Time Out! Devotions

What Is Faith?

Hebrews 11:1-2 (NCV)

¹ Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. ² Faith is the reason we remember great people who lived in the past.

Romans 10:17 (NCV)

¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing the Good News, and people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ.

Galatians 5:6 (NCV)

⁶ The important thing is faith—the kind of faith that works through love.

1 John 5:4 (NCV)

⁴ Everyone who is a child of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world—our faith.

John 6:28-29 (NCV)

²⁸ The people asked Jesus, “What are the things God wants us to do?” ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work God wants you to do is this: Believe the One he sent.”

Psalm 118:8 (NCV)

⁸ It is better to trust the Lord than to trust people.

Hebrews 11:6 (NCV)

⁶ Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him.

Luke 17:5 (NCV)

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more faith!”

Hebrews 6:12 (NCV)

¹² We do not want you to become lazy. Be like those who through faith and patience will receive what God has promised.

James 1:5-6 (NCV)

⁵ But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you. ⁶ But when you ask God, you must believe and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown up and down by the wind.

Psalm 37:3, 5, 7 (NCV)

³ Trust the Lord and do good. Live in the land and feed on truth. ⁵ Depend on the Lord; trust him, and he will take care of you. ⁷ Wait and trust the Lord. Don’t be upset when others get rich or when someone else’s plans succeed.

Psalm 55:22 (NCV)

²² Give your worries to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will never let good people down.

Psalm 62:8 (NCV)

⁸ People, trust God all the time. Tell him all your problems, because God is our protection.

Isaiah 43:1-2 (NCV)

¹ Now this is what the Lord says. He created you, people of Jacob; he formed you, people of Israel. He says, “Don’t be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine. ² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you cross rivers, you will not drown. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flames hurt you.

Isaiah 41:13 (NCV)

¹³ I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, and I tell you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I will help you.’

Proverbs 3:5 (NCV)

⁵ Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t depend on your own understanding.

Isaiah 50:10 (NCV)

¹⁰ Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant? That person may walk in the dark and have no light. Then let him trust in the Lord and yet depend on his God.

Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)

Jesus Calms the Storm

³⁵That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

A woman was once asked what one of her favorite childhood memories was, and without hesitation she responded by saying,   “Being woken up out of a sound sleep by my dad to sit at our bay window and watch the lightning crawl across the sky during a big thunderstorm.” Watching storms was fascinating for her because she was in a safe, familiar place.

When storms arise in our life, it is comforting to have those around us who are familiar and safe—a spouse, children, or close friends. But when we are alone and facing uncertainty, we must remind ourselves that God controls not only the wind and the waves created by nature, but those created by life as well. We are never truly alone and facing the elements by ourselves; God will always walk through the storm with us.

During the uncertain and frightening storms of life, let us do as the Psalmist “…in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by” (Psalm 57:1).

(by Dr. David Jeremiah from the August 2009 issue of Turning Points magazine)

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, He has never failed me. George Muller

Psalm 124 (New International Reader’s Version)

¹ Here is what Israel should say. Suppose the Lord had not been on our side.
² Suppose the Lord had not been on our side when our enemies attacked us.
³ Suppose he had not been on our side when their anger blazed out against us. Then they would have swallowed us alive.
⁴ They would have been like a flood that drowned us. They would have swept over us like a rushing river.
⁵ They would have washed us away like a swollen stream.
⁶ Give praise to the Lord. He has not let our enemies chew us up.
⁷ We have escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap. The trap has been broken, and we have escaped.
⁸ Our help comes from the Lord. He is the Maker of heaven and earth.

Do you ever feel trapped by overwhelming odds? David compared this feeling to that of a bird outwitted and snared by a hunter.

With God, there is always a way out because He is the Creator of all that exists. No problem is beyond His ability to solve, no circumstance is too difficult for Him. We can turn to the Creator for help in our time of need, for He is on our side. God will provide a way out, we need only trust Him and look for it.

Psalm 126 (New International Reader’s Version)

¹ Our enemies took us away from Zion. But when the Lord brought us home, it seemed like a dream to us.
² Our mouths were filled with laughter. Our tongues sang with joy. Then the people of other nations said, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
³ The Lord has done great things for us. And we are filled with joy.
⁴ Lord, bless us with great success again, as rain makes streams flow in the Negev Desert.
⁵ Those who cry as they plant their crops will sing with joy when they gather them in.
⁶ Those who go out sobbing as they carry seeds to plant will come back singing with joy. They will bring the new crop back with them.

God’s capacity for restoring life is beyond our understanding. Forests burn down and are able to grow back. Broken bones heal. Even grief is not a permanent condition. Our tears can be seeds that will grow into a harvest of joy because God is able to bring good out of tragedy.

When burdened by sorrow, know that your times of grief will end soon and that you will again find joy. We must be patient as we wait. God’s great harvest of joy is coming!