Week One, 2026
“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
Christmas has recently passed, and we all sang “Joy to the world.” We have joy because the Lord has come. However, as the earth begins a new annual journey around the sun, we know not what lies ahead. In all likelihood, there will be trials—big or small, but trials nonetheless—in our lives.
How will you respond when trials come? One of my favorite books in the Bible begins with the admonition to count them as pure joy. James begins with: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2–4).
James continues from perseverance to prayer. Trials build Christian character and help us to mature in the faith. We should turn to prayer for wisdom as to how to handle and face our trials. In Philippians 4, Paul similarly admonishes us to “rejoice in the Lord always”—in both the good times and the bad.
James tells us that God does not find fault, even when the fault of the believer is clear. I have done some really stupid things that caused trials in my life, but James tells us that persistence in prayer paves the way for the believer to be strengthened to endure.
Salvation is the goal of the test. Verse 12 says: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
Respond to your 2026 trials in joy, prayer, and faith, not anger—no matter how the road ahead of you is paved. May we all grow in faith as we respond to each chapter of the road ahead in the new year.
“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
Sometimes True Stories
Romans 8:18–31 speaks of these seven things:
- God knows our sufferings.
- The Holy Spirit even mourns and groans alongside us.
- The Spirit helps us in our weaknesses.
- God knows the mind of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God.
- “For those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
- God calls us and justifies us.
- In heaven, we are also GLORIFIED.
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We see examples time and again today of people acting in such a way that we say, “If only they were disciplined as a child, they wouldn’t be doing that.” Really? Do we look in the mirror when saying that?
I would guess that most of us wish we were disciplined more. We know that proper, loving discipline shapes good behavior. And good behavior shaping leads to a more fruitful, satisfying life. The lack of discipline nearly always ends badly.
That’s why God disciplines us. He does so by blocking us from doing something stupid or by lovingly letting us bear the consequences of our bad choices. But He also gives us His Word to discipline us so that we won’t make those bad choices. In which way would you like to be disciplined? —Rich Jensen
Quotes You Can Use
God can use your past as a platform for His mission in the future. Have Courage: Share your conversion story to point others to the Gospel. Trust God’s Redemption: Nothing in your past is wasted under the power of the Gospel. Press On in Mission: Don’t let present struggles keep you from proclaiming the Gospel.
Death is not the end of life; it is only the gateway to eternity. —Billy Graham
As long as I know the Lord is standing with me, I can face the trials of tomorrow and the uncertainties of the future.
Being hardened by sin, you find yourself doing things that you once swore you would never do.
Ideas do not reach perfection in a day, no matter how much study is put upon them. —Alexander Graham Bell
If you are renewed by grace, and were to meet your old self, I am sure you would be very anxious to get out of his company. —Charles H. Spurgeon
Sure, we can trust in temporal things, but we were created to last forever. So, place your trust in the only One Who can provide everything you need both now and in eternity. —Rich Jensen
You can count the apples on the tree, but who can count the apples in a seed?
Honesty is a very expensive gift. Don’t expect it from cheap people. —Richard Gonzmart
Grace is when God gives us things we don’t deserve. Mercy is when He spares us from bad things we deserve. Blessings are when He is generous with both.
The goal of the Christian life is not external conformity or mindless action, but passionate love for God informed by the mind and embraced by the will.
It’s not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy.
God gives you faith, but you must believe. God gives you repentance, but you must repent. —Charles Spurgeon.
The church is not an option for the true believer. It is the very family of God to which every true believer longs to be a part. —John MacArthur
When God forgives, He forgives forever, and He will never bring to mind again the sin of that man whom He has pardoned. —Charles Spurgeon
If your faith is a private thing, it’s not the Christian faith, which must not be hidden away. Your faith must be the most public thing about you. —John MacArthur
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