Devotionals

Psalm 91:14.15, NIV
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him.”

Lost in a fog? When darkness closes in our vision becomes distorted and we’re unable to see our way forward. People moving around us become as mere shadows, all intent on their own business, making their own way. No-one casts a glance in our direction and we’re aware of heavy clouds forming. We become increasingly isolated and confused.

We know God loves us. We know He cares for us and that His Son died for us. But when we’re groping around in the dark, lost and looking for help, at the very time we need Him most, He seems strangely distant.

‘Do not be anxious about anything’ (Philippians 4:6). But how can we help it? It’s as if a large heavy blanket has come over us separating us from God. The Bible tells us ‘He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged’ (Deuteronomy 31:8). We’re trying to hang on to His word and His promises. But still we feel anxiety creeping in.

The fog is probably only on ground level. Overhead the sun is shining. If we were in a plane flying over the clouds torrential rain may be falling, with thunder and lightning, but above the storm there is blue sky and sunshine.

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Why then are we struggling through the fog trying to find the way? He’s not out there somewhere beyond the fog. He’s in the fog with us.

Jesus promised the Father, “I will make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:26). We need to respond to that love, and so receive Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. And we are called to walk by the Spirit, not by the flesh. ‘For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other’ (Galatians 5:17).

As we look at our problems with eyes of the world we panic, because we can’t see through the fog. Communication between ourselves and God has been blocked by the concerns of the world (Mark 4:19). But if we recognise the Holy Spirit within us, and open ourselves to Jesus, our focus turns from what seems humanly impossible, to a faith in Him who can do all things. The promises of His word become reality: ‘Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path’ (Psalm 119:105).

As we look to Jesus and seek His way the fog will lift and the sun will shine once more.

Prayer: Father, forgive me. When things go wrong I look for You to come and put them right, and when things go right I forget to give you the honour. Please help me to live in a way that acknowledges You at all times, and to recognise that You are with me wherever I go. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.”Proverbs 18:2, NIVThe psalmist tells us that “the fool says in his heart that there is no God” (Psalm 14:1). Such a fool takes no interest or pleasure in either the tru…

Proverbs 18:2, NIV
“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.”

The psalmist tells us that “the fool says in his heart that there is no God” (Psalm 14:1). Such a fool takes no interest or pleasure in either the truth that is written in God’s Word or in the extraordinary evidence of a Creator in the creation that’s all around us.

I was recently sitting on a headland, looking out to see from a Scottish island as the sun slowly sank beneath the distant horizon. I was watching an incredible movie as minute by minute the wind, the waves, the sky and the sun danced to the Creator’s baton as he conducted an orchestra of beauty and joy for our pleasure! In my heart I was marvelling at the Creator’s genius and at the same time I was weeping because of the fools who see the same scene and have no understanding, but delight in their own opinions!

Science has not produced one shred of evidence to prove that God does not exist, and yet the absence of God from most of the educational curricula of the western world is powerful evidence that the opinions of atheistic man have now been adopted as fact by an unbelieving world. And once you have dispensed with the idea of God you also have to dispense with the laws of God – and right now the world is heading for a catastrophic brick wall as the consequences of dispensing with the laws of God become the suffering of mankind.

Oh how God must weep when He sees mankind ignoring all the evidence deducible from His creation. The psalmist got it absolutely right when he said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4).

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the incredible beauty of Your creation. Please forgive us, Lord, for the times when we have preferred to believe the opinions of man, rather than the truth written in Your Word and seen in Your creation. Open my eyes, Lord, to see You in everything that You have made. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Joshua 21:45, NIV
“Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”

Some years ago we took two of our small grandsons to the zoo. It was a special zoo, with a conservation programme for endangered species, and the animals were given large enclosures in which to roam. It therefore covered quite a wide area, and there was a miniature train to carry visitors around the extensive compound. As we arrived, the little boys spotted the train and asked if we could go on it. I promised that we would, but that we would walk round first to see some of the animals. Every few minutes my four-year-old grandson would remind me of this promise and ask me if we could go on the train – NOW! Finally, the promise was fulfilled and we boarded the little train. The boys were ecstatic, and I so enjoyed being with them and watching their thrill during the ride. God spoke to me through this, and said, “Now you can understand how much I enjoy fulfilling my promises to you!”

