“And in the future, your children will ask you, ‘What does all this mean?’ Then you will tell them, ‘With the power of his mighty hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery.’” (Exodus 13:14 NLT)

Have you ever been in a situation where the only way out was God? In other words, if God didn’t come through for you, you were dead in the water. Maybe it was a report from a doctor who said, “I’m sorry. There’s nothing more we can do for you.” Maybe it was a financial catastrophe that had you on the brink of collapse. Maybe it was the death of a loved one when you thought, I cannot survive this. That’s the type of situation the Israelites faced in Exodus 13.

God had delivered them from Egypt and was leading them to the Promised Land. The problem was they were being chased by the powerful Egyptian army, and their escape route was blocked by the Red Sea. They found themselves in a seemingly impossible situation, trapped between an unconquerable army and an impassable sea.

The good news? God was leading them. “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37 NKJV). God parted the sea, and the Israelites escaped.

Have you ever looked up the phrase “But God” in the Bible? We see it in Noah’s story. The Lord told Noah to build an ark. Noah boarded it with his family, and they bobbed around in the water for forty days and forty nights. By the thirty-eighth day, Noah must have been thinking, This is impossible! I’m so tired of hanging out with a bunch of stinking animals. Will we ever find dry land? And then Genesis 8:1 says, “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede” (NLT). But God.

We see it in the story of Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was falsely accused of a terrible crime by Potiphar’s wife and sent to prison. Talk about an impossible situation! But in prison, Joseph used his gift from God for interpreting dreams to help Pharaoh’s cupbearer. The cupbearer was released and went back to work for Pharaoh. When Pharaoh had a dream he couldn’t understand, the cupbearer recommended Joseph. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and became the second most powerful man in Egypt. A famine struck the land, and Joseph was put in charge of the food supply. And guess who came to Egypt to buy food? Joseph’s brothers, the ones who had sold him into slavery. Joseph said to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20 NLT). But God.

Not even death has the final word. Death seems so permanent, so hopeless. But we read in Psalm 49:15, “But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself” (NIV). But God.

How big is your problem? How big is your obstacle? How big is what you’re facing?

The good news for you is that God is bigger and more powerful than anything you’re facing.

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Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. (James 4:13–14 NLT)

Life passes quickly, although it doesn’t always seem that way. When you’re young, life seems to move at a snail’s pace. I vividly remember being in elementary school, bored beyond comprehension. I was just waiting for the clock to strike the right number so that I could get up for recess or go home. It seemed like I was in elementary school for thirty years. Every day seemed to take forever.

Now weeks fly by in an instant. Another month comes and goes. And before you know it, a new year has arrived. Billy Graham was once asked what the greatest surprise of his life was. He replied, “The brevity of it.”

Researchers tell us that the reason life seems to go faster when you’re older is that you’re not having as many new experiences. You get into routines. You go to the same restaurant, you sit at the same table, you order the same thing off the menu. Apparently, variety is not just the spice of life; it’s also the slow-er of time.

James compared life on this earth to a morning fog: “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here for a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14 NLT). But he didn’t mourn life’s shortness. Instead, he urged believers to embrace the challenge of living a meaningful, fulfilling, godly life—a life that matters—all the while realizing that that life could end at any moment. He continued, “What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil” (verses 15–16 NLT).

He was talking about living with a sense of urgency. That’s not the same as rushing into things. There’s certainly nothing wrong with methodical thinking or long-range planning. The mistake comes in taking for granted that we have the time to do what needs to be done. The mistake comes in assuming that we know how things will play out.

God has surrounded us with opportunities. To unlock the power of prayer in our lives. To take deep dives into His Word and come away with a greater understanding of Him and His will. To share the amazing truth of Christ with people who don’t know Him. To use the gifts He’s given us. To make a difference in the lives of people in need.

No matter how many years God allows us to live, we don’t have enough time to become complacent about seizing those opportunities. We don’t have enough time to procrastinate.

