Truth For Life Blog

Wallpaper: Miracle

TFL — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 04:59:59 GMT

“All true faith and all true confession of Jesus is a miracle. Every conversion is a miracle.”
—Alistair Begg

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Alistair Begg Shares Thoughts from His Recent Travel

TFL — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 04:45:00 GMT

Dear Friend,

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet (act 1, scene 5), we find this famous quote: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Hamlet says this after encountering his father’s ghost, arguing against his friend Horatio’s skepticism.

I’ve had that quote in mind over the past few weeks—and not, I must say, as a result of encountering any ghosts! Rather, because of the invitations I accepted to visit several places, it has become clear to me that there are more things going on in the world of biblical Christianity than I previously realized. While I miss my Sunday-by-Sunday pulpit ministry, I am enjoying the privilege of seeing firsthand how God is at work across the US in the lives of so many people.

From Memphis to Manhattan to Phoenix to Lynchburg, the unfolding story is the same: Local Gospel-centered churches are engaged in evangelism and discipleship with an energetic enthusiasm that can put me to shame. The pastors of many of these churches are young (the age of my children), and in spending time with them, I am challenged, encouraged, and mindful of J.C. Ryle’s comment that God “will raise up better servants and brighter stars.” Ryle said this in response to people questioning the future of the church when he and others like him were taken away.

Looking beyond North America’s borders, I am struck by the same sense of evangelistic zeal. As a result of your commitment to the Gospel and your support of our endeavors at Truth For Life, we are in partnership with brothers and sisters in Christ in Pakistan, Brazil, Malaysia, Poland, China, the Philippines, and more.

Together, in many languages, we are saying to our friends and neighbors that we have one story to tell—one that’s vastly different from a worldview that believes there is no creator God, no absolute morality, and no ultimate truth.

Easter provides us with a unique opportunity to follow the example of the apostle Paul in addressing the intelligentsia in Athens. He was courteous and well-prepared. He understood their Stoic and Epicurean philosophies and addressed them with unmistakable clarity by explaining that God made the world and everything in it, that He is Lord of heaven and earth, and that we, His created beings, are accountable to Him. Paul did not shy away from telling his listeners that they had an appointment to meet God, because God has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31). Assurance of this, he explained, is found in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Luke tells us that the response of Paul’s listeners varied: Some mocked, some were open to listening again, and some believed. These are the same reactions we find when we speak with people today. Only God opens blind eyes and softens hard hearts to the truth of His Word, but we have an important role to play by inviting others to come to know Him.

Spurgeon explains the supernatural work of God in salvation as follows: “The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart that He had Himself prepared for its reception.” I hope this will encourage all of us to be bold in our witness as we seek to see unbelieving people become committed followers of the Lord Jesus.

On behalf of our entire team, we wish you and your family a blessed, joyful, and Gospel-sharing Easter and extend our heartfelt gratitude for your upholding partnership in Truth For Life.

With my love in the Lord Jesus,

Alistair

Your Only Comfort: Devotions for Hope in Suffering

TFL — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 05:00:01 GMT

Nineteenth-century preacher Charles Spurgeon was known as the “Prince of Preachers” because of his powerful proclamation of the Gospel. Yet in his personal life, he wrestled with depression, chronic illness, and deep sorrow. As a result, suffering became a central theme in many of his sermons.

Your Only Comfort: Devotions for Hope in Suffering is a newly released thirty-day devotional that presents a collection of excerpts from his sermon archive that explores

why God allows suffering in the world,
why God allows faithful believers to experience prolonged periods of personal suffering,
how believers can endure trials with hope and understanding, and
the relationship between the suffering of Christ and believers’ suffering.

Spurgeon taught his congregation that suffering wasn’t an elective for the Christian; rather, following Jesus makes suffering a required course. Regardless of what season of life you’re presently in, Your Only Comfort is a must-read for every believer who will surely, at some point, experience life’s storms.

Your Only Comfort presents Spurgeon’s original language in all thirty readings, giving readers the opportunity to benefit from his powerful and profound words exactly as he preached them from the pulpit through the text.

This collection of brief devotionals offer a powerful reminder of God’s sovereignty over hardship and will point you away from what’s temporary to what’s eternal.

Request your copy when you donate to Truth For Life today, and share a copy with a friend who’s navigating difficulty.

The Savior’s Love and the Lord’s Supper

TFL — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 04:45:00 GMT

Memorably, and perhaps perplexingly, the account of the Last Supper in Luke 22 begins with a whole lot of rigmarole regarding where the Passover meal is to happen and how the disciples are to discover it. The circumstances are reminiscent of a Cold War spy novel, with signs, code phrases, and secret locations: “A man carrying a jar of water will meet you. … Tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says ….’” (vv. 10–11). We might wonder: Why all the subterfuge? Was Jesus acting out of fear?

A careful consideration of the situation reveals another motivation altogether: deep, abiding love. Jesus’ presence in Jerusalem had caused a spectacle—and yet on the night of the Passover, He wanted privacy so that He could spend time with His dear friends: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (v. 15). These were His companions. He had called them by name. He had loved them (John 13:1) and called them “to be with him” (Mark 3:14). And so He took pains, as it were, to ensure that on their last night together—as He would, among other things, institute the practice of the Lord’s Supper—they would enjoy the intimacy such a sacred time deserved.

As we consider the Lord’s love for the Twelve as expressed in this scene, we may learn at least two lessons about His love for all of His disciples, across all time.

The Intensity of Love’s Connection

One lesson is simply this: Just as Jesus strongly desired for His disciples to “be with him,” so He passionately longs for intimacy with all of His followers.

In verse 15, the Greek phrase epithymia epethymēsa (“I have earnestly desired”) can be literally rendered “With desire I have desired” (KJV). It employs two forms of the same word used elsewhere for the starving Prodigal’s longing for the pig slop in Luke 15:16: “He was longing to be fed…” The same word is also used for the angels’ longing for the mystery of the Gospel in 1 Peter 1:12: “the things … into which angels long to look.” It is, in other words, an intense desire. During His last joyful moments before the cross, the Lord of the universe—the one who had calmed the raging sea, turned water into wine, and raised the dead—longed, deeply, to spend time with these humble, unimpressive, often foolish men.

