The Crosswalk Devotional: A Daily Devotional Christian Podcast

Have you ever overlooked a small blessing because you were waiting for God to do something extraordinary? We often associate miracles with dramatic answers to prayer, unexpected breakthroughs, or life-changing events. But God's goodness can also be found in the ordinary moments we might easily miss. In John 6:9-13, Jesus takes a young boy's small lunch of five loaves and two fish and uses it to feed thousands of people. This incredible miracle reminds us that nothing is too small for God to use and that His provision is never limited by what we think we have to offer.

Highlights
Recognize God's miracles in everyday life: Discover why God's goodness isn't limited to dramatic breakthroughs or extraordinary events.

Learn from Jesus feeding the five thousand: Explore how Jesus used five loaves and two fish to demonstrate God's abundant provision.

Understand that God can use small things: Find encouragement in knowing that what seems insignificant to you can become something extraordinary in God's hands.

Notice God's care in the details: Reflect on how Scripture reveals that God knows even the smallest details of His creation and your life.

Find blessings during difficult seasons: Learn to recognize the unexpected gifts, lessons, and moments of provision that can come through hardship and change.

Develop a habit of gratitude: Discover how recording one meaningful blessing each day can help you recognize God's faithfulness over time.

Share the joy of small miracles: Consider how noticing and appreciating everyday blessings can encourage others and help their hearts overflow with gratitude.

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!
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Full Transcript Below:
What if the Small Thing Is the Miracle?
By: Lia Girard
Bible Reading:
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” – John 6:9-13, NIV
What an astounding miracle it is that everything visible and invisible originates from God on purpose, from the smallest electron through the infinite expanse of eternity. It’s also miraculous that you and I were born on a planet that’s constantly spinning in perfect balance with the sun and moon, while all of us stay grounded by gravity.
And although humans can conceive, design, build, plant, and renovate in amazing ways, our efforts are always made possible by a miraculous God. We can’t grow things without the dirt or water God made. We can’t live without the sunshine and oxygen God supplies. And as Matthew 19:26 explains, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Now, I’ve never witnessed illogical miracles, like elephants cracking out of eggshells or the sky becoming green while grass turns crystal-clear. But I’ve seen miracles of many proportions. The truth is, whatever makes any one of us exclaim, “It’s a miracle!” may seem small to someone else. But to you, any size miracle can be immensely meaningful. And I believe God loves that.
Scripture tells us that God not only knows every star in the universe by name (Psalm 147:4), but that he’s also numbered the very hairs of your head (Luke 12:7). He isn’t only present in the jaw-dropping, show-stopping miracles; he also cares deeply about the granular details of your life and every small gesture.
One of my favorite biblical stories proving that even a small thing can be a miracle is when the hungry thousands gathered to hear Jesus speak after witnessing his healing power. In this passage, Jesus chooses a small boy’s meager lunch to demonstrate his immeasurable love. With just five barley loavesand two fish, given by a child, thousands had more than enough to eat.
I think it’s valuable to note that before Jesus distributed the loaves and the fish, he gave thanks. Perhaps this is an expression of gratitude for the truth that, although the boy and the amount were small, the potential and provision within them were extraordinary.
I think about this concept of small things being wondrous even more during the approach of Thanksgiving and Christmas. The season always inspires me to give thanks for everything, including the hard parts that taught me, the meager times that disciplined me, and the sustenance gathered during phases of change or loss that surprised me. Sometimes the smallest thing can hold the most meaning, even though it doesn’t loudly “announce” itself or appear as a decadent luxury. It can lightly arrive and amaze you, nonetheless.
Small miracles like this can come in the form of unexpected quiet time in a season of overwhelm. Or finding an old memento. Or getting a phone call from an estranged family member. It may be as fleeting as a visit from a butterfly or any wild aspect of nature that a loved one treasured. It could be small enough for anyone else to overlook.
It could also be as small as a mustard seed, as we learn in Matthew 17:20. Or as gentle as the whisper Elijah heard in 1 Kings 19:12. It can also appear as vulnerable as a newborn wrapped in cloths in a manger (Luke 2:12). Size isn’t a qualifier of miracles. It’s a miracle because it feels like love, and it astonishes your heart.
As you move through Thanksgiving toward Christmas this year, allow yourself margin to look for and notice the small things that are miracles from God to you. Apart from grandiose gestures or expensive gifts, these brief moments and tiny miracles can fill your basket — and others’ — to overflowing.
Intersecting Faith & Life
As the season turns toward Thanksgiving and Christmas, here’s an easy idea:
Set a small notebook next to your bedside. Each evening before bed, write down just one thing you appreciated that day. Choose something that may seem insignificant or silly to someone else, but God knows it made you smile. In time, when you look back through your entries, you’ll witness the miracle of a grateful heart.
Further Reading:
Zechariah 4:10
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
Luke 16:10
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Do you feel like you're constantly fighting worry, fear, and anxiety instead of living with the confidence God promises? Romans 8:37 reminds us that through Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors. Yet when life's challenges feel overwhelming, it's easy to see yourself as a victim of your circumstances rather than an overcomer through Christ. The difference between being a worrier and a warrior comes down to where you place your confidence. A worrier tries to face every battle through personal strength and understanding, while a warrior trusts God to provide the strength, wisdom, and direction needed to overcome fear and uncertainty.
Highlights
Understand what it means to be more than a conqueror: Explore Romans 8:37 and the victory believers have through the love of Jesus Christ.

