One night during the early days of my home Bible studies, I was in my husband’s study while the rest of the family was asleep. I felt drawn to read Isaiah 55:11 that promises God’s Word won’t return void. My eyes drifted to verse 10 that promises His Word would be seed to the sower and bread to the eater. That verse became my promise. All I needed to do was sow the seed by giving the words He gave me. God would provide the miracle of turning the seeds into bread.

“The heavenly Father, who offers to meet us in the inner chamber has no other object than to fill our hearts with His love” wrote Andrew Murray. One of the ways we can receive His love is to take time to consider who our heavenly Father is.

One evening years ago when our daughter Arla was about two years old she was playing on the patio behind our house. Suddenly I heard her cry, and she came in terrified.

How tempting it is to pray for people what we think they need to hear. Seldom, though, do our little sermons in prayer do what we hope. Praying about those needs in secret is much more effective.

Betty and her husband had moved to a new pastorate and she found the jobs she usually did were already filled with qualified dedicated people. She felt useless, and even began resenting the people who were serving. She says she now admits this to her shame.

One Sunday in Ireland, Wesley Duewel preached at a Presbyterian church, a Methodist church, and then was taken to a Baptist church for his final message of the day.

The first night of a women’s retreat I arose to speak and dropped the pen I had in my hand. I knew I should leave it on the floor but bent to pick it up anyway. When I did, my pages of notes slid off the podium. This time there was no choice, so once again the women saw me diving down to retrieve the notes under the table. Fortunately, the notes landed in a stack, but by this time the women were fully awake wondering just what might happen next to this unfortunate speaker.

Before Anne Graham Lotz’s husband Danny passed away, she described a difficult time after he had had two months in the hospital and rehab. While it was wonderful to have him home, her caregiving took on a new dimension. After coming home he had three hospitalizations plus a broken kneecap, broken ribs, and a troublesome dialysis fistula.