Remarkably, this same Lord Jesus has pledged Himself with an intense longing to be our Savior and friend (Matt. 11:19; Luke 7:34; John 15:13–15). In His letter to the church at Laodicea, for instance, Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:20). It is a picture of remarkable intimacy—the Lord entering the home of our very selves, sitting down at our table, and sharing a meal, conversation, and friendship with us.

During His last joyful moments before the cross, the Lord of the universe longed, deeply, to spend time with these humble, unimpressive, often foolish men.

If we’re honest, we can admit that Jesus is far more willing to grant us friendship than we are to seek it. We ought to ask ourselves, then: Does Jesus live with us? Have we known His companionship? Have we awakened in the morning to the realization that Jesus loves us with such an intense longing? Do we realize that in the reading of the Bible, He speaks to us, and we discover His will? That in the fellowship of His people, He builds us and teaches us? That in the singing of His praise, we discover the wonder of who He is? And that God offers all of this to us because He wants to be with us?

There’s all the difference in the world between going through the motions and connecting with the intensity of Jesus’ love. Is that a difference that marks your friendship with the Messiah?

The Clarity of Love’s Instruction

A second lesson has to do with the practice of Communion itself: As Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He introduced an ordinance to be observed by all believers throughout time, until His return, as a remembrance of the sacrifice He offered and the salvation He secured.

Under the old covenant, the Passover meal memorialized the tenth plague, the sparing of Israel’s firstborn, and the exodus from Egypt. This was God’s great act of salvation for Israel in the Old Testament. Centuries later, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus had called His coming passion His “exodus” (Luke 9:31 NLT), or “departure” in most English translations. In other words, on that fateful night, all that was anticipated and portrayed in the Passover was about to be fulfilled in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

Today, in certain Jewish households, when the food arrives at the Passover meal, the host will lift the unleavened bread and pronounce, “This is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are needy come and celebrate Passover.” The host will then break the bread and pass it around to everyone to eat in silence. Similarly, he will offer a number of blessings over a cup of wine.

All that was anticipated and portrayed in the Passover was about to be fulfilled in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

On the occasion of the Last Supper, Jesus had His own pronouncement to make: “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In other words, He was saying, “I Myself am the Passover bread, and the broken bread is My affliction on your behalf. When you do this, you should remember Me.” With the wine, too, the picture is taken up in the Lord Jesus: “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” The cup calls to mind, then, not the old covenant with Abraham, according to which God brought the people out of Egypt, but the new covenant in the Son’s blood, by which God forgives our sins, puts His law within us, and allows us to know Him (Jer. 31:31–34 ).

The instruction is clear: By His death, in His love, Jesus accomplished a new and better exodus—and if we are His friends, we ought to remember it (John 15:14). Just as the blood of the Passover lamb saved Israel from death and slavery, so the blood of Jesus sets us free from slavery to sin and death, cleansing us from the guilt and power of sin. And in doing so, it draws us into the communion with Him that He so deeply desires and secures our place with Him for eternity (John 14:3).

The Opportunity of Love’s Communion

When we observe the Communion meal in our churches out of obedience to Jesus’ command to “do this,” we have communion with the Lord Jesus, our Savior and friend. He eagerly desires to offer this meal to us.

The Lord’s Supper is not about following rules and regulations. It’s about communion with Jesus. It would be foolish to miss your child’s birthday party and say, “Well, I can be there next year. After all, it’s how I feel for her in my heart that is most important, not that I go to the party itself.” It is foolish, too, to neglect the celebration that the Lord has instituted—indeed, has commanded—out of a misplaced idea that mere faith is the most important thing.

In the Lord’s Supper, we remember the new covenant and the immense love of Christ for us. That is an occasion for solemn joy, and it is not an opportunity to be missed. With a love so intense and an instruction so clear, we ought not to neglect the opportunity to remember and commune with Him.

This article was adapted from the sermon “The Extent of His Love” by Alistair Begg.

Wallpaper: The Birthright

TFL — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

“This is the birthright of the child of God—that God comes and invades us by the Holy Spirit, takes up residence in our lives, and creates within us a passion for God, a love for Him.”
—ALISTAIR BEGG

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Content and Character: A Rubric for Testing the Prophecies from Our Pulpits

TFL — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

In 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21, we find a curious series of exhortations: “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything.”

What exactly did the apostle Paul mean when he urged the believers in Thessalonica not to “quench the Spirit”? And what are we supposed to do about “prophecies”? Are our churches “quenching the Spirit” when we discourage the sharing of “words from the Lord” and instead look to the steady, systematic teaching of Scripture?

J. B. Phillips’s paraphrase of the New Testament is helpful here: “Never damp the fire of the Spirit, and never despise what is spoken in the name of the Lord.” Prophecy, as Paul uses the term here, is not strictly a word of revelation that comes to a man or woman at a moment in time; it is the word of God proclaimed—in whatever context (1 Peter 4:10–11; 2 Peter 1:20).

At one time in the history of God’s people, to benefit from such prophecy required testing prophets (Deut. 18:18–22). In our time, it will mean attending to the Word of God recorded in the Scriptures and testing the preachers who proclaim it. If we are to be aflame with the Spirit, we’ll only become so by listening properly to God’s Word.

“Do Not Despise Prophecies”

While we can’t say with certainty what is the context of these statements from Paul, we can venture some educated guesses that—accurate or not—will give us an idea of the ways we can go wrong.

Perhaps, as in Corinth, there were some in Thessalonica who treated speaking in tongues as a greater gift than forthright teaching (1 Cor. 14). Such men and women would have dramatized the spectacular and diminished the mundane. If that is the case, then Paul would be saying, essentially, “I don’t want you to ignore and despise the clear teaching of God on account of these other things. Give it due honor.” In other words, we are not to be gullible, becoming so enamored with what’s novel and exciting that we ignore what is clear and plain.

On the other hand, it’s not too far a stretch to imagine that these admonitions may have been responding to a fascination with the question of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:1–11; 2 Thess. 2:1–2). Perhaps, as happens today, speculation ran rampant to the point of incredulity, so that reasonable people were tempted to do away with the question of Christ’s return altogether: “Oh, it’s all just conjecture and hype!” Of course, the fact that some people mistreat the Word is no excuse for despising it. We cannot become so impatient with the overly excitable that we roll our eyes at the truths from which they have launched themselves into speculation.

When God’s Word is proclaimed, we should pay attention. We should guard ourselves from distraction on the one hand and scorn on the other.

