I think “Immanuel” was the first of God’s names I learnt growing up because of Christmas carols and the annual reading of Isaiah’s prophecy echoed by Angel Gabriel during services [Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23]. Until recently, I didn’t think much of the implications of the name, possibly because I’d become overly familiar with it. But …
We often shudder at the thought that life will throw us a curveball at some point, something painful and unexpected. Something in us quite rightly resents pain, suffering and death because tribulation and affliction were never part of God’s design for humanity. They are a consequence of sin [Genesis 2:16-17]. Even then, when we imagine …
Many of us desperately need God’s help to deal with a situation or two in our lives or the lives of our loved ones. It’s human to be in this position, so it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Some people are desperate to demonstrate that they can pull themselves up by their proverbial bootstraps, but …
There are a few animals – both predator and prey, whose eyes are strategically placed on their heads to allow for a much wider field of vision than human beings, thus enhancing their chances of survival. Nevertheless, these animals still have blindspots. Even without those blindspots, they can only see so far ahead, so they …
Christians make a preposterous claim that is either the height of insanity or utterly life-changing. We assert that the God who created the entire universe, billions of galaxies, stars and planets, knows us personally. We claim He’s our Father and so intimately acquainted with us that He’s numbered the hairs on our heads. Even as …
Imagine a young lady on a transatlantic flight. She’s sat next to an elderly passenger who suddenly faints in her seat. The young lady panics and her fright is palpable. She’s screaming and trying to get everyone’s attention. She has no idea what’s wrong with the elderly passenger or how to help her. Six years …
One of the things I like about the Bible is that a lot of its narrative is true to experience. You can imagine yourself on the scene of some of these stories. One of such stories is found in Mark 4:35-41 when Jesus calms a storm. Before this event, the disciples who had not only …
There are several places in the Bible where God promises to go ahead of His people or a chosen person into a particular reality. One of the more famous verses is Jesus promising to go and prepare a place for us in His Father’s kingdom [John 14:2-3]. I rarely paid attention to this promise until …
I’ve been thinking of the lyrics of Be Magnified recently. The song begins with the lines: “I have made You too small in my eyes, o Lord, forgive me. I have believed in a lie, that You were unable to help me. But now, o Lord, I see my wrong”. I find those words convicting …
Have you sat down to watch the news recently? I find it a somewhat overwhelming experience. There always seems to be news of some disaster from floods to forest fires, from glaciers melting to volcanoes erupting, often with hundreds of lives lost and thousands displaced. These people are also dealing with a pandemic. Can you …
