Tag Archives: devotional

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Little Providences | Bible Gleanings | July 25-26, 2026

Leave a comment

One might say it was an extraordinarily lucky shot when an archer randomly fired his bow into the air and somehow struck and severely injured the armor-covered King Ahab precisely where he was exposed (1 Kings 22:34). Some would conclude that the stars aligned when the midnight insomnia of King Ahasuerus could only be cured from reading an old book—one that just so happened to record the forgotten loyalty of Mordecai, compelling the king to honor him rather than hang him (Esther 6:1-11). Some would suppose that the widow Ruth carried around a rabbit’s foot and a four-leaf clover when she went to work in a field that serendipitously belonged to Boaz, her future husband and redeemer (Ruth 2:3). Some might believe it was a fluke of good fortune when the little boy with a sack lunch “coincidentally” stood near Jesus exactly when the multitudes needed to eat (John 6:9). Some may argue that fate smiled upon the apostle Paul, whose life was repeatedly spared simply because he was a Roman citizen (Acts 16:35-40; 22:22-29). 

But according to Scripture, nothing is random—everything is ruled by the Lord (Prov. 16:33). Nothing is a happy accident—everything is a divine appointment (Psalm 139:16). Nothing is a coincidence—everything is a providence. “[God] works all things,” wrote Paul, “according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11b). And small things are part of all things. 

They say that the biggest doors still swing on the smallest hinges and that every avalanche begins with a single snowflake. And the Bible teaches something even greater: the Lord often accomplishes His grandest purposes through the smallest details of everyday life. He doesn’t merely move mountains—He moves molecules. The God who governs the galaxies also intricately directs detours, delays, disappointments, and even daily decisions. As the Puritans used to say, the Lord’s greatest works are often His quietest works.

It is tempting to associate the Lord’s power with mighty miracles only, but miracles are frequently hiding in plain sight. Perhaps this is why Scripture says not to despise the day of “small things” (Zech. 4:10). He may use a minor inconvenience to completely redirect the course of your life or place you beside the right person at the right time to hear the right words to counsel or encourage you. He may use one sentence from one sermon to change your mind, one verse in Scripture to comfort your soul, one unexpected phone call that answers a prayer, or even one different route home to spare you from unforeseen harm. God tends to the little things like counting hairs (Matt. 10:30), ensuring that every star has a name (Ps. 147:4), feeding the sparrows (Matt. 6:26), giving the lions their prey (Ps. 104:21), and making the grass grow (Ps. 104:14). And He will never fail to superintend the little things in the lives of His people.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

He Knows His Own | Bible Gleanings | July 4-5, 2026

Leave a comment

Her life was a lie. Twenty-eight years passed before she discovered the life-shattering truth. In a quest to uncover her family lineage, Raylane Amaral submitted her DNA to a trustworthy ancestry firm. The first result hit her like a freight train: the woman she called “mom” was not her biological mother at all. Then came another revelation which left her questioning everything—she had a brother she never knew about.

The New York Post reported that Raylane contacted her newly discovered brother, who claimed his sister was born the very same day. Surely, she was that baby and reuniting with her real mother was finally on the horizon. Not even close. Raylane and her newfound brother learned that his “sister” had also been mistakenly sent home with the wrong woman, meaning that there had not been one mix-up in the hospital, but two. At last, the web of confusion untwined when the women tracked down their real mothers, while the hospital became trapped in a web of its own when all the families joined together in a lawsuit.

Stories like these are rare nowadays because of safeguards in maternity wards, but it serves as a reminder that human beings with the best intentions sometimes mix up who is who. The postal service occasionally delivers your neighbor’s mail to you. Waitresses sometimes bring the wrong meal to your table. Airports erroneously assign your luggage to someone else. But this is something the Lord will never do, which is why the Scripture says, “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’” (2 Tim. 2:19a).

