Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

In the mystery of God’s will we sometimes come to a place where we cannot explain why things turned out as they did; yet, amazingly, we are still right in the middle of His will. It’s not that you or I created a problem; it’s that God is in the process of surprising His people on a regular basis. The Scriptures are full of stories like this.

Both the original Hebrew and Greek terms that are translated “holy” in the Scriptures convey the idea of “separateness” or “separation, a setting apart.” In the Bible, when something is said to be “holy,” that something is set apart for God, like our two words “dedicated” and “consecrated.”

If you want to trust Him to remember you, first, stop running and start waiting! “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him” (Lamentations 3:25 NASB). Stop running! Wait patiently.

One of the prophets who watched Judah’s transition from compromise to captivity was Jeremiah. He prophesied for forty years, and he wept as he preached, all the while witnessing the erosion of apostasy. We have two of his books in the Old Testament.

Years ago, my sister Luci asked me a question that I’d never been asked before: “What is your favorite feeling?” Ever thought about that?

In Psalm 32 we find a dialogue between David and the Lord. By the way, notice that this psalm is not only called “A Psalm of David,” it is also called ‘‘A Maskil.” A maskil is an instructive psalm.

God’s sovereignty. A mysterious doctrine at times, but one with great relevance for our lives. Not just something for scholars and theologians to argue over.

The apostle Paul developed the topic of God’s sovereignty as well as anyone in Romans 9–11, and I want to challenge you to make your own study of those chapters. And if you don’t struggle with those chapters, you’re not really studying them.

Noah was not just an ark builder. Before the flood, he was “a preacher of righteousness,” and a man who “found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Peter 2:5; Genesis 6:8).

I could probably list at least ten ways that God leads His children today, but I will limit myself to the four that I think are the most significant methods of God’s leading.

God’s Word clearly declares that certain things are not the will of God and never will be the will of God in the Christian life. It also clearly teaches that certain things are the will of God for the believer. We don’t have to pray to “find leading” on this.

Nothing is a surprise to God, not even our slightest trials. His plan may seem unfair, but that’s because we dwell in the here and now. We lack the vertical view.

It may seem to many that the One who made us is too far removed to concern Himself with such tiny details of life on this old globe. But that is not the case. His mysterious plan is running its course right on schedule, exactly as He decreed it.

Despite all of our searching and study of the Scriptures, we’ll never be able to see everything clearly, to fully grasp and understand and answer all the questions. They are beyond our comprehension—a puzzle, a mystery.

Who hasn’t been tempted to shake a fist at God and cry, “What are You doing?” A child is kidnapped and brutally murdered. “God, what are You doing to us?” A husband drives to the hardware store on Saturday morning and is hit head-on and killed by a drunk driver.

The ink from Peter’s pen leaves an indelible impression on our lives. Along with everything else he tells and teaches us, I want to mention four lasting lessons, four secrets of life, that stand out in bold relief. All of these give us hope beyond our misery.

As Christians we live in a world that is not our home. We live as pilgrims on a journey in another land. If you want to know how to live the life of an alien, a stranger, a pilgrim, Peter’s letter will help.

Our adversary is a prowler. He comes without announcement, and, to make matters worse, he comes in counterfeit garb. He is brilliant, and you and I had better respect that brilliance.

Will there be suffering in resisting Satan? Yes. Will it be painful? Without a doubt. I have found that there are times we emerge from a battle a little shell-shocked. But after the dust settles, our Commander-in-Chief will pin medals of honor on our lapels.

In the Old Testament, God’s hand symbolizes two things. The first is discipline (Exodus 3:20, Job 30:21, Psalm 32:4). The second is deliverance (Deuteronomy 9:26, Ezekiel 20:34).