How Do We Delight In the Lord?

Posted on March 8, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

Whenever I’ve heard teaching or preaching on this verse, the emphasis has always been on the second half. We’re taught that this verse isn’t a blank check for whatever our hearts might want. Instead, as we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires we ought to have. The better we know Him and delight in Him, the more our desires will align with His.

However, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the first part of the verse explained–unless I have forgotten it. It seems to be assumed that we know what it means to delight in something.

And we do. “Delight” carries the connotation of pleasure and joy. We delight in people–a husband, child, grandchild, or friend. We might take pleasure in a special gift, heirloom, or a just-right or longed-for purchase. We take joy in special occasions–graduation, wedding days, dinner with friends.

But do we take joy in God?

We’re often thankful for our salvation, answered prayer, the beauty of creation, and many other gifts from God. And that’s good.

But do we delight in Him?

Here are some ways that are a help to me–perhaps they will be to you, too.

Delight in God’s Word.

The Bible is the primary way God speaks to us in our day. There will be times our Bible reading might seem a little dry, but God promises “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The more we read the Bible with a heart to know God, the more we’ll delight in it, and then in Him. Psalm 119 calls God’s Word a delight ten different times.

Aside from specific study, have you ever opened the Bible to find exactly what you needed for the moment? Fellow blogger Nancy Ruegg calls this experience Bible Hugs. I don’t know how many times I have been pondering a question, issue, or need, and my scheduled Bible reading for the day addressed the very thing I was thinking about.. That makes me feel so seen and loved by my Father.

One quick example: I was in the hospital thirty years ago undergoing tests for what would eventually be diagnosed as transverse myelitis. I was scheduled for an MRI, which was fairly new at the time. Any medical personnel who came into my room asked me if I was claustrophobic. I wasn’t sure–I had never been in a position that would cause me to feel claustrophobia. But their questions were making me that way! They explained that some people are bothered by being surrounded by the MRI machine and having to be still through the somewhat lengthy scan. They could give me something to relax me for it, but would need to know if I wanted it early enough to order it and then for it to be administered in time.

That day, the reading in my Daily Light on the Daily Path devotional was full of verses about stillness, like, “Sit still, my daughter,” “Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted,: “Be still, and know that I am God,” “In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, ” “Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still,” “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” Those calmed my heart. I recited them to myself while in the MRI machine and even dozed off.

Study God’s attributes.

At first, that might sound like a dry academic pursuit. Instead, such a study leads to worship and joy.

As an example, a friend and I are studying God’s attributes in None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different From Us and Why That’s a Good Thing by Jen Wilkin.

The first chapter deals with God’s infinity. Jen points out that it is impossible to measure Him in any way. David says “his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). Solomon said the highest heaven could not contain God (1 Kings 8:27).

God Himself measures the waters, the heavens, and the mountains, but “Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord?” (Isaiah 40:12-13).

God’s greatness inspires awe and worship, but also fear. What might a God that big do to us? Does He even notice us or care about us?

Yes, Jen says. He knows the number of our hairs (Luke 12:7). He measures our sorrows and tears (Psalm 56:8). He measures our sins, yet “his immeasurable grace exceeds them” (Romans 4:7-8; 5:20).

When I read this book the first time, I was amazed how meditating on God’s attributes increased my faith: “God can take care of anything! What do I have to worry about?” But learning about Him more deeply also spilled over into love for Him and delight in Him.

Mardi Collier had a similar experience as a result of Bible study. She and her husband, Ken, served at The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center in various capacities for years (at one time, he was the president). When she talked with her husband about wanting to know God better, he suggested she start in the psalms and make note of every verse that said something about God. She made a notebook and started a new page every time she saw a new attribute of God, adding to each page as she found other verses. Her study expanded to the rest of the Bible. That project eventually became a book: What Do I Know About My God?

So as we read the Bible, we don’t just get through the scheduled reading for the day: we look for God. What does the passage say about God? But we don’t just read it academically. We read it personally.

Remember what God has done.

Psalm 150:2 tells us to “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!” We marvel at God’s hand throughout history as we read the Bible. Not only does He demonstrate His wisdom and ability in leading and providing for and protecting His often unappreciative people, He also shows His love and compassion for them.