The all-knowing Christ similarly promised, “I know my own and my own know me” (John 10:14b). Paul likewise guaranteed, “But if anyone loves God, he is known by God” (1 Cor. 8:3). The Lord knows every believer by name and has recorded their names with indissoluble ink in the Book of Life (Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5). He will never forget His children—the only thing He forgets are their sins (Heb. 8:12). This is why God tenderly swore, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (Isa. 49:15-16a). 

You are known by God if you know Christ and there is no possibility of any mix-up. The Lord never questions whether or not you are His. You can never slip from His memory or be accidentally mistaken for an unbeliever. The hymn-writer Norman J. Clayton (1903–1992) said it best:

“Jesus, my Lord will love me forever,

from Him no pow’r of evil can sever,

He gave His life to ransom my soul;

Now I belong to Him;

Now I belong to Jesus,

Jesus belongs to me,

not for the years of time alone,

but for eternity.”

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

God Sees a Venice | Bible Gleanings | June 27-28, 2026

Leave a comment

Mosquitos, mud, and not much else. A landscape littered with lugubrious and lonesome lagoons. Marshy banks at every turn, frequently submerged beneath murky seawater during high tide. A wasteland so barren that its eels and seabass envied the swamps of Louisiana. The most undesirable place on earth—and the least likely land to be transformed into a globally-known paradise: Venice, Italy. 

This eyesore became a sight to behold thanks to a handful of retreating Romans who believed that ruins could be redeemed. When barbarians pillaged the Roman Empire, many fled with only their lives, but they carried Rome with them—and more importantly, a vision for what could be. They essentially rebuilt Rome upon these deserted islands, building a floating masterpiece embellished with marble palaces, monumental towers, winding canals, and a romantic allure that has enchanted tourists for generations. Looking at Venice now, it is hard to fathom that one of the world’s greatest wonders arose from a desolate no-man’s-land. But it did because, while everyone else saw a barren wilderness, the builders saw Venice. 

According to the Scripture, the Lord is an all-wise and able architect who specializes in the same thing—He can see a Venice where there are valleys and vexations. Sometimes, life looks like a lonely lagoon when the tides of tribulation wash away your hopes and dreams, leaving you standing knee-deep in a marsh of misery. A troubled marriage, prodigal child, terminal diagnosis, or loss of a loved one can leave you staring at a wrecked landscape, tempting you to conclude, “Nothing good could ever come from this.” But God is so good that He can take what is not good and use it for the good of those whom He loves. This is why Paul promised, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28, KJV).

The Bible is replete with “Venices.” Joseph’s brothers saw him as a slave, but God saw the ruler of Egypt (Gen. 50:20). The women of Bethlehem saw a beleaguered Ruth, but God saw a woman whom He was writing into the ancestry of Christ (Ruth 4:18-21). The disciples saw a bloodied cross and a borrowed grave, but God saw an empty tomb and salvation for the world (Acts 2:23). The Lord sees things differently, and builds masterpieces from miseries (cf. Hab. 1:5).

Therefore, believers must wait upon the Lord and trust in His powerful providence (cf. Psalm 27:13-14; cf. Eccl. 3:11). Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was it rebuilt overnight in Venice. And God’s providential plan progresses at His perfect pace as He lays one stone at a time. If you are sitting in a barren wilderness today, remember the Lord’s word to you:

“I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it” (Isa. 41:18-20).

 Where you see ruins, God sees redemption.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Wherever He Leads | Bible Gleanings | June 13-14, 2026

Leave a comment

The boy was abruptly abducted. Convinced he would make a good slave, his kidnappers forced him to tend sheep in the extreme conditions of a remote land beyond the sea. Although not particularly religious, the excruciating ordeal compelled the young lad to pray. Finally, after five arduous years, he escaped from captivity by boarding a vessel that carried him home to the embrace of grateful parents who implored him never to leave again. But the runaway slave would eventually undertake the unthinkable: return to the land of his captors with the gospel of Christ—Saint Patrick of Ireland was his name.