So when Paul says, “Do not despise prophecies,” whatever he meant then, what it means now is simply this: When God’s Word is proclaimed, we should pay attention. We should guard ourselves from distraction on the one hand and scorn on the other. Whatever anyone else is doing, God’s Word is God’s Word.

But if we’re to be neither gullible nor cynical when it comes to God’s Word, what alternative is left to us? Paul’s answer is direct and clear: “Test everything.” In its adjectival form, the Greek word for “test” appears in 2 Timothy 2:15, where Paul speaks to Timothy as a teacher of the Word: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, … rightly handling the word of truth” (emphasis added; c.f. 1 Thess. 2:4). Just as a widget in a factory gets inspected and approved before it is shipped, so we ought to test the teaching of the Word against proven standards before we take it for truth.

Tests of Content

Every test requires some sort of rubric, some set of standards against which we’re to measure the results produced by the test-taker. In the case of the proclamation of God’s Word from our churches’ pulpits, we might consider a rubric consisting first of three tests of content.

First of all, we should always test the teaching of the Scriptures against the Scriptures themselves. This is what the Bereans did: “They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). We may ask: Does what is being declared here accord with the plain truth of the whole Bible? (This means we should likewise beware of those who either tell us they have something novel to teach or draw outlandish conclusions from obscure passages of Scripture removed from their context.)

Many have been roped to error through ignorance of the truth about Jesus.

Second, we should ask if the teaching accords with who Jesus is and what He has done. The cults—Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and so on—love to use the language of Scripture with respect to Jesus while denying the truth of His divine identity. “We love Jesus,” they say. “He is a son of God.” Of course, that choice of article—a rather than the—is important. Yet many have been roped to error through ignorance of the truth about Jesus.

Third, we should consider whether the teaching accords with the Gospel of God’s free and saving grace. “Even if we or an angel from heaven,” Paul says, “should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed!” (Gal. 1:8). False teachers always tell us to work our way to heaven, or else tell us that works don’t matter at all. To that we must say, “By no means!” (Rom. 6:2, 15).

Tests of Character

Beyond these three tests of content, we might add two tests of character to our rubric.

First, we ought to test whether the character of the speaker accords with the truth of the Scriptures. The central question should not, of course, be “Is this man perfect?”—for there’s only been one perfect man. A better question is “Is this person for real? Is the Gospel he preaches with his mouth steadily upheld by his own works?”

Jesus tells us, “Beware of false prophets …. You will recognize them by their fruits. … Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit” (Matt. 7:15–18). A wicked, unrepentant heart cannot live a consistent life of spiritual fruit.

Second, we should consider the impact of teachers’ teaching on the character of their listeners. A truly prophetic message that brings God’s Word to bear upon God’s people within the climate of their day will strengthen and equip. It will encourage and comfort. It will bring conviction of sin. It will bring an awareness of God. It will be conducive to peace, love, and order.

Of course, true teaching will not always produce widespread repentance. The prophets were rejected. So was Jesus. So were the apostles. Yet even when we test a rejected preacher, we should find that he is rejected for his good word and that he taught with the aim of building up in the truth.

Holding On to Good, Avoiding Evil

In the verses that follow his admonition to “test everything,” Paul urges his readers to “hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess. 5:21–22). Like a discerning clerk accepting a cash payment, we need to know the true from the false. A little boy may be ecstatic when he gets his first game of Monopoly and finds that it is filled with cash. Perhaps only slowly and with great disappointment will it dawn on him that the money can only buy property on the board—and that only lasts until the game is over and the pieces are put back in the box.

When it comes to biblical teaching, we need to know the difference. As followers after Jesus, we’re to be neither roped in by the mere appearance of good nor jaded by all the bad we’ve seen. Rather, testing and approving, we are to hold on to the good and vehemently reject what is evil.

This article was adapted from the sermon “Listening to the Word of God” by Alistair Begg.

Wallpaper: Wait for the Lord

TFL — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:59:59 GMT

“Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!”
PSALM 27:14

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To the Unsaved Believer

TFL — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 04:59:59 GMT

Strange as it may sound, there can be such a thing as an unsaved believer. Not a few people have come to the preaching of the Word, heard the Gospel, and said, “I know that’s true.” They believe that Jesus is the person He claimed to be, that He died for sinners, and that He thus saves sinners. Nevertheless, they are not saved.

The fact is, according to the Bible, belief alone isn’t what saves a person (James 2:19). Assent to truth is not the same as trust. Someone can have all the information, can see the fruit of the Gospel in the people around them, can hear again and again the generous invitation of the Lord Jesus, and may nevertheless give Him the cold shoulder.

Very often, at least two significant barriers stand between such a person and Christ: misdirected religious energy and moral indignation.

Misdirected Religious Energy

In Romans 10:2, the apostle Paul praises the exemplary faith of his fellow Jews: “They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” These men and women would have been prepared to jump up in an instant and champion the cause “For God and for country.” They would have been ready, in contemporary terms, to attend the prayer breakfast, vote for the moral candidate, donate to the right causes, and proclaim their faith on social media. They believed in God passionately—but in their hard-heartedness, they misunderstood what God had done and what He asks for. Their zeal was misinformed, and it was therefore misdirected.

Verse 3 tells us how: “Being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” In other words, not having a grasp of God’s generous goodness, they depended on their own goodness instead—which, as Scripture makes clear, is wholly inadequate (Isa. 64:4; Rom. 3:23).

Jesus Christ died for sins to give us a righteousness that we did not and cannot have on our own. In response to that reality, we can either submit to God’s righteousness by receiving it as a free gift through faith in Jesus, or we can attempt to establish our own righteousness through good deeds and religious energy. This second route is crowded with moralistic non-Christians and professing Christians alike, because it appeals to a sense of self-reliance.

Jesus Christ died for sins to give us a righteousness that we did not and cannot have on our own.

This effort at self-made righteousness, however, is ultimately a barrier—one behind which many a well-meaning soul stands, cut off from saving faith in Jesus Christ. The well-meaning moralist may have many of the benefits and trappings of Christianity without ever having done the most essential thing: to cry out in humility, “Lord Jesus, save me!”

Moral Indignation

Whereas misdirected religious energy involves taking false comfort in our religious identity, moral indignation involves deriving security from a false sense of superiority. Those who embrace it tend to be self-righteous: “I’m thankful that I’m not like that lot. There is no question that these people need help.”

