TO BE OR NOT TO BE

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

READ:  2 Corinthians 1:3-11

We were burdened beyond measure,…so that we

despaired even of life.  2 Corinthians 1:8

When I was a child, kids on the playground jokingly quoted Shakespeare’s famous line:  “To be or not to be-that is the question!”  But we really didn’t understand what it meant.  Later I learned that Shakespeare’s character Hamlet, who speaks these lines, is a melancholy prince who learns that his uncle has killed his father and married this mother.  The horror of this realization is to disturbing that he contemplates suicide.  The question for him was “to be” (to go on living) or “not to be” (to take his own life).

At times, life’s pain can become so overwhelming that we are tempted to despair.  The apostle Paul told the church at Corinth that his persecution in Asia was so intense he “despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8).  Yet by shifting his focus to his life-sustaining God, he became resilient instead of overwhelmed, and learned “that we should not trust in ourselves but in God” (v.9).

Trials can make life seem not worth living.  Focusing on ourselves can lead to despair.  But putting our trust in God gives us an entirely different perspective.  As long as we live in this world, we can be certain that our all-sufficient God will sustain us.  And as His followers, we will always have a divine purpose “to be.”   DF

Lord, give us grace to trust You when

Life’s burdens seem to much to bear;

Dispel the darkness with new hope

And help us rise above despair. -Sper

Trials make us think; thinking makes us wise; 

wisdom makes life profitable.

UNSEEN REALITIES

Unseen Realities

Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.”

2 Kings 6:17

READ 2 KINGS 6:8–17

Stephen Cass, an editor at Discover magazine, was determined to investigate some of the invisible things that are part of his daily life. As he walked toward his office in New York City, he thought: “If I could see radio waves, the top of the Empire State Building [with its host of radio and TV antennas] would be lit like a kaleidoscopic flare, illuminating the entire city.” He realized he was surrounded by an invisible electromagnetic field of radio and TV signals, Wi-Fi, and more.

Elisha’s servant learned about another kind of unseen reality one morning—the invisible spiritual world. He awoke to find himself and his master surrounded by the armies of Aram. As far as his eyes could see, there were soldiers mounted on powerful warhorses (2 Kings 6:15)! The servant was afraid, but Elisha was confident because he saw the army of angels that surrounded them. He said: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v. 16). Then he asked the Lord to open his servant’s eyes so he too could see that the Lord had surrounded their enemy and He was in control (v. 17).

Do you feel overpowered and helpless? Remember that God is in control and fights for you. He “will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11).

By Poh Fang Chia

REFLECT & PRAY

Fear not for God is with us and for us.

How can you learn to trust God’s supernatural help? How would trusting Him more change the way you face difficulties?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

In the Old Testament, Aram (2 Kings 6:8) was the territory that today is known as Syria. Its capital, Damascus, was one of the great cities of ancient times and continued to be prominent in the New Testament. It was the destination of Saul of Tarsus when on a mission to persecute believers in Jesus (Acts 9). Bill Crowder

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN

READ:  Hebrews 11:24-40

God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love

which you have showed toward His name, in that you

have ministered to the saints.  Hebrews 6:10

When Britain’s oldest man turned 111, vintage aircraft did a flyover, and the Band of the Royal Marines played “Happy Birthday.”  According to the Daily Mirror, Henry Allingham was amazed by all the attention.  Until six years earlier, he had for eighty-six years kept secret the horrific memories of what happened in the trenches of World War I.  Only when tracked downs by the World War I Veteran’s Association did this old man, who had been shelled, bombed, and shot, receive honor for what he had endured on behalf of his country.

The story of the Bible gives us parallels to Henry’s story.  The Scriptures show that those who fight the battles of God often end up wounded, imprisoned, and even killed as a result of their service.

The cynic might observe such lives and conclude with a sigh that no good deed goes unpunished.  But the author of Hebrews sees a bigger picture.  He reminds us that everything and anything we have down in faith and love will one day be honored by God (6:11).

Are you discouraged today? Do you feel insignificant?  Do You feel forgotten after trying to serve God?  Be assured that God will not forget anything you have done in your service to Him or others.  MD

Does the place you’re called to labor

Seem so small and little known?

It is great if God is in it,

And He’ll not forget His own. -Suffield

God remembers the good we forget.

NO MORE RUNNING

No More Running

In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.

Jonah 2:2

READ JONAH 2:1–10

On July 18, 1983, a US Air Force captain disappeared from Albuquerque, New Mexico, without a trace. Thirty-five years later, authorities found him in California. The New York Times reports that, “depressed about his job,” he’d simply run away.

Thirty-five years on the run! Half a lifetime spent looking over his shoulder! I have to imagine that anxiety and paranoia were this man’s constant companions.

But I have to admit, I also know a bit about being “on the run.” No, I’ve never abruptly fled something in my life . . . physically. But at times I know there’s something God wants me to do, something I need to face or confess. I don’t want to do it. And so, in my own way, I run too.

The prophet Jonah is infamous for literally running from God’s assignment to preach to the city of Nineveh (see Jonah 1:1-3). But, of course, he couldn’t outrun God. You’ve probably heard what happened (vv. 4,17): A storm. A fish. A swallowing. And, in the belly of the beast, a reckoning, in which Jonah faced what he’d done and cried to God for help (2:2).

