Jenny L. Hassell Moses asked God a lot of questions. God had a few for Moses, too. They began almost as soon as God called Moses from the burning bush. Moses wanted to know why he was the man for the job. He worried that the Israelites wouldn’t believe him, so God asked, “What is that in your … Read more
Jeremiah was young when God called him to be a prophet. Jeremiah immediately objected that he didn’t know how to speak because of his youth. God told him not to say he was too young. He would go where God sent him, say what God commanded him to say, and God would be with him. … Read more
Jonah had finally done what God told him to do. After running in the opposite direction, getting thrown overboard, spending three days inside a great fish, and getting deposited back on dry land, he went to Nineveh and delivered God’s warning. “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” (Jonah 3:4) The people of Nineveh … Read more
Amos did not start out as a prophet. He was a shepherd and a grower of sycamore figs when God took him from tending the flock and sent him to prophesy to Israel. God gave Amos a series of visions warning that judgment was coming. In one of them, Amos saw the Lord standing beside … Read more
Ezekiel was carried by the Spirit of the LORD into a valley filled with bones. There were a lot of them, scattered across the valley, and they were completely dry. God led Ezekiel around among them and then asked, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered, “Lord GOD, You Yourself know.” Ezekiel was … Read more
Jacob was on his way home after years away, and he was terrified. His brother Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men. The last time Jacob had seen Esau, Esau wanted to kill him. The night before they met, Jacob sent his family and possessions across the Jabbok River and stayed behind … Read more
God asks a lot of questions in Scripture, which is a little like Miss Cleo asking what your name is. I don’t think He needs the answers. He uses questions as a tool, I think. Sometimes He asks to confront, sometimes to teach, and sometimes to make someone stop and think. This is a look … Read more
Isaiah sees the Lord sitting on a throne with seraphim above Him calling, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of armies.” The foundations shake, the temple fills with smoke, and Isaiah is terrified. He says he is a man of unclean lips who has seen the King. One of the seraphim takes a burning coal … Read more
Elijah had just come off one of the biggest victories of his life and one of the most famous victories in the Bible. On Mount Carmel, he challenged the prophets of Baal, and God answered Elijah’s prayer with fire from heaven. Then Jezebel threatened to kill him, and Elijah ran. In the wilderness, he sat … Read more
Masada is an ancient fortress perched high above the Dead Sea in the Judean wilderness. Its name comes from a Hebrew word meaning “stronghold” or “fortress,” which makes the place especially interesting when reading the Psalms and all those references to rocks, refuges, and strongholds. I stumbled onto Masada while working through Day 105 of … Read more