 During the years I worked in Hungary, I had an ambitious Christian colleague who knew what she wanted and went for it without compunction. One time, there was an overseas trip in the plan for one of…
Lessons from the law of the rebellious son and the death penalty
Deut 21:18-21 As we have seen in Hosea 11, the background to God’s reluctance to eliminate Israel for their rebellion is the law of the rebellious son (Deut 21:18-21). It legislates that parents who have such a son take him…
God’s dilemma and how He solves it
Hos 11:1-11 Many a Christian parent knows the heartache of a child who turned rebellious and walked away from the Lord. Behind the sadness, even resignation, there is often the buried anguish of many years when those parents strained to…
Breaking up fallow ground: The time is now
Hos 10:9-15 My grandmother was born into a well-to-do family and married my grandfather who had an influential job. She had both wealth and prestige and was an immensely proud woman. However, during the siege of Budapest in the winter…