But God didn’t just work in history. He works in our lives today. David writes in Psalm 63:5-8: “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” Whether making a list with pen (or computer) or lying awake and thinking in the middle of the night, recounting God’s work in our lives causes us to joy in Him.

Some years ago, I was encouraged to write down my “Ebenezers.” The word means “stone of help” and comes from 1 Samuel 7:12, where Samuel placed a stone as a memorial of God’s help and called it “Ebenezer.” God helps us every day in big and small ways, but I made a list of some special times when I particularly saw God’s hand at work (that list can be found here.)

Pray.

Prayer is a big subject with many facets, but for our purposes today, I’ll just say there’s nothing like a direct answer to a personal prayer–or the realization that God’s “no” was the best response–to inspire our delight in the Lord.

Read and sing hymns.

Colossians 3:16 says we are taught and admonished as we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Music and poetry have a way of engaging our minds as well as our emotions and can feed our delight in the Lord.

I can hardly sing “Is He Worthy?” without getting teary. “God of Heaven,” “Behold Our God,” and “O God Beyond All Praising” all transport me into instant worship.

Another favorite is the lesser-known but lovely “O God My Joy” (lyrics and background information here), based on Psalm 43:3-4: “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.”

And then there are the multitudes of hymns that are testimonies of what God has done in our lives.

See God’s hand in creation.

Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Have you ever been stopped in your tracks by a gorgeous sunset, beautiful flowers, or majestic mountain scenes and marveled at God’s handiwork?

Then David wrote in Psalm 8:3-4: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” The God of such grandeur knows and loves and cares for us!

Turn thoughts to God all through the day.

We don’t have to confine our worship or our delight in the Lord to our time in the Bible with Him or in prayer. As we go about our daily tasks, we can pray, sing, or think about God’s character, words, and deeds.

What helps you most to delight in the Lord?

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on March 7, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Some of the good blogging found this week:

Bible Hugs. “Not long ago I meant to type into the search box, biblehub.com, a site I visit frequently for research. (If you’ve not visited there, it’s well worth exploring.) But this time, instead of hub I typed hug. Bible hug. After a slight snicker, I thought, Wait—scripture does offer hugs-of-sorts, in the form of encouragement, comfort, and assurance—providing occasions when I can almost feel God’s embrace. Sometimes those hugs have come in preparation for what’s to come, sometimes in the midst of pain or trouble, and other times after the fact.”

To Cover an Offense is to Forgive, HT to Challies. This is a helpful explanation of two different terms in the Bible and what the involve–covering and offense and overlooking an offense.

God, the Lord of Time. “Planning my weeks and my days is a constant exercise in frustration. Invariably I write down only a small portion of the things I desperately need to accomplish. Invariably, my attempts at modest expectations are far too ambitious and I enter the following week looking at more than half of what I had hoped to complete. Rinse and repeat.”

A Desire Is not Always Sinful, HT to Challies. “The Bible certainly has its warnings about misplaced and unleashed desires, but Scripture attests that to be human is to have desire. Fears identify those things that are important to you.”

Venting vs. Complaining: What’s the Difference? “I just needed to vent. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve muttered this phrase to my husband, my mom, and my friends over the past few months. But as I’ve read through the book of Numbers, watching God’s people continuously complain—and seeing His anger kindled against them when they do—the Holy Spirit has gently prodded me to take a closer look at myself. I’d like to invite you along on this journey too.”

Should Christians Feel Guilty for Being Patriotic? HT to Challies. I don’t usually post reviews of books I haven’t read, but this made some excellent points.

A Treasure Chest for Thoughts, HT to Challies. “A book is a treasure chest for thoughts. Crack open the covers, and you’ll find a wealth of ideas in its words. They can take you out of yourself and show you new places and new perspectives.”

A Shy Guy’s Guide to Big Groups, HT to Challies. Much of this resonated with me! “Dear brother or sister, I feel your plight. But instead of taking personality tests and being trapped in the results, making peace with the discomfort and awkwardness, what if we focused outside of ourselves on others? What if we took the counsel of a voice instructor and aimed at being generous with our energy?”