Jonah wasn’t a perfect prophet. But I take comfort in his remarkable story, because, even despite Jonah’s stubbornness, God never let go of him. The Lord still answered the man’s desperate prayer, graciously restoring His reluctant servant (v. 2)—just as He does with us.

By Adam Holz

REFLECT & PRAY

What, if anything, have you tried to run away from in your life? How can you grow in bringing to God the pressures that overwhelm you?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Jonah initially ministered to the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:23-28). God reassigned him to minister to the Assyrian city of Nineveh and to warn them to repent or face God’s judgment (Jonah 1:1). After Jonah refused this new mission and instead fled in the opposite direction (v. 3), God disciplined him by causing him to be swallowed up by a big fish (vv. 4, 17). Jonah 2 records the prophet’s prayer of repentance when he was inside the fish. Jesus used this event to foreshadow His own burial and resurrection: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40; Jonah 1:17). K. T. Sim

WHAT ARE WE HOLDING ON TO?

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

WHAT ARE WE HOLDING ON TO?

READ:  1 Timothy 6:11-16

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold

on eternal life.  1 Timothy 6:12

Tolkien’s classic The Lord of the Rings trilogy came to life in recent years on film.  In the second epic story, the hero, Frodo, reached a point of despair and wearily confided to his friend, “I can’t do this, Sam.”  As a good friend, Sam gave a rousing speech.  “It’s like in the great stories…Full of darkness and danger they were…Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t.  They kept going.  Because they were holding on to something.”  Which prompted Frodo to ask:  “What are we holding on to, Sam?”

It’s a significant question, one that we all need to ask ourselves.  Living in a fallen, broken world, it’s no wonder that sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the powers of darkness.  When we are at the point of despair, ready to throw in the towel, we do well to follow Paul’s advice to Timothy:  “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:12).

In life’s battles, let’s hold on to the fact that good will triumph over evil in the end, that one day we will see our Master and Leader face-to-face, and we will reign with Him forever.  You can be part of this great story, knowing that if you have trusted Jesus for salvation you are guaranteed a victorious ending!   JS

Though weak and helpless in life’s fray,

God’s mighty power shall be my stay;

Without, within, He gives to me

The strength to gain the victory. -DJD

The trials of earth are small compared with the triumphs of heaven. 

SOVEREIGN INTERVENTION

Sovereign Intervention

God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

Exodus 2:25

READ EXODUS 3:1–9

Barbara grew up under the care of the British government in the 1960s, but when she turned sixteen, she and her newborn son, Simon, became homeless. The state was no longer obligated to provide for her at that age. Barbara wrote to the Queen of England for help and received a response! The Queen compassionately arranged for Barbara to be given a house of her own.

The Queen of England had the right resources to help Barbara, and her compassionate assistance can be seen as a small picture of God’s help. The King of heaven knows all of our needs and sovereignly works out His plans in our lives. As He does, however, He longs for us to come to Him—sharing our needs and other concerns—as part of our loving relationship with Him.

The Israelites brought their need for deliverance to God. They were suffering under the burden of Egyptian slavery and cried out for help. He heard them and remembered His promise: “God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them” (Exodus 2:25). He instructed Moses to bring liberty to His people and declared that He would once again release them “into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (3:8).

Our King loves it when we come to Him! He wisely provides what we need, not necessarily what we want. Let’s rest in His sovereign, loving provision.

By Ruth O’Reilly-Smith

REFLECT & PRAY

Loving God, thank You that I can bring my needs to You. Help me to be content in whatever paths and provisions You choose.

Why is it important for us to bring our needs to God in prayer? How can you learn to rest in God’s provision—whatever that may be?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

When God introduced Himself to Moses from a burning bush, the bush didn’t burn up (Exodus 3:2). Later Moses would speak of the same God as a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24). Through both Testaments, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus uses the image of fire to reveal His resolve to consume what’s worthless—while lovingly protecting, preserving, and perfecting what’s good (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). Mart DeHaan

DOES GOD CARE?

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

DOES GOD CARE?

READ:  Mark 14:32-42

[Jesus] began to be troubled and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, 

“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.”  Mark 14:33-34

One dreadful year, three of my friends died in quick succession.  My experience of the first two deaths did nothing to prepare me for the third.  I could do little but cry.

I find it strangely comforting that when Jesus faced pain, He responded much as I do.  It comforts me that He cried when His friend Lazarus died (John 11:32-36).  That gives a startling clue into how God must have felt about my friends, whom He also loved.

And in the garden the night before His crucifixion, Jesus did not pray, “Oh, Lord, I am so grateful that You have chosen Me to suffer on Your behalf.”  No, He experienced sorrow, fear, abandonment, even desperation.  Hebrews tells us that Jesus appealed with “vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death: (5:7).  But He was not saved from death.

Is it too much to say that Jesus himself asked the question that haunts us:  Does God care?  What else can be the meaning of His quotation from that dark psalm:  “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1; Mark 15:34).

Jesus endured in His pain because He knew that His Father is a God of love who can be trusted regardless of how things appear to be.  He demonstrated faith that the ultimate answer to the question Does God care? is a resounding Yes!    PY

The aching void, the loneliness,

And all the thorn clad way,

To Thee I turn with faith undimmed

And ‘mid the darkness pray. -O.J. Smith

When we know that God’s hand is in everything,

we can leave everything in God’s hand.