Who are “that lot”? Who are “these people”? Perhaps they may be the sort of shamelessly immoral people Paul condemns in the second half of Romans 1: “gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil” (vv. 29–30), and so on. To be sure, such sins are worth avoiding! But the self-made righteous person doesn’t see such excoriating condemnations as opportunities to reflect in humility on their own sinfulness. Instead, we can imagine them standing up and applauding: “That’s right, Paul! You tell them!”

Self-righteous people can convince themselves that they are all right with God, but they can’t hide from God the sin that is in their heart.

Of course, Paul then turns the tables: “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things” (2:1). In other words, he says, you can’t cover up your crimes and misdemeanors by simply pointing to the failings of others. God sees through those smoke screens and holds every one of us accountable for our own deeds. Self-righteous people can convince themselves that they are all right with God, but they can’t hide from God the sin that is in their heart.

How moral is moral enough for us to approach a holy God? How deep must the commitment to religious orthodoxy be so as to secure the Lord’s “Well done” (Matt. 25:21, 23)? And if the standard by which God operates is absolute and total perfection, how in the world are we ever going to make the grade? Surely, as we consider these questions, we should see our need first and foremost for mercy and grace.

What a tragedy it is, then, when professing believers in Jesus are actually just believers in their own goodness, unable to face up to the fact of their condition before God! What a strange presumption it is to highlight the sins of other people while seeking to minimize one’s own! Handley Moule captures the problem well when he writes, “The harlot, the liar, the murderer, are short of [God’s moral glory]; but so are you. Perhaps they stand at the bottom of a mine, and you on the crest of an Alp; but you are as little able to touch the stars as they.”¹

God’s Kindness

As Paul reminded the Romans, God is slow to punish the openly immoral as well as the self-righteous because “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (2:4). He gives us time to turn from sin. That is not the same as tolerating our sin. God never says, “This is okay.” He’s says, “This is all wrong. But I desire to make you right.”

This intermingling of kindness and wrath finds itself expressed perfectly in the cross of Christ. The Lord Jesus bore our punishment in His body (1 Peter 2:24). It is not that God lets us off with our sins, for then He would not be just. To the contrary, He is completely just, so sin must be punished. And that is why He meted out His wrath at Calvary.

Faith’s great function is to receive what grace offers.

“Yes,” someone says, “I believe all of that.” Very well—but did you ever call upon God for salvation? We may be drowning in the ocean, convinced that a life ring will save us. We may believe it wholeheartedly and shout, “Throw it in! Help!” But what good will it be if we won’t take hold of the ring? What good will all our frantic swimming do us as the current pushes us away? What good, indeed, is all the believing if we never abandon our own efforts at righteousness and cast ourselves onto Christ?

This is the good news: God’s grace turning away His wrath, God’s Son taking the sinner’s place, God having mercy on the undeserving so that there’s nothing left for us to contribute. Faith’s great function is to receive what grace offers. It is simply hands outstretched to take the gift which God has provided in Jesus. Faith is the enabling of my vocal cords to cry out, “Lord Jesus, save me!”

Have you prayed those words, or something like them, yet? If you have, then you can be assured that all the righteousness God requires is at your disposal in the person of His Son. And if not, then you should know that no amount of religious fervor or self-superiority will bring you lasting peace. Don’t let yourself live as an unsaved believer! As the psalmist writes, “If you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Ps. 95:7–8). As long as you draw breath, it’s never too late to repent from a life of self-reliance and instead cast yourself on the loving mercy of God, who promises to bring His good work in you “to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

This article was adapted from the sermon “A Call to the Unsaved Believer” by Alistair Begg.

Handley C. G. Moule, The Epistle to the Romans (London: Pickering & Inglis, 1861), 97. ↩︎

Wallpaper: Light Of Life

TFL — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 04:59:59 GMT

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
JOHN 8:12

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Praying the Bible

TFL — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 04:30:00 GMT

Prayer can often feel intimidating—especially when our words run dry or our thoughts wander. Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney offers a refreshingly simple and deeply biblical solution: Let Scripture shape and fuel your prayers! Rather than treating prayer and Bible reading as separate disciplines, Whitney shows how God’s Word provides the very language and direction our prayers need, helping believers move beyond routine or repetitive requests into richer communion with God.

At the heart of the book is a practical method: reading a passage of Scripture and turning its words into personal prayer. Whether using the Psalms, the Lord’s Prayer, or other portions of the Bible, Whitney demonstrates how this approach guards us from “saying the same old things” repeatedly and keeps our prayers grounded in God’s revealed will. The result is prayer that is both God-centered and personally meaningful, shaped not by our moods but by truth.

Praying the Bible is easily adoptable whether you’re a new believer or a longtime Christian. Whitney writes with pastoral warmth and clarity, offering concrete examples that make the practice he outlines easy to begin immediately. This is a book not about mastering a technique but about cultivating a lifelong habit that will deepen your love for Scripture and foster consistency in your prayers, even during spiritually dry seasons.

If you long for a prayer life that is more focused, biblical, and joyful, Praying the Bible is an invaluable guide. By praying God’s Words back to Him, you’ll discover that prayer is not about finding the right words; it’s about responding to the God who has already spoken.

Request your copy when you donate to Truth For Life today.

The Closing Argument of Romans 8: God’s Love in Paul’s Grand Finale

TFL — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

As the apostle Paul concludes Romans 8, he offers a sort of closing argument in the trial of the Christian believer. The doubtful Christian has wondered, “Will I be able to persevere to the end?” Paul, with all the finality of Perry Mason revealing the real killer, has affirmed the believer’s acquittal, showing that God is for us and will give us the fullness of our salvation by carrying us on to completion (vv. 31–32). Though the Evil One seeks to dissuade us with reminders of guilt and suffering, Paul shows that these are immaterial to the outcome of the case (vv. 33–35).

Now, in verse 37, Paul moves to a grand finale with two great declarations: First, the Christian is not simply the winner, a “conqueror,” but is superlatively so. And second, this status through Christ is irrevocable, untouchable, on account of the faithful love of the Lord.

In Suffering, Through Christ

Having asked whether tribulation, distress, persecution, and so on have any power to separate us from Christ’s love, Paul now answers definitively in verse 37: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors.” The Greek word translated “conquerors” here is hypernikōmen—literally “hyper-conquerors.” In other words, it’s not as if we have narrowly won the victory. In Christ, we have trounced the enemy.