God often removes what we lean on so we learn to lean on Him alone. Author Unknown

Review: James for You

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Barbara Harper

The New Testament epistle of James has been a controversial book over the years. Some have felt that his emphasis on showing faith by works contradicts Paul’s writings that salvation is by faith, not works. But Sam Allberry shows in James for You: Showing You How Real Faith Looks in Real Life that the two writers are really saying the same thing. They are just looking at faith and works from different angles.

One of the main things I appreciated in Allberry’s books is that he showed how the book flows together. We tend to–or at least, I have tended to–read the paragraphs as isolated topics. For instance, James 2-3 talks abut the sin of showing partiality, then faith without works, then taming the tongue, then wisdom from above, then worldliness. But each paragraph leads into the next.

Allberry describes James’ style as “practical, pithy, and very direct.” James was the half-brother of Jesus, and his book is “soaked in the words and wisdom of James’ older brother. He may not be named much in this letter, but his presence is felt throughout.” Like Jesus, James uses simple, everyday illustrations.

Some of the themes James deals with, in addition to faith and works, are wisdom, obedience, dealing with trials, needs of the poor, responsibility of the wealthy, the danger of double-mindedness, the dangers of the tongue.

A few quotes that stood out to me:

Faith needs the pushback of trials for us to grow spiritually. Trials and difficulties are an opportunity to cling on to the promises of God more tightly.

It is what God can accomplish through suffering that is good, not the suffering itself. It is an opportunity to gain the most valuable thing on earth: a faith that is complete and lacking nothing; maturity and depth in our relationship with God.

Good behaviour in one area does not cancel out law-breaking in another.

And so the battle is with the will. James is not saying that Christians will automatically be able to experience joy in suffering. We are called to “consider” trials in this way. We need to fight to think about them in the right way: consciously to force our perspective and vision above and beyond the present suffering, so that we look forward to the good that God will, over time, produce through them.

I have not read anything else by Sam Allberry–I had not even heard of him before. But I appreciate the insights he brought to the study of James.

Laudable Linkage

Posted on February 7, 2026 by Barbara Harper

Some of the blog posts that stood out to me this week:

Who Christ Says I Am: Embracing My Identity. “I don’t know about you, but one of the biggest things that makes me feel loved is how I’m spoken to. What a person calls me has great power to make me feel cherished and to affect the perception of my identity. That’s why it’s so important to look for identity in the right places. I should say the right place because the One who made and redeemed me is the only One who can give me identity.”

Teach Your Kids What to Think, HT to Challies. “You say, ‘But I don’t want to teach my kids what to think, I just want to teach them how to think.’ Yes! You should teach them how to think. But not teaching them what to think communicates something to them. It communicates something about truth. If I’m not willing to teach them what to think, then I am most certainly teaching them that truth is something that can be decided on.”

Scheduling Hospitality: Making Space for Others In Our Calendars. “Most of us acknowledge that hospitality is a wonderful thing. We desire to do it. But if we wait until it’s convenient or feel like doing it, we probably never will. That’s why there was a time when my husband and I decided to invite people over every other Sunday. If we put it on the calendar and invited people, we couldn’t back out.”

Is the Cultural and Historical Context of Scripture Necessary, Helpful, or Distracting? “Yes, depending on the text being studied and the background information being used, historical and cultural context can be necessary, helpful, or distracting. On the whole, I think that it is normally helpful. Sometimes, in the rarest of circumstances, it is necessary. When theologians and academics are careless or ideologically driven, it can be distracting or worse.” The author shares some examples of each.

Softly, Softly, Break a Bone, HT to Challies. A couple of sweet stories about how “a soft tongue will break a bone.” (Proverbs 25:15).

It’s OK to be Obsessed with Something. “Parents of young children can often scold themselves for getting distracted over things like these: little side trips into things that interest them for one reason or another. But I want to encourage you: it’s good for you to be curious. It’s good for you to be interested. Maybe it’s good for you to be a little bit obsessed with something or other.”

