Category: A Moment with the Master

Do you ever see a sign or advertisement and think it says one thing, only to realize you misread it? I do that quite frequently. Sometime back, I saw an ad on Facebook that I thought said, “Build a waiting habit.” I thought that was different, so I took a second look and realized it said, “Build a writing habit.” That made more sense. But I kept thinking about it and realized that building a waiting habit would be a great idea!

Waiting sounds easy—why would we have to train ourselves to wait or work at a habit of waiting? But we are not very good at waiting. We prefer busyness and instant gratification. But God’s people are often exhorted to “wait.” Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Trusting God’s timing and worshipfully waiting for Him doesn’t come naturally—it’s a mindset that must be trained. So why not start building a waiting habit today?

Affirmation culture continues to grow and prosper in our society. While positive thinking might be good, affirmation often goes far further than it should. A phrase from this mindset that has gained popularity is “You are enough.” Even in religious circles, people often say something like, “Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid. You’ve got this! You are enough!” At first, that sounds nice and encouraging. And I imagine most people who say such things are just trying to encourage others. But are we, on our own, enough?

The Bible repeatedly exhorts us, “Don’t be afraid.” But the reason we can overcome fear isn’t that we are enough; it is that if we are serving God, then God is with us. Men like Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Gideon, Solomon, and others were all exhorted to be courageous, and all were told to do this because the Lord was with them. Don’t try to overcome fear, anxiety, or any other issue of life by yourself. Find real strength and courage in the arms of the Almighty God.

Hello, and Happy New Year! Every day of life is a blessing from God, but it certainly feels extra special when that day brings an entirely new year. New years are exciting because they hold so much potential. Several Bible verses teach about newness in one way or another. We are told God makes all things new; God’s children are a new creation; when we obey the gospel, we experience new birth, and so on. But today, I want to consider a phrase that pops up in the Psalms.

Six times in the Psalter, we read something about a new song. For example, Psalm 96:1 says, “Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!” That’s a thought worth pondering today! If you could describe last year as a song, what would it? What will your song be this year? Maybe this year, it’s time for a new song—a song of love and devotion to the Lord of Lords!