Recognize the difference between a worrier and a warrior: Learn how trusting God changes the way you respond to fear, insecurity, and uncertainty.

Understand the spiritual battle behind worry: Discover why Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our struggles involve more than the people and circumstances we can see.

Replace anxious thoughts with biblical truth: Use God's promises to challenge fear, doubt, and the belief that you cannot overcome difficult situations.

Renew your mind through Scripture: Explore Romans 12:2 and how changing your thought patterns can transform your perspective.

Rely on God's strength instead of your own: Find encouragement in Romans 8:31 and Psalm 28:7 when you feel unprepared or overwhelmed.

Choose faith over fear: Learn how prayer and confidence in Christ can help you move from feeling like a victim to living as an overcomer.

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!
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Full Transcript Below:
More Than a Conqueror
By Cindi McMenamin
Bible Reading:
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37 NIV).
The writer of Romans 8 told us about our victory in Christ. He elaborated on our victory over sin, through Christ Jesus, and celebrated with us that there is no condemnation for those of us who are trusting in Christ Jesus for our salvation.
But do you feel victorious today? Would you consider yourself a conqueror in all things, as verse 37 states? Or do you see yourself more as a failure or, at best, one who survives?
Life gives us plenty to fear, to worry about, to become anxious over. And yet Scripture gives us every indication that worry and fear are unnecessary when we suit up in our identity as a warrior and an overcomer in Christ.
Notice I said warrior, not worrier
A worrier is one who tries to fight battles of fear, insecurity, and doubt on one’s own. A warrior, on the other hand, lets God fight those battles through him or her.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us "we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies [like the person or situation that is making your life miserable], 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" [like the unseen thoughts, fears and frustrations that cloud your judgment, persuade you to worry, and tempt you to stress out].
But you are not destined to succumb to the battle.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Here's how you can tell if you're a worrier or a warrior:
A worrier says: "I'm so nervous about this situation. I've never done anything like this before.”
A warrior says: "God has gone before me into this situation, so I have nothing to fear."
A worrier says: "There's no hope."
A warrior says: "My hope is in the Lord..."
A worrier says: "What if something bad happens?"
A warrior says: "God causes all things (even the bad things) to work for good to those who love Him" (Romans 8:28).
A worrier says: "I'm not strong enough. Surely I will fail."
A warrior says: "The Lord is my strength" (Psalm 28:7) and "If God is for me, who can be against me?" (Romans 8:31).
Did you notice the primary difference between a worrier and a warrior? The worrier looks at the world and one’s circumstances through physical eyes. They see (or don’t see), and they fear.
The warrior is looking in the Word and has God's response for every situation he or she encounters. They see with spiritual eyes from God’s perspective—the perspective of a victor, an overcomer, a conqueror.
Romans 12:2 tells us "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
To conform to this world is to worry like every other person in the world.
To be transformed by the renewing of your mind is to think differently—as a warrior thinks, as a warrior who knows where their strength is, where the power is, and to Whom they belong.
So which one are you? A worrier or a warrior? A victim or an overcomer? A worrier can turn into a warrior at any time. A victim can suddenly be an overcomer. Your transformation is just a prayer away.
Lord God, grant me, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with power through Your Spirit inwardly (Ephesians 3:16-17) so that I can be a person of faith, not fear—a warrior, not a worrier, an overcomer, not a victim. It’s in the powerful, victorious, overcoming name of Jesus that I pray this. Amen.
Will you join me today in the ranks as a warrior?
Further Reading:
Ephesians 6:10-18
For more on becoming a warrior, not a worrier, see Cindi’s book, 10 Secrets to Becoming a Worry-Free Mom.
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Looking for a simple way to focus during prayer and meditation? Lighting a candle during your devotional time can help quiet distractions, settle your thoughts, and remind you of God’s presence. When stress, fear, or discouragement makes it difficult to feel close to God, the gentle glow of a candle can serve as a meaningful reminder that His light shines even in your darkest moments. Psalm 18:28 declares that God lights our candles and brightens our darkness, offering hope when we feel overwhelmed. Rather than trying to find strength or peace on your own, you can turn to God as the source of wisdom, comfort, and spiritual light.
Highlights
Use candlelight to focus during prayer: Learn how a simple visual reminder can help quiet distractions and center your thoughts on God.

