Joe Barnett

Show me your ways, O Lord.                    —Psalm 25:4 Jeff Patton felt like he was flying in a bottle of ink. He was certain he was in a climbing right turn, but his instruments indicated he was in a 60 degree dive. It took every ounce of […]

I will fear no evil, for you are with me.                                 —Psalm 23:4 Here’s a nice bouquet of fear-fighting, faith-feeding verses … The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”                                           —Psalm 14:1 On the table is a bowl. In it are ten slips of paper, numbered from 1 to 10. If you reach in

I trust in your unfailing love.                  —Psalm 13:5 Joseph, Job, and Jesus defined trust by declaring it, not when things were wonderfully good, but when things were terribly bad. Joseph: “You intended to harm me but God intended it for good” (Gen. 50:20). Job: “Though he slay

What is man that you are mindful of him?                                        —Psalm 8:4 Can you get the President’s attention? Not likely. Can you get God’s attention? You already have. Twinkling stars on a backdrop of black sky filled

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice.                                          —Psalm 5:3 Paul got into a terrible mess in Ephesus … We were really crushed and overwhelmed, and feared we would never live through it. We

I will lie down and sleep in peace.                          —Psalm 4:8 Fear of burglars kept her from ever getting a good night’s sleep. One night she heard a noise, shook her husband awake, and sent him to investigate. He had been through the drill

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.                                                      

I know that you can do all things.                           —Job 42:2 There are three doxologies in your New Testament that begin with the words “him who is able” … “Now to him who is able to strengthen you” (Romans 16:25). “Now to him

I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer.          —Job 30:20 Does the interval between your prayer and God’s answer sometimes seem long? Why doesn’t he answer? Why doesn’t he act? He does—when the time is right. Until then you have to wait. How often we waste time