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1 Peter 1:5

1 Peter 1:5, ‘…who, *by God’s power*, are being guarded *through faith* for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.’ Note that in this verse, Peter tells us that it is *God’s power* that guards the believer, but the means by which His power guards them is *their own faith.* The power

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Hebrews 11:19

Hebrews 11:19, ‘…[Abraham] considered that God was able to raise [Isaac] from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.’   See the place that resurrection plays in Abraham’s faith. In this passage, resurrection is the unexpected—yet necessary—conclusion that arises from the equation of God’s Promises + Death. The Genesis 22 command

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Luke 22:32

Luke 22:32, ‘But I have *prayed* for you, that your faith may not fail…’ The word translated ‘prayed’ here might literally be taken to mean ‘bound.’ On top of that, it is passive, essentially telling us that Jesus *was bound* on behalf of Peter. Now, the central meaning here is that Jesus was bound by

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Psalm 22:1-2 & 9-10

  Today’s picture is divided into TWO PARTS in order to highlight two different perspectives on the ‘dark night’ of the Christian soul: Part 1 (the darker one) corresponds to Ps.22:1-2; Part 2 (the lighter one) corresponds to Ps.22:9-10.  Picture 1: Ps. 22:1-2, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you

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Psalm 34:8

Psalm 34:8

  Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that YHWH is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Hebrew poetry often employs a technique called “parallelism” by which the second parallel line in some way restates or comments on the first. When we read Psalm 34:8 in light of this technique, it helps

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Romans 9:20-21

Romans 9:20-21

  Romans 9:20-21, “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?…Has the potter no right ver the clay…?” Dark-veiled, the hand of Sovereignty Does fashion all aright And from the clay, humanity Is well-formed in His sight But we from vantage creaturely Cannot His purpose know Why one is formed for dignity

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Psalm 23:6

Psalm 23:6

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of YHWH forever” – Psalm 23:6 The Passage In these 6 short verses, David has walked through green pastures, dark valleys, and feasts prepared in the presence of his enemies, and now—as Psalm 23 draws to

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Psalm 23:5

Psalm 23:5

    You prepare a table before me     in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;     my cup overflows. The Passage Explained With verse 5, Psalm 23 seems to shift its central metaphor from that of shepherd and sheep to one that more prominently pictures YHWH as the master of a

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