Peace is as infectious as panic. If my soul is quietly at rest in God, then others will share my peace, because I share His. — Elisabeth Elliot

Laudable Linkage

Posted on January 31, 2026 by Barbara Harper

This had been a great week for blogging. I found more than the usual number of good links to share

Where Is God’s Love When Life Goes Wrong? HT to Challies. “Measuring our Lord’s love for us by our circumstances leads to a pile of wilted petals on the floor, an empty stem in hand, and a discontented heart within. So, how might we measure his love?”

Faith in the Middle of the Mess. “Scripture does not ask us to pretend harm didn’t happen or to spiritualize away real suffering. Scripture shows us how to navigate the hard—how to name the pain, confusion, and dismay while simultaneously holding on to the greater truth that God is good and His plans for us are good, even when life is hard.”

How We Got Our English Bible. “The point isn’t remembering all of the dates and names, but it is getting the flow and seeing the providential hand of God who not only inspired the Scripture to be written in the first place, but has preserved it as it was passed on from generation to generation and one language to another.”

What Exactly Are We Claiming About the Bible? HT to Knowable Word. “When Christians open the Bible and say, ‘This is the Word of God,’ what exactly are we claiming? We need to be precise here, because confusion at this point creates confusion everywhere else. And in a world where the courtroom never seems to adjourn, you need to know what kind of authority you are dealing with when you open the Scriptures.”

3 Reasons to Be Exhilarated–Not Intimidated–By the Bible. “This is the year! Finally, we’re going to fall in love with the Bible—no matter how much it has intimidated us. After all, people do it all the time. We’re determined to become one of those for whom the Bible exhilarates rather than intimidates. The good news is that, as intimidating as the Bible can sometimes feel, the number of ways it exhilarates our souls far exceeds any of its intimidation factors. Here are three ways this is true.”

The Winter of Our Contentment. “I’ve been thinking lately about contentment, about the desire that I have to really live in the moment and enjoy it for what it is.” Melissa goes on to talk about how that’s harder in some days and seasons than others, but possible with God’s help.

Applying the Gospel. “They know the gospel has changed their past and secured their future, but they don’t know how the gospel applies to the present—how it works in the day-to-day realities, challenges, and struggles of life.”

Trading the To-Do List for Rhythms of Grace. “For years, my spiritual life felt like one big to-do list—go to church, complete my Bible reading plan, share my faith, etc. If I didn’t check every box perfectly, I worried God would be disappointed in me. I imagined the Lord sitting on His throne in the heavenly clouds with a clipboard, grading my performance for Him.”

Time Management Tips from the Life of Christ. “I recently finished highlighting my way through the book of Matthew. As I read through this gospel, I took special note of how Jesus managed His time and priorities. Here are three time management lessons from the life of our Lord that I think we would do well to imitate in our own lives.”

Amplify Not a Fool by Responding to His Folly. It’s often hard to know when, how, and how much to engage with online foolishness, even with a desire to shed light. But we need to consider whether that engagement is actually giving foolish words and people a wider audience.

Who Is Rich and Who Is Poor? HT to Challies. “In determining who is rich and who is poor, we subconsciously compare ourselves to those above and below us. We do this whether we are in an American suburb or in a rustic hospital room in East Africa. There is always someone richer and always someone poorer than us. This relative understanding of wealth and poverty can make Scripture’s teaching on the subject confusing. Who then is rich and who is poor—and how do Christ’s commands to generosity apply to each of us?”

Does Your Life Inspire Questions from Your Grandkids? “Let Joshua’s words be a challenge to you: ‘When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them…’ What are you doing to pile stones of remembrance in the path of your grandkids?”

I Want to Finish Well for God’s Glory. “But 50 stopped me in my tracks with the dawning realization that I’m most likely entering the final third of my life. How much longer will I have to live and serve the Lord? 25 years? 20 years? Less? Only God know, but this milestone prompted me to step back and consider a vital question: what does it look like to finish well with whatever years the Lord entrusts to me?”

Doom-Scrolling Mozart, HT to Challies. “I receive more information in a day than many people throughout history received in their entire lives. I may not know most of my neighbors’ names, but I am now a global citizen with the responsibility to be informed about current events. But I’m not meant to bear that load. Neither are you.”

The Christian and Media, Part 4. As the author says, Christians may come out at different places on specifics. But there are some Scriptural principles that can guide us in our media and entertainment choices.

