Author: Dwight Clough

When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,it will become a place of refreshing springs,where pools of blessing collect after the rains! — Psalm 84:6 NLTWe all want to meet God on the mountain top. We want to see Jesus transfigured before us, in dazzling white. We want a glimpse of heaven. But life changing spiritual growth occurs not on the mountain top, but in the valley. It is in the valley, where we are cold, lonely and miserable that God wants to meet us. The servant of Elisha didn’t see the armies of God until he was surrounded with…

"Why bother the Teacher any more?" — Mark 5:35While Jesus was sailing through the storm, a 12-year-old girl was getting sicker and sicker. While Jesus was delivering the man afflicted with demons, she grew weaker and weaker. Her father was frantic. Where’s Jesus?Jesus finally returned, and the father pushed his way through the crowd. He rehearsed in his mind what he was going to say. "Yes, many people are sick, but you don’t understand. This is my daughter." In a race against time, this father pleaded with Jesus to hurry. But what did Jesus do? He dawdled. He paused. He…

Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few. — 1 Samuel 14:6Jonathan seems blind to reality. The enemy has disarmed Israel, stripping them of the capacity to manufacture weapons (13:19+). Israel’s unarmed army is hiding. Jonathan’s father, King Saul, has just been rebuked by the prophet Samuel. Philistines are raiding the land in three detachments, apparently unchecked. The Philistines control a strategic piece of ground that can only be taken away by scaling cliffs. And the only help Jonathan has is one loyal armor bearer.I call this the landscape of our lives. Our resources sometimes…

But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command. — 1 Samuel 13:14I’m inclined to say, "Give Saul a break! Cut him some slack. Isn’t everyone entitled to an honest mistake?" Saul offered the sacrifice, doing something Samuel was supposed to do. Should he lose a whole dynasty for that?But the key to God’s choice of David over Saul is found in the middle of this verse. God was looking for a man after His own…

For the sake of His great name the LORD will not reject His people, because the LORD was pleased to make you His own. — 1 Samuel 12:22All of us need to belong. From early on, if our families are strong, we gain a sense of belonging there. If not, we look elsewhere, most often to whatever peer group gives us some sense of identity. Why does it please God to invite us into the warmth of His family? And why does He put up with our failures and shortcomings? We have four children and I’ve changed a couple thousand…

And the Lord said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage." — 1 Samuel 10:22God knows our hiding places. In this passage, Samuel was introducing Saul to the nation of Israel as their king. As a way of confirming the anointing Saul had already received, Saul was selected by lot when all the tribes of Israel gathered at Mizpah. But, instead of stepping up to the plate, Saul hides.I wonder how God felt to see the king He had chosen hiding. Saul’s response is very different than Mary’s ("I am the Lord’s servant; let it be unto me according…

They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them. — 1 Samuel 10:4Saul had just received the startling news. God had appointed him king. Samuel was laying out some predictions to confirm Saul’s new identity. And then, he slips in Saul’s first instruction: "…which you will accept from them."God didn’t start by telling Saul to negotiate a treaty or raise an army or build a palace. He started with something simple: Someone is going to offer you a gift — accept it.While it is true that God has given us an identity…

What do we have? — 1 Samuel 9:7I like this verse because it is such a good picture of where we are so often in our walk with God. We see ourselves as having so very little, while God is looking at us, shaking His head and saying, "If he only knew.” “If she only understood."Clearly, Saul didn’t have a clue. The donkeys were gone. The food was gone. Nothing was going his way. So it seemed. But, in reality, everything was going his way. God was about to reverse everything about his life. What do we have? While we…

Moses listened to his father-in-law [Jethro] and did everything he said. — Exodus 18:24The silence of God. No one knew God like Moses. Moses spoke with God face to face, he had a relationship with Him unparalleled in his day. Yet God never told Moses how to organize a judicial system. He was silent on that point.Why? Because God wanted Jethro to tell Moses. Jethro had administrative insight to bring to the table. I’m glad that God has put Jethros in my life. One of the most important of these advisers is my wife. She has enough common sense to…

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. — Exodus 20:17Why would we think that a gift from the devil is better than a gift from God? The whole point of this commandment is this: God gives good gifts.There have been times in my marriage when I couldn’t figure out what drug induced me to say, "I do." This is usually the time when the devil brings out the dessert tray and whispers, "See what you’re missing!"We all know, I hope, that there’s nothing but candy-coated poison on that tray.But what is God getting at here, when he tells us to…