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God’s Presence in a Broken System

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  Acts 23:11 (ESV) “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.’” Paul had just endured a humiliating and unjust scene. He had been struck on command by the high priest. The religious leaders who were supposed to uphold God’s law erupted into argument and division. The situation became so volatile that Roman soldiers had to intervene to prevent him from being torn apart. This was not a shining moment for spiritual leadership. It was political, fractured, and deeply human. And then night came. Scripture does not say that the Lord corrected the Sanhedrin that evening. It does not say that the corrupt were exposed or that justice was immediately restored. It says something quieter and far more personal: the Lord stood by him. Jesus did not prevent the injustice. He did not dismantle the broken system in that moment. He did not remove Paul from danger. He stood. ...
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Safe In His Holiness

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  Leviticus 15:31 (ESV) “You shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.” Leviticus 15 is not a chapter most of us would naturally choose for a quiet time. It is detailed, physical, and at first glance, uncomfortable. But beneath the surface, there is something deeply reassuring about it. In this chapter, God gives Israel specific instructions about bodily uncleanness and purification. What stands out is that many of these conditions were not sins. They were simply part of being human. Weakness. Vulnerability. The reality of living in bodies that break down, bleed, and need restoration. “Unclean” did not mean “morally corrupt.” It meant there were boundaries around approaching a holy God. It meant that coming near required cleansing. God was not shaming His people. He was protecting them. He was teaching them that His presence is holy and life-giving — and that He Himself w...
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When God Wakes Us in the Prison

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  Acts 12:7 (NIV) Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Peter was sleeping so deeply in prison that the angel had to strike him to wake him up and lead him out. I’ve often heard this described as a sign of Peter’s great trust—how else could someone sleep so soundly on the night before a trial? And that may be true. But today, as I read Acts 12, I saw something different. Peter wasn’t just resting peacefully. He was imprisoned. Likely unfairly. And not because he had done something wrong, but because he was faithfully doing the work God had called him to do. If I were in his place, I imagine discouragement would have been close at hand. Why am I here if I was obeying you? Why did you allow this when I was serving you? That question feels uncomfortably familiar. There was a season in my life when I was teaching in a Christian school, beli...
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Filled for the Work God Calls Us To Do

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 Exodus 35:31 says that God filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and all kinds of skills. Bezalel and Oholiab were former slaves, newly freed and wandering in the wilderness, yet God chose them to build the tabernacle—His dwelling place among His people. Scripture does not say they were simply talented or experienced; it emphasizes that they were filled with the Spirit of God . Their ability to work with such precision and beauty was not merely learned skill, but divine empowerment for a holy purpose. In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God often came upon people to equip them for specific tasks. Here, it is craftsmen—ordinary workers—who are filled with the Spirit to do sacred work. This shows that God values obedience and availability over credentials. The tabernacle was not built by human strength alone, but by the Spirit of God working through willing people. This passage points forward to the New Testament truth that those who b...
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Solitude Isn’t Escape — It’s Preparation

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  Exodus 34:28–29 (ESV) “So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights… And when Moses came down from Mount Sinai… Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” Matthew 4:1, 17 (ESV) “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Both Moses and Jesus intentionally withdraw from people to meet with God. Moses goes outside the camp to the tent of meeting; Jesus is led into the wilderness. These places of solitude are not escapes from responsibility but spaces of preparation before public ministry. Both remain there forty days and forty nights , a number repeatedly associated in Scripture with testing, purification, and preparation. In the quiet, distractions fall away, dependence on God is sharpened, and identity is clarified. When Moses returns, his face is radiant—God’s glory visibl...
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Enough for Today

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  Exodus 16:4–5, 15 (ESV) “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you…’ And when the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.’” Israel is hungry. This is not symbolic hunger or spiritual metaphor — it is real, physical need. They are newly free, but freedom has brought them into a wilderness where there is no visible way to survive. God allows the hunger to be felt long enough to be named, and then He provides. Bread appears where no bread should exist. God meets their physical need directly and faithfully. But He does not provide in a way that creates independence. The manna must be gathered daily. It cannot be stored. When hoarded, it spoils. God is feeding bodies, yes — but He is also shaping hearts. Physical provision becomes the classroom where trust is learned. Manna teaches Israel that God is not...
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From Bitter to Sweet

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  Exodus 15:23–26 (ESV) “When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter… And the people grumbled against Moses… And the LORD showed him a tree, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet… saying, ‘I am the LORD, your healer.’” This is the first place Israel stops after their great deliverance. They are free, but they are thirsty. And the first provision they find is bitter. God has defeated Pharaoh, parted the sea, and rescued them from slavery — yet their first experience of life after freedom is disappointment and complaint. That matters. God does not lead them from triumph straight into abundance. He leads them into Marah. The water represents life — something they desperately need to survive — but it cannot be received as it is. Bitter water cannot sustain. Freedom has exposed what is still unresolved inside them. They carry exhaustion, trauma, fear, and resentment from years of bondage. Their bitterness is understan...
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