Conntecting the Dots

Posts Tagged: 1 Samuel

Sitting in God’s Waiting Room

Sitting in God’s waiting room is not an easy thing to do. Patience wears thin after a time, and our human bent starts tapping its toe. C’mon, c’mon already! Bring my prodigal home. Restore my marriage. Provide finances to pay the bills. Heal my body. Give me clear direction for the big decision looming. Fix… [ read more ]

Remember This When Facing Giants

  I’ve spent the past two months developing and teaching Bible study curriculum about the names of God. My oh my, what a fascinating and faith-building journey.   I’m wrapping up the study with Jehovah Sabaoth. Simply put, this name tells us that God is the Lord of hosts—the Commander-in-Chief over millions of angels, armies… [ read more ]

How You View Yourself Matters

  “I’m just a stay-at-home mom.”        “I’m only a devotional writer.”   “I’m just learning how to ___________.”   How many times have you heard people describe themselves in apologetic terms such as these? I’ve done it myself. In fact, those three examples are my own quotes.   Why do we do… [ read more ]

Holidays and Hurtful Family Relationships

American Thanksgiving weekend has arrived, and Christmas is on the way. Holidays draw families together—at least in the physical sense. But sometimes they become an emotional testing ground.   This is nothing new. Recall Hannah’s situation. She shared her husband with a second wife, Peninnah. As though that wasn’t enough to create family tension, her… [ read more ]

How Has Fear Impacted Your Life?

  True or false: Fear lies at the root of many of our behaviors.   If you said, “True,” then you’re right.   I remember, as a young mom, trying to keep my house immaculate. Why? Because I wanted people to think well of me (translation: I feared they might think I wasn’t perfect).  … [ read more ]

How Do You See Yourself? And Why Does It Matter?

  “I’m just a stay-at-home mom.”   “I’m only a devotional writer.”   “I’m just learning how to ___________.”   How many times have I heard people describe themselves in apologetic terms such as these? Too many! Sadly, I’ve done the same thing. In fact, those three examples are my own quotes.   Why do… [ read more ]

3 Words That Change Everything

  We might be facing difficult circumstances today, but three words put a hopeful spin on them. The Israelites experienced the power of these words more than once. On one occasion, they were badly frightened upon learning that the Philistines were approaching to attack them. Here’s what the Bible says about this scenario. Can you… [ read more ]

3 Characteristics of True Friendship

What does true friendship look like? David and Jonathan’s relationship pictures it well. Here’s one account that illustrates three characteristics of meaningful friendship:   “One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him… [ read more ]

Nothing Hinders God

Perhaps the LORD will help us, for nothing can hinder the LORD. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few. (1 Samuel 14:6 NLT) Saul’s son, Jonathan, represented courage. He saw an opportunity to pull a sneak attack on the Philistines and rose to the challenge with the help… [ read more ]