The Pressure That Sank the Submarine

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals.

On April 10, 1963, the nuclear submarine Thresher went too deep into the ocean and was crushed by the pressure of the surrounding water. A submarine needs thick steel bulkheads to withstand the pressure of the water as it dives, but few walls can withstand the pressure of the deepest oceans.

Amazingly, in those same deep waters where that steel submarine had been crushed, little fish swim without a care in the world. How is that possible? Why aren’t they crushed since they only have a thin layer of skin? God created the fish with an internal pressure that’s perfectly balanced with the pressure from the outside. The Lord gave them what they need to live at that depth.

We are all surrounded by the pressures of life. Financial pressures. Strained relationships. Stress at work. Traumatic events. Illnesses. As the pressures accumulate, how is it possible to keep from being crushed?

God will give us what we need to live at that depth. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He’s talking about the stressful issues of life that can crush us. Sure, Jesus overcame the world and its pressures at that time, but what about today?

Suppose Jesus could enter into us and neutralize the pressures of life, just like the fish isn’t crushed by the pressure of the water. That’s exactly what He wants to do. The peace of God that’s in Christ, which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7), counteracts the stress of life’s difficulties. The pressures are still real, but they don’t affect us like they do other people because the Spirit living inside us is greater than the pressures trying to crush us.

BIBLE STUDY: What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

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The Prisoners' Christmas Play

The following comes from my book, Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals.

In a maximum-security prison, a group of convicted felons volunteered to act out the Christmas story for the other prisoners. Nothing could be brought in from the outside. All the costumes and props had to be made from what they could find inside the prison.

A mop was used for Mary’s hair. Cotton balls were glued to a ski mask and socks, so the prisoners could look like sheep. A cardboard box was turned into a manger.

Everything was falling into place and the prisoners were excited about the play, but they had a problem. They needed a baby Jesus. Of course, they couldn’t bring in a real baby, and they couldn’t bring in a baby doll from the outside. Someone suggested Mary could just hold a blanket with nothing inside, but everyone said that wouldn’t do. They were running out of ideas.

On the day of the performance, the prison chaplain came running to the group of actors and said, “I think I found something that you can use for baby Jesus.” Now the play would go on.

The Christmas story was portrayed beautifully and all the inmates were enjoying the performance. They came to the scene where the prisoner with the mop on his head playing Mary was about to reveal her baby. Mary picked up a blanket from the manger (the cardboard box) and carefully unwrapped it.  Inside the blanket wasn’t a makeshift doll, or a crudely drawn picture of a baby. Inside was a cross that had been hanging in the chaplain’s office.

It was a performance none of the prisoners would ever forget. Jesus came from heaven to be born as a baby, so that one day He would die on the cross for our sins. He was born physically 2,000 years ago in a manger, but He wants to be born spiritually in your heart today. And that’s the complete Christmas story.

BIBLE STUDY: What does ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON mean?

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Trusting God MORE Than Your Need to Know

In the thrilling television series 24, Jack Bauer is a special agent with the Counter Terrorism Unit. He’s always involved in a highly secretive plan that requires him to call the U.S. President to ask permission to do something risky during a crisis situation. The President asks, “Jack, what are you planning to do?”

Bauer answers, “Mr. President, you don’t need to know and I don’t have time to explain. Please, I just ask you to trust me. I promise I’ll do my very best to solve this problem.” The President always gave him permission because his trust in Bauer was greater than his need to know.

If you’re going through a troubling situation, you’re probably asking God, “WHY is this happening to me?” Instead of God explaining every detail to you, He says, “You don’t need to know. I just want you to trust Me.” To get through your devastation, your trust in God MUST become greater than your need to know.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend on our own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He will direct your paths.” Why does God say to not depend on your own logic? It’s because there are so many details involved in your situation that’s beyond your comprehension—but it’s not beyond God’s. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens and higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8-9).

If you have a problem with your computer and don’t know how to fix it, you take it to a person who is an expert in fixing computers. You don’t know how to repair, but you put your trust in the technician who knows how to do it. You can do the same with your problems. Stop trying to figure everything out and put your trust in the God who cares about you.

BIBLE STUDY: The Five Purposes of Prayer

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God Has Named Every Star in the Universe

Last week we learned that God keeps track of 820 trillion hairs on all the heads in the world. If that wasn’t enough to blow your mind, He has given every star in every galaxy its own name! 

Whether we’re looking through a microscope at hairs, or looking through a telescope at stars, we marvel at the incredible knowledge and power of God.

Astronomers estimate there are 100 thousand million stars in the Milky Way alone. And that is just in one galaxy. The number of stars in the known universe is thought to be 300 sextillion. That’s 300,000 million million million stars! There are ten times as many stars as grains of sand on all the world’s beaches and deserts.

Why in the world (or universe) did God create so many stars? It seems like a colossal waste of power. But think about it. If God wanted to demonstrate His unmatched power, how would He do it? He would create something so enormous that it would blow our minds, such as billions of galaxies.

When we observe the staggering numbers of stars, we’re overwhelmed by God’s power. This is exactly why He created the heavenly expanse: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

It’s also amazing that He assigned a unique name to every star: “See who has created these stars . . . He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and strength of His power” (Isa. 40:26). “He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them” (Psalm 147:4)

Why did God name each star? Are any stars named Fred or Wilma? Just as parents name their children, the Creator assigned an appropriate name to everything He made. If God knows the name of every star, He also knows your name as well.   

WATCH THIS SONG! “He Knows My Name” (INCREDIBLE Sand Art Presentation)  

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Why Does God Number the Hairs on People's Heads?

Jesus came to reveal God to us, including what He knows. He made an astonishing announcement that must have dropped the jaws of every one of His listeners. 

He revealed the Father knows where every sparrow in the entire world is right now (Matt. 10:29). Jesus then added another mind-boggling statement, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7).

Although the number of hairs on a person’s head varies from one individual to another, the average is 100,000. Most people shed about 100 hairs a day, and since the world’s population world increases by 200,000 each day, the total number of hairs on the planet is in constant fluctuation.

The world’s population is approximately 8.2 billion people. If we multiply 8,200,000,000 X 100,000 hairs, we find that God is keeping track of 820 trillion hairs on people’s heads! And that is not counting the beards and unshaven legs. We would never have known this incredible fact about God’s knowledge if Jesus had not revealed it to us.

Why did Jesus tell us our hairs are numbered? It’s to make a point. He knew that faith is determined by our concept of God. Those with “little faith” don’t believe God is all-knowing or all-powerful. Jesus gave us more information about God’s UNLIMITED knowledge so it will expand our concept of God and His ability. God “is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:19).

Since God knows the smallest details about everyone in the world, don’t you think it would be wise to completely surrender your life to Him?  

BIBLE STUDY: What does “going the second mile” mean?

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