Month: April 2026

against all odds

Posted on by Grace Day

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Are you kidding me? The apostle Paul wrote these words to the believers in Corinth. I wonder if any of the Corinthians took issue with the words “light” and “momentary” as descriptors of the painful trials they were most certainly experiencing as believers in their current culture and as human beings living in this fallen world. Speaking personally, I would use words like “crushing” and “endless” to describe the “troubles” that are an inevitable presence in my daily life. There is nothing “light” nor “momentary” about the trials that come to each of us through physical suffering, the loss of those we love, unrealized hopes and dreams, the hardships and challenges of living in a world where evil appears to be having its way – the list is endless. Some days there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to all the suffering and pain of my own and of others who I know and love – it definitely doesn’t seem “momentary” however – Jesus told His disciples this –

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Those words give me encouragement and hope, allowing me to keep going when things are too hard. When there is no end in sight, it is then I take to heart these words –

“We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

If I depend only on what I can see, I will surely give up. My view is limited and I can’t see everything. but if I’m walking by faith I have this assurance –

“For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

My troubles (which I can see and am currently experiencing) don’t seem temporary or momentary to me but God says what I can’t yet see is real and is eternal and is waiting for me. Peter talks about this hope and inheritance God has promised to me, saying –

“In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

My “momentary” trials aren’t over yet. Job didn’t see an end in sight for his trials. But Job, like Peter, put his hope not in his current circumstances, (which were definitely dire) but in what he couldn’t yet see but believed was coming because he trusted God. That’s why Job could say these words even in the middle of his intense suffering –

“But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

When there’s no end in sight and no way out of life’s pain and suffering, I don’t have to give up. Like Job, I choose to place my hope in the unseen, I choose to place my hope in the eternal. I choose to place my hope in the invisible, immortal, all knowing, all wise God rather than in anything or anyone else. Situations and circumstances may appear hopeless to me and in human terms they are hopeless – BUT –

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ ” (Matthew 19:26)

With God, Daniel was delivered from the lion’s den, Daniel’s three friends were delivered safely from the king’s furnace, and Jonah was delivered from inside the large fish. With God, Abraham and Sarah had a child, David defeated Goliath, the walls surrounding Jericho fell, the Red Sea parted and manna fell from heaven new every morning while the Israelites were in the desert with no other food source. Truly, with God all things are possible! Knowing this gives me hope in all my circumstances, especially those in which the likelihood of a good outcome seems to be against all odds. It’s at these times that God’s “incomparably great power for us who believe” is revealed, just like Paul talked about in his letter to the Ephesians where he wrote –

“I pray also that they eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:18-21)

Yes, Jesus rising from the grave on the third day was certainly against all odds, at least all human odds. “But with God all things are possible.” Knowing this, having this hope, helps me endure my “light and momentary troubles” of today, even though they feel crushing and endless to me. I can endure because I know what Job knew when he said this –

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27)

Job knew, against all odds and despite all current appearances, what his end would be, what he had to look forward to, which was a glorious, victorious reunion with His Redeemer. Knowing this wonderful truth, enabled Job to endure his time of loss and desolation. It is the same for me and for you, dear readers. We have something to look forward to – a reunion with our Heavenly Father and our complete restoration! Currently I identify with these words of Paul –

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

Maybe you, too, are feeling hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down in your daily life. Hold on! Help is on the way. Against all odds, God will have the final word.

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. . . . What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. . . . I am bringing My righteousness near, it is not far away; and My salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, My splendor to Israel.” (Isaiah 46:9-13)

To me, the delay seems long and the odds seem insurmountable BUT – you and I have this promise from our Heavenly Father –

“And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:10-11)

looking forward to that day –

sincerely, Grace Day

a beautiful sight

Posted on by Grace Day

Some images stay with me longer than others. Some are etched forever in my mind and maybe in my heart as well. Maybe it’s because some occurrences are outside of the expected or the ordinary and that makes them unforgettable. At any rate, some recent baptisms at my church brought back to my mind the picture of a past baptism that I was privileged to witness. All baptisms are special and deeply personal, so why do I still recall this particular one? Well, this will take some explaining.

