January | 2026 | From the Inside Out

Archive for January, 2026

Awed Adoration

Posted in Appreciation, Encouragement, Excellence, Faith, God, God's Goodness, God's Power, Holiness, Joy, Obedience, Uncategorized, tagged Adoration for God, Amazing facts in scripture, Amazing facts of creation, Becoming holy, God's Holiness, God's Magnificence on January 22, 2026| 24 Comments »

Do you know . . .

. . . the approximate number of stars in the sky?

“Astronomers estimate that the universe could contain up to one septillion stars – that’s a one followed by 24 zeros (1) !”

. . . about the “Goldilocks Zone?”

That’s what scientists call our perfect position in the galaxy, where Earth doesn’t get too hot or too cold. The distance is “just right” to sustain life (2).

. . . how ocean currents are important to our survival?

They help regulate Earth’s climate by distributing heat around the globe. They also transport nutrients and oxygen to deep-sea ecosystems (3).

. . . where the tallest mountain is located?

It’s not Mount Everest—it’s Mauna Kea, part of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount range. It rises 13,800 feet above the Pacific Ocean and extends down to the ocean floor another 19,700 feet, for a total of 33,500 feet—more than a mile higher than Mount Everest (4).

. . . how trees in a forest can stay healthy for centuries without human intervention?

An underground fungus network connects plants together, allowing for transfer of water and nutrients (5).

I can’t speak for you, but such facts astound me and prompt awed adoration for the Creator of all things.

My amazement expands even further as I read in scripture:

God knows all those septillion of stars by name (Isaiah 40:26).

He is the One who set the earth on its [invisible] foundations; it can never be moved (Psalm 104:5).

God inspired David to include “the paths of the sea” in one of his songs (Psalm 8:8), long before Matthew Maury studied those currents and charted them.

He covered the earth with enough water to stand above the tallest mountains (Psalm 104:6).

God has made sure his trees in the deepest forests have been well-watered and nourished since time began (Psalm 104:16).

Photo taken by Paul Saad in the “Cedars of God” nature preserve in Lebanon.

Some trees are well over 1,000 years old, a few even 2,000 and 3,000 years old.

Who is like our God?!

Because of his incomparable power, he could do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Yet his actions are always guided by absolute love, wisdom, and goodness.

But of course, God’s magnificence isn’t limited to his creative genius and immense power to accomplish every good work.

Consider his holiness—his separateness from all else, his perfections above everyone else.

He’s the Only One who:

can create out of nothing
has the capacity to rule and sustain the universe
knows all things, all truth
can provide eternal life to those who come to him (6)

We see his holiness in:

the numerous, already-fulfilled prophecies of scripture, brought about with 100% accuracy
his promises, kept with 100% reliability
his flawless attributes, at work 100% of the time (7)

Think of all his blessings lavished upon us, the answers to prayer, the difficulties overcome, the miracles bestowed. Your life and mine offer proof of God’s holy faithfulness and lovingkindness.

In fact:

Not since Adam stood up on the earth has God failed a single man or woman who trusted him.

—A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous, 44.

Again, my heart responds with awed adoration.

Yet there’s more.

This astounding, wonderful, and perfect God invites us to be holy too.

“Now why would we want to do that?” the skeptic will ask. “Holiness sounds dull and boring!”

In actuality, the process of becoming holy is the pathway to happiness. Yes it is.

Every time God says, “Don’t,” he’s indicating, “Don’t hurt yourself.” When we choose to sin, we’re choosing to suffer (9).

Now why would we want to do THAT?

Some will argue, “But holiness is so hard to achieve.”

That’s where awed adoration comes in, for the magnificence of God’s deeds and the perfections of his character, just as we’ve done in this post.

Why?

The life of true holiness is rooted in the soil of awed adoration.

—J. I. Packer (quoted by Ann Voskamp in 1000 Gifts, 111).

So let’s plant our roots and grow!

Greater happiness awaits.

Endnotes:

https://science.nasa.gov/universe/stars/
https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/what-is-the-habitable-zone-or-goldilocks-zone/
https://oceanblueproject.org/ocean-currents-map/
https://www.mos.org/blog/the-earth-around-us/Why-Hawaii
https://www.nationalforests.org/blog/underground-mycorrhizal-network
Hebrews 11:3; Colossians 1:17; 1 John 3:20c; John 3:16
Isaiah 46:10-11; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 18:30
James MacDonald, Gripped by the Greatness of God, 36-37.

