One Verse Devotional

You may have to wait on God, but He always hears your cry, and He will turn to you.

We never know when God will answer our prayers. It may happen instantly, or it could take years. But one thing is for sure, God is listening to you. He hears you! Your prayers are not hitting the ceiling. I don't know why God has us wait. I don't know why He doesn't answer some prayers. But God is listening to you. And when He is ready, He will turn and answer you.

We learned from our last One Verse, 2 Corinthians 1:3, that our God is the God of all Comfort and the Father of Compassion. Today, we look at the very next verse that continues this thought. 2 Corinthians 1:4 tells us that God has given us comfort, not just for ourselves, but so that we can pass along that comfort and compassion to others who are hurting. This is what it means to be a Light Bearer.

Our God is the Father of Compassion, Who comforts us in all our troubles.

Today's One Verse teaches us that our God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. I love serving a God who cares for us and has love and compassion for His people. But it doesn't stop there. Our God is the Father of Compassion because He helps us through all of our troubles. If you are facing trouble today, turn to God. He is listening, and He is there for you.

Our flesh and our heart may fail, but God you never will!

Life is tough at times. We never know what it might throw at us. That is why I love today's One Verse, Psalm 73:26. Even though our flesh and our heart may fail, even though we may want to give up and throw in the towel, God promises to be our strength. He never fails. He will provide for us, protect us, and sustain us. We do something a little different today, and I end with one of my favorite worship songs that is actually based on Psalm 73:26. It's a song called Give Me Faith and I want these lyrics to soak into your soul today: "My flesh may fail, but God you never will!"

We have the power to go to the throne of God on behalf of our friends.

Our One Verse, today, takes place in the Gospel of Mark. It comes in the middle of a crazy and even hilarious story. Jesus was preaching in a city and His popularity was at an all time high. People wanted to be fed, they wanted to be healed. As Jesus was preaching in this home, so many people showed up that you couldn't even get in the door. Well, for one paralyzed man, this was a problem. But he had four friends. And they weren't going to let a little thing like a huge crowd stop them! These guys went up on the roof and started tearing a hole in it! The poor homeowner. Then they lowered the paralyzed man through the roof and he landed right smack dab in front of Jesus. I would give anything to have seen this! But then Jesus says something crazy. He says, "Because of their faith…" It was the faith of the friends that moved Jesus. I think this is a key principle that holds true today. We have the power to go to God on behalf of our friends. We have the power to have faith on behalf of our friends. I pray that you will go to God for your friends today.

When Jesus said He was standing at the door and knocking, sadly He was speaking to His church.

Today's One Verse is Revelation 3:20 is a famous verse. Jesus says that He is standing at the door and knocking. Maybe you've seen the famous painting that was based on this verse. But here is the part we usually forget: He is speaking to Christians. When we hear this verse, it's easy to think, "Yes, I wish people who don't believe in Jesus would open their lives to Him." And that's a great hope. But this verse is for us. If you are a Christian, we have a hard question to ask… Are we shutting Jesus out? He is standing outside the door of your heart, asking for you to let Him back in? Please open the door and spend some quality time with Jesus today.

When we seek after God, He is willing to uncover great and unsearchable things to us.

I am so thankful that I serve a God who knows more than me. God who knows the secrets of the universe. And better yet, He said that He will share those with us. No, we don't always get the answer we want. He may not always pull back the curtain all the way. But God desires to have a relationship with us, and He is willing to share great and unsearchable things with us. We simply need to call out to Him.

As followers of the one, true Light (Jesus), we are called to reflect His Light to a dark and hurting world. We are the light of the world. In our culture, the word Christian carries a lot of emotional baggage. There are a lot of terms associated with Christian that are, well, less than flattering. Today, the word Christian has become very confused: christian movies, christian music, there is even a christian phone book. I feel we have lost something from the original meaning. There is something about a fresh ray of sunshine on your face. It brightens your mood, your day, and your entire outlook. Light is amazing. We are called to spread the Light and Love of Jesus to this dark and hurting world!

Do you think God is angry with you? Our One Verse, Psalm 30:5, teaches us that God's anger only last for a moment. Yet, His blessings last forever. David, the writer of this Psalm, did a lot in his life that God wasn't happy with. Adultery, murder, bloodshed. Yet, David tells us that God's anger last only a moment. God isn't angry with you. If you've messed up, sinned, made a mistake, then seek His forgiveness. He freely gives His grace. BUT, if you are still struggling with it after you've sought God's forgiveness, that's guilt. Guilt isn't from God. Guilt is holding you back. Guilt never lets you get over a past mistake. Guilt prevents you from stepping into your future. Allow God to forgive you. He isn't angry with you. He loves you and wants to pour out His blessings on you like a loving Father does for His child.

With all that God has forgiven of us, shouldn't we forgive others, too?

Forgiveness. It's tough. When we feel wronged, it is so easy to focus on the other person. "They need to apologize. They need to be sorry for what they did to me!" But in the Bible, God is never concerned with the other person. We can't control them. We can't make them do what we want. There is only one thing we can control. We have the power to forgive. No, it isn't easy. But remember how much God forgave us. Remember what Jesus did for us so we could experience God's forgiveness. If we do that, I mean truly understand it, it will help us the next time we need to forgive someone else. Don't live your life with unresolved anger. That leads to bitterness. Live your life with a forgiving heart. You have the perfect example. Hint: It's Jesus.