The Lord constrained him to return to his nightmare of a life when an Irishman appeared in his dreams, pleading, “We beg you to come and walk among us once more.” Go back to the land that stole his freedom? Relive the past he fought so hard to forget? Saint Patrick said yes. He traded his own safety for service to his Savior and convenience for compliance with Christ’s calling on his life.

The results were miraculous. His evangelistic efforts contributed to the conversion of practically the entire population. An ancient painting of Patrick says it all. It depicts him driving out snakes—the “snakes” of idolatry and dark superstition, which he expelled by proclaiming the Man who crushed the head of the serpent (cf. Gen. 3:15). Even the Celtic slave trade that had once ensnared him diminished because of the transforming power of the message he preached.

A willing believer saying “yes” to a difficult task plus a wonder-working God is a powerful combination. As a matter of fact, the Lord’s greatest works are rarely accomplished the easy way. Moses had to repeatedly stand before an intimidating Pharaoh before Israel was delivered. Gideon had to defeat the Midianites with a significantly decreased fighting force (Judges 7:1-3). The first church had to endure severe persecution in order to multiply (Acts 8:1-4). Even Christ had to suffer and die upon the cross before being raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

God is most active in the hard places: the difficult conversation you don’t want to have, the uncomfortable sacrifice you don’t want to make, and the frightening step of faith you hesitate to take. This is why the Lord delights in servants who answer His sometimes-challenging calls and commands like Isaiah: “Here am I; send me” (Isa. 6:8). Indeed, the path of obedience might bring you face-to-face with your fears, but it will also lead directly to the breathtaking purposes of God. Therefore, the anthem on every believer’s lips ought to be that which is found in B. B. McKinney’s well-known hymn which says,

“It may be through the shadows dim,

or o’er the stormy sea,

I take my cross and follow Him;

wherever He leadeth me.

Wherever He leads I’ll go,

wherever He leads I’ll go,

I’ll follow my Christ who loves me so,

wherever He leads I’ll go.”

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Danger of Doing Nothing | Bible Gleanings | June 6-7, 2026

Leave a comment

The number of victims it has claimed is incalculable. Few can resist its hypnotic appeal. It leaves its targets with a heavier heart and a lighter wallet. Worst of all, most of its captives never learn their lesson, succumbing again and again to its seductions despite swearing to never surrender. It has made a fool of me and has likely done the same to you: the checkout lane. 

That’s where all the junk is—candy bars, chips, soda, and other enticing empty calories that need no advertisement. And distributors have conveniently and cleverly placed such delectable treats there because they know you are stuck with nothing to do but wait in line—and look. You grab what you need and go your way in the rest of the store, but movement stops at the checkout lane. Temptation lies within arm’s reach, and before long, a chocolate bar or some other I’ll-never-buy-this-again item slithers into your shopping cart. Idleness plus temptation equals another pointless purchase, and another disappointed victim.

Doing nothing is dangerous, especially in the Christian life. Idleness presents believers with an opportunity to “check out” what sin has to offer. Inactivity leads to sin-activity. When movement stops, temptation starts. Just ask David—the Scripture says that he “tarried in Jerusalem,” dilly-dallying when he should have been at war until his eyes wandered toward a bathing Bathsheba, and the rest is shameful history (cf. 2 Sam. 11).

This is why the Bible speaks so strongly about idleness and spiritual neglect. Solomon cautioned that doing nothing to maintain your house will result in its deterioration, and neglecting to care for your soul will lead to its decline (Eccl. 10:18). He similarly taught that an idle person’s life will be overrun with evil, just as a vineyard becomes overgrown due to negligence from a lazy gardener (Prov. 24:30-34). Paul also asserted that failing to be busy doing the Lord’s work results in being busy doing the devil’s work (2 Thess. 3:11). The Scripture even teaches that an “abundance of idleness” was one of the greatest iniquities of Sodom (Ezek. 16:49).

