“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). As far as I can tell, … Continue reading Comfortis
Author: Matthew Ruttan
It exploded, but praise continued
A monk shared an experience with theologian Karl Barth: “One evening, being choirmaster of his monastery, he was chanting the Magnificat with his confrères, when suddenly a French shell crashed through the roof and exploded in the nave of the church. But the smoke thinned away and the Magnifcat continued.”* Even the violence and chaos … Continue reading It exploded, but praise continued
You don’t have it all together; but he does
You’re not at your best. None of us are. Living through a pandemic—especially through lockdowns—is no walk in the park. Nor is continued political turmoil, fear of illness, or uncertainty about the future. Today I offer a word of comfort. In Luke 4:40 we read: “At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had … Continue reading You don’t have it all together; but he does
Live securely (in the midst of battle)
In yesterday’s devotional I encouraged you to acknowledge that the battle of spiritual warfare is real. God is on the warpath against evil, sin, and darkness—and many of his foot soldiers are often taking a nap. Neil Anderson and Timothy Warner observe: “The difference between military warfare and spiritual warfare is that we are always … Continue reading Live securely (in the midst of battle)
The battle is real
“In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come … Continue reading The battle is real
Only strong and smart people?
“Only strong people are close to God. Only smart people know anything about God.” In case it’s not obvious, those two sentences are incorrect! But we still tend to let those kinds of thoughts creep into our heads, don’t we? And yet. God shows grace to the humble (James 4:6). And your salvation is something … Continue reading Only strong and smart people?
Where fear flourishes
Many people are afraid right now. Maybe you’re one of them. It’s not something we like to admit. So there it hides, deep within; but there it remains. Afraid of lockdowns, loneliness, sickness or sadness.Afraid of political turmoil, tomorrow, job security or uncertainty. But did you know that fear flourishes where God is not known? … Continue reading Where fear flourishes
Just to be is a blessing
We’re used to earning things. If we study hard we earn good grades.If we have a job we earn money.If we keep our word we earn respect. Since this mentality-of-earning is so deeply engrained in our brains we can also start to think that we can only experience God’s blessings if we earn them. And … Continue reading Just to be is a blessing
Surround me with songs of deliverance
In Psalm 32:7 a struggling David prays these words to God: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” He needs relief. He needs protection. And so he asks that God surround him “with songs of deliverance.” He knows that the music will serve as … Continue reading Surround me with songs of deliverance
Our Father’s business
Mary, Joseph and Jesus went with a caravan of other people to Jerusalem for the annual Passover festival. On the way back, Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus wasn’t with them. They broke from the group and headed back to Jerusalem to find him. “After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting … Continue reading Our Father’s business