Find hope in Psalm 18:28: Discover the reassurance that God brings light into your darkness rather than expecting you to overcome every struggle alone.

Create meaningful devotional habits: Explore how lighting a candle during morning prayer or evening reflection can make time with God more intentional.

Ask God for wisdom, peace, and encouragement: Bring your specific needs to Him through honest, focused prayer.

Release worry before bedtime: Use a quiet candlelit moment to reflect on God’s faithfulness and entrust your concerns to Jesus.

Remember that God’s light is greater than darkness: Find encouragement when facing fear, sadness, doubt, or overwhelming circumstances.

Share God’s light with others: Consider how the peace and hope you receive from God can encourage people who are walking through difficult seasons.

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!
Sign Up Today!
Full Transcript Below:
Light Candles with God
By: Whitney Hopler
Bible Reading:
“Surely, You will light my candle. The LORD, my God, will lighten my darkness.” – Psalm 18:28, RGT
I often light candles at home to remind myself of God’s presence with me. During my morning prayer and meditation times, looking at a candle’s flame helps me focus on how God enlightens me. After a stressful day, enjoying the glow from a candle helps me receive God’s peace. Anytime I need a fresh dose of hope, I can look at a candle and remember that God’s light is strong enough to dispel any darkness in my life.
Have you ever tried using candles during your devotional times with God? It’s simple to do, and can make a significant difference in your ability to focus on the light God is shining into your life.
Sometimes it’s hard to focus on communicating with God during prayer and meditation. Your mind can quickly drift to your busy schedule, your long to-do list, and all the situations you’re worried about right now. Having a candle in front of you can help center your thoughts on just one important thing: the light of God that’s right there with you. As you light a candle and watch the small flame spark to life, you can let go of distractions by thinking of them burning away from you while your mind clears. Then, as you look into the candle to physically focus your eyes on it, you can spiritually focus your attention on God’s presence with you.
In Psalm 18:28, the psalmist shares a wonderful promise: God himself lights your candles and brightens your darkness. This verse shows that God doesn’t expect you to produce your own light when you feel discouraged by the darkness in this fallen world. Instead, God promises to bring his light directly to you. God is the ultimate source of all enlightenment, peace, and hope. You can rely on God to light your candles by giving you whatever you need in prayer.
As you watch the candlelight during your devotional time, you can pray a simple prayer like this: “God, please shine your light on me today. Give me wisdom for my choices. Send me your powerful peace. Encourage me with the hope I need. Thank you; amen.” Talk with God about the specific ways you need enlightenment, peace, and hope on that particular day. Ask God to help the people you know who need those same blessings as they face challenges in their own lives. Let the bright candle flame remind you that Jesus, the Light of the World, loves hearing your prayers and answering them.