Dribs and Drabs, HT to the Story Warren. This is written for writers, but it’s true for everyone that small efforts can add up.

The best way of increasing our knowledge of God’s infinite nature, is by the reverent study of His Word. It is a flimsy religion which discounts doctrine. What the bones are to the body, doctrine is to our moral and spiritual life. F. B. Meyer, Our Daily Walk

Laudable Linkage

Posted on October 4, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Here’s a short list of good reads found this week:

Can I Trust the Bible? “For years, my Bible reading raised more questions than answers. In college, I joined a small group Bible study that changed everything. These women read the Bible as if it meant what it said. Do I hear a ‘Duh’?”

Every Excuse Is a Reason to Meditate on Scripture. HT to Challies. Some of the excuses that seem to keep us from reading the Bible are the very reasons we need to read it.

We’ve Got a Hunger Problem: Learning to Long for God’s Word. “We’ve got a hunger problem—or rather a fullness problem. Our lives are so packed and cluttered that we barely notice the empty place in our hearts that only God can fill. If we never feel the ache of real hunger, if we never experience longing in the quiet or the discomfort of waiting, we will never crave what is meant to nourish our souls. So, how do we prepare our hearts for the feast of God’s Word?”

I Am not Charlie Kirk. “I can understand why people want to be like Charlie but the more I started hearing people chanting ‘I am Charlie Kirk’, the more uncomfortable it felt. There was, and will always be, just one Charlie Kirk… and that’s what made him so special. And I want to believe that even Charlie himself would tell you… it’s not him you want to be like… but it’s the Christ who lived in him and through him. And just like there was only one Charlie Kirk… there’s also only one of you.”

Do Not Neglect the Give You Have, HT to Challies. “You may not have big dreams for your life. You may not expect God to do great things through you. You may seem, like Saul, ‘little in your own eyes’ (1 Samuel 15:17) — not very talented or charismatic, not much of a leader. But in the Lord Jesus Christ, God has given you a gift. And as Paul told the young Timothy, so God tells his young men today: ‘Do not neglect the gift you have’ (1 Timothy 4:14).”

No Service Is Too Small, HT to Redeeming Productivity. “Most days we don’t get married, receive a positive pregnancy test, or achieve a breakthrough in our field. Most days, we’re commuting, studying, parenting, working, doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, or paying the bills. Do those activities count in God’s eyes? Does the mundane matter to him?”

Grace for the Birth Story You Didn’t Expect, HT to Challies. “The truth of it is, things in the world don’t work as they should. Your friend’s birth story might be one of empowerment and candlelight, while yours might be one of operating rooms and oxygen masks. You may not even have been conscious when your child entered the world. You may question if you made the right decisions. Or, if it was an emergency situation, if those in control made the right decisions.”

“When you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.” ― A.W. Tozer

Do You Need a Fresh Word from the Lord?

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Have you ever heard anyone say they needed a “fresh word” from the Lord?

I pondered recently what would prompt someone to say that.

Perhaps they’re bogged down in Leviticus.

Perhaps the old truths just seem . . . old.

Perhaps they haven’t felt the fervency they used to when reading the Bible.

Perhaps they have questions they can’t find the answer to in the Bible.

Perhaps they haven’t seen God move in life like He did in His Word.

It’s good to ask ourselves these questions and try to figure out where the problem is. I want to encourage us that the Bible is living, active, sharp, piercing, discerning (Hebrews 4:12).

The Bible is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

God has granted to us all things–all things–that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises (2 Peter 1:3-4).

All of these and other passages show that we don’t need something new and fresh from God. What He has given us is more than sufficient for our spiritual needs.

Why doesn’t it always feel that way?

Well it could be something as simple as not getting enough sleep. I know what it is to battle drowsiness all through my Bible reading and not get anything out of it. Going to bed earlier or moving devotions to later in the day might help. Doing something active before reading can help wake us up.

Distractions are a problem. I don’t know how many times I have started to pray or read and had to keep bringing my mind back from other thoughts. Sometimes I treat my thoughts like my phone and mentally swipe away all the open tabs. I pray for God’s help and then perhaps read out loud or change my position or location. I keep a notepad nearby to jot down thoughts about things I need to take care of.