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Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. (Acts 8:1–3 NLT)

We all know many non-Christians, but I want you to think of someone who’s an antagonistic unbeliever. Maybe it’s a neighbor, spouse, parent, coworker, or someone else. Not only does this person reject Christianity, but they also give Christians a hard time about their faith.

Today, I want you to pray for that person by name, that God would get ahold of them and bring them into His kingdom. Why? Because no one is beyond the reach of God. That’s something we all need to remember. No one is unsavable, even if they seem that way. No matter how much of a mess they’ve made of their life. No matter how many bad decisions they’ve made. No matter how severe the consequences have been. No one is beyond the reach of God.

Our tendency is to say, “That person will never change. That addict will never stop using. That alcoholic will never stop drinking. That person will never stop living that way.” But that’s short-sighted, isn’t it? Because, with God, all things are possible. He can change anyone.

And consider this: That person who is so antagonistic toward the Christian faith actually may be closer to the kingdom of God than you imagine. Their extreme opposition may be due to the fact that they’re under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. That’s what we see in Acts 8, in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus.

It’s hard to overstate how much Saul (also known as Paul) despised Christianity. He presided over the death of Stephen, the courageous first martyr of the church. He forced Christians to scatter to foreign lands with his campaign of terror. He imprisoned believers in his quest to destroy the church.

And then one day Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus. And he experienced the most radical and unlikely conversion in church history. It was so unexpected that the believers who heard about it dismissed it as a lie or a trick on Saul’s part.

But it was genuine. The man who had previously dedicated his life to the destruction of the church now dedicated it to the spread of the church. He, who had been controlled by hate, was now motivated by love.

No one is beyond God’s reach. So keep praying for that person who rejects you and your gospel message. Don’t get discouraged. Let the joy of Christ continue to shine through you. Keep the lines of communication open. Even the strongest opposition can weaken over time.

Take comfort in the words of Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (NLT). That’s some hard-earned wisdom right there—straight from the apostle Paul himself.

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The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession. (Psalm 94:14 NLT)

It’s a strange thing to feel alone when you share a planet with more than eight billion people. Yet we all feel alone on occasion—Christians and non-Christians alike. We convince ourselves that we’re living a solitary existence, that no one notices us or cares about what we do or feel.

Psalm 94:14 reminds us that we are, in fact, not alone: “The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession” (NLT). Whatever you’re facing, you’re not alone. God is with you. He walks beside you through your valley. He accompanies you through your storm.

The problem is that distractions can keep us from sensing God’s presence. That’s why He says in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God!” (NLT). Embrace quiet.

When the prophet Elijah felt all alone and feared for his life, God made His presence known to Elijah with the “sound of a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12). That was all Elijah needed to realize he wasn’t alone.

God also makes His presence known through His Word. So if you feel alone, spend some time reading, meditating on, and memorizing Scripture. Start with passages such Deuteronomy 31:6; Philippians 4:6–7; and 1 Peter 5:7. Pray about the things you read. Ask God to help you sense His nearness.

Prayer is important because we have an enemy who thrives on our weaknesses. The apostle Peter wrote, “Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT). Like a lion on the prowl, our enemy targets solitary prey. He exploits our feelings of loneliness and tries to create distance between us and God. But God has a plan to defeat our enemy.

God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18 NLT). Peter wrote, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT). Those two verses are not unrelated. To lovingly serve other people, we must look away from our own needs and focus on the needs of others. In doing so, we make a connection with the people we serve. And often we make connections with other people who serve.

The author of Hebrews wrote, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (10:25 NLT). He’s talking about fellowship, one of God’s most underrated gifts to us. Fellowship—the gathering together of the people of God—is an antidote to aloneness.

Just as serving with others prevents isolation and creates connections, so does worshipping God with others. Your fellow church members share many of your core values and priorities. The more you get involved in your church, the stronger those connections become. So, if you find yourself struggling with feelings of loneliness, draw closer to God and His people.

