As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“Nanci sometimes felt anxious throughout those difficult years, but she instructed herself by God’s words, and the anxiety was replaced by peace and hope and rest in the great God she knew to be her Father.” - Randy Alcorn
“[F]riends are fallible. The wisest among them is still prone to misjudgment, and the most knowledgeable among them is still prone to ignorance…. Even the best-intentioned friend can provide counsel that hurts, harms, or leads astray…. It is a tremendous comfort, then, that when we pray, we are not praying to someone else who is just trying to figure it all out, as we are.” - Challies
“To have peace, we must loosen our grip on our lives. And there’s one simple but powerful habit that consistently helps us do this: prayer.” - Lifeway
Editor’s note: Reposted from 2023, comments included. Comments are still open if you have any thoughts to add.
I was engaging in a bit of year-end reflection the other day. As usual, since reaching age 50 or so, my reflections quickly began to leap back multiple years, and then decades. And also as usual, my old friend Mr. Regret stopped in for a visit.
Don’t get the wrong idea. This is not a “negative” post. I’ve learned that Mr. Regret can only visit for as long as I let him. His visits might be more frequent now, but they’re shorter.
“Jesus said, ‘Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time he smells, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’” (John 11:39–40, LSB)
Mary and her sister Martha must have sat together, grieving in their home as they waited for Jesus. Why was He delayed? They knew He loved them and had informed Him of Lazarus’s sickness in time for Jesus to rush in and heal their brother. What happened?
Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? For example, what do we say when a Christian mother backs the car over the top of her little toddler crushing him to death? When a Christian man discovers he has brain cancer and must soon leave his three young children without a father? When a hurricane destroys the homes and disrupts the lives not only of unbelievers but also of believers? Perhaps you’ve asked that question while undergoing personal trial or tragedy.
In my daily Bible reading, I always appreciate it when I am going through the Proverbs. It seems that each chapter has several nuggets of truth that fit my life and what is happening in that moment. Sometimes the themes are frequently repeated in my heart, things that the Lord is continuously dealing with me about. Other themes are needed reminders in that specific time of my life.
Peace and prosperity are feverishly sought for throughout the world. This all-out search consumes men and women irrespective of cultural heritage or ethnicity. According to Jesus, all efforts at achieving true peace outside of Him are in vain. Jesus promised to give true peace to His disciples, His followers.
“There is a danger to be avoided in prosperity. When we are comfortable, we forget God and wrongly ascribe the blessings we enjoy as arising from ourselves… . Furthermore, when we are comfortable with our circumstances, we inevitably desire greater comfort.” - P&D
Discussion