In Revelation 19:11 John describes the rider on a white horse, who is called Faithful and True. He then goes on to say: ‘His name is the Word of God’ (verse 13). This is Jesus, and we can see His character encapsulated in these names. He is the Word; every word that He speaks is true, and He will be faithful to that word.

There are numerous promises in the Bible that are true for every believer. These promises become ours the moment we come to the cross, repenting of our sin and entering into the covenant that God has made with us through the blood of His Son. That covenant is unbreakable and God will always be true to His promises within it.

In addition, He is a Father who deals individually with His children, and He has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives. He therefore speaks to us and makes promises to us individually as well as corporately. He will never break His promises to us, and each one will be fulfilled, just as is written in today’s verse about the promises He made to the people of Israel.

However, we need to hold on to those promises by faith and sometimes we need to pray them in over a period of time. It is not that God is slow in keeping His promises, or that He forgets; it is rather that He often tests our faith while we are waiting. When our grandsons kept reminding me of my promise about the train, it showed me how important it was to them and how much they wanted what was promised. As we hold God’s words before Him, it shows how much we believe and treasure what He has for our lives.

Are there any promises that have yet to be fulfilled in your life? Don’t forget about them – God hasn’t! Show Him that you are in faith for their fulfilment and pray them in.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You never break Your promises to me. I am so grateful for Your particular promise to me that … (be specific). I am holding on to this promise and believing that it will be fulfilled in Your perfect timing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

I Corinthians 6: 19, NLT
“You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.”

It is a human need to know we `fit in’. To know we have a place. To know we belong. To know someone cares.

Not all of us feel or know this deep in our hearts, where it counts. Circumstances, our upbringing, and life itself has perhaps been used by the enemy to create a sense deep in our hearts that we are alone and different.

The wonderful truth is that no matter what we may feel, no matter what the enemy may tell us and no matter what has been spoken by others in our lives – we all have a wonderful place of absolute, concrete, belonging. A place we can take ownership of and enjoy once we have come to the Lord through His cross.

Just like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, all of us (whether we know it or not) are a piece of God’s puzzle. There is a place set aside within the Lord’s heart that waits for us to come and rest, to enjoy being simply a part of His picture. There’s a place in His heart and His plans that is perfectly designed and shaped for you and for me. It’s a unique place where we fit and belong and are 100% accepted, not by anything we can do, say or earn – but just because it’s the place He bought for us as His children. It’s when we come to this place that we find comfort for our loneliness, and peace for our striving. It’s the place that assures us we belong, we fit, we have a place – we’re not forgotten or overlooked. We have a purpose, a significance, and a worth that is entwined into the very heart of our Father God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that I belong to You. Thank You that You have given me an eternal place where I fit. That I don’t need to be worried about where I may fit in terms of the world and the people around me, because I can rest in the amazing place of ownership that You paid for me. Lord, I ask that You will reveal more of who I am in You, as I draw close to You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Luke 19:19, NKJV
“And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

Hope in Christ is always rewarded. However deep the longing or inquisitive the mind, anyone who has the slightest desire to meet with Jesus does not go unnoticed by the Master.

Riches did not fill the deep dark void in Zaccheus’ heart. Word had reached this despised chief of tax collectors about the man called Jesus, and his heart was sincerely turned towards Jesus. Thus, this was his moment and no obstacle would come between them.

Unlike the fig tree, which was no good to Jesus when He passed by, even the sycamore tree played its part in Zaccheus’ time of need. For as well as being in the right place at the right time it bore his weight to give him eye contact with the Master, as he sought to overcome the challenge of his stature, pushing through the crowds.

Jesus read Zaccheus’ heart’s desire, called him down out of the tree and thrilled him with the news that TODAY, the Lord of all creation, would be dining at his house.

One encounter with Jesus brought immediate salvation and healing – beyond his wildest dreams. Immediately this man was renewed in his heart and mind and acted accordingly. In one cosmic moment, new life, excitement, joy and hope flowed from the Creator to the created, and filled his heart and life like nothing else could. No longer were his thoughts clouded by negative thinking. No longer did he feel lonely, despised and rejected, for Jesus noticed him and made time for him. Today was a day of joy. Jesus had come his way. From this day on he was a different man. Immediately his bad habits were broken and the disapproval of others and the disappointment of the past were shaken off as he sought Jesus.

God showed him favour even though he didn’t deserve it, and God does the same for us. Jesus declared for all his accusers to hear ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham’.

There is healing, restoration and favour waiting for all those whose hearts are fully turned to Christ.

