When I visited Ecuador’s Amazon region with my father many years ago, we took a fun speed boat ride to a small village to take in the sights and learn about the local tribes. My dear dad bought me handmade jewelry, including a set of earrings. I only wore those earrings on special occasions, including when I went to visit my sister for my birthday. When I came back from my trip, I was horrified to discover I’d lost one of my earrings. I looked everywhere.

It was just an earring, but I’d have to travel all the way back to the Amazon jungle to replace it. Amazingly, when my sister returned to the restaurant we had visited for my birthday, she spotted my missing earring in their lost and found. I was overjoyed!

Jesus told a parable about a woman who’d lost her silver coin. She wouldn’t rest while her valuable coin was missing. “Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” Jesus asked (Luke 15:8). And when she found her coin, she greatly rejoiced (v. 9).

Jesus told this story to demonstrate how precious we are to God. He “came to seek and to save” those who are lost (19:10). Although we were once lost, heaven rejoiced when we were found.

I shut my eyes as the amusement park ride creeped higher—trying to ignore all the creaking coming from this wildly popular ride I was on. When it stopped for a moment, I made the mistake of peeking and was horrified to see the plunge we were about to take. I closed my eyes again and screamed the whole way down. That childhood memory still makes me shudder.

Sometimes in life it can feel like we’re falling further and further with no one to catch us. But when life seems chaotic and out of control, we can find comfort in knowing that God is with us. As believers, we know that God dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. We can speak to Him and be guided by Scripture.

God wanted to assure the Israelites that He would “catch” them even in the midst of their fall and rebellion. He said through the prophet Isaiah, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). God wanted them to know He would help them through their trials (v. 13). How encouraging it must’ve been for the Israelites to know that God hadn’t abandoned them even while they were living as prisoners in a foreign land.

When our life feels like it’s out of control, we can take courage knowing that God is there to help us. We’re safe in His loving and mighty hands.

Watching sporting competitions and meeting athletes was a dream come true for me when I attended a Summer and Winter Olympics as a young reporter. I was enthralled by hearing people from all over the world speaking in different languages and celebrating their various countries.

I’d been fascinated with the Olympics since I was a teen, but it had become an obsession. After I said yes to following God while at the Summer Games, I felt God was asking me to lay down my idol of sports. But I still had a love for the nations. I still enjoy watching the Olympics, but my heart is truly stirred when people of different backgrounds and from different nations come together during a church service or gathering to pray and to worship the King of kings. What a sweet taste of heaven on earth (Revelation 7:9)!

When we remember who we are in Christ, we remember that we belong to God’s family and His family is international.

The apostle Paul declared to the believers in Galatia, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” (Galatians 3:26). “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (v. 28).

No matter where we’re from or where we live, let’s rejoice that as believers we’re one in Christ with our brothers and sisters around the world.

As our bus traveled higher and higher on the narrow road along the Andes Mountains, my teammates were busy laughing and singing. I was staring out my window—aghast that there weren’t any guardrails between us and the abyss to our right. As we kept going up and up and up, feeling a bit fearful and anxious, I started to wonder why our short-term mission team had come to this remote part of Ecuador. Then it dawned on me: God must really love these people if He would send His own Son to die for them. Surely, I could get through a scary bus ride to express that love with them.

It ended up being such a joy to do short Bible lessons, share our testimonies and pray with the people who welcomed us in the various towns we visited each day.

The apostle Paul was committed to telling others about Jesus so they too could put their trust in Him. In Romans 10:13 he says that all who call on Jesus “will be saved.” But, “how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15).

There are people all around us who don’t know Christ. Let’s ask God for the courage to share the Good News of Jesus with others, to pray with them and invite them to a church service or activity.

My heart sank. My mind started to swirl. A friend who’d been helping set up my new laptop accidentally deleted all the photos and videos I’d transferred to it. Years of precious memories with family and friends were all gone in an instant. Panic set in.  I’d never be able to recreate those cherished moments from past holidays, travels, and special occasions. Before sentimental me could have a complete meltdown, my friend said he was hopeful he could recover my files. Thankfully, a few agonizing hours later I was overjoyed to see my special files reappear.

I waited anxiously for only a few hours, but the fear was real. Loss can be scary and painful. In chapter two of the book of Joel, the prophet is calling Judah to repentance after it has been devastated by a horde of locusts that destroyed the grain fields, vineyards, gardens, and trees. The prophet had warned the people of the impending consequences of their rebellion against God. But God hadn’t abandoned them. He would help and bring restoration if they placed their trust in God: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” (2:25).

God restored Judah when they turned to Him. God wants to restore you as well.

Whatever circumstances you’re in, you can turn to God and trust Him—knowing that He’s “the Lord your God, and that there is no other” (v. 27). He is faithful to help you recover from what was lost and bring you into a relationship with Him.

Recently, my mom gave me a play-by-play of a surprising confrontation she saw on a live webcam feed from a watering hole in Africa. The Gemsbok, a large antelope found in Namibia’s Namib Desert, has horns that can be more than two feet long making it a formidable animal that doesn’t seem to scare easily. That is unless it comes across a group of brave and rowdy ostriches.