Image credits: http://www.commonswikimedia.org (2); http://www.flickr (Paul Saad); http://www.picryl.com; http://www.freebibleimages.org; http://www.canva.com.

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A Prayer God Will Answer

Posted in Appreciation, Bible Study, Blessings, God's Goodness, God's Power, God's Promises, God's Provision, God's Strength, God's Will, God's Wisdom, Maturity, Meditation, Obedience, Patience, Perseverance, Praise, Prayer, Suffering, tagged Blessings of Obedience to God, Colossians 1:9-12, Faith, Fullness of Life, God, God's enablement, God-enhanced living, Journaling Prayer, Prayer on January 15, 2026| 35 Comments »

Black coffee steamed, a fir-scented candle glowed as I began to journal a prayer from Colossians 1:9-12, in response to a Bible study prompt. What follows is the result, with recent additions and revisions.

Perhaps you’d like to pray along?

Thank you, Father, for including many exemplary prayers in the Bible. Moses showed us how to intercede for others, David, how to praise, and Daniel, how to pray using scripture (1).

You’ve also provided promises, assuring our prayers will be answered–for those who believe in you, seek to live your ways, and pray according to your will (2).

With these assurances in mind, I appropriate for me Paul’s prayer for the Colossian Christians (1:9-12), desiring to experience the same realities in my life: knowledge of your will, obedience worthy of you, power to endure, and joyful gratitude for the promised inheritance in your kingdom.

I too pray to be filled with the knowledge of your will (v.9)—for small matters and major decisions alike. I know that fulfillment of your purpose will result in prosperity of soul (3).

I pray for spiritual wisdom and understanding (v. 9), “to recognize truth and discern reality from your point of view.” Many want to make truth relative to fit their world view apart from you. But “ignorance of spiritual realities is the constant source of error, instability, and sorrow” (4).

In contrast, knowledge of your divine truth brings helpful instruction, guidance, comfort, and more. For me to live by your truth is what you deserve, as my all-wise, loving Father. It also brings you honor and allows me to enjoy “life in all its fullness.” How lavish you are in your goodness, O Lord (6)!

May my life “be the kind that brings credit to [your] grace” (7). One way to do that is to bear fruit (v. 10); to be your instrument of mercy to others with my words and actions. But to do that I need your power, Father, your enablement to carry out what you ask.

I also need your power to persevere, equipping me to even triumph through trials. Eugene Peterson called it “glory-strength—strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy” (v. 11 MSG). Such an incredible gift!

I praise you for your supply of endurance. Millions of martyrs who’ve gone before have proved: no circumstance in life can ever defeat . . . no event can ever vanquish (8).

How many, Lord, were tortured and maimed, killed by lions in the Roman Colosseum, burned alive, or tied inside a burlap sack and thrown in a river to drown?

The Christian Martyrs’ Last Prayer by Jean-Leon Gerome, 1883

And yet as death drew near, they spoke and sang words of joy, because of their love for you and their confidence of heaven with you. You made it possible for them, you’ll make it possible for me to deal triumphantly with whatever life delivers.

You also provide patience to withstand unpleasant, even malicious people. You make it possible to set aside bitterness, despair, and exasperation and focus instead on the joyful conclusion ahead, just as Christ did.

Help me to do so, Father. May I remember to take encouragement from your promise that even out of evil, you bring good (9).

Your most mature saints exemplify “giving joyful thanks” (v. 12), even as they suffer. Amy Carmichael, missionary to India, offered a perfect example.

She was often in pain from neuralgia, sometimes bedridden for weeks at a time, yet served faithfully for fifty-five years, even writing thirty-five inspiring books.

Amy Carmichael

“Joy is not gush, ” she wrote. “Joy is not mere jolliness. Joy is perfect acquiescence ~ acceptance, rest ~ in God’s will, whatever comes.”

I know she’s right.

Thank you, O God, for your willingness to bestow all these life-enhancing entities: knowledge of and compliance with your will that leads to satisfaction, strength and power to endure, and joy–especially in the glorious inheritance you’ve provided in your kingdom of light!