Yet notice: We are not removed from battle. Rather, we are hyper-conquerors “in all these things.” Suffering is not alien to the experience of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ; it is normal to it. Yet we triumph through it. As the singer Andraé Crouch memorably put it, “Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus.”¹

To be a hyper-conqueror, however, is not to be either a very special person or a very powerful person. No, our conquest is “through him who loved us” (v. 37). As Paul has written earlier, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). The love through which we conquer is the love of the Lord Jesus, who has triumphed over all.

An Airtight Case

How certain is Paul about his assertion? “I am sure,” Paul says in verse 38. In the NIV, he is “convinced.” In the King James, he is “persuaded.” The case, he says, is airtight—and self-doubting Christians may leave their doubts behind.

Up to this point, and still now, the basis of Paul’s persuasion is the character of God. It all goes back to this simple argument: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (v. 31). The revelation of all of God in Christ (John 14:9) provides the evidence that will convince the mind and heart.

When an aircraft flies in under cover of fog, the pilots’ senses will be nearly useless. Their notion of where the ground is could be off by a hundred yards. The turbulence could fill them with fear. But a trained pilot knows that when you cannot see, you fly the instruments. The objective measurements on the airplane’s control panel can tell you with certainty where you are, where the plane is, and where you need to go.

In the fog of life, the ground will often be invisible to us—but self-doubting Christians can consider the objective truths of Scripture and fly safely. Chiefly, they may consider how God has freely given up His Son for them, and He will not fail to freely give them all the promises that the Gospel brings (v. 32).

No Separation

And what, exactly, is Paul so sure about? He explains in a dramatic tour de force of theological rhetoric: “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (vv. 38–39). That is a comprehensive certainty! It adds no more than his simple “No” in verse 37 in terms of the facts, yet it adds abundantly to our wisdom as we consider the myriad facets of our walk.

“Life,” with all the battles, all the benefits, all the triumphs, all the temptations, will not separate us from God’s love. “Death,” though it may separate us from all we know and all whom we have loved, will not separate us from God’s love.

The heavenly realms of spiritual good and spiritual wickedness—the cross of the Lord Jesus has disarmed these powers (Col. 2:15). No spirit of heaven or hell can contradict what God has already laid down in the Gospel (Gal. 1:8).

Time chases us and harries us. There are worries enough for the present: What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? (Matt. 6:31 ). Yet God provides. Worries multiply over the future, as they always have: “The world has gone to pot! How will my grandchildren manage?” But God will not die with our generation. God is “our help in ages past,” and He is “our hope for years to come.”²

Height and depth cannot separate us from Him. As the psalmist writes,

If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me. (Ps. 139:9–10)

Wherever we take ourselves in the world and wherever others send us, the love of Christ will go there with us.

“Any powers” whatsoever cannot undo Christ’s love—nor, indeed, can “anything else,” just in case we were worried that something slipped by! There are no loopholes. Nothing can, and nothing will, drive a wedge between God and those whom He has claimed as His own.

A Sure and Certain Hope

When the Book of Common Prayer comes to the service for the burial of the dead, it says something many people find counterintuitive: “We therefore commit his body to the ground … in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

How can hope be “sure and certain”? It cannot, if by “hope" we mean the mere chance of victory. But if we set our hope on something certain—if we give ourselves over not to chance but to the one who holds our lives in His hands—then our hope can be as certain as its object.

“God is for us,” Paul says as he closes his argument. “Therefore, not only is victory assured, but we are hyper-conquerors. Christ is faithful, and having died for us, He will not let any conceivable thing in this world separate us from His love.” The self-doubting Christian can take heart, for in Christ we have a hope that assures us of our future and which cannot be taken away.

This article is the third in a three-part series examining Paul’s closing argument in Romans 8. You can read the first and second parts here and here.

This article was adapted from the sermon “No Separation” by Alistair Begg.

Andraé Crouch, “Through It All” (1971). ↩︎
Isaac Watts, “Our God, Our Help in Ages Past” (1719). ↩︎

Wallpaper: Forever Glorious

TFL — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:59:59 GMT

“Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and Amen!”
PSALM 72:19

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The Closing Argument of Romans 8: Facing Off Against Guilt and Suffering

TFL — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT

But the prosecuting attorney, so to speak, has made some persuasive arguments in this case. The guilt of sin is nothing to laugh at, and the persistence of suffering would seem to show that we are on God’s bad side.

To these arguments Paul now applies his case in verses 33–36. God’s favor, he says, is not challenged by these realities. They are immaterial evidence, since the grace of God through Jesus Christ cancels guilt and belies suffering.

Accused but Not Condemned

Having already shown that since God is for believers, no one of any account can stand up against them, Paul then makes application to the question of our guilt before God’s law: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?”

There are those who bring charges. Our own hearts accuse us, our friends sometimes oppose us, our enemies undermine us, and the Evil One—whom the Bible calls “the accuser of our brothers” (Rev. 12:10)—comes again and again to say, “You’re no Christian. Look at how you talk. Look at how you treat your spouse. Look how little you pray.” The accuser stands before the Father and says, “How can you possibly declare this one justified?”

Yet before God’s throne there is an attorney for the defense: “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (v. 34). Jesus can hold up His wounded hands, put forward His wounded feet, reveal His wounded side, and say, “The sentence has already been served. I was made sin so that they might become righteous.” (See 2 Cor. 5:21.)

The case, then, is closed. God is the Judge; the Evil One is not. And the Judge has banged His gavel. The prosecutor can make whatever accusation he likes, but there is no double jeopardy. No one can raise again the charges God has dismissed on Christ’s account. “It is God who justifies,” so “who is to condemn?” No one!

Our Advocate with the Father

Importantly, the risen Lord Jesus today is not nowhere (nor everywhere) doing who knows what; He is somewhere, and He is doing something. Jesus, in His physical body, has ascended to “the right hand of God,” and there He “is interceding for us” (v. 34). In Jesus, we have the best lawyer possible—one who knows the Judge intimately, who is ever present at the bench for us, and who, indeed, has already dealt with our penalty by paying it Himself.

The book of Hebrews teaches us that the priests of the old covenant “were prevented by death from continuing in office.” Jesus, on the other hand, “holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.” And “consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (7:23–25). In His position as our Priest-Advocate, He is both able and willing to finish what He has begun.

