I turned the key in my ignition. Nothing. I tried it again. Not a sound. That's when I remembered a sermon my pastor gave recently about how God provides for our every need. Car trouble certainly fell into the "need" category, since it was the only way I had to get to work and to tend to the needs of my ailing grandmother.

I sat in my car and wondered how He was going to meet this need. I called my dealership, and they sent a person immediately. After jump-starting my car, the man they sent told me that it was just a bad battery, and that I didn't owe him anything. The dealership would pay for the jump-start.

With my car still running, I pulled up to a repair shop to buy a new battery at 8:00 p.m. Their window sign said that they closed at 6:30 p.m., but one of their doors was still open. So I went inside to see if someone could help me.

A man greeted me and I told him my dilemma. He said, "No problem! I'll sell you a battery and put it in for you." I smiled and thanked him. Then I thanked God for being faithful to His word.

God can meet our needs any way He chooses. He didn't have to meet mine the way He did. He could have provided me with transportation to work via a co-worker or a friend. He could have done it some other way. He also could have provided care for my grandmother from someone other than me. But regardless of His methods or His timing, He has promised to meet our needs. What a comfort!

Prayer: Father, thank You for providing for our every need, in spite of our tendency to stray from You. Remind us to seek You continually, both in times of need and in times of plenty. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I ruptured my right Achilles tendon playing in a game for the church softball team. After surgery to repair it, a blood clot formed in my leg while it was healing. As a result, my leg swells when it isn't propped up. Tennis shoes are the only type of shoes that I can wear to allow for the swelling.

One day, a friend of mine invited me to a wedding reception. While posing for pictures with some friends, I was able to see my reflection in a mirror that covered an entire wall. I had on a black suit with my white tennis shoes, and I couldn't believe how poor the combination looked. The mirror gave me a perspective that I'd never seen before — a complete view of myself, rather than my normal limited perspective — and I didn't like what I saw.

Mirrors do not lie. Their only job is to reflect perfectly what stands before them. God's Word is like a mirror. When we read it and contemplate how well we have obeyed it, we realize that we don't look nearly as good as we thought we did.

The mirror in the reception hall exposed something I didn't like, that is, how poor my white tennis shoes looked with my black suit. And that led me to take action. I bought a pair of black tennis shoes.

God's Word goes much deeper than exposing our poor appearance. It exposes our sinful nature, and once we see that, it should lead us to cry out for mercy from God. God's Word says, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." (1 Peter 3:18 NIV) Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and willingly died a sacrificial death for the unrighteous (you and I), so that God would consider us righteous.

Prayer: Father, thank you for giving us your Word so that we can know how you want us to live. Thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sin when we fall short. In Jesus' name. Amen.

A rebellion was brewing. Two hundred and fifty Israelite leaders weren't happy with Moses and Aaron leading them. They questioned Moses about why he and Aaron elevated themselves above the rest of the congregation.

God responded by telling Moses and Aaron, "Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." (Numbers 16:21) Moses obeyed and he told the congregation, "Depart now from the tents of these wicked men!" (Numbers 16:26)

God caused the earth to open up and swallow these 250 rebels, and all of them perished. The next day the congregation complained against Moses and Aaron. God permitted a plague to break out amongst the congregation; 14,700 people died. Moses told Aaron to make atonement for the people's sin, and the minute that Aaron did, the plague stopped.

Like the leaders in Israel who rebelled against God's authority, we too rebel against God's authority every time we sin. In fact, we were born in rebellion to God and we are under the same judgment that the leaders of Israel and the congregation faced.

But two thousand years ago, the atonement for our sins carried a cross to Calvary. His name was Jesus. He loved us so much that he allowed himself to be nailed to it and then to die so that the plague we face can be stopped.

Prayer: Father, thank you for sending your only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sin. In Jesus' name. Amen.