Devotions

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all” (Matthew 6:31-32, ESV).

I remember going for a long jog one morning shortly after our house burned down. At that time, we didn’t even have sufficient clothing for our children. I had previously given away the little savings I had, so I had no financial fallback and no real plan for the future. Yet the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew suddenly came to my mind: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33, KJV).

I said to God, “Lord, according to your Word, I have sought you. I have sought your kingdom, and I have sought your righteousness. You promised that all I need will be added to me, so I am simply going to take you at your Word.”

At that point, I made the choice to put away the fear of tomorrow. Suddenly, peace flooded my heart.

God did exactly as he had promised. He added all things unto me, and he did it sovereignly. I did not say a word to anyone, but the story of our loss somehow spread everywhere, throughout our community and even to communities beyond. Suddenly people began responding, and churches that I had never even been to ended up taking offerings for us.

God gave back to us everything that had been lost, and after the trial was all over, the Lord told me, “I needed to show you that I can take it all away, and I can give it all back. It is all in my hands.” I too have learned that God is my keeper, and I am confident that he will keep you as well. Declare God to be faithful in your trial, and realize deep down that he will never fail nor forsake you. The Lord has tied the honor of his own name to his commitment to keep you.

^{Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. In May of 2020 he transitioned into a continuing role as General Overseer of Times Square Church, Inc.}

Often people write to us saying, “I have no one to talk to, no one to share my burden with. Nobody has time to hear my cry. I need someone I can pour my heart out to.”

King David was surrounded by people. He was married with a large family and had many companions at his side, yet we hear the same cry even from David: “To whom shall I go?” It is in our very nature to want another human being to be present, listen to us and advise us.

When Job became overwhelmed by his trials, he cried out with grief, “Oh that I had one to hear me!” (Job 31:35, NKJV). He uttered this cry while sitting before his so-called friends who had no sympathy for Job’s troubles. Instead, they were messengers of despair.

In his sorrow, Job turned to the Lord. “Surely even now my witness is in heaven, and my evidence is on high. My friends scorn me; my eyes pour out tears to God” (Job 16:19-20).

In the Psalms, David urged God’s people to do likewise. “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalm 62:8) and “I cry out to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before him; I declare before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then you knew my path. In the way in which I walk…. I cried out to you, O Lord: I said, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:1-5).

I believe in my heart that this message is an invitation to you from the Holy Spirit to find a private place where you can frequently pour out your soul to the Lord. You can speak to Jesus about everything — your problems, your present trial, finances, health — and tell him how overwhelmed you are, even how discouraged you are. He will hear you with love and sympathy, and he will not despise your cry. For centuries he has answered the heart-cry of everyone who has trusted his promises. Likewise, he has promised to hear you and guide you. Indeed, he has pledged by oath to be your strength. Go to him, and you will come out renewed.

Gwen and I recently spoke to a godly woman who has reached the end of her endurance. This woman’s family has seen incredible suffering. She has spent endless hours praying and calling on the Lord.

Month after month, things do not change. Just when she sees a ray of hope, things become even worse. She hears a message or reads something that inspires her faith, and she tries to soldier on; but now she is worn out. She can hardly sleep. She is beyond asking why there is so much suffering. Now she is simply hoping to see a light at the end of her dark tunnel.

She told us, “I have come to the place where I feel I have the right to give up. I have believed; I have sought him; I have been faithful in church and reading his Word. Yet I see no relief. I feel alone and helpless. Now I have to fight this thought: ‘I have a right to feel as I do because I see no end to my suffering.’”

We are praying diligently for her and her family. We believe she will not faint in the battle and that the Lord will send her help, but what she has said in her despair truly touches something deep inside my soul. Many godly believers have come to the same place of hopelessness. In sorrow, they also cry, “I have a right to quit the fight. I have a right to be angry. When will he answer me? Has the Lord passed me by?”

In Job’s despair, he said, “He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone; my hope he has uprooted like a tree. He…counts me as one of his enemies” (Job 19:10-11, NKJV). Does any of this sound familiar to you? Is this your battle? Is it the struggle of someone you know? Beloved, God is merciful. Job came out of his trial to a place of hope, and so will you.

May this godly man’s words be our own: “I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive him; when he works on the left hand, I cannot behold him; when he turns to the right hand, I cannot see him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:8-10).

These words of Jesus touch my soul: “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31-32, NKJV).

Jesus is warning about the heathen tendency to worry. He tells us that worry over our job, family, future or survival is a heathen’s way of living. It is the attitude of those who have no heavenly Father. They do not know God as he desires to be known, as a caring, providing, loving Father in heaven. To all who believe, it is not enough to know God only as the Almighty, the Creator, the Lord of all. He also wants us to know him as our heavenly Father.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). With these plain words, Jesus commands us, “Do not give a thought, a single worry, to what may or may not happen tomorrow. You can’t help anything by worrying. When you fret, you’re only doing as the heathen do.”

We are to go on loving Jesus. We are to move on, casting all our cares on him, rest in his faithfulness. Our heavenly Father will see to it that we are supplied with all the essential things of life.

I wonder if the angels are baffled by all the worry and anxiousness of those who claim to trust in the Lord. To those celestial beings, it must seem insulting to God that we worry as if we had no caring Father in heaven. What perplexing questions the angels must ask among themselves like “Do they not know the Father sends us to take charge of them in times of danger? How can they fret and worry when they know God possesses all power, all wealth, and can supply the needs of all creation? How can they accuse their heavenly Father of neglect as if he isn’t true to his Word?”

The birds sing, while we complain and speak of fear and anxiety. The lilies of the field stand tall in their glory, while we wilt and bend before the smallest wind of adversity. You most definitely have a heavenly Father. Trust in him!

I believe in miracles!

There is a mother in our church choir who has been praying for her son for years. He had fallen deep into sin as a teenager. She prayed, “God, whatever it takes, save him.” Instead of turning to Christ, he became a Muslim. For the next seven years, he buried himself in that devilish doctrine, but his mother kept praying. Islam sent the boy into a deep depression. In his awful despair, he jumped from a six-story building, hoping to kill himself. Instead, he landed on his feet, crushing a number of bones, but he survived. Last Sunday, he limped onto our stage and told how Jesus Christ miraculously saved him. His mother sat in the choir, praising God and remembering her many tears and hours in prayer. God heard her cry.

Thank God for miracles today!

A teenage boy in our church spoke of praying that God would use him in his high school which is located near Ground Zero and the demolished Twin Towers. He and a friend began to stand outside the school every day, praying out loud. Some mocked them, but others began to join them. It led to the school permitting them to conduct Bible classes in the school. The young man is so overjoyed, and now some teachers are attending. He said, “Can you imagine God using a scared, little nobody like me?  God still does miracles.”

A young man in prison wrote us a letter that moved me deeply. Here is what he wrote, word for word: “David, I receive your sermons through the mail. I am one of the school shooters. I’m the one they blame for starting it all off. On October 1, 1997, I went into Pearl High School and killed two students and wounded seven. I also killed my mother before this. After I came to jail, I got saved. If there is any way that I can help your ministry, I would love to. Maybe I could give you my testimony. I’ll do anything to help. I look forward to your sermons each month…”

Yes, I believe in miracles!