I remember the fear I felt one night when I was a little boy. We were in a fourth-floor apartment in New York City visiting my aunt and uncle. My brother and I had gone to bed and the lights were off. Suddenly I looked at the window and saw a man on the fireContinue reading “TREMBLE. Isaiah 66:2.”
Author Archives: Steven Wales
WHY DOES GOD LET US SUFFER? Isaiah 63:9.
Why DOES God let us suffer? Why doesn’t He spare us? Why must we grieve and feel lonely and hurt and disappointed? Why do we have physical pain? Why do we go through death, whether it is quick and horrifying, or a decades-long odyssey through ever-worsening illnesses? I believe God DOES spare us many pains.Continue reading “WHY DOES GOD LET US SUFFER? Isaiah 63:9.”
Are You Pestering God? Isaiah 62:7.
Have you ever heard someone talk about wasting God’s time? Or maybe you’ve heard them say, “I’m not going to pray about that—I don’t want to bother God.” You wouldn’t want to pester God, right? Wrong. God is NEVER bothered by our prayers. He has an infinite mind—and infinite time. Thus, His attention for youContinue reading “Are You Pestering God? Isaiah 62:7.”
ENJOY THE MYSTERY. Mark 3:21, 31-35; Isaiah 55:8-9.
God does things HIS way. Stop expecting everything to make sense. “For My ways are not your ways … My ways are HIGHER than your ways” Isaiah 55:8-9. You’ve seen Christians who think if you lost that job, you must be out of God’s will, or if your marriage is on the rocks, one ofContinue reading “ENJOY THE MYSTERY. Mark 3:21, 31-35; Isaiah 55:8-9.”
Drought. Isaiah 55:10-11.
Remember the drought of 2011? Remember the fires all over Texas? Even at our house? Remember the way fields turned brown, grass died, fertile soil turned to dusty sand? Rain is not convenient, but it is so important. We realize it as soon as things turn brown. And the earth has PLENTY of water. TheContinue reading “Drought. Isaiah 55:10-11.”
OPPORTUNITY COMES DISGUISED AS ADVERSITY. Isaiah 55:9.
Paul kept being arrested. Why? Because it gave Paul an opportunity to preach to world leaders. In Philippi, Paul led the jailer and his family to Christ. When Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem, everyone told him he would be arrested. He went anyway. When a crowd gathered, Paul preached to the crowd, and someContinue reading “OPPORTUNITY COMES DISGUISED AS ADVERSITY. Isaiah 55:9.”
The WORD is Different from Other Words. Isaiah 55:10-11.
“Too old for Instagram, too young for Life Alert.” “In God we trust—but wash your hands.” “Life’s too short to live in Houston.” People love these things. But not all the words some sign painter strings together are equal. One sign might be a joke from a redneck comedian, while another bears words from aContinue reading “The WORD is Different from Other Words. Isaiah 55:10-11.”
The Water Cycle. Isaiah 55:10-11.
Following college I spent one year working as a substitute teacher. I never turned down a job—I taught all grades, all levels, and all subjects in all the schools of Alief I.S.D. One of the things that surprised me was how often I found myself talking about “the Water Cycle.” I had never heard thatContinue reading “The Water Cycle. Isaiah 55:10-11.”
MAN OF SORROWS (Jesus was not fearful but sorrowful). Matthew 26:38.
How do we know Jesus sweat blood (Luke 22:44)? The disciples fell asleep. The only way Peter, James, and John could have known it (and reported it to Luke) was if they saw it later. When Jesus came to them, He must have been wiping the watery red sheen from His forehead. Between “falling facedown”Continue reading “MAN OF SORROWS (Jesus was not fearful but sorrowful). Matthew 26:38.”
The Scarlet Thread. Psalm 65:3; Isaiah 53.
What did Abraham, Moses, and David put their faith in—sacrifices? The blood of sheep? Did they believe their good deeds got them into Heaven, or did they believe that God required faith? Does the Old Testament speak of Jesus? Yes. The Old Testament looks forward to Jesus, just as the New Testament looks back. HeContinue reading “The Scarlet Thread. Psalm 65:3; Isaiah 53.”
Household Words: 