Month: February 2025

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The look on his face

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 67.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us. (Psalm 67:1)

Our faces communicate much about how we’re feeling. We can express approval, displeasure, joy, or grief with just a glance. I can wrinkle my brow, grin, purse my lips, or roll my eyes, and you’ll ask, “What?” But you know. You know in that moment that I’m concerned, amused, thoughtful, or exasperated.

In biblical thought, God’s shining face is a look of approval. Do you imagine God looking at you with pride, or with disappointment? Is he glad to hear from you, or does he roll his eyes? Do you picture him smiling or frowning?

I hope you picture the Lord with a big grin on his face. He made you, he loves you, he’s proud of you, and he wants to be with you. He came to be with you, to be your Savior, to adopt you as his child, and secure a place for you with him forever. I believe he’s very fond of you, and you can see it on his face!

Take a day and notice people’s faces. What does their face communicate? What do you think is on their mind? What are they thinking? What’s their mood?

Think again about God’s face? Your faith in Christ means he looks at you as he looks at his own son: with love, pride, approval, and joy. Your Father loves you, and you can tell by the look on his face!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Just like silver

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 66.

For you, O God, have tested us;
    you have tried us as silver is tried. (Psalm 66:10)

I found these fascinating words in a little commentary on this psalm: “Silver is pure enough when the refiner can see his image in the molten metal.”

You know how silver (and gold) is refined, don’t you? You heat the metal up until it is a liquid. Once that happens, any impurities will also melt and rise to the surface. The refiner skims all of that off, leaving the pure silver beneath. It now reflects the refiner’s image.

The analogy is powerful. God tests and tries us like precious metal. He heats up our circumstances, allowing temptation, crises, difficult people, and unexpected expenses into our lives. He does all that to bring us to repentance and dependance on him. His forgiveness purifies us from our failures, shame, guilt, and all the stupid things we’ve done. And then guess what? You can see him reflected in our lives. Pretty cool, huh?

Now when we’re going through it, it’s not so cool. It’s hot. It’s hard. It makes us want to wail, “I’m melting!” But it’s worth it. Who else can take our mess and make it magjificent?

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Listen up

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 61.

When Jesus taught in parables, he said, “He who has ears, let him hear.” In other words, “Listen up!”

At the beginning of Psalm 61, David turns that thought around and calls on God to hear his prayers.

Hear my cry, O God,
    listen to my prayer;
from the end of the earth I call to you
    when my heart is faint. (Psalm 61:1)

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The children of God are never content until their prayers are heard. Not just spoken, but heard.”

I think that’s a great reminder that it’s not so much what we say when we pray as it is who we are speaking to. Sometimes, when I hear people pray out loud in a group, I wonder, “Is that the way you talk to Jesus when you’re alone?” Some frame their petitions with doctrinal truths that seem to be directed more at the listeners in the room than the Father in heaven. Just tell him what’s on your heart. Release whatever is on your mind. Implore him to hear you, and be confident that he does.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

There’s another lion

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Mike van den Bos on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 57.

My soul is in the midst of lions;
    I lie down amid fiery beasts (Psalm 57:4)

David wrote these words when Saul was pursuing him, intent on killing him. Hiding in cave, David whispers a prayer for God’s mercy as he feels surrounded by lions.

David has faced lions (and bears) when he was tending sheep. Having killed those predators, he knew he could handle Goliath.

But this was different. These were people bent on his destruction. They were relentless. They tested David’s faith more than ever.

David doesn’t despair. Instead he sings. He sings God’s praises as if he’s already been rescued.

How did he do that? I believe he remembered another lion, the Lion of Judah. His Lord never changed, no matter what the enemy threw at him. God got him through it before, and God would get him through it again. He’s in the cave, surrounded by lions, and he’s singing about his victory.

One day Daniel would be there. He actually got a good night’s sleep because that same divine Lion sent an angle to close the mouths of all the others.

I’m big into visualizing my prayers. I love this picture of the Lord, because you never know when you might have to face lions.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Shifting your burdens to him

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Marcin Simonides on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 55.

Whether you got a lot of things on your plate or a lot of things on your mind, this promise from Psalm 55 is powerful and comforting:

Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:12)

As I ponder those words, I can’t help but wonder, “How exactly does one do that?” What does it look like to cast your burdens on the Lord?How do I go about shifting a burden from my life to him?

I’ve thought of a few practical ways to do that.

Confession. That’s the obvious one, right? If we confess, he is faithful to forgive. He arranges the ultimate trade: Jesus takes the burden of our sin on the cross and gives us his righteousness through faith. Bonus: his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

Repentance. Not so obvious here. To repent is to turn, to do an about face from sin and follow Christ. The burden is now on his to lead you in paths of righteousness.

Prayer. Talking it out with God means that at least one other will share your burden. A pretty good deal if you ask me.

Do it together. When we gather for worship as a church, we remember that we don’t do this alone. We do it as the body of Christ. We’re called to bear each other’s burdens. You help others cast their burdens on the Lord simply by being there for them. They are there for you, too.

Posted in Life

They moved everything around

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Hanson Lu on Unsplash

I go to the grocery store enough that I’m on autopilot. I often buy the same things, I know where to find them in the store, and I’m out the door in no time.