In my more than one-hundred years-old church sanctuary, there is no baptistry. In those days, as in Jesus’s day, baptisms probably took place in lakes or in rivers. Today, most modern churches have baptistries, eliminating the need to seek out rivers or lakes for this purpose. However, not being a modern church, we use a huge, and I do mean huge, washtub filled with water in which to baptize people. The person being baptized kneels or stands in the tub and the person performing the baptism stands next to them but outside the tub, reaching over to lower the person being baptized beneath the water and then raise them back up again. Maybe not as scenic as being baptized in a river nor as easy and convenient as in a modern baptistry, but these washtub baptisms are just as sacred and inspiring as any baptism anywhere in the world.

Still, there is one baptism that stands out to me not only because of the beautiful picture of God’s love for each of us that baptism vividly portrays, but also because this particular person faced a most unusual challenge to being baptized. The individual being baptized was wearing an ankle monitor. He had been released from prison, but conditionally. That is to say, he was not fully released. He had not completely paid his debt to society according to the law.

This is the reason he wore the large black device around his ankle. His movements were restricted and his whereabouts had to be monitored twenty-four/seven. He was serving the remainder of his sentence outside of prison rather than in prison. The electronic ankle monitor was a reminder to him (and to everyone else) that he was not yet fully free. This ankle monitor was a constant visual sign to strangers and friends alike that this person is a criminal, one who has been convicted of a crime. (whether the label is deserved or undeserved is an unknown)

Anyway, can you imagine the challenge the ankle monitor presented for this person desiring to be baptized? This electronic monitor cannot get wet. At all. Not under any circumstances. But this person desired to be baptized. He wanted to follow Christ’s example, and he didn’t want to put off his baptism to a more convenient time or to some unknown time in his uncertain future. Maybe he was taking to heart these words –

“I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

or maybe this admonition –

“Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Hebrews 4:7)

or maybe he had heard the story of the Ethiopian eunuch –

“Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ . . . Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.” (Acts 8:36-38)

and knowing this story, once he knew and believed “the good news about Jesus”, he must have asked the same question as the eunuch – “Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” He was determined to show publicly what he had decided privately – that he was going to follow Jesus. And nothing was going to stop him, not even the inconvenience of an ankle monitor. He determined to follow Jesus in baptism and I was witness to his testimony that day along with many others.

What did it look like? How did he get baptized and keep his ankle monitor dry? It was an extraordinary feat. With help from men on both sides of the washtub, they lowered him beneath the water while his leg with the ankle monitor remained above the water, his foot propped up against the side of the washtub. At one point, all that was visible of him was his lower leg sticking up above the water with the ankle monitor securely in place above his foot. Then the rest of his body emerged from under the water as he was pulled upright, setting his dry foot on the ground outside the tub. Success!

We had just witnessed the miracle that baptism symbolizes – forgiveness of sins – new life – a fresh start. The person just baptized may not have received a clean slate or a pardon from local law enforcement (hence the ankle monitor remained) BUT he had chosen to take God up on His Word and he was no longer condemned in God’s sight.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

His new life had already started, even though he was still serving his court ordered probation.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” (Romans 6:4-7)

This man was now free – despite the continued presence of the ankle monitor. He had God’s promise –

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

“the Son”, Jesus, had indeed forgiven him and set him free

sincerely, Grace Day

game over?

Posted on by Grace Day

“It is finished.” Those were Jesus’s last words, spoken as He hung on the cross. John records the event for us saying –

“Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’s lips. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (John 19:28-30)

I need to be clear, however. These were not Jesus’s last words – just His last words spoken from the cross upon which He hung. Contrary to all appearances, Jesus was not finished. Nor did Jesus say, “I am finished.” He said, “It is finished.” What was it? It was Jesus’s rescue mission. The purpose for which Jesus had come in the first place was now accomplished. Jesus came to make a way where there had been no way. Jesus made a way for you and for me to be rescued and to be reconciled to our Creator, God. There had been no way – until Jesus came. Jesus not only made a way for us – Jesus is the way for us. Jesus Himself said this –

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ ” (John 14:6)

On the cross, when Jesus took His last breath, “bowed His head and gave up His spirit” His followers surely thought this was “game over.” Jesus was buried in a tomb cut in the rock and that seemed to be the end. Except that it wasn’t. Three days later that tomb was empty and Jesus spent the next forty days hanging out with His disciples and others, reassuring and instructing them before His ascension into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for you and for me.

