Monthly Archives: April 2026

When I Die

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2 Kings 12-14

Elisha, one of the greatest Old Testament prophets, died and was buried. That’s all Scripture says about it. No fanfare. No public display of mourning recorded. Just he died and was buried.

That’s actually what I’d like my own passing to be.

Sometimes people go to great lengths planning their own funeral or celebration of life. Some write their own obit. Some spell out every song, every testimony, every moment. Some make demands about what to do with their ashes. If that’s you, I hope your loved ones follow through.

Other times a person’s loved ones will plan elaborate ceremonies and wakes or proper send-offs to honor the dead. I’m not saying that’s wrong, if that’s what you need.

I tell my family that if they want to have a service, that’s fine. If they don’t, that’s fine, too. I won’t be there!

More than a funeral or a celebration of life, this is how I want my passing to go: she died, and she was buried.

After Elisha was dead and buried, an Israelite was being buried when a raiding party showed up. In a panic, his friends threw the dead man’s body on Elisha’s bones – and the guy came alive!

My prayer is that after I’m gone, people I love will continue to be influenced by the life I led, the words I said, the choices I made, and the evidence of Christ in me. I pray that even after I’m gone, someone dead in their sin will find life because my life touched their’s for Jesus’ sake.

I pray that God will be glorified with every breath I take in this lifetime so that after this body dies, God will continue to be glorified through the memory of me.

When Plans Fail

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2 Kings 6-8

Don’t you hate it when you make plans only to have them blow up in your face because someone else had plans of their own? The King of Aram had plans, but Elisha ruined them. So the king wanted to go to war against Elisha.

Here’s the thing. The king’s plan was wrong. It needed to be stopped. And fighting against Elisha was fighting against the armies of God.

Sometimes we get so fixated on our own plans, what we want, how we think things ought to be, that when our plans meet roadblocks we want to fight. We might direct our anger toward another person, at the unfairness of life, or at ourselves without considering that it just might be God’s loving hand that was preventing us from a world of hurt.

It’s not wrong to make plans. They can act as a rudder on our ship. But with every plan must come “Yet, not my will but Thine be done.” If our plans succeed, we ought to acknowledge it as from God. If they fail, we ought to acknowledge that from God, too.

So, the journal I use to write my thoughts about the Scripture passage I read each day has a Bible verse at the bottom of every page. Listen to the one I discovered at the bottom of the page I used today:

“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 9:11)

I am so thankful that God has plans for me. I gladly surrender my own plans into His capable and loving hands, knowing that He knows what He’s doing, and it’s all for my own good.

God Forgives

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1 Kings 8-9; Psalm 86:5

Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple spoke to me today. He must have looked out at the crowd of eager worshipers and realized their excitement at the moment wouldn’t last. When life happened, they would sin, and God would punish them for their sin.

Solomon prayed that when God allowed war, or famine, or captivity, or drought, or pestilence, mildew, and locusts, and when His people repented of their sin, God would hear and forgive. We will sin, Solomon admitted. But “when (we) return to you with all (our) hearts and all (our) soul…” please forgive us. (8:48)

Several weeks ago I was challenged to ask God to help me memorize a Bible verse a week. I’m old. So I will admit I was skeptical. But God is answering that prayer. I’m on week 9! Nine verses I have hidden in my heart, some of which I remembered from my youth, and some that I’ve never memorized before. I love how God continues to use these verses throughout the week. Like today.

Listen to the verse I started memorizing just yesterday, as it applies to Solomon’s prayer I read today.

For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, abounding in faithful love to all who call on you. Psalm 86:5

Solomon knew the people would sin. But he also had faith that when they sinned, they would eventually repent. And he had faith that God would hear their prayers, and forgive. I think he knew what the psalmist knew: God is kind and ready to forgive!

He is kind and ready to forgive you, too. If you know the Old Testament history of the relationship between God and the Jews, you know the cycle. You know that time after time they would sin, He would punish, they would repent, and He would forgive. Time after time.

Been there. Done that.

I am so thankful how God uses His Word to amplify His Word. What was true for Solomon, was true for the psalmist, and is true for you and me.

