Sarah Koenig

Loving to the End

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full exten

Hallelujah in Heaven

After this, John hears what sounds like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting 'Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has conde

The Accuser Cast Down

I've battled depression and shame my entire adult life. There's a voice that constantly tells me I'm not enough, that I've failed, that I should give up. I'd describe it as the voice of an accuser. J

The One on the Throne

John sees someone seated on the throne surrounded by a rainbow. The image of the rainbow recalls God's covenant promise. Despite what's about to unfold, God's covenant stands. He's bound by his own me

If You Walk in My Statutes

If you follow my statutes and keep my commandments and observe them faithfully, I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yiel

Power From the Holy Spirit

I used to think of the Holy Spirit as something mostly internal, a feeling or conviction. But then I read this: 'You will receive power.' Not comfort. Power. My pastor preached on this verse last mont

It Is Finished

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. The work is complete. The mission accomplished. Not 'I am defeated.' Not 'I give up.

Holy War and Its Aftermath - Justice and Judgment

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Avenge the Israelites on the Midianites. The military campaign is described in brutal detail - everyone is killed except young girls. Then those soldiers return ritual

Though the Fig Tree Fails

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. Habakkuk's describing a world stripped

Scattered Believers, Chosen by God

Peter addresses people scattered throughout regions as foreigners and exiles. They're displaced, living among people who don't share their values. But he calls them chosen according to the foreknowled

The River of Life

I'm a landscape architect, and I design parks and public spaces. My work is about creating places where humans can rest and remember beauty. John's image of a river flowing from God's throne through

Hope in suffering - Joshua 5

His timing, His methods, His purposes - all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly good. God is faithful in every circumstance. Today it speaks comfort; a year ago it spoke conviction. When we read t

The cost of discipleship - Malachi 4

This is one of those passages that reads differently in every season of life. Today it speaks comfort; a year ago it spoke conviction. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers. Fo

The role of community - Ezekiel 31

God is faithful in every circumstance. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing - both the angui

Trusting God's timing - Lamentations 2

God is faithful in every circumstance. The thread of covenant runs through every book of the Bible. God is faithful in every circumstance. We bring nothing; He provides everything. This is one of tho

Wisdom for daily life - Joel 3

The imagery here is agricultural - the original audience would have immediately understood the metaphor of sowing, waiting, and harvesting. There's something deeply comforting about knowing that the s

The armor of God - Exodus 3

God meets us exactly where we are - broken, uncertain, yet chosen. Now I understand why - it's a daily declaration of dependence on God. Today it speaks comfort; a year ago it spoke conviction. His t

The character of God - Titus 2

The thread of covenant runs through every book of the Bible. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss. God is faithful in every circumstance. God meets us exactly where we

Wisdom for daily life - Ezekiel 14

God is faithful in every circumstance. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing - both the anguish and the hope. The contrast between human weakness

Finding rest in God - 2 Corinthians 2

God is faithful in every circumstance. God is faithful in every circumstance. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers. This connects directly to the promise made to Abraham. God