We may do a little test in our minds: Consider the question “Why do you think you will go to heaven?” With what pronoun are you tempted to begin your answer? Is it “Because I…”? Or is it “Because He…”? When we look to ourselves, we will only find reason to doubt. But when we look to our faithful Advocate, we can rest assured. He has done it for us!

Retained for Us, Forever

Furthermore, we needn’t doubt the faithfulness of our Advocate. He is retained for us, forever. The self-doubting Christian should not be discouraged by suffering, because the Savior loves us with an unfailing love.

As Paul asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” we are to understand that none of the forces he names—“tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword” (v.35)—can ever do so. Indeed, far from being a sign of God’s abandonment, suffering may be a sign of our participation in Christ. It is for the Lord’s sake, Paul says (quoting Psalm 44), that we suffer.

Without a proper theology of suffering, we will be tempted to import what God promises for the then into the now. We will hear the promise that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21:4) and wonder, “Why are my eyes still so full of tears?” Or else we will live in denial, pretending that all is well to reassure ourselves we are in God’s graces.

But we know that Christians really do suffer. There is no suggestion that the threats Paul names aren’t real, even expected. “Here,” Paul says, “are some of the enemies of our happiness. They can afflict you now for a little while, but they cannot separate you, ultimately.” The proper perspective on our sufferings, as he has already told us in verse 18, is to remember how glorious our eventual vindication will be: “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Paul knew tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword (2 Cor. 11:16–29 ). Paul experienced intense opposition to his Gospel ministry. Yet he also knew the faithfulness of his Advocate—enough so that he could assure himself and every Christian that none of these sufferings or persecutions “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 39).

Holding, or Held?

There was a time not so long ago when parents could pile their small children into minivans and station wagons in all kinds of positions―some of them looking out of the back window like a dog, some of them sitting up in between the gear stick and the emergency brake, some of them hanging over the top—and drive off to wherever they were going. In contrast, today’s parents—perhaps wisely—can’t drive ten feet without securing their children in a five-point harness.

The picture we sometimes have of the Christian life is like that old way of doing things: We think we’re on top of the station wagon, holding on for dear life as Dad propels the machine to Florida at seventy miles per hour. But this isn’t at all the case! Jesus Christ has buckled us in, with all the care of a mother for her infant. In the words of the old hymn, “He will hold me fast”—and He will carry us securely to our destination.

This article is the second in a three-part series examining Paul’s closing argument in Romans 8. You can read the first and third parts here and here.

This article was adapted from the sermon “Case Closed!” by Alistair Begg.

Alistair Begg on the Importance of Prayer

TFL — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 05:15:00 GMT

Dear Friend,

One year to the day before my closing Sunday at Parkside, we began studying John chapter 17 together. Archbishop William Temple described the chapter as being perhaps the most sacred passage in all four Gospels. It takes us to the very heart of Jesus as He speaks to the Father on behalf of His own. Having spoken to the disciples, preparing them for His departure, Jesus then opens His heart and provides us with a glimpse that takes us, we might say, behind the scenes.

The High Priestly Prayer series at Parkside proved to be as challenging as it was encouraging. John Calvin observed that Jesus “shows teachers an example, that they should not only occupy themselves in sowing the Word, but by mixing their prayers with it should implore God’s help, that His blessing should make their work fruitful.”

Perhaps, in the goodness of God, as this series airs on the Truth For Life daily program in March, each of us will be helped in the spiritual discipline of prayer. You may remember how when the late Billy Graham was asked toward the end of his life if he had any regrets, he said, “I wish I would have prayed more.” As with physical exercise, we know the benefit of participating even when we don’t feel like it. How often have we participated reluctantly in corporate prayer only to find our souls refreshed?

Spurgeon urged his congregation along these lines: “We should pray when we are in a praying mood, for it would be sinful to neglect so fair an opportunity. We should pray when we are not in a proper mood, for it would be dangerous to remain in so unhealthy a condition. Prayer is as suitable for any spot on earth as praise is suitable for any place in heaven.”

Susan reminded me this week of how her mother routinely quoted parts of Philippians 4:4–6 in a loose paraphrase: “Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything, tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers.” There are many books that help us to pray, and this month, Praying the Bible by my friend Donald Whitney is in that category. He shows us how to use the words of Scripture as the basis for our prayers so that we can experience a richer, more meaningful prayer life. I commend it to you warmly.

Thinking along these lines, it is important for me to let you know how much I covet your prayers. John Newton in 1776 told his congregation that he was much in need of their prayers: “It is ... no small thing to stand between God and the people, to divide the word of truth aright, to give every one their portion, to withstand the counter tides of opposition and popularity, and to press those truths upon others, the power of which, I, at times, feel so little of in my own soul. A cold, corrupt heart is uncomfortable company in the pulpit.”

And so, as we approach the end of the first quarter of a new year, our focus remains under God to see unbelievers converted (do take up the offer of requesting three copies of The Man on the Middle Cross), to see believers established, and to see local churches strengthened. (Your prayers for pastors and church leaders will help uphold their ministries.)

Thank you for your faithful partnership, which is making it possible for the good news of Jesus to be heard and read around the world.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).

With my love in the Lord Jesus,
Alistair

Wallpaper: In Christ

TFL — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

“When God looks upon us, He does not see us in isolation, but He sees us in Christ.”
—ALISTAIR BEGG

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The Man on the Middle Cross

TFL — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 06:00:00 GMT

Imagine that you’re waiting at the gates of heaven, and you’re asked, “Why should we let you in?”

What would you say?

In his popular evangelism book The Man on the Middle Cross, Alistair explores this all-important question through the stories of three people whose lives were forever changed by meeting Jesus: the woman at the well, the paralytic man, and the thief on the cross.

Written with simplicity and clarity for those who have yet to know or trust in Jesus, this brief paperback introduces unbelievers to His invitation of salvation, closes with a suggested prayer, and directs readers to additional teaching about who Jesus is and why He came.

For believers, The Man on the Middle Cross is a concise, powerful tool for sharing the Gospel. Leave copies behind at coffee shops or school events, pass them out at outreach programs, give a copy to a friend or neighbor, and keep extras on hand for when God opens the door. This book was written specifically to help you introduce unbelievers to Jesus so they can come to know Him as their Savior, Friend, and King.

Request a bundle of three copies this month when you donate to Truth For Life.
(Offer available March 1–15, 2026)

More from the Truth For Life store:

Single Copies

Order individual booklets for just $1 each.