God forgives. He is ready and eager to forgive when we go to Him with all our heart and all our soul. And he is abounding in faithful love toward all of us who call on His Name!

Hallelujah!

The Cost

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2 Samuel 24:24

I want to serve God the way He deserves. I want to be the woman He can use for His glory. I want to be clay in the hands of the Potter, surrendered and pliable, obedient and eager to go into all the world and share the Gospel. I want all of that as long as I don’t have to step out of my comfort zone, as long as I can stay in my recliner in my cozy home on this beautiful island.

I probably should re-read Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship,” because I think I want to be a disciple of Jesus, but I’m ok sitting in the cheap seats.

King David told Araunah he would not accept his generous gift because, “…I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

That convicts me. I want my discipleship to cost me something today; my time, my finances, my pride, my family. I can’t let someone else pay for my sacrifice of service to the LORD my God. So I will pray and ask God what He wants of me today. May I be quick to listen, quick to obey no matter the cost.

My Savior deserves no less.

Consider It From God

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2 Samuel 16-18

When David was being cursed by Shimei, a relative of Saul, he did nothing to stop him. Shimei was even throwing stones at David, and David’s men wanted to kill him because of it. But David said, “Leave him alone. He speaks for God.”

The thing David knew was the fact that he was guilty of the thing he was being accused of. He had shed blood. Shimei was not wrong.

The thing is, we are told by God to hold each other accountable. We are to point out sin in a fellow believer so that guilty brother will repent. But when you are on the receiving end of that, it can hurt. It can feel like someone is throwing stones at us. Our first response might be to defend ourselves, fight back, maybe even enlist the help of our friends to fight with or for us.

But what if God is using that person to point out a sin in us that needs addressed? What if we end up fighting God? 

David was wise enough to stop that fight before it got started. He took the blows as from God, not Shimei. He considered it from God, even though it hurt to do so.

If only we were that wise.

Where Do You Go?

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1 Samuel 25-28

It always bothers me when I read about David who, without going to God first, thought it was a good idea to hide out in enemy territory to get away from Saul. David spent the next 16 months murdering and looting and lying about it.

Sure, Saul didn’t dare go into Philistine territory to get him, But where was David’s heart during that time? He thought he was safe from his enemy, but he willingly gave himself over to the enemy of his soul.

Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes remaining separate from the world seems like fighting a losing battle. We’ve all been there. The question is, what is in your heart during those times?

Fear? God tells His children to “Fear not.”
Turmoil? Jesus says, “Peace I give you.”
Feeling like no one cares? Jesus says, “Come to Me and I’ll give you rest.”
Wavering faith? Jesus says if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, that mountain will move.
Unloved? God shows His love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So many times we run to the enemy of our souls. We pull out the self-help books, we go into secular therapy, we attach ourselves to social media influencers who tell us what we want to hear. We, like David, try to find shelter anywhere but with God.

Didn’t go well for David. It doesn’t go well for us, either.

So my question is, do you feel the enemy of your souls at your heels? Are you tired of the struggle, and done with feeling alone and afraid? Where will you go?

Don’t do a David. Go to God. Open the Scriptures and do some digging, asking God to reveal Himself and His desires for your life during this time.

Humble yourself. And He will lift you up.

It’s Not Enough

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1 Samuel 24

When I was in high school there was a girl in our youth group who, every time there was an altar call, would go, kneel, and weep. It was the same thing every time. I don’t claim to know what was in her heart. But I think her emotions were real.

I wonder, if her repentance were real, wouldn’t there be a change? Like I said, I don’t know her heart. I am not her judge.

But I think of her when I read about Saul’s response to the truth David spoke to him. Saul wept aloud and admitted his sin. He even promised to change. I think Saul’s emotions were real. But they weren’t enough.

That’s my concern with the emotion-driven “worship” produced in many churches today. We feel the feels but we side-step repentance. Our souls soar with the strategically placed crescendos and key changes, but our hearts remain dead in sin.

It wasn’t enough for Saul to feel sad. It wasn’t enough for him to say sorry.

It’s not enough for us, either.