4th August 2025

Hope In The Valley

  . . . I will fear no evil; For You are with me.         

Psalm 23:4

Today's Bible Reading: Psalm 23.

William Carey is known as the “father of modern missions”. But when he first arrived in India in 1792, he was quickly besieged by illness, loneliness and poverty. Then he was deserted by his missionary partner, one of his sons died of dysentery, and his wife’s mental health deteriorated so severely that she threatened him with a knife.

"I am in a strange land with no Christian friend, a large family and nothing to supply their wants," Carey wrote. "This is indeed the valley of the shadow of death to me."

Carey’s dark valley was impossible to navigate, humanly speaking. Yet he could write, "But I rejoice that I am here notwithstanding; and God is here." Carey’s hope echoed Davids when he composed Psalm 23: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me.” (Psalm 23:4).

Hope in life’s valleys is found in the Shepherd who walks through them with us. He promises that whatever valley we are facing, it will come to an end; one day we will finally sit at the table He has prepared for us in His home (v 5–6), and what a glorious and wonderful day that will be.

If you are walking through a valley today, you can get a sense of that glorious future as you draw close to your Shepherd, the source of all reassurance. Seasons of darkness can become seasons of hope when we affirm, “You are with me” (v 4).

Prayer:  Good Shepherd, I thank You that You are with me. No matter what I face or go through, You will walk each step and each moment with me. Amen.

3rd August 2025

Having Compassion

   He who loves his brother abides in the light,

and there is no cause for stumbling in him.    

1 John 2:10

Today's Bible Reading: 1 John 2:7-11.

This age in which we live could hardly be described as conducive to a sensitiveness of the needs of others. We have developed a veneer of sophistication and hardness. Abraham Lincoln once said, characteristically, “I am sorry for the man who cannot feel the whip when it is laid on the other man’s back.” Much of the world is calloused and indifferent toward mankind’s poverty and distress. This is due largely to the fact that for many people there has never been a rebirth. The love of God has never been shed abroad in their hearts.

Many people speak of the social gospel as though it were separate and apart from the redemptive Gospel. The truth is: there is only one Gospel. We must be redeemed, we must be made right with God before we can become sensitive to the needs of others. Divine love, like a reflected sunbeam, shines down before it radiates out. Unless our hearts are conditioned by the Holy Spirit to receive and reflect the warmth of God’s compassion, we cannot love our fellow humans as we ought.

Prayer:  Help me to feel another person's hurt and be concerned, Father, so that I may shed the light of Your love in an uncaring world. In Jesus name. Amen.

2nd August 2025

The Prayers of Those In Heaven

  Hannah spoke in her heart; . . .

her voice was not heard.     

1 Samuel 1:13

Today's Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 1:1-20.

The title of today's devotion, may sound controversial, but read on.

You see, I firmly believe that God continues to answer the prayers of His people even after He has called them home to Heaven.

Remember Hannah in the Old Testament? She prayed repeatedly for a son, and when Samuel was finally born to her, she then prayed that he would serve God all his life (see 1 Samuel 1:28). God answered that prayer, and Samuel became one of the greatest men of the Old Testament. He died as an old man, but he was faithful to the end, just as Hannah had prayed he would be.

Never forget that God is not bound by time, the way we are. We see only the present moment; God sees everything. We see only part of what He is doing; He sees it all. In Psalm 90:2, the Bible says, “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Long after you and I are called home to Heaven, God will still be at work, and many of the things we prayed for will finally come to pass.

Yes, when we pray and nothing seems to happen, it is easy for us to think that God has forgotten us, or that He perhaps has not heard our prayers. But God does not always work to our schedule! He knows what is best, and in His time He will answer every prayer according to His will. Continue to pray for your family, and for others as well, not only that they will be happy and safe, but that they will give their lives to Christ and live for Him every day.

Prayer:  Eternal God, help me to be faithful in praying. In Jesus name. Amen.