Tract Bundle

Purchase copies paired with a short Gospel tract that introduces unbelievers to God’s salvation plan for $1.20 each.

Box of 200

Purchase a box of 200 for your church, Bible study, school, or ministry for $200.

The Closing Argument of Romans 8: God Is on Our Side

TFL — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 05:15:00 GMT

Some days in the Christian life can feel like episodes of a soap opera, with twists and turns, changing allegiances, and a cliffhanger leaving us wondering what will happen next: “I know that Jesus has loved me to the end, but can I do that for Him? Will I persevere?”

In some ways, though, the Christian life is more akin to an episode of the 1950s detective show Perry Mason. Perry Mason always got his man before the hour was up. With the evidence presented, the guilty party found out, and the innocent party acquitted, the resolution was definitive. The viewers could rest assured.

In Romans 8, Paul, like Perry, works the jury on behalf of the beleaguered Christian, putting up the evidence to show that their acquittal is valid and permanent. The fact that “there is … now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (v. 1) is affirmed by the ultimate promise that nothing “in all creation … will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 39).

Romans 8:31–39 is something of a closing argument in this trial. And at the center of this closing argument is the friendly testimony of the star witness: God Himself.

The Case as It Stands

Verse 31 asks, “What then shall we say to these things?” To what? To all that has preceded! Paul has presented the evidence, and now he is about to tell us what it means. So what is the evidence?

In the preceding verses, Paul has asserted that Christ has stood in the place of sinners, and there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ. And those who are in Christ demonstrate this glorious reality by a new mentality, centered on what the Spirit of Christ desires (v. 5).

Furthermore, he points out the evidence that should point to the new spiritual life filling the believer: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (v. 11). This Spirit assures us of our adoption as children of God (vv. 12–17), helps us to persevere in hope amid suffering (vv. 18–25), and aids us in our weakness as we consider the glorious, electing love of God that knows us, predestines us, calls us, and justifies us in order that we might be ultimately glorified (vv. 26–30).

“What then shall we say to these things?” Paul then asks. Given all this evidence, how is the troubled Christian to understand his or her place in God’s kingdom?

The Theory of the Case

The crux of Paul’s argument is summed up in the next words: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (v. 31). It’s as if Paul were saying, “Judge and jury have already decided for you, defendant. The prosecutor can shout and scream and stomp his feet, but he cannot contradict them.”

If the God who calls us and justifies us is on our side, then the opposition is of no account. We may be tempted to set our eyes on own ability, but the Bible teaches us that our victory or failure really hinges on God:

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive” (Ps. 124:2–3).

This is the constant testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures. The success of God’s people is not to be looked for in God’s people but in God Himself. It was God who defeated Pharaoh (Ex. 14:4). As the people trembled at the thought of giants, Joshua and Caleb reminded them, “If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us” (Num. 14:8). God knocked down the walls of Jericho while the people stood by (Josh. 6:15–20). God defeated overwhelming forces before them as they conquered Canaan (Josh. 10:14). And “time would fail … to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets” (Heb. 11:32).

The Scriptures are clear: When God is on someone’s side, victory is certain, even if the odds seem slim from a human perspective. The whole world and all the spiritual powers may stand up to accuse our souls; still the answer to Paul’s question—“Who can be against us?”—would be: No one of any account whatsoever!

The Knock-Down Argument

It’s no question that if God is on our side, victory is ours. And if we are left with any question about whether God is on our side, Paul reminds us of this fact, established already in the record: God the Father, he writes, “did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” (Rom. 8:32). As the hymn writer puts it,

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.¹

We were sinners. Nevertheless, the Father, Son, and Spirit covenanted from eternity to save us from sin through the sacrifice of the incarnate Son on the cross: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Nothing in us deserves God’s love. Nevertheless, the cross demonstrates the marvelous fact that He has indeed loved us!

This incredible fact raises another question: “How will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). If God has given us the greatest and the best in Jesus, He will not withhold all of the blessings of grace that will complete His work in the lives of His children. In Christ, we have the promise of every grace—for “if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:10).

John Murray helpfully explains, “‘All things’ is an obvious example of an expression in universal terms used in a restrictive sense.”² In other words, God will not literally give us anything we ask, but He will definitely give us the whole package of grace that comes with knowing Jesus. If Jesus were a present opened on Christmas morning, we would never find the words “Batteries not included.” In giving Him, God has given us all we need; and having started us off, He will not fail to bring us to completion.

The work which His goodness began
The arm of His strength will complete;
His promise is Yea and Amen
And never was forfeited yet.³

This article is the first in a three-part series examining Paul’s closing argument in Romans 8. You can read the second and third parts here and here.

This article was adapted from the sermon “If God Be for Us…” by Alistair Begg.

Stuart Townend, “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” (1995). ↩︎
John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes, vol. 1, Chapters 1 to 8, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1959), 326.↩︎
Augustus Montague Toplady, “A Debtor to Mercy Alone” (1771). ↩︎

Wallpaper: Amazingly Joined

TFL — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 06:00:00 GMT

“The relationship into which we have been brought with Jesus Christ is an indissoluble union that will last for all of eternity. We have been immediately and amazingly joined to Jesus Christ.”
——Alistair Begg

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4 Lessons About Faith in Suffering from Naomi

TFL — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:00:01 GMT

In the opening verses of Ruth, we read about the tragic triple bereavement of one of the book’s central figures, Naomi: “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land” (v. 1). And in that famine, both Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, and her two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, die.

Left with only her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to comfort her, Naomi sets out with them on a journey from Moab to Judah. Her action sets in motion the familiar events of God’s unfolding purpose: Ruth’s conversion; her subsequent marriage to Boaz and motherhood; the coming of David, the king of Israel; and, ultimately, the birth of Jesus Christ Himself.

But long before we reach that joyful culmination, Naomi’s grief and the faith that she displays in the face of it confront and challenge us.

Faith Can Endure Severe Trials

The first lesson we can learn from Naomi’s faith is a simple one: She had it, even in the face of severe trial. Anyone can espouse faith and champion trust in a sovereign God when the band is playing, the crowd is marching, the sun is shining, and all is well. The real tests and challenges come when faith is pushed to its limit by the pains we endure.