But you can vanquish idleness the same way you overcome temptation in the checkout lane: be vigilant, look away, and keep on moving. Believers must watch themselves and watch out for the devil’s wiles (Gen. 4:7; Gal. 6:1; 1 Peter 5:8). Christians must also be “always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58b), remaining occupied with serving Christ, praying often, reading Scripture, and participating in the local church. The great Puritan Isaac Ambrose wisely warned, “As a standing pool grows filthy of itself and full of toads and vermin, so the heart that is not engaged in something good and useful is a fit place for the devil to breed evil thoughts and filthy passions in.” Save yourself some money and be watchful in the checkout lane. And save yourself some regret by resisting the subtle danger of idleness.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Butterfly Believers | Bible Gleanings | May 30-31, 2026

Leave a comment

Peck. Peck. Peck. The nettlesome noise awakened the woman from a sound sleep. A peckish sparrow perched outside her window trying to eat breakfast—a butterfly frantically fluttering against the inside of the glass. There was a misunderstanding—the butterfly believed it was history, and the hungry bird was frustrated because it couldn’t reach its meal due to the invisible barrier between them. The butterfly had no reason to have the butterflies—it was as safe as if it had been thousands of miles away. 

Crippled with panic, yet completely protected. How frequently do we as believers suffer from paralyzing dread regarding our souls when we have no reason to? Lacking assurance, we often live as though our salvation hangs by a thread, as if heaven’s door is barely open and poised to slam shut in our faces. We fear losing our salvation, out-sinning the grace of God, disappointing our Savior one too many times, or being snatched away by the world or the devil. But according to the Scripture, there is something infinitely greater than a glass pane standing between us and falling away from the faith: the nail-scarred hands of Christ Jesus.

Jesus graciously assured that there is no reason for His sheep to live in trepidation: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). Believer, your salvation does not depend on your grip of Christ, but upon His grip of you—and He will never let you go (cf. Heb. 13:5). He likewise promised, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. . . And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:37, 39). And your name is inscribed in the Book of Life with immortal ink—even graven in the palms of His hands (Rev. 3:5; Isa. 49:16), and it cannot be erased by your transgressions nor made more permanent by your obedience. 

Is this not why Paul exclaimed, “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39, KJV)? God’s grace-kept, eternally-secure, and never-lost children have no reason to live like anxious butterflies. Rather, there are a thousand reasons to mount up with wings as eagles and soar in the joy of blessed assurance. For all who are in Christ, the Lord’s promise remains unchanged: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isa. 41:10).

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Strange Christians | Bible Gleanings | May 23-24, 2026

Leave a comment

Zebras aren’t exactly known for blending in, and Tennesseans couldn’t help but notice the runaway zebra trotting in their backyard in June of last year. When the Murfreesboro Police Department received calls about a zebra galloping along the interstate, officers thought someone was horsing around. But after several neighborhood sightings, a week-long chase ensued and, “Ed the Zebra was captured safely after being located in a pasture near a subdivision,” according to the Associated Press. The Volunteer State instantly recognized that while there is plenty of wildlife in Tennessee (and no shortage of folklore creatures), this black-and-white cousin of the horse was a foreigner in strange territory. Because he belonged to a land across the Atlantic, he stood out too much to blend in.

Similarly, believers in Christ belong to land lying beyond this life and above the skies, “a land that is fairer than day,” called heaven. Because of this, Christians should stand out in the world too much to blend in—much more than a zebra in the backwoods of Tennessee. The Scripture teaches that there should be a black-and-white difference between those of this world and those who belong to the “kingdom not of this world” (John 18:36). Disciples of Christ should not camouflage themselves within the culture like chameleons or live under cover like secret agents, which is why Peter exhorted Christians, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11). Sojourners are strangers passing through—exiles living away from their homeland—and both are true of Jesus-followers who are “citizens of heaven” (Phil. 3:21).

