A hello from the pregnant Mary, the mother of Jesus, to the even further along Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, brought unexpected results.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Elizabeth immediately recognized that the baby Mary carried was the Messiah, the Savior of all the world, and indeed her Lord. More remarkably, the baby Elizabeth bore leapt at the presence of the pre-born Jesus (countering the view that the wombs of pregnant women contain only lumps of senseless tissue).

Divine sparks crackled. The bellies of two unknown women, in a backwater town on the overlooked edge of an empire, thrummed with promise. The physical presence of the Son of God entered the world, and even in the womb others took notice.

Luke 1 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by freestocks

It helps me in the slog of life to remember the benefits I enjoy. I live in Colorado and look at majestic peaks every day. I’m married to a wonderful woman, enjoy good health and have a warm house for the winter. I’m favored with family and friends. All this reminds me of the Lord’s goodness.

As David praised God from the depths of his heart, he pointed out that the Lord is the one who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Add these to the list of benefits. As I apply David’s thoughts to myself, I understand that the Lord…

Forgives my sins (removing them as far as the east is from the west).

Heals my diseases.

Pulls my life from the pit of hell.

Crowns me with love and shields me with compassion.

Satisfies my desires (not just my needs) with good things.

Renews the energy of my youth.

All these benefits result from a life of walking with God. The added extras keep piling up. Not everything comes at once. My disease might not be healing or my energy renewing, but the Lord is behind every bit of health I enjoy and the fact that I can get out of bed in the morning. The list goes on and on.

In response I simply echo David’s words—Praise the Lord, O my soul. With all that is within me, praise his holy name.

Psalm 103 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Cameron Foth

I’m told that scare tactics fail to instill faith. Which may be true, but what about alarming future possibilities described in the Scriptures?

As the Bible reaches its end, we read of the judgement of the dead. Books are opened, and each person is appraised by what is recorded. The verdict? Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

These writings describe the future for those who refuse to acknowledge the Lord. Perhaps a lake of fire simply serves as a metaphor, but the dreadful existence in a nether world with absolutely no hint of God apparently compares to such terror.

It should cause one to pause.

What catches the attention quicker than a lake of fire? What centers the mind more clearly than the possibility of judgement? Perhaps the stark image of books of the dead are necessary to shake us from our narcissism and self-love?

Fear of wrath may not sustain faith, but the reality of wrath may spark faith. This picture of an eternity without hope clarifies our need for a Savior. Jesus saves is not just a slogan applying to the issues we face today, but a promise for our future.

What a wonderful, life-giving moment it will be when we hear our name read aloud from the pages of the book of life, and we fully grasp the concept of Savior.

Revelation 20 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by writ RHET

Ever get unwarranted advice? Or give it yourself? Most frustrating is receiving an earful from a person who’s not taken the time to listen and understand my problem. These folks dispense advice freely, whether it matches the situation or not. Mostly they like to hear themselves talk. Lest I come off as holier than thou, I recognize this quality in myself far too often.

Job endured a bevy of lousy counselors. Confident that Job committed some sort of heinous transgression, each offered up a lecture. The self-assured Eliphaz ended his soliloquy with this shot: We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself.

Another friend, Elihu, prefaced his comments like a general: Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. If you have anything to say, answer me; speak up, for I want to vindicate you. But if not, then listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.

In other words, sit down and shut up. Parents of teenagers the world over know how this played out. Job shut his ears to their misguided wisdom.

Job was no rebellious teen, but rather a good man racked with pain and confusion. His friends sat with him in his suffering, a wonderful act. Then they opened their mouths and dribbled pablum.

How do I avoid the blunders of Job’s friends? What differentiates a wise counselor from a lousy one? Listening—pausing—and listening some more certainly helps. Pray for wisdom and ask the Holy Spirit to guide. Sometimes the best course is to say nothing. A good advisor helps a friend find their way, a nudge often more effective than a whack.

Lousy counselors sprout up like weeds in a garden—just a skip around the internet confirms this reality. So when you find a good one, cling to him or her like a treasure, for their friendship is more valuable than gold.

Job 5 & 33 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Hans Isaacson