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Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:7 NIV)

I had an opportunity to speak at an event called Heal Our Patriots, which was sponsored by Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse. The experience was unforgettable. More than seventeen hundred couples attended. These were people who served our country. Many of them had been wounded in battle, some severely. Some were struggling with PTSD. But they made the effort to attend this couple’s conference. They were looking for hope and encouragement from God’s Word. It was an amazing honor to speak to them. The best part for me came when I gave an invitation for people to come to Christ. Many of the attendees walked forward and gave their lives to the Lord. The memories of it still bring me joy. It was an honor to serve those who have served our country.

I had the privilege of honoring our service members then, and I have the privilege of honoring them today. The members of our military are special people. They have the courage and dedication to put their lives on the line for us. I think of Private First Class Ross McGinnis, who was perched in the gunner’s hatch of a Humvee when a grenade whizzed past him into the truck that was carrying him and four of his fellow soldiers. In a split second, McGinnis did the unthinkable. He shouted a warning to the other soldiers and threw himself on the grenade. He absorbed its full impact and died. But the four other soldiers in that truck survived, thanks to the young man’s amazing courage. That’s the character of a soldier. That’s the character of a veteran. And that’s who we honor today.

We can celebrate the veterans in our community by showing up to a parade or a gathering held in their honor and cheering as loudly as we would for our favorite team. We can honor them with a handshake and a sincere “Thank you for your sacrifice and service.” We can pay our respect to those who have died by walking through a cemetery and stopping at the graves marked with flags. We can read the names on the markers and think about what those men and women did so that we may have our freedom.

We can commemorate Veterans Day by praying for military families. For the Gold Star families who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. For the countless others who live in uncertainty while their loved ones are deployed. We can ask God to make His presence known in their lives in unmistakable ways.

And we can praise Jesus, who makes our spiritual freedom possible. “But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:22 NLT). Ephesians 1:7 says that God “is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins” (NLT). Jesus paid the ultimate price—His death on the cross—so we can be eternally free.

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About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (Acts 12:1–3 NLT)

Everyone needs a change of narrative sometimes. When life seems to be trending toward disaster, chaos, uncertainty, or suffering, it’s comforting to know that God can intervene. He can rewrite the script. All we have to do is ask. God uses prayer to change not just our circumstances but our attitudes and perspectives, our hearts and minds.

When we pray, we’re acknowledging our weakness. That’s a hard thing for some people to do. We think, I can figure this out. I can resolve this conflict. I can save my own family. But it doesn’t work. So we call on God and say, “Lord, I’m weak. I need Your help. Please come through for me.” And that’s when the narrative starts to change.

In Acts 12, we find a changed narrative. Things were looking dim for the early believers. King Herod had killed the apostle James and imprisoned the apostle Peter, two important church leaders. And how did the believers respond? “The church organized a protest and stormed Herod’s palace.” No, that’s not what happened. “The church boycotted all products made in Rome.” No, not that either.

Here is how the believers responded to Peter’s imprisonment: “Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church” (Acts 12:5 NKJV). They prayed, but not just one time. They were engaged in constant prayer. For many people, prayer is a last resort. They say, “We’ve tried everything. All we can do now is pray.” Prayer is the first thing we should do. Paul said, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything” (Philippians 4:6 NLT). Nothing is too small to pray about.

Is there a troubling narrative in your life right now? Is there a circumstance that you have no control over that needs to change? Offer it to the Lord in prayer. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” (John 15:7). In other words, “Trust Me. Ask Me. I will change your narrative.”

The narrative of Acts 12 changes when an angel appears in Peter’s cell. Peter’s chains fall off, and he walks out of prison. And Herod, the man who imprisoned him, gives a speech that’s so impressive that the audience starts referring to him as a god. Herod accepts their praise, falls down dead, and is eaten by worms.

At the beginning of Acts 12, Herod held seemingly absolute power and the church was on the ropes. At the end, Herod was worm food and the church had its leader back. It was a narrative twist no one but God could have predicted. And it was an important reminder that no situation is hopeless. Every narrative can be changed through prayer, including yours.