The lead ostrich, which was taller than its foes, shook its large feathers, roared, and stomped toward three Gemsbok, causing them to flee.

“I guess they didn’t realize how powerful their horns are,” I said to my mom.

Believers in Jesus can forget the power we have when faced with attacks from our spiritual enemy, Satan.  We have the Holy Spirit who lives inside us (Romans 8:11) and the armor of God to help us:  “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11). Satan wants to challenge our belief in God’s Word, question our identity in Christ and tempt us to sin.

But we can stand strong because God’s armor includes: “the belt of truth, . . . the breastplate of righteousness, . . . the shield of faith, . . . the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (vv. 14-17).

When the enemy attacks us with feelings of fear, condemnation, or despair, let’s remember we are God’s children. He has given us His armor of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, His Word, and prayer to stand strong when we face spiritual battles.

The man was busy harvesting onions when we prayerfully approached him during the home visits we were conducting on our mission trip in Ecuador. In broken Spanish, I told him my friends and I’d like to briefly speak to him about the Bible. He paused to listen as we shared our testimonies with him. One of my teammates took out his Bible and started reading Scripture aloud (in English). What a sacred moment it was to hear Scripture being read on the side of the Andes mountains and to see the man reading along in Spanish with the booklet we had given him!  We talked with him and his family who’d been working off in the distance, prayed for them, and continued to the next house.

As we walked along the mountainside reading Scripture and talking to people about Christ, I thought of Jesus and His disciples walking along the hills and valleys of Israel during His earthly ministry.

Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation.”  The prophet was referring to the time when God’s people would return to their homeland after years in exile, but it still applies to us today whenever we share the Good News of Jesus with others.   

Our opportunities may not be in the spectacular Andes, but wherever God has placed us, the Holy Spirit can help us share the message of salvation with those He puts in our path.

Two pilots fell asleep in the middle of their flight over Indonesia. While the commanding pilot had permission to nap once the plane reached cruising altitude, he woke up to find that his co-pilot had also dozed off. The two were asleep for about thirty minutes with more than 150 passengers and crew on board and while at approximately 36,000 feet altitude. The plane had veered off course, but thankfully, the plane still arrived at its destination safely.

Human pilots may snooze mid-flight, but we can rest assured that God never falls asleep.

I find such comfort in the words of Psalm 121. In eight verses, we’re reminded that God is omniscient, or all-knowing, about our life; omnipresent, or present all throughout our day; and omnipotent, or all-powerful, and can protect us. The psalmist declares that our help comes from God (v. 2). He is our keeper and shade (v. 5), and He guards us from all evil while preserving our soul (v. 7).

God never gets tired. “He will not let your foot slip; he who watches over you will not slumber” (v. 3). “The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore” (v. 8).

When we’re wondering if God has forgotten us, we can rest assured that He is at the wheel. He is always awake and watching over us.

As a young journalist, I quickly learned about the power of a “press pass.” That one credential—displaying my name, picture, and media outlet—unlocked countless doors by allowing me to meet and interview athletes and celebrities before or after major events.

While I enjoyed having special access to public figures, the allure soon faded after I received Jesus as my Savior and started living for Him. I realized sports and my career had become my idols. When God called me out of my journalism career, I lost my press pass but gained the access that truly matters— access to God’s heavenly throne room through prayer because of Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection.   

The writer of Hebrews points out that a high priest was selected from among the Israelites, specifically one of Aaron’s descendants, and appointed for the sacred duty of representing the people before God. He was the only one who could enter the Most Holy Place in the temple once a year “to offer gifts and sacrifice” to atone for his and the people’s sins (5:1) for he too was a mere mortal man.

Then Christ came, our great and perfect high priest. When He died, the veil in the temple was torn and the barrier that existed between God and humanity was removed (Matthew 27:51).

Because our loving Redeemer has reconciled us to His Father, we can freely pray to God: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

What a privilege to have access to God’s throne room as we talk to Him in prayer.

Football fans were stunned when Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills collapsed on the field on live television after executing a seemingly routine tackle in January 2023. The twenty-four-year-old was in sudden cardiac arrest. His heart stopped beating but was restored by medical professionals while on the field. Amazingly, three months after dying and being resuscitated on the field, Hamlin was cleared to play football again.

Hamlin has stated that he’s grateful to God and the medical staff for saving his life. He plans to continue being an inspiration to others. In John chapter 11, Lazarus also had a remarkable recovery.

By the time Jesus had arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days. His distraught sisters, Mary and Martha, witnessed Jesus’ power over death and that He is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). “Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face” (vv. 43-44).

We’re also examples of Christ’s resurrection power. We were once dead in our sins, but we’re now alive in Christ (Romans 6:1-11). As believers, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of us (8:10-11). Be encouraged. While we’ll all die a physical death, that’s not the end of our story. We’re promised eternal life with Jesus.