Jesus’s followers learned an important truth the day Jesus rose from the dead and was once again spending time with them. They learned that with Jesus it is never “game over.” Why had they doubted? Did they not remember the time Jesus called Lazarus to come out of the grave, after Lazarus had been dead and in that grave for four days?

“On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. . . . ‘Take away the stone,’ He said. . . . So they took away the stone. . . . Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’ ” (John 11:17, 39,41-44)

Did they not remember the time Jesus brought back to life the deceased son of a widow, even though the funeral procession was already in motion, carrying his coffin to his burial sight?

“As He (Jesus) approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. . . . Then He (Jesus) went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.” (Luke 7:12-15)

Or how about the time Jesus brought a ruler’s dead daughter back to life? It wasn’t game over for this father or for his daughter. This ruler had the faith to put his hope in Jesus.

“a ruler came and knelt before Him (Jesus) and said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.’ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did His disciples. . . . When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd . . . After the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.” (Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25)

With Jesus, no matter how dire the circumstance appears, it doesn’t have to be “game over.” No one should know this better than the criminal hanging on the cross next to Jesus. They were both being put to death by crucifixion. Talk about your dire circumstance. I think this qualifies. The situation was going steadily downhill. This appeared to be a circumstance completely devoid of hope, at least for the three individuals nailed to the three crosses. And yet the criminal on one side of Jesus said this –

“Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” (Luke 23:42)

WHAT? Is he delusional? By all appearances, this is a “game over” situation for all three individuals nailed to their respective crosses. And yet this guy makes this wild request of Jesus. Clearly, this criminal doesn’t believe it’s “game over” for Jesus – he thinks Jesus is coming into a kingdom and not just any kingdom BUT Jesus’s own kingdom where Jesus has the power and the authority to decide who comes in and who stays out. So, because he believes it’s not “game over” for Jesus, by extension, this man has hope that maybe, just maybe, it’s not “game over” for him either. Hence, his bold, outrageous request of Jesus to “remember him” when Jesus “comes into His kingdom.” Jesus’s reply?

“Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.’ ” (Luke 23:43)

GAME ON! This criminal’s impending physical death was NOT the end. As He hung there on that cross, Jesus was literally in the process of conquering death, paying our sin price and providing eternal life for anyone and everyone who would believe on His name, believe enough to humble themselves and ask Jesus to save them from their dire circumstances, just as the man on the cross next to Jesus had done. Jesus’s reply made it clear that it was not “game over” for Himself and it was not “game over” for the man making the request of Him either.

This is good news for you and for me, dear readers. It is not “game over” for us ever, no matter what kind of circumstances we find ourselves in. Consider Job – it was looking pretty bleak for him. His friends weren’t much help and Job complained that he couldn’t even find God. But then Job says something pretty surprising given his dire circumstances, showing that even in his darkest moments, Job didn’t believe it was “game over” for him because his faith was in God. Job believed in God’s goodness, in God’s ability to right the wrong of his circumstances, in God’s promise to bring him through his trial. In the middle of devastating loss and pain, Job declared –

“But He (God) knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

Job did not believe it was “game over” for him, even though he had lost everything – his possessions, his children, his health. While it certainly looked like there was no coming back from these losses, Job held out hope because of his faith in God. With God it never has to be “game over.” Consider what Jesus said –

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ ” (Matthew 19:26)

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, reminded them of this truth – that God

“is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,” (Ephesians 3:20)

There will come a time when my (and yours too, dear reader) earthly game is over BUT – that’s not the whole game – that’s not even half time. That’s more like maybe three seconds into “the game of life” – the life that we were created for. We were created for eternity and in eternity there is no “game over” – ever! That’s pretty good news, right?