The believer’s speech should sound like a foreign language to everyone else—upbuilding rather than destructive and seasoned with grace rather than spoiled with obscenity (Eph. 4:29; Col. 3:8). A Christian’s conduct should make other people think, “They must not be from around here.” Saints saved by grace ought to forgive in a world that desires revenge, pursue godliness in a society that applauds immorality, and live humbly in a culture inflated by pride (Eph. 4:32; Gen. 6:9; Col. 3:12). Paul the apostle said it best: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:2a). The children of God are called to be “without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15). A zebra without stripes would be a bizarre sight—stranger still is a professing believer indistinguishable from the world. And the return on living distinctly as a Christian pilgrim is worth it, as John Wesley wrote in his little-known hymn, How Happy is the Pilgrim’s Lot:

“Nothing on earth I call my own;

A strang­er, to the world un­known,

I all their goods des­pise; I tram­ple on their whole de­light,

and seek a coun­try out of sight,

a coun­try in the skies.”

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Christian’s War Room | Bible Gleanings | March 21-22, 2026

Leave a comment

The fields of battle have frequently been filled with formidable fighters who fell for failure to familiarize themselves with the fiercest weapon of all: prayer. King Saul succumbed in his last battle with the Philistines because he “did not seek guidance from the LORD” in prayer (1 Chron. 10:14). King Amaziah was annihilated—although equipped with 400,000 mighty men and mercenaries—because he did not pray and trust the Lord (2 Chron. 25:5-25). Even the faithful king Josiah was fatally wounded in his last fight because he did not first pray for God’s counsel (2 Chron. 35:20-27). On the other hand, when the Israelites surrounded king David with prayer in Psalm 20, he emerged with a crown of victory on his head, as he later celebrated in Psalm 21.

Failure to pray sets us up for failure, especially in the battles we fight as believers. If we do not fall on our knees in prayer, we will fall in defeat. All conflicts we meet head-on should be faced with our heads down in prayer. Prayer is the armory and arsenal where God equips His people with heaven’s weapons for spiritual combat on earth. Prayer is the believer’s war room.

Prayer is where we don the spiritual armor of God which protects us against Satan. Our God-provided belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword can only be utilized when we are “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Eph. 6:18a). Facing Satan’s schemes prayerlessly is like waving a white flag before the battle even starts. This is why the Puritan George Swinnock (1627—1673) once counseled, “Prayer is one of the great ordinances that batters down the strongholds of the devil; hence he sets his wiles at work to divert men from it. It is the soul’s armor and Satan’s terror.” There is nothing the devil despises more than a praying Christian, and not much he can do to thwart a believer on their knees.

Prayer is also the key to being victorious over fleshly temptations. No wonder Jesus instructed us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matt. 6:13). Similarly, Christ taught that either temptation will overpower the believer, or the believer will overpower temptation through prayer. As He told His exhausted disciples, “Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). 

Neither should we expect victory in our tribulations without prayer. This is why James gave us the simple exhortation: “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray” (James 5:13a). Prayer is how we give our burdens to the Lord and receive divine strength to endure trouble. Through prayer, we are given the grace necessary to press forward until the battle is over. Christian, do not enter the battlefield of life unguarded, unarmed, and unready—suit up every day in the war room of prayer.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Rooted in Christ | Bible Gleanings | March 14-15, 2026

Leave a comment

We smelled something sour, but stumbled upon something stunning. While backpacking with one of my brother-in-laws near the Cache River State Natural Area in southern Illinois, we were suddenly enveloped by a foul odor that stopped us in our tracks. But unlike most common-sense hikers, we followed our noses—all the way to the most enormous tree we had ever seen: the historic, state-champion cherrybark oak tree. An information placard beside it explained that the tree was more than three-hundred years old, stretching one-hundred feet skyward, and over eight feet in diameter. And once I breathed the clean air of Kentucky again, I surfed the internet for answers about its gargantuan growth—and its unwelcome smell. 