Naomi must have felt that her life’s story was falling apart. To lose her husband was to lose her provider, the head of the family table. The death of her two sons compounded that loss. We might imagine her as an alien in Moab—not the land of her nativity but the land of her sojourn—standing in the doorway of her home, looking down the street, with no prospect of the three men she loved coming up the road.

Yet while Naomi’s faith was tried faith, it was still faith, not unbelief. She did not say, “I no longer believe in a God who is sovereign over the affairs of life.” Nor did she say, “I disavow a God who would place me in this dreadful predicament.” Instead, she expressed faith—screaming faith, crying faith, challenged faith—in God’s sovereignty. When she hears “that the Lord had visited his people and given them food,” she acts in faith, “set[ting] out from the place” (vv. 6–7), undertaking the return to Judah. And when she declares her intent to depart, she wishes God’s blessing on her daughters-in-law, telling them, “May the Lord deal kindly with you” (v. 8), and “The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” (v. 9). Despite her pain, she never doubted that Yahweh was in control. And that is an important reminder for all who face dark days.

Faith Can Struggle to See God’s Provision

Though Naomi did not give in to unbelief, however, her faith had its limitations. We see, secondly, that her faith, though still faith, was nonetheless blind to God’s provision in her trial.

Naomi didn’t doubt that God could come to the aid of His people in a generic way. (Again, see verse 6.) But in her little world, it still felt like everything had collapsed. She still believed, but she was in danger of missing the fact that the God who provides via the barley harvest is the same God who knows when the sparrow falls (Matt. 10:29; Luke 12:6), knew her entirely, and knew exactly what she, as Naomi, required.

As the biblical story unfolds, we discover that Ruth was to be the means of God’s provision for Naomi. In fact, in providing for Naomi personally, Ruth would bless all of Israel and, eventually, all of the world through her descendent, Jesus. And yet Naomi, on the road from Moab, can’t see the provision. Instead, she actually insists multiple times to Ruth and Orpah that they abandon their plans to accompany her to Bethlehem. Her motivation is wonderfully selfless. But in the moment, she misses that in front of her very eyes, God has given her the answer to her affliction.

The Bible teaches that alongside afflictions, God provides means of comfort and solace (1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 1:4). He will not bring us into trial without also providing His fatherly care. The great danger is that we resist His provision, if we don’t miss it altogether. Our minds and hearts may even perversely enjoy our predicament—the attention, the self-pity, the sense that nobody knows trouble like we have—more than the hope of salvation from it.

Perhaps Naomi was tempted in one of those directions. And if we would not be likewise tempted, then we must remember that in both the immediacy of our circumstances and in the entire journey of our lives, our vision only extends so far.

Faith Finds Hope in Small Signs

Even if Naomi missed the big picture, though, we can see that she still found hope in small signs of God’s providence—as, indeed, should we.

Faith sees the provision of God in little things: a home to return to, food for the table, companions for the journey. That Naomi, with Ruth, “went on until they came to Bethlehem” (v. 19) shows that she saw enough to greet her in each new day to press forward. That she responded to Ruth’s request to glean in the fields with “Go, my daughter” (2:2) shows that she held out hope God would still provide. As the sun shone upon the barley, perhaps there was the inkling of a new beginning and a new day.

Fast-forward a few chapters, and we find that Naomi’s small hopes have become great joys. Ruth gleans in the fields, meets Boaz, marries him, and bears a child. By 4:14, the Lord’s provision is so evident that the townswomen can’t help but point it out to Naomi: “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!” And as she takes the new baby in her arms and lays him on her lap in v. 16, so great is her joy that they say not “A son has been born to Ruth” (which would have been true!) but “A son has been born to Naomi” (v. 17). Here, now, in this most ordinary, tranquil scene, she whose tested and tried faith is still faith is scarcely able to grasp the significance of what God has done.

Faith Never Guesses What God Can Accomplish

This leads us to a final observation: Naomi could never have guessed what God would accomplish through her trials—and neither can we. As the opening of Matthew makes clear, this child, Obed, would be the father of Jesse, the grandfather of David, and ultimately the forebear of Jesus Christ Himself. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (KJV).

When we bear the wonder of God’s provision in mind, in Naomi’s life and in our own, it should change the way we think about faith in the face of hard trials. There should be little doubt, for instance, that Christians will be far more effective in speaking to their friends and neighbors when they are honest about pain, suffering, sadness, and disappointment—and the fact that our faith, though stretched to the limits, is still faith.

Triumphalistic ramblings grate on the ears of the tenderhearted and brokenhearted. As we face pain and uncertainty, the Bible gives us a God who came in the person of His Son and experienced to the fullest all the bitterness, wretchedness, animosity, and difficulty that life could throw at Him—all to make eternal, saving provision for our sake. We should ask ourselves: Are we missing the provision of God right before our very eyes? Will we not bow our knees before the only one who offers to us a peace that passes human understanding?

Do “All Things” Really “Work Together for Good”?

TFL — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:09:28 GMT

As he reached the end of Romans 8, Paul presented a triumphant closing argument, grounding Christian assurance in God’s decisive action in Christ. Because God did not spare His own Son, believers can be confident that nothing essential will be withheld from them. Every charge is silenced by Christ’s death, resurrection, reign, and intercession, Alistair Begg explains in his sermon “Confident in Christ.” Though suffering and opposition remain real, they cannot sever believers from Christ’s love.

Commenting on Romans 8:28 in particular, which he says “has the kind of potential for what we might call a ‘shaving mirror verse,’” Alistair explains,

When it says here “all things,” be careful, especially in your Bible study groups and in your house. …

“‘All things’ is an obvious example of an expression in universal terms” that is being “used in a restrictive sense”¹ … in the same way that we take verse 28, that “all things for good.” “For good.” Who determines the good? The Father determines the good. What does the “all things” mean? Does it mean that if you will follow Jesus, then you will get a BMW 2002, and you will get a law degree, and you might get the girl as well? No! He knows all the things that are necessary for us. He knows all the things that are best for us. He’s our Father. …

Do you remember the sinking feeling you had when on Christmas Day you were waiting for that train set, and you took the train out of the box, and you saw the dreaded phrase “Batteries not included”? And some people got the idea that somehow or another, that’s going to be our experience. And Paul is saying, “Don’t be crazy! If God has given us his best in Jesus, will he not then also provide you with all that is necessary?” And he knows what is best. The Father knows what’s best.

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John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes, vol. 1, Chapters 1 to 8, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1959), 326 ↩︎