Something might be blocking our communication. In any relationship, when something is wrong, our communication isn’t what it should be. If we ask God to search us and show us what is wrong, He will. We can then confess any sin and put away anything that is displeasing to Him.

What about Leviticus–what a friend referred to as the place where Bible reading plans go to die? Someone said all of the Bible is inspired but it’s not all inspiring. It helps to remind ourselves of the verses above, that this is part of God’s Word, too, and He has a purpose for it in our Bibles.

Studying some of these difficult passages with others, or using a good study aid or commentary, helps as well. They can open our eyes to things we missed in our own study.

When our ladies’ Bible study went through Hebrews, someone remarked that it would be good to study Leviticus and Hebrews together. Hebrews explains a lot of the symbolism in the Old Testament systems of worship.

Also, after reading from Leviticus or Chronicles, it might help to spend time in the psalms or in passages that have been especially meaningful to us in the past.

What about those unanswered questions? Sometimes the answers are there, but we haven’t found them yet. Asking a friend who is further along in their Christian walk or a pastor or Bible study leader can shed light.

But sometimes the answers just aren’t there. Deuteronomy 29:29 says “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” God wants us to know Him well enough through the Word He has given us we can trust Him for what He hasn’t shared.

In New Testament times, people called Gnostics taught that there was a secret, special knowledge that only a few people knew. Though Gnostics are not named in the Bible, the epistles warn against their teachings. Mark Howell writes “The proclivity of many Christians is to be constantly on the lookout for some new thing to breathe life into the church. But according to Paul, the answer will not come by finding something new; it will come when the church renews its focus on something old—the Scriptures.” (Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary], p. 238)

If we’re feeling bored, maybe we need to change our routine. Or we may need to pray for God to wake us again to the wonders in His Word. I love the King James word “quicken,” often translated “revive” in other versions. Many verses talk about God’s Word itself quickening us (Psalm 119:25, 50, 93; John 6:63).

We need to remember, too, that feelings aren’t always the mark of spirituality. Nothing beats those times in the Bible when God speaks to our hearts in a special way and we’re encouraged, our hearts are warmed, and we’re ready to face the day with hope and love. But just like any relationship, those warm, close times will come and go. Many of our conversations with loved ones are filled with necessary but mundane everyday details.

Every meal won’t be a Thanksgiving feast. But even the tuna casseroles and peanut butter sandwiches nourish us. Similarly, every time in the Bible won’t bring 4th of July sparks, but every reading benefits us. It’s that faithful everyday adding to and building upon what we know that strengthens us. And that in turn lays the foundation for those special, eye-opening, heart-warming moments.

We’ll always find new insights as we keep reading the Bible. But often what we need is the reminders of what we’ve learned before.

The hymn “How Firm a Foundation” begins with this stanza:

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

Dan Forrest’s arrangement of this hymn weaves that phrase from the first stanza–“What more can He say?”–between each of the other stanzas that focus on specific passages from the Bible. .

He’s already given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” What more can He say?

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Barbara Harper

I have a short but good list of reads to share today:

Why It’s Good (and Christian) to Love Your Country, HT to Challies. “American Christians have also been pretty angsty about patriotism. In the last few years, many academics, journalists, and even some pastors have equated any love for the country with idolatry or worse, fascism and theocracy. So many well-meaning American Christians have shied away from expressions of patriotism because they don’t want to engage in false worship.”

Keep Reading Your Bible, Even if You Don’t Understand It, HT to Knowable Word. There are times to stop and dig deep in a passage we’re reading. But sometimes a passage won’t make sense until we’ve read more of the rest of the Bible.

You Don’t Need Another Prayer Technique, HT to Challies. “While my new system does help me be more organized and varied in my petitions, it hasn’t turned me into an Olympic runner in prayer. My best training came instead from an unexpected source.”

Dumb Dads: 3 Ways The Stereotype Is Harming The Archetype, HT to Challies. “By watching movies, reading stories, and entertaining the distorted pictures of dumb dads as a stereotype, we have forgotten the archetype of fatherhood. God didn’t create men and fathers to be weak and foolish. He created them to be so much more than what modern culture is preaching to our children.”