Whatever obstacles you may be facing today, the Creator of all the universe is passing your way. You haven’t been forgotten.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for not passing any of us by. Thank You for passing our way. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Psalm 42:1, NIV
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.”

I was recently taking our dog for a walk when, towards the end, he took a drink from the dirtiest, murkiest puddle around. I thought to myself, “Oh, for goodness sake, you couldn’t wait the five minutes to get home where I would pour you a fresh bowl of clean water to drink,” and then wondered if I was going to soon have some dog sick to clear up!

This situation reminded me of this scripture and all the biblical concepts of ‘streams of living water’ and ‘a fountain of life’. It made me wonder if I was a little like our dog … settling for the expediency of a quick, not quite right, drink of something, and then wonder why I find I’m struggling with things a little later on.

It’s so easy in the busyness of life to settle for a quick and familiar portion of encouraging words of Scripture to make us feel good. Or to ignore the Scriptures and assume that some worship music or a quick prayer will do the trick instead. Yet these are temporary solutions that have no long-lasting effects, because our goal is to feel better. God’s goal is to deepen our love and understanding of Him. The difference is vitally important!

The streams of water talked about in Psalm 42 are what the psalmist longs for. His heart cry is a deep, deep, thirst for answers; a heart cry of pain and anguish. The answers are not to be found in the stagnant waters of head knowledge and past understanding. The answers are in the torrents (referred to later in the psalm as waterfalls, and breaking waves of the sea) of love and hope in God, regardless of the situation we find ourselves in.

If we allow ourselves to take the time to delve deeper into the deep, life source of the Bible, and allow the continuous flow of the Holy Spirit to speak to us through it, I’m sure we’d find the answers to the deep cries of our hearts. It would open up the heart of God to us in new and fresh ways.

Prayer: Father God, teach me more about Your Word. Help me to understand the fullness and depth of Your love and hope for my life through the Scriptures. Convict me of when I settle for something that’s not as fulfilling as that which You want to give me. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Leviticus 25:3-4, New Living Translation
“For six years you may plant your fields and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, but during the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath year of complete rest. It is the Lord’s Sabbath. Do not plant your fields or prune your vineyards during that year.”

I like to watch ‘Country file’ on the television. It’s a programme about farming and country life in the UK. Recently there was an episode about the huge problems being caused by an herbicide resistant weed called ‘Black Grass’. They explained how, since the invention of herbicides, the old methods of farming, which included crop rotation and fallowing (leaving a field unplanted every few years) had been abandoned. Initially production had increased, and therefore income too. However, now this particular weed has become resistant to the herbicides, and production and income are being lost.

One farmer had to spray his whole crop in one vast field (which represented many thousands of loaves of bread) and kill the crop along with the weeds, in the hope of producing a weed-free crop next year. They interviewed a number of scientists who are working on the problem. At least one of them said that one solution would be to go back to the old methods, including fallowing.

It made me think of today’s passage and I hurried off to look it up again. God gave very clear and precise instructions about growing crops, and said that the land should have a Sabbath rest every seven years. But the thing that struck me most was the passage where it says: ‘You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years’ (Leviticus 25:20-21).

It’s about trusting God, as it always is. He promised that if we obeyed Him in this He would provide enough food in the sixth year to last through to harvest in the eighth year.

I love science and education. I love to learn about how things work and grow, and are made. To me it’s learning more about what God already knows, so that we can praise Him and use things wisely and well. It seems sometimes that, in the world, we think once we know things we can overrule God and do it our own way. Look at another example of what has happened since we invented contraception. People think they no longer need to heed God’s instructions and wait until they are married to have a sexual relationship.

Sometimes the things God asks us to do seem bizarre to our modern thinking, things such as leaving fields fallow, waiting till we are married to have a sexual relationship and then being faithful in it, and forgiving people who don’t deserve it. I’m sure you can think of others. What is the point in doing these things? Well we may not understand why. Actually we don’t know everything, but God promises us His blessing if we obey these things. The opposite is also true in that we miss God’s blessing if we don’t.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for the times when I’ve thought that I know better than You, and that modern research and thinking overrules what You’ve already said. Thank You for the amazing way that You made the world and everything in it. I want to be obedient to You, Lord. Please help me by Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Job 8:21, NIV
“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

LOL in social media means laughing out loud. Its a way of communicating to the other person about what you’re feeling without them being there physically. Despite many people using this expression in text messaging, I’m not sure how many actually laugh.