The tree’s malodorous musk remains a mystery, but its massive growth is no secret: this giant oak grows deep before it grows tall. It grips the earth and gathers all the life-giving nutrients it needs through its roots. Despite countless tornadoes, ice storms, floods, and environmental changes, it has grown heavenward and held its ground all because it is anchored underground. Never underestimate the strength of deep roots!

Deep roots in Christ are also the key to weathering every storm of life and growing heavenward in spiritual maturity. This is why the apostle Paul commanded believers to be “rooted and built up in Him” (Col. 2:7a). If you yearn to grow tall into an “oak tree” Christian and bear God-glorifying fruit in your life, you must be connected to Jesus—drawing spiritual sustenance from Him just as roots draw nourishment from the soil. As Isaiah the prophet said, “take root downward, and bear fruit upward” (Isa. 37:31b). Jesus used a similar image when He assured, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5, KJV).

Roots also prevent a tree from being uprooted during wind and storms, and vehement tribulations and violent temptations won’t be able to knock you down when you are rooted in Jesus. Tornadoes of life-trouble and hurricanes of temptation may tear off some bark and branches—they may leave their mark on you—but you will remain standing when you are rooted in Christ. As Jeremiah the prophet illustrated,

“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit” (Jer. 17:7-8, NLT).

The strength of your Christian life depends on what lies beneath the surface. Are you burying your roots in Christ through prayer, time spent in His word, worshipping with His people, and walking in obedience to Him?

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

When Heaven Quakes | Bible Gleanings | February 14-15, 2026

Leave a comment

A traumatic earthquake in San Francisco deeply devastated the little boy, although he was oblivious to it. But he showed subtle signs of how shaken he was on the school’s swingset. The lad’s teachers observed that he would run for the swings during recess, and sway back and forth until it was time for school to resume. And when a teacher finally asked him why he bypassed the slides and merry-go-round to swing alone, he sadly answered, “On the swing, I move like the earth. So, if there’s another earthquake, I won’t feel it.” 

Without realizing it, he diagnosed the knee-jerk reaction we often have when we endure troubles in our lives. When we go through a life-shaking storm—an earthquake-level tribulation that rattles our world—we tend to brace ourselves for the next one. We live anxiously and guarded, worried that if things start to get better, that can only mean they are about to get worse. We often find ourselves quaking before the ground does.  

But the heartening truth of Scripture is that a much greater “quaking” takes place in heaven when we pray during times of trouble. As David said in Psalm 18,

“In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help . . . Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters” (Ps. 18:6a, 7, 13, 16; cf. Acts 4:31; James 5:16b). 

When we send up a prayer for help during trials, the Lord treats it like a call for backup. At the sound of our requests, God rises like a mighty warrior from His throne, rattling the floor of heaven with His swift steps, and heaven’s gates fling open wide just so the Lord can get to our side. When we pray in peril, God shouts across the heavens as though to say, “Out of My way, My child is in trouble!” When our prayers reach His ears, He leaves the throne-room of glory and enters the battlefield with us. He conducts a search-and-rescue mission when we petition Him for mercy in misery, and will even mobilize creation itself to provide us with reinforcements so we can survive the battle.

Every good father—upon hearing his child crying in danger—would drop everything, rush to his location, and push aside anything that stands in his way. Likewise, our heavenly Father rushes to our position, pushing aside all the glories of heaven and all the starry hosts of the heavens to come to our aid when we need Him. As James Rowe (1865-1933) wrote in the great hymn Love Lifted Me,

“But the Master of the sea

heard my despairing cry,

from the waters lifted me

now safe am I.”

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, their much-prayed for son, Oliver, and their three dogs. Brandon and Dakota previously served as foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and his Bible Gleanings columns are featured in over sixteen publications throughout Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and an editor at Reforming the Heart.