At bedtime, you can dim the lights in your room and sit near a glowing candle. Take a few deep, calm breaths. Look at the gentle light and let it inspire you to release the situations you’re worried about to Jesus. Thank him for watching over you, for helping you with those situations, and for sending his peace to you. Let the soft glow of candlelight remind you that God never gets tired and that God’s light shines on you throughout the night.
Whenever you feel overwhelmed by doubt, fear, or sadness, you can light a candle as a simple yet significant act of faith. Darkness can feel overwhelming, but even a tiny flame shines through a dark room. As you focus your eyes on the light, remind yourself that God’s love and power are far greater than any challenge you face. No matter how dark a situation appears, God’s light always wins. Just like a candle’s light will overcome the darkness in a room physically, God’s light will overcome darkness in your life spiritually.
Lighting candles can help you return to God anytime, anywhere. Let candles draw you closer to the source of all light, who loves you!
Intersecting Faith & Life:
As you consider how using candles can help you focus on God and the light he’s shining into your life, reflect on these questions:
When you feel stressed or distracted, how can watching a candle flame help calm your thoughts and refocus on God?
What area of your life currently feels dark? How does Psalm 18:28 reassure you that God will personally bring light to it?
How can creating a simple physical routine, like lighting a candle before you pray, help you build a stronger prayer life?
How does knowing that God promises to light your candles (rather than expecting you to come up with your own light) encourage you?
How can you share the light of God’s peace with someone in your life who is currently going through a challenging season?
Further Reading:
John 8:12
Psalm 119:105
Matthew 5:16
2 Corinthians 4:6
1 John 1:5
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What should you do when God doesn’t answer your prayers the way you hoped? When a door closes, a relationship doesn’t work out, or a long-awaited opportunity never comes, it’s natural to feel disappointed and question God’s plan. Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Even when we cannot understand why He says “no” or asks us to wait, He sees the bigger picture of our lives. Learning to trust God with unanswered prayers means surrendering our expectations, bringing our disappointment honestly to Him, and believing that His wisdom reaches beyond what we can see in the moment.
Highlights
Trust God when He says no: Understand why a closed door doesn’t necessarily mean God has abandoned you or forgotten your prayers.

See unanswered prayers from a new perspective: Discover how God may be protecting you from a path you cannot yet see clearly.

Surrender your expectations to God: Learn to release your grip on a specific outcome and trust His wisdom with your future.

Find encouragement in Paul’s transformation: Explore how God turned Saul, a persecutor of Christians, into one of the early Church’s most influential apostles (Acts 9).

Remember that God’s grace is sufficient: Reflect on 2 Corinthians 12:9 and the reminder that God’s power can work through weakness, even when He doesn’t remove a struggle.

Practice gratitude during disappointment: Consider how thanking God for closed doors can help you grow in faith while you wait for clarity.

Pray for a trusting heart: Ask God to change your heart and strengthen your faith, even if He doesn’t change your circumstances.

