After another unexpected health setback, I joined my husband and others during a retreat in the mountains. I trudged up the wooden staircase that led to the tiny church on the top of a hill. Alone in the dark, I stopped to rest on a splintered step. “Help me, Lord,” I whispered as the music began. I walked slowly until I stepped into the small room. I breathed through the lingering pain, grateful that God hears us in the wilderness!

Some of the most intimate moments of worshiping God recorded in Scripture took place in the wilderness. While hiding in the Desert of Judah and most likely on the run from his son Absalom, King David sang: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you” (Psalm 63:1). Having experienced God’s power and glory, David deemed God’s love as “better than life” (v. 3), and it was the reason he committed to a lifetime of worship—even while in the wilderness (vv. 2-6). He said, “Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me” (vv. 7-8).

Like David, regardless of our circumstances or the fierceness of those standing against us, we can demonstrate confidence in God by praising Him (v. 11). Though we’ll suffer, sometimes by no fault of our own, we can trust that God’s love is always better than life.

One year, the leaders of our congregation invited us to give, in addition to our regular weekly offerings, gifts to build a new gymnasium—a space we could use to minister to the families in our community. After prayerfully considering the medical expenses caused by living with a disability, I asked my husband, “Are you sure we can do this?” He nodded. “We’re not giving God anything that’s not already His,” he said. “He’ll provide all we need.” And He did! Over a decade later, our church family still has the privilege of serving Jesus by serving people in that facility.

In 1 Chronicles 29, King David showed the leaders of Israel his commitment to support his son Solomon as his God-chosen successor and the builder of the temple (vv. 1-5). Everyone followed suit, “gave willingly,” and “rejoiced” (vv. 6-9). As King David praised God, he declared that “everything in heaven and earth” belonged to Him (v. 11). He prayed: “Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you” (v. 16).

As we consider all God has done and given to us, specifically the gift of a personal relationship with Jesus, we can express our worship and show our gratitude and love by simply giving back to God, the Giver of all good things!

When he was younger, my son Xavier and I read a fictional children’s story about a boy who rebelled against his teacher by referring to a pen by a made-up name. The student convinced his fellow fifth graders to use the new name he created for pens. News about the boy’s replacement word spread through the whole town. Eventually, people across the country changed the way they referred to pens, simply because others accepted one boy’s made-up reality as a universal truth.

Throughout history, flawed human beings have embraced ever-changing versions of truth or personal preferred realities to suit their desires. However, the Bible points to one truth, the one true God, and one way to salvation—the Messiah—though which “the glory of the Lord will be revealed” (Isaiah 40:5). The prophet Isaiah affirmed that people, like all created things, are temporal, fallible, and unreliable (vv. 6-7). He said, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (v. 8).

Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah provides a dependable foundation, a safe refuge, and a secured hope. We can trust God’s word because Jesus Himself is the Word (John 1:1). Jesus is the Truth who never changes.

My six-foot-three son, Xavier, lifted his giggling toddler, Xarian, into the air with ease. He wrapped his large hand around his son’s tiny feet, securing them firmly in his palm. Stretching out his long arm, he encouraged his son to balance on his own but kept his free hand at the ready to catch him if necessary. Xarian straightened his legs and stood. With his smile wide and his arms resting at his side, his eyes locked on his father’s gaze.

The prophet Isaiah declared the benefits of focusing on the Father: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3). He encouraged God’s people to be committed to seeking Him in the Scriptures and connected with Him through prayer and worship. Those faithful ones would experience a confident trust built through their established fellowship with the Father.

As God’s beloved children, we can cry out with boldness: “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal” (v. 4). Why? Because our Father in heaven is trustworthy. He and the Scriptures never change.

As we keep our eyes fixed on our heavenly Father, He will keep our feet planted firmly in His hands. We can count on Him to continue being loving, faithful, and good. Forever!

How does keeping your thoughts on God help keep you at peace? What have you done to help keep your thoughts on Him throughout the day?

As I prepared for my mom’s celebration of life service, I prayed for the right words to describe her “hyphen years”—the years between her birth and death. I reflected on the good and not-so-good times in our relationship. I praised God for the day my mom accepted Jesus as her Savior after she saw Jesus “changing” me. I thanked Him for helping us grow in faith together and for the people who shared how my mom encouraged and prayed for them while showering them with kindness. My imperfect mom enjoyed a meaningful hyphen—a life well-lived for Jesus.

Not one believer in Jesus is perfect. However, the Holy Spirit can enable us to “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way” (Colossians 1:10). According to the apostle Paul, the church of Colossae was known for their faith and love (1:3–6). The Holy Spirit gave them “wisdom and understanding” and empowered them to “[bear] fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (vv. 9–10). As Paul prayed for and praised those believers, he proclaimed the name of Jesus, the One “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (v. 14).

When we surrender to the Holy Spirit, we too can grow in our knowledge of God, love Him and people, spread the gospel, and enjoy a meaningful hyphen—a life well-lived for Jesus.

I greeted our youth group as my husband and I handed out Bibles. “God will use these priceless gifts to change your life,” I said. That night, a few students committed to reading the gospel of John together. We continued inviting the group to read Scripture at home while we taught them during our weekly meetings. More than a decade later, I saw one of our students. “I still use the Bible you gave me,” she said. I saw the evidence in her faith-filled life.

God empowers His people to go beyond reading, reciting, and remembering where to find Bible verses. He enables us to “stay on the path of purity” by living “according to” the Scriptures (Psalm 119:9). God wants us to seek and obey Him as He uses His unchanging truth to free us from sin and change us (vv. 10-11). We can ask God daily to help us know Him and understand what He says in the Bible (vv. 12-13).

When we recognize the priceless value of living God’s way, we can “rejoice” in His instruction “as one rejoices in great riches” (vv. 14-15). Like the psalmist, we can sing, “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (v. 16). As we invite the Holy Spirit to empower us, we can savor each moment spent prayerfully reading the Bible—God’s life-changing gift to us.