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I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. (1 Timothy 2:1–2 NLT)

Our nation needs prayer. Our political views, among many other things, divide us, and we need to ask for God’s intervention, for His will to be done. We need to pray for a spiritual awakening to sweep over our country. We need to pray for the church. We need to pray for one another. We all need prayer. Prayer is powerful. Prayer changes things. Prayer changes us.

Notice that prayer is the first thing Paul recommended to Timothy: “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:1–2 NLT).

Prayer sets the proper tone for our country that is polarized by political views because it places things in God’s hands. When we pray, we acknowledge that God’s way is better than ours. We humble ourselves before Him and admit that we must rely on His wisdom and power. Prayer keeps us from placing too much faith in our leaders, our political policies, or ourselves.

Prayer is also the ideal tool for healing the divisions that occur during an election season. Emotions run high. Accusations fly. Grudges form. Unloving words are exchanged. Relationships are damaged. Prayer has the potential to undo that damage and unify people with opposing views. Prayer compels us to show genuine love and concern for “all people”—particularly those with whom we disagree. Notice that Paul makes no distinction about who we must pray for. We don’t get to choose the people we want God to bless. Our responsibility as believers is to intercede on behalf of others and give thanks for them. God wants us to recognize their value.

Paul’s instruction to Timothy, “Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority,” is as important today as it was in the first century. We live in a complex world. Political power must be used wisely. A decision that benefits one group could prove devastating to another. Our leaders desperately need our prayer. They desperately need the Lord’s guidance. Living “peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity” is a goal worthy of striving for.

Prayer is essential because it’s the most powerful spiritual weapon in our arsenal. When a political election is over, the battle rages on. And it’s not a battle between Democrats and Republicans or between progressives and conservatives. In Ephesians 6:12, Paul warns, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (NLT).

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“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT)

We need to pray. We need to pray for our nation. We need to pray for a revival in our nation. A revival is a spiritual awakening in which many people recognize and confess their sinfulness and turn to Jesus in repentance and receive forgiveness and salvation.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14, the Lord gives His prescription for revival: “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (NLT). In the context of the passage, the prescription was given to the nation of Israel. In principle, it applies to any nation. It applies to the United States. It applies to Australia. It applies to New Zealand. It applies to China. It applies to Germany. And it applies to the other 190 or so countries in the world today.

More specifically, it applies to God’s people in those countries. Because that’s where revival begins. Would you like to see our land healed? Would you like to see our nation embrace Judeo-Christian principles? Would you like to see our country turn to the Lord? It can happen.

And it starts with humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God’s face, and turning from our wicked ways. Are there any wicked ways you need to turn from right now, even as a follower of Jesus Christ? We are told in 1 John 1:9 that “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (NLT). God is faithful to forgive.

God calls believers to infiltrate our culture. In Matthew 5, He instructs us to be salt and light to the people around us. To share the gospel. Our country needs to hear the gospel—and it needs to see the gospel in action.

Jesus’ words “You are the light of the world” in Matthew 5:14 could also be translated as “You and you alone are the light of the world.” He emphasizes the fact that we are His representatives. We are the ones unbelievers look to, whether out of curiosity or suspicion. People watch us to see what it looks like to follow Christ.

Let me ask you a question: What if every Christian lived as you live? What if you were the sole representative of Jesus Christ on this earth? Would there be enough gospel in your life for people to believe? Enough saltiness to simulate in them a thirst? Enough light for them to find their way out of the darkness and put their faith in Jesus Christ?

I hope so because this is the message we need to give to others. Remember, gospel means “good news.” Our culture is saturated with fake news or news driven by an agenda. People are hungry for good news. They’re hungry for the truth.

The gospel can satisfy that hunger. And when it does, revival begins. First in the lives of individuals and then throughout the land. That’s how a nation is restored.

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