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!
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Full Transcript Below:
Thanking God for the Prayers He Answered Differently
By Hannah Benson
Bible Reading:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV).
I’ve always been a storyteller. I love classic period dramas where the protagonist gets their happily-ever-after and the villains get what they deserve.
After I graduated high school, I prayed for a door to open that I thought would be the right one for me in that season. I filled dozens of pages in my prayer journal, begging God to open this door.
Would God answer my prayers the way I wanted?
Looking back, I can’t help but chuckle at my naivety.
Was I disappointed when God closed that door and led me in a different direction?
Absolutely.
I didn’t understand why God said “no” when I prayed so hard and for so long.
All I could see in that moment was what I thought was best. But looking back, I am so grateful that God didn’t answer the way I’d wanted Him to.
If God had given me what I wanted when I wanted it, I would’ve missed out on so much. He had different plans for me, adventures to embark on, callings to pursue, and people to meet that never would’ve happened had He said “yes” back then.
While I thought I knew what was best, I see now that it was God’s protection that closed the door.
What are you praying for today? Even when we pray for something good, we may find that God answers differently than what we’d hoped for. When He says “no” or “wait,” His higher perspective sees the whole story while we only see the page we’re on.
Think of what you are praying for most in this season, maybe a career, a relationship, or a change in your circumstances. What if God says “no”?
What is your initial response?
I’m not talking about the response we know we should have. We know we should trust the Lord and be grateful for the doors God has shut for our protection. But do we thank God when He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want?
Honestly ask yourself these questions.
To be transparent with you, sometimes I struggle with anger when God tells me “No.”
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Recently, God showed me that I’m clinging to something I’m praying for far too tightly. I know God is the only One Who can change my circumstances, and I felt a twinge of distrust as I realized that God might not answer my prayers the way I want.
If this door closes, I know I should praise Him anyway and be grateful for His protection. My prayer is that He’ll change my heart even if He doesn’t change my circumstances. But I need God’s help to trust Him as I navigate this current season.
What if God says “no”?
Will I trust He will work everything together for my good (Romans 8:28) even if the answer is not what I’ve asked for?
When I look back on my life and the miraculous “yeses” God gave me, I know God will open every door that He wants me to walk through. I’ve seen Him do it countless times and know He will do it again. It doesn’t matter how impossible something seems; God can make a way where there is no way.
I’ve also seen how the “no’s” were blessings in disguise. How the prayers I prayed fresh out of high school, when met with a “no,” turned out to be one of the greatest blessings in my life at that time.
Consider Paul, originally called Saul, for instance. He was zealous and persecuted Christians. I imagine many believers in the early Church prayed either for him or about him. Perhaps they expected God to stop their persecutor and to remove him.
Instead, God did what seemed impossible: He transformed the persecutor into a preacher.
God met him on the road to Damascus and flipped his future on its head (Acts 9). God allowed Paul to become temporarily blind so that his spiritual eyes would be opened to the Lord. Paul then went on to become one of the most influential apostles in the early Church.
I’m sure people were shocked when Paul became zealous to share the good news of Jesus. No one could’ve changed his heart, not even Paul himself. God alone was the only one who instigated a heart change.
Paul later writes in 2 Corinthians 12 of a thorn he begs God to remove for Him. God responds instead, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9).
Sometimes, God answers our prayers the way we want, but other times, He doesn’t. But even when we receive a “no,” we can thank God and trust that His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts greater than anything we could ever imagine.
Pray with me: Dear Father God, thank You for the times You answer differently. Please help me to be grateful for each “no” and each redirection. Please help me to trust that Your grace is sufficient for me in my weakness. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Through a powerful story about a painting called Peace in the Midst of the Storm and a personal experience of finding unexpected shelter during a rainstorm, this devotional explores how God brings peace in difficult seasons. Sometimes He changes our circumstances, and other times He calms our hearts through His presence while the storm continues. Jesus acknowledges in John 16:33 that we will face trouble in this world, but He also offers the lasting peace that comes from knowing He has overcome it. Discover how to trust God for protection, recognize His care in everyday moments, and find reassurance when you need peace the most.
Highlights
Understand what biblical peace really means: Learn why true peace is not the absence of hardship but the security of knowing God is with you through it.

Find refuge in God during difficult seasons: Explore Psalm 46:1 and its reminder that God is always present to provide strength and help in times of trouble.

Trust God when life feels chaotic: Discover how God can calm the storms around you or bring calm to your heart while you face them.

Recognize God’s unexpected provision: Reflect on a personal story of finding shelter during a sudden rainstorm and seeing God’s care in an ordinary moment.