Laughter is one of the things that we do involuntarily, with the most positive results. I believe that laughter is an expression of a deeper emotion of joy. I wanted to know what the Bible says about laughter, and I got many verses. One that stood out for me was ‘He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy’ (Job 8:21). I do believe it’s God’s intention for His children to laugh and have shouts of joy.

Healthy laughter is a wonderful gift from God. He grants us the ability to laugh out loud at ourselves, in the safety of family and friends. Over the years, many physical benefits to laughter have been reported by doctors and health professionals. These benefits include decrease in stress hormone and increase in immune system, among other things. This is proved in the Scriptures even more so. Look at these verses.

“A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22).

‘A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken’ (Proverbs 15:13).

‘Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them’ (Psalms 126:2).

Nowadays there are many comedy shows, weekend stand up comedies and therapies that people pay for to get laughter. Most people use this as a coping mechanism. They are trying to heal the symptom without looking at the underlying root. After these laughter sessions, they normally go back to the same place they were in before. Laughter is a fruit of joy, and not the other way round.

Our humour isn’t forced. It’s a spiritual response to the pain around us. While we can’t deny our pain and frustration, we have access to the Holy Spirit, who assures us of God’s presence in our lives. We laugh out loud because of His tremendous love and grace, which is showered on us. Our joy is flowing from the inside out.

‘Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me”’ (Genesis 21:6).

“Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all [ye that are] upright in heart” (Psalms 32:11).

Prayer: Lord, like Sarah, please bring me laughter. Fill me today with Your joy and give me a new song. Help me to see Your sense of humour in creation, and in myself. You provide joy by Holy Spirit, and Your joy is my strength. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog

Isaiah‬ 61:1, NIV‬‬
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”

A copy of the book of Isaiah was written on animal skin and carefully put into an earthenware pot and buried in a cave. It must have lain undisturbed for more than 2000 years before it was discovered in 1948 in a cave in Israel near the Dead Sea. Until then the earliest versions of Isaiah we had were written 1100 years later than that. So the miracle is that there’s hardly any difference between these versions.

When Jesus chose to read from the book of Isaiah it must have been pretty well identical to this ‘Dead Sea scroll’. A modern scholar has recently translated the scroll into word for word literal English and here is what Isaiah 61:1-4 says:

‘The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because YHWH has anointed me to preach good tidings to the weak; to bind up the brokenhearted, to call to the captives liberty, and to the imprisoned the opening of prison. To announce the favourable year of YHWH, and the day of vengeance for our God; to comfort all who mourn; To appoint to the mourners in Zion, to give to them beauty instead of dust, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness; and they shall call to them oaks of righteousness, the planting of YHWH, for glory. And they shall build the ancient ruins, the desolations of the beginning shall they raise, and they shall renew the ruined cities, the desolations of generation to generation. They shall raise them up’.

It’s interesting to note that there is an extra sentence in this version, which doesn’t appear in any of the later versions. It says the words ‘They shall raise them up’.

I’m not sure what this all meant to the listeners in the synagogue that day. Jesus said that He was now fulfilling the prophecy given by Isaiah so long ago. But what I am sure of is that it means the promise of healing and deliverance is for the believers in Jesus today.

There are many of us who are weak, broken-hearted, captive in prisons, in mourning, or burdened with a spirit of heaviness. Jesus still brings us good news, binding up our broken hearts, calling us to liberty and opening our prison cages, giving comfort, beauty and a garment of praise.

The promise is that we shall become oaks of righteousness, planted by the Lord, for His glory. We shall restore ancient ruins, desolated places, and the ruined cities, which have been desolated for generations. We will raise them up again. They will be restored. Praise the Lord!

On a trip to Finland we met some people who were encountering Ellel Ministries for the first time. One of them asked how healed we had to be before we could bring the healing and deliverance ministry of Jesus to others.

It’s an interesting question and my husband referred to this promise, noting that it is the ones who have been so needy who rebuild the ruins. At the start of an Ellel Ministries Modular School some people don’t seem as if they could do much to help others, but by the end of the course they are eager to take the healing they themselves have received to others.

Prayer: Dear loving heavenly Father, we come to You in the name of Jesus. Thank You for the promise of Jesus, Messiah, that He would not only heal us and set us free from oppression, but that He would make us strong to help others with the help that we ourselves have received. Amen.

Click here to read Peter Horrobin`s blog