Latest Thoughts of the Day

Habakkuk 1:7

5/29/2026

They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law unto themselves and they promote their own honor.

God is describing the powerful pagan nation that He is raising up to bring judgment upon His own people, the Jews. Habakkuk has challenged God concerning the evil he sees in Israel and God is answering with a description of the means He will use to address the problem. It will set off a turmoil within Habakkuk’s soul, but eventually Habakkuk will reach a wonderful peace and trust. We will watch Habakkuk pass through this transition, and we will rejoice in the peace that God gives him in looking ahead to Jesus. Lord, help us to observe this transition in Habakkuk’s life and relate it to our own lives in a way that draws us close to You. We know that when it comes to hope, we look to Jesus.

Nahum 1:7

5/28/2026

The lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.

Nahum will go on to speak of the utter destruction He will bring upon Assyria, which has exalted itself in the presence of God and is the instrument of utter destruction to the northern kingdom and a terrifying threat to the Jews. But in all His zeal to punish His enemies, God remains a tender shelter to those who put their trust in Him. Lord, we long for the vindication of Your Great Name and the utter overcoming of those who rise up against Yo[, but we rejoice with trembling. We know that the reason you, the thrice-holy God may show the love you do to us is entirely and completely because of Your becoming man and living and dying for us. Our Refuge and our only Hope is Jesus.

Micah 1:7

5/27/2026

All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will desroy all her images, since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used,

The northern kingdom of Israel had grown rich in their interchange with the idolaters of the nations, but God regards their wealth as the wages of a prostitute. He is planning to turn Israel over to destruction at the hand of Assyria, as it were recycling this income of prostitutes to be used for wicked idolatry once again, before His ultimate destruction of that system. At any point Israel could turn to Him, but they will not turn. Ultimately, Israel will fall utterly and be cleared out of the way as the purposes of God focus more and more on the inevitable coming of Jesus.

Jonah 1:7

5/26/2026

Then the sailors said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell to Jonah.

The sailors by no means are believers in the sovereign God of the Bible, who rules all things after the council of His will and ordains whatsoever comes to pass. They have a strange unfounded confidence in the casting of lots, that it will somehow reveal the truth that men are hiding. The theological implications are interesting, but they are not thinking so deeply—they are desperate. And the Sovereign God uses their superstition to promote the accomplishment of His will for Jonah. He alone knows His purposes in the lives of every individual on board. God is always doing much more than we see. But we do see His hand, and it is the Hand of Jesus.

Obadiah 7

5/25/2026

All your allies will force you to the border; your friends will deceive and overpower you; those who eat your bread will set a trap for you, but you will not detect it.

God is declaring his judgment upon Edom, bringing before His mind centuries of enmity between Jacob and Esau. Finally the enmity is resolved by the destruction of the nation itself forever. In bringing about this destruction, God will empower all their enemies, turn all their friends against them and even cause those who are dearest to work against them to their ruin. It will not simply be a strong army that wipes them out. All will turn against them and they will feel the force of all. Of course, this is the very thing that each one of us deserves. We have been enemies to God. We deserve judgment. But for us, He sent Jesus.

Amos 1:7

5/24/2026

I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza that will donsume her fortresses.

Gaza was very proud of its wall and very confident of its own invincibility. International cruelty was its stock and trade, and God’s judgment is here pronounced against it. God’s judgment is not limited to His dealings with His people—all the nations of the world answer to Him. And the judgment of nations must occur in this life, since eternal judgment is concerned with individuals. One can trace the encounters that ultimately brought about this judgment—culminating in the devastation brought upon the whole region except Judah by Assyria. God is the judge of all the earth and will bring every nation to bow before His mighty power. Lord, have mercy upon our nation. Touch the hearts of individuals with the recognition of their guilt. Help us to seek Your mercy in Jesus!

Joel 1:7

5/23/2026

It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees.. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white,

God identifies with His people enough to call their vines His. He joins them in a kind of lamentation. It is certainly easy for every person to lament with Israel over the natural calamity that has ruined them. But what about the spiritual danger that threatens, as it were, at the very door? An invading army does not destroy vegetation, but it destroys everything else with an equal devastation. If Israel continues on its present course, destruction analogous to invading locusts is crouching to descend. God has sent the locusts as a warning and as a means of drawing the nation to Himself. If they do not learn, they will perish. Is our latest personal tragedy from God, to draw us to Jesus?

Hosea 1:7

5/22/2026

Yet I will show love to the house of Judah and will save them not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and orsemen, but by the Lord their God.

Often in Bible history the Lord used human armaments to bring about His purposes. As it will turn out, the Northern Kingdom, Israel, will be utterly destroyed by the invading Assyrian army. When the same army turns against Judah, God will send His angel of death to destroy 136,000 in a single night. There is no way that Hosea can understand that God is making reference to this intention. It is spoken eleven years before the event. It speaks to us of the astonishing sovereignty of God, and of the way He is able to accomplish His will. We thank You, Lord, for saving us, not by armies, but by the blood of Your Son, Jesus.