Help me do your bidding, Lord, joyfully leaving the outcome to you.

Notes:

Exodus 32; Psalm 145 among many, Daniel 9.
1 Peter 3:12; 1 John 5:14-15.
Psalm 40:8.
4. J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English, Colossians 1:9; Charles Spurgeon, http://www.preceptaustin.org.
Psalm 119:14, 105, 52.
John 10:10 GNT; Psalm 31:19.
http://www.bereanbiblechurch.org.
William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible, The Lettters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, 131.
Hebrews 12:2; Romans 8:28; Genesis 50:15.

Image credits: Nancy Ruegg; http://www.canva.com (2); http://www.picryl.com; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.publicdomainpictures.net (2).

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Entrance to the Zenanas

Posted in Excellence, God's Provision, Heroes of the Faith, Perseverance, Service, Uncategorized, tagged Hannah LaCroix Mullens, Matthew 25:40, Mission Work in India 1800s, Zenana Bible and Medical Mission, Zenanas of India 1800s on January 8, 2026| 46 Comments »

As Mr. Banerjee[1] sat talking with her father, Hannah bent over her needlework, taking pleasure in creating embroidery for a pair of slippers.

The visitor glanced Hannah’s way and couldn’t help but notice her handiwork—the stunning colors, beautiful pattern, and exceptional workmanship.

“Forgive me, Mohashoya” (respected lady), he said. “I must say your needlework is of superb quality. Might you be able to teach my wife how it is done? You could come to my home, perhaps once a week?”

Hannah caught her breath. In that instant, God answered a two-decade prayer of her missionary family, serving in India in the 1800s.

Calcutta, near the northeastern border

Hannah had been born in Calcutta in 1826, and learned to speak the Bengali language fluently. By age twelve she was assisting her mother with the school they operated in their garden, taking responsibility for the younger students.

A deep passion began to grow within her for those who did not know Jesus, who lived without hope, peace, and joy.

In 1845, Hannah married Rev. Dr. Mullens, another missionary. Together they ministered to the citizens of Calcutta. She founded a boarding school for girls where they learned how to read and write, sew and embroider. They also studied the Bible.

But their ministry to many of the women was hampered by the Hindu custom of confining them to the inner rooms of their homes, the zenana. Outer rooms were reserved for men and guests.

Women were considered helpless and beneath men, so they weren’t sent to school. Fathers arranged the marriages, often to a husband unknown by the bride. Many men practiced polygamy.

Within the zenanas, ill-treatment and neglect were prevalent. If on rare occasion these women went out in public, they had to be completely covered from head to toe.

Few opportunities presented themselves to tell them about Jesus.

But that afternoon, as Mr. Banerjee asked Hannah to teach his wife embroidery, she saw the grand opportunity God was providing. Before long, the sewing lessons with Mrs. Banerjee were accompanied by dialogue about Christ and what he offers.

Soon another opportunity presented itself. An acquaintance of the family, an Indian doctor, passed away, and Hannah went to visit his daughter.

To her delight, Hannah discovered the young woman to be highly intelligent. Her father hadn’t followed the zenana customs and had provided a tutor.

“Might you be willing to start a school for other young women?” Hannah asked. Before long, twenty young women were gathering to learn how to read and write, and to hear about Jesus. Hannah presided over the school.

Through gracious diplomacy, she gained access to other zenanas. Hannah’s mother assisted with the work.

Another woman became director of the boarding school, so Hannah could expand her ministry in the zenanas. At one time, she provided spiritual care for eighty women and seventy girls [2].

Nine years previously, Hannah had written a book for Bengali Christian women. In 1861 she began another book–this time for the women of the zenanas. But Hannah became ill and did not recover. She was thirty-five years old.

Some would question God’s decision. “Her ministry had just begun!” they’d say. But scripture explains God’s view. All the days ordained for Hannah, set before even one of them came to be, had undoubtedly been fulfilled (Psalm 139:16).

Many mourned the death of Hannah LaCroix Mullens, including 150 Christian converts from Hinduism who attended her funeral with their families.

Thirty-three years later, Rev. E. M. Wherry listed the following statistics for the Zenana, Bible and Medical Mission (established in 1880):

The mission “has 73 European missionaries and assistants, 54 Bible-women, and 149 native Christian teachers and nurses. It sustains 67 schools, with 2,554 pupils and three normal schools with 115 students training for mission work” [3].