One of the items on my list: cocoa powder. That’s in the baking aisle which is just past all the spices and oils. Except it wasn’t. When I got down to the end of the aisle where I knew the cake mixes, chocolate chips, and cocoa powder was, I was all turned around. Actually, I wasn’t turned around. The store aisle was.

The previous night, store management decided to move items around. Now the cake mixes were near the front of the store, along with the cocoa powder, and all the spices and oils were at the back of the store.

Why would they change everything around?

Of course, I consulted the oracle, Google, to find out. My guess was right. If management can keep you in the store longer looking for the items on your list, you’ll make more impulse purchases and they’ll get more of your money.

Since the self-checkout lanes were full, I checked out with a live cashier. She asked me if I found everything, because the store had been rearranged. I had, but it was nice of her to ask. I guess I wasn’t the only puzzled customer to pass by that day.

I’ll bet every detail in the store is intentional. From the music in the background to the appearance of the employees to the colors of the displays, everything is designed to persuade me to spend money. The merchandising folks know their stuff. I guess it’s better to say they know people and how to influence our behavior.

I once again know where everything is. For now.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Moving from doing to being

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 50.

When something goes wrong, the first thing we ask ourselves is, “What do I need to do?”

The AC’s not cooling the house. The car engine is making an unusual noise. A patch of grass in the yard is dead. An electrical outlet in the house isn’t working. There’s always something to fix.

In Psalm 50, God’s not looking for more ritual. He’s concerned about the relationship. He doesn’t need more sacrifices. The people offer up plenty of those. Instead,

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
    and perform your vows to the Most High,
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

Rituals have a way of making us feel like we’ve done enough. Receiving God’s gifts with gratitude, faithfulness, and trust reminds us that’s he’s done enough. Here the psalmist helps us move from “what do you want me to do?” to “who do you want me to be?”

Posted in Life

Mixing it up at the gas pump

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Redd Francisco on Unsplash

I didn’t hear the bell, but suddenly, both fighters came out of their corners and began swinging. Sort of.

I wasn’t ringside at an octagon. I was just pumping gas at BJ’s Wholesale. I was feeling pretty good about filling the tank with fuel that cost about twenty cents less than the Racetrack just a few blocks away. My reverie was shattered when the woman on the other side of my pump released a barrage of obscenities at the guy in a white pickup truck directly in front of her.

She had finished her purchase, but couldn’t pull forward because the driver of the pickup had pulled right in front of her, blocking her exit. I have no idea why he was there. He just wasn’t moving. First she asked. Then she yelled. Then she started cursing. He didn’t budge. He just shouted right back at her.

Everyone else at the pumps paused to watch them spar. Finally she unloaded several f-bombs, backed up, and left, tires squealing. The man still didn’t move. For some reason, he decided to camp out there for a while. He wasn’t blocking me, so I just pulled away, glad that I wasn’t in the middle of that.

From my experience, most people aren’t happy at the gas pump. I’m not exactly sure why. It could be cost of fuel. It could be that they’ve been in the car together for way too long. Someone usually needs to go to the bathroom right now, but they know it’s going to be disgusting in there. There are people pulling in and backing out, making maneuvering a challenge. Any number of things.

I don’t think I’ve ever gotten into a heated argument with a stranger. I avoid such confrontations, preferring to find a different solution. Some, however, take on all challengers. I’m more than happy to just be a spectator.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Spiritual hydration

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalms 42 and 43.

Three times the psalmist asks,

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Psalm 42:5,11; 43:5)

It’s a great question. Someone else usually asks, “What’s your problem?” “Why are you down in the dumps?” “Are you still moping around?”

In these psalms, though, the writer is in tears. Days of festive worship and celebration are a dim memory. His enemies are relentless. God seems far away.

Three times, the psalmist answers his own question. “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” It’s like saying, “Duh. Did you forget?” Remember all those times you celebrated God’s presence, power, and provision? What about all those answered prayers and unexpected blessings?

Has God changed? Of course not. He’s the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Is he faithful? Well, he’s got a great track record. He’s kept all his promises so far. Is he distant? Not likely. He’s omnipresent. Everywhere. Most importantly, he’s right here, right now.

What’s your problem? Why are you moping around? You’ve listened an unbelieving world. You’ve lost sight of your future.

And you probably didn’t hydrate. Dehydration can cause headaches, fatigue, muscle cramps, weakness, irritabilty, feeling cold, dry skin, and no doubt many other conditions.

When your soul is thirsty, you’re anxious, sad, fearful, lonely, lack direction, and are discontent. In the Old Testament, God said, “Come, everyone who thirsts” (Isaiah 55:1). Jesus said, ” If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37).

If you’re experiencing any of those symptoms, you need some Jesus. You need a shot of grace with a chaser of his steadfast love. You need his word, promises, and assurances. You need his church, worship, and communication (prayer). You need to remember his power, presence, and provision.

A recommended habit I’ve adopted is to drink a glass of water when I wake up each morning. The advocators described it as an “internal shower.”

In a similar way, drink a glass of divine water each day by reading his word, reflecting on his promises, and thanking him for whatever comes to mind. Spiritually hydrate and give your soul a lift.