Daily Devotional
Knowing God Helps Us Trust God
“And He said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’”
Exodus 33:14
February 16, 2023
Ponder This
There’s an often-repeated illustration about the bookmark some of us have in our older Bibles. It’s an embroidered bookmark; on one side is just a mass of tangled threads, but on the other side it says, “God is love.” Now some just look at it from the back, and they only see that tangled mass of threads. That is often like our faith—we don’t see the ways of God—that God is love—and it all looks like a mess to us. But our ways and God’s ways are so different.
Peter and James were both put in prison. They were servants of the Lord Jesus, apostles of Christ, arrested and put in prison for preaching the Gospel. Do you know what happened to James? His head was cut off. Do you know what happened to Peter? He was delivered miraculously from the same prison. (See Acts 12.)
How are we to explain that? If all you see are the works of God, you will be hopelessly confused and push the panic button all the time. You will never rest until you know God intimately. To know God intimately is the way of tranquility. Nothing will bring rest to your troubled soul like an intimate knowledge of God. If all you see is what God does in the world, you will be one nervous Christian. Change comes when we come to know Him intimately.
- When was a time you were confused by the ways of God?
- How has God’s presence been comforting to you in a time of trouble?
Practice This
Think about how you spend time with God now and consider how you might seek to know Him more intimately.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