The Sandwich Generation, HT to Challies. “We are still parenting young-adult children, while at the same time attempting to gracefully maneuver through the aging years of our parents with honor. The similarities are endless; how to love our family without becoming a dictator, how to aid them in making their own decisions, how to help them navigate the path which will provide the best outcome for their future.”

America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

Katharine Lee Bates, from “America the Beautiful”

Your Soul Needs Food Even When It Doesn’t Want It

Posted on June 22, 2025 by Barbara Harper

You’re sick. Your sinuses are inflamed, your throat is raw, your nose is red, drippy, and chafing. You have a fever and ache all over. And you don’t feel like eating.

But you do eat. Nothing sounds good, except maybe the proverbial remedy for a cold, chicken soup. But you eat because your body needs it. And the very food you don’t have an appetite for not only nourishes you, but helps your body fight infection and get well.

The same is true spiritually. When something is wrong in our lives, when we’re in some kind of dark valley—we tend to put God’s Word aside. Our appetite for it has waned.

But we need the Bible then more than ever. We may not be able to keep up with our usual routine or an intense study. But we need to keep sipping and tasting. We might spend more time in the Psalms or favorite passages than other passages. We might listen instead of read.

And the very Word we don’t have an appetite for not only nourishes us, but helps us heal. It will strengthen us and help us fight spiritual infection.

So when our appetite for the Word of God is off, we need to keep partaking. Our souls need it. We may not feel instant refreshment. It may seem a little dry. But we can ask God to open “the eyes of our heart” and minister to us.

Often a subdued appetite can be aroused by tasting food. It didn’t sound good, but once we had a few bites, we wanted more.

We may feel like reading the Bible is the last thing we want to do. But it’s been my experience, many times over, that once I start reading it, I want more.

Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways (Psalm 119:36-37).

They loathed any kind of food,
    and they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he delivered them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them,
    and delivered them from their destruction.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
    for his wondrous works to the children of man!
And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
    and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

(Psalm 107:18-22)

(Revised from the archives)

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Some of the good reads found this week:

Is God the Father Like My Father? “I was 25 years old before I could say the word ‘father’ while praying. The word was foreign to me. It didn’t roll off my tongue the way it did for many of my Christian friends. It felt like a word from a foreign language. In one regard, it meant nothing. It was jibberish. But in another, it meant a world of things. Amid the cultural barriers, it still struck a nerve, because while it meant nothing, it meant everything. It meant broken things. Scary things. Hurtful things.”

Don’t Make Friends with Doubt, HT to Challies. “That believers don’t believe perfectly isn’t the question. The question is, How do we respond? When we discover ourselves doubting God’s goodness or power, do we resist it? Do we pet unbelief in self-pity? Is it safe for us to doubt the Lord, his promises, and his cross?”

Because Jesus Said So, HT to Challies. “One of the mistakes I think we evangelicals sometimes make – with our entirely legitimate and proper focus on the cross – is to confuse understanding the means of salvation with actually being saved. We can confuse understanding the theology of the cross with believing in the actual object of our salvation.”

Triggered: How to Overcome Destructive Obsessions. “In our journey through life, we all experience moments when something sets us off — when an event or interaction triggers us into anger, depression, or destructive behavior patterns that we know aren’t God’s will for our lives. These triggering events can create compulsions or obsessions in our minds, driving us toward actions we cannot stop in our own power.”

Three Ways Weakness Is a Gift, HT to Redeeming Productivity. “In 2 Corinthians 12:10, the Apostle Paul wrote one of the most counter-intuitive sentences ever: ‘So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’ This sentence makes absolutely no sense. Who takes pleasure in things like weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, even if they’re for Jesus? We normally try to avoid these things, and if we end up suffering them, we don’t usually take pleasure in them.”

Twice-Healed: The Blind Man at Bethsaida, HT to Knowable Word. “Mark is the only evangelist to record the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida (8:22–26). What makes this miracle instructive, even odd, is its two-staged nature. Let’s consider why this healing at Bethsaida is central to Mark’s Gospel and how believers can draw comfort from it.”

Happy Father’s Day to the dads tomorrow!