So, I can take heart when the apparent “dead end” circumstance comes into my life. It is not “game over.” With God, it will be another new beginning. My Heavenly Father will not give up on me – ever. (nor on you, either) I have His word on that.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

King David faced a lot of dead ends and dire circumstances, situations where it appeared that all was lost. However, each time, he knew it was not “game over” for him and he said this –

“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

in Christ there is no “game over” in my future nor in yours!

sincerely, Grace Day

company, courage and comfort in the chaos

Posted on by Grace Day

Ever feel overwhelmed with the demands of daily life? Ever feel unseen and unheard? Ever feel invisible and alone? Perhaps this describes the human condition in our modern world – a world where cyberspace competes with real life spaces and AI competes with reality. Too many people today feel anxious and isolated amid the chaos of these turbulent times. But it’s not just in our modern era that we humans often feel alone and overwhelmed by the chaos of events. Job experienced much chaos, loss, uncertainty, fear etc. and yet he had both comfort and hope while engulfed in chaos because Job knew God would never abandon him. In fact, when Job’s circumstances appeared hopelessly dire, Job said this –

“But He (God) knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

Job did not believe satan’s lie that he was unseen, unheard and alone. Job believed that God saw him, was with him and would bring him through his devastating circumstances into a better time and place. This belief was the hope that sustained Job during his season of turmoil, loss and grief. During his ordeal, Job often complained that he couldn’t find God or hear God or feel God’s presence. Job wondered aloud where God was. Yet even though Job felt he had lost track of God, Job still acknowledged that God hadn’t lost track of him, saying “But He knows the way that I take . . .”

Reminds me of what Jesus told His disciples about God’s ever vigilant watch care over each and every one of us –

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)

The NLT translation says that a sparrow doesn’t fall to the ground “without your Father knowing it.” What a comforting, if unfathomable truth! God watches over and keeps track of all living creatures, so He is most certainly watching over you and me, especially since God created us in His very own image. God will not forget about us or lose track of us. The prophet Isaiah says this about my Heavenly Father-

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.” (Isaiah 49:15-16)

When life is chaotic and I, like Job, am feeling forgotten and unseen by God, I can know that despite appearances, I am not forgotten. My name is engraved on His palms and He knows “the way that I take.”

God’s ever-present presence is my comfort and my hope amid the chaos of this world. When I feel alone, unnoticed, unseen, unheard – knowing there is One, my Heavenly Father, who is with me, who does see me, hear me and watch over me – this brings me the peace and the courage I need to weather the storm. The same is true for you, too, dear readers. God sees you, hears you, and abides with you wherever you are and wherever you go. King David knew this to be true. He wrote about his experience in this Psalm –

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.” (Psalm 139:7-12)

and in another Psalm –

“He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:3-8)

Daniel’s three friends experienced God’s company, courage and comfort when they were thrown into the chaos of the king’s furnace as a punishment for their refusal to worship the king’s image of gold. God was with them in that literal furnace. He kept them company and delivered them unharmed from that chaos. They were not burned. They didn’t even smell like smoke! God’s presence surely gave them all they needed. His peace, comfort, protection, hope and courage sustained them in that life threatening environment of the furnace.

God’s presence provided the same things to the Israelites as they traveled from Egypt to their promised land. It was God’s presence that brought them safely through the chaos of the Red Sea, of their desert wanderings and the chaos of the battles that were necessary for them to fight, in order to conquer their enemies and enter into their promised land.

Today, God’s abiding presence keeps me company in the chaos, comforts me and gives me the courage I need in order to emerge victorious from the chaos that surrounds, much like the three emerged victorious from their furnace. I am not alone in the chaos! This is good news. I have the promise of God’s word which says clearly that He will never leave me. This promise is for you, too, dear readers. You are not alone in your chaos. The God who knows when a sparrow falls is watching over you and me. And He never falls asleep on the job! So, take heart! Jesus said –

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

our instructions – God’s promise –

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. . . . The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 & 8)

sincerely, Grace Day