Remember Jesus’ promise of peace: Find encouragement in John 16:33, where Jesus acknowledges life’s troubles while reminding us of His victory over the world.

Turn to God when fear takes over: Consider how prayer and trust in His presence can help you face uncertainty without feeling alone.

Reflect on songs about God’s peace and protection: Explore “Sometimes He Calms the Storm,” “A Secret Place,” and “Peace” as musical reminders of God’s comfort during life’s storms.

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!
Sign Up Today!
Full Transcript Below:
When God Calms You
By Alexis A. Goring
Bible Reading:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” - Psalm 46:1 (NIV)
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the storms of life? Do you desperately seek refuge only to not find relief? If so, then this message is for you.
There’s a story about a king who hosted a contest for artists. They were asked to paint a picture that represents peace. While I haven’t seen the original artwork from the king’s contest, I learned about a modern-day artist, Jack E. Dawson, who heard the story and was inspired to paint a picture of peace. “Artist Jack E. Dawson did not enter or win an actual art contest for his famous painting ‘Peace in the Midst of the Storm’; rather, he was inspired to paint it after hearing a traditional parable about a king's art contest. Dawson heard a story years prior during a church revival about a king who held a contest for artists to paint the best representation of ‘peace.’ While most artists submitted calm lakes, sunsets, and peaceful meadows, the winning painting depicted a harsh, roaring waterfall, a stormy sky with lightning, and a rugged cliff. Upon closer inspection, a tiny bird was tucked safely in a nest within a crack in the rock behind the rushing water. The king explained that true peace is not the absence of noise, trouble, or hardship, but rather being completely calm and secure in the middle of chaos.”
What can we learn from this? I believe this story and painting teach us that God can calm us and shelter us in the midst of raging storms. Like the song by Scott Krippayne says (and I paraphrase): God will either calm the storm around us, or He will calm us with His Presence in the storm. Just like the painting of a bird being sheltered in the storm, we too are safe with God in the storms of life.
I remember when I was in college, I had to walk a few miles to an assignment for class. I usually checked the weather before walking anywhere, but that day I didn’t. So, I was totally unprepared for the rainstorm that poured down at the time I had to return to the dorm where I lived as a student. Accepting that I’d be completely waterlogged by the time I reached my destination, I focused on walking slowly so I wouldn’t slip on the wet pavement of the sidewalks. After walking carefully for a few minutes, the rain began to soak my clothes. But before I was completely drenched in water, a small bus slowly pulled up beside me. The door opened, and without hesitation, I entered the bus and thanked the driver for the ride that was going to provide shelter for me in this storm. He drove me back to the front entrance of the dorm where I was staying, keeping the conversation about the weather lighthearted during the entire five-minute ride. I thanked him again as I exited the bus and walked a few steps into the dorm, where I was now completely safe from the storm. Looking back on that day, I sensed God in it.
God knew that I needed shelter and safety, so He provided it. The same God who did that for me then can do that and more for you now. Whether you are going through a physical storm outdoors with rain drenching you, thunder booming that’s scaring you, and lightning flashing before your eyes…or you’re experiencing the trials and tribulations of life, I encourage you to remember that you are not alone. Jesus Christ tells us He is with us in John 16:33 (NIV). He says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
If you’d like to see the famous, modern-day painting representing peace and learn more about it in the words of the artist, visit Jack E. Dawson’s website.
In closing, I’d like for you to listen to and reflect on these three songs:
Song of Reflection #1: “Sometimes He Calms the Storm” by Scott Krippayne. Listen to it HERE.
Song of Reflection #2: “A Secret Place” by Karen Clark Sheard. Listen to it HERE.
Song of Reflection #3: “Peace” by Dr. Juanita Bynum. Listen to it HERE.Intersecting Faith & Life:
The next time you feel afraid while experiencing a storm, and you need shelter, will you ask God to provide refuge? How does it feel to know that Jesus Christ can give you perfect peace in the midst of any storm?
Further Reading:
Ephesians 2:14
Philippians 4:7
John 14:27
Isaiah 9:6
Isaiah 26:3
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