Imagine Hannah’s joy to see these women (and perhaps thousands more) enter heaven, the ripple effect from that first visit with Mrs. Banerjee.

[1] Actual name unknown.

[2] Diane Lynn Severance, Her-Story, 247.

[3] From Women in Missions, American Tract Society, 1894, p. 117 (available online).

Sources:

Diana Lynn Severance, Her-Story, 247.

Click to access eminent-missionary-women_gracey_a-r.pdf

Click to access July7_1981.pdf

Click to access Mission-Miracles1B.pdf

Image credits: http://www.needpix.com; http://www.ndla.no; http://www.canva.com (2).

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A New Soul

Posted in Blessings, Encouragement, Excellence, Faith, God, God's Faithfulness, Renewing the Mind, Uncategorized, tagged 2 Corinthians 4:16, Faith, God, New Year, Psalm 37:23, Psalm 51:10, Romans 12:2, Spiritual Renewal on January 1, 2026| 43 Comments »

A new soul. I like the sound of that, don’t you? In my imagination I see a freshening of my attitudes, improved motivations, and increased spiritual strength.

But where do I start in order to have a new soul?

No doubt, a new soul begins with repentance—expressing to God my sorrow for wrongdoing and availing myself of his help to change. Just as King David prayed, I can ask God to:

Notice that David asked God to create in him a pure heart. David didn’t promise to clean up his act on his own. Only God could make David’s heart new and pure. The same goes for me. All I can do is submit myself to his transforming power and follow his lead.

That pure heart David asked for is a clear conscience. And with the release from guilt came a rush of joy and the restoration of sweet peace with God. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?

“No one is happier than the one who has repented of wrong” (Max Lucado).

A new soul involves renewal of the mind.

Or, put another way:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world,

but let God transform you into a new person

by changing the way you think.

Then you will learn to know God’s will for you,

which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

–Romans 12:2, NLT (emphasis added)

Once the negative influences of sin have been removed, I need to fill my mind with excellent, praiseworthy contemplations.

Why waste my thoughts and allow them to wander on worthless topics or circle around pointless worries? Instead, I want to set my mind on the positive, especially on God himself.

A renewed mind is not problem-focused; it is Person-focused.

A new soul requires day-by-day rejuvenation.

“We do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

–2 Corinthians 4:16 (emphasis added)

God has established certain laws by which our world is governed. Gravity is one example. The law of entropy is another. It states that all elements of the universe tend to disintegrate over time. Plants and animals die and decay, iron rusts, rock erodes.

Our souls tend to disintegrate over time, too, when left unattended:

Worry and fear wreak havoc
Self-centeredness creates an appetite for entertainment, possessions, and recognition—appetites that are never satiated
Foolishness reigns because wisdom is ignored
Rationalizations replace honest evaluations
Uncontrolled behaviors harm relationships

But when we avail ourselves of God’s influence day-by-day and step-by-step, the law of entropy has no effect on our souls.

The Amplified Version expands the meaning:

The steps of a [good and righteous] man

are directed and established by the Lord,

and He delights in his way [and blesses his path].

–Psalm 37:23 AMP

Consider the significance of these key words:

Steps – Even spiritual achievement rarely happens in an instant. God values slow and steady progress

Directed – He isn’t just interested in the details of our lives; he’s lovingly engineering them

Established – There is always design and strategy in God’s endeavors, even if we only occasionally perceive it

Delights – God is pleased with those who follow the path he has thoughtfully and wisely set

Blesses – God lovingly bestows such gifts as peace, joy, hope, and satisfaction in life

* * * * * * * * * *

Holy Creator of new souls, as I stand on the brink of a new year, I do confess my failings to you. Purify my heart; show me how to refine my motivations behind right actions.

Thank you for your gentle nudges to turn my mind toward you, and your loving attention upon every step of my life. I praise you that continual contact with you results in a soul–a life–that is continually refreshed and made new!

Image credits: www.canva.com; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.canva.com (2).

(Revised and reblogged from 1-4-2016, while we enjoy one more day of out-of-town family.)

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Archive for January, 2026

Awed Adoration

A Prayer God Will Answer

Entrance to the Zenanas

A New Soul

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