From Psalm 42, 2 Corinthians 12, and other passages, Scripture does not hide the sorrow and weakness faithful people can feel. God wants us to rely on Him for strength, and He can use our weakness to show His glory.

In John 5:1–15, Jesus meets a man waiting by the pool of Bethesda and calls him to take a step of faith. God wants us to stop making excuses, act on Christ's word, and trust that His timing is for His glory.

In Daniel 11–12, a detailed prophecy of coming kings reaches to the time of the end. The history itself has a simple lesson: God keeps His promises and always accomplishes His goals.

In Daniel 10, God gives Daniel a behind-the-scenes look at a battle he could not see. There is a whole world of unseen work in our lives; God hears us and is working even when the answer is delayed.

In Daniel 9, Daniel searches the Scriptures and asks when God will restore Israel, and God answers with the prophecy of the seventy weeks. He does not delay His promises; He fulfills them exactly as He says He will.

In Daniel 8, a vision of coming conflict points both to the events behind Hanukkah and to a coming antichrist. God wants us to beware of deception: a peace that is not peace, and a power that is not from Him.

In Daniel 7, world empires rise and fall like beasts, but the Ancient of Days will judge them and give an everlasting kingdom to His people. We should not hitch our hope to the next government; God's Word will not fail.

From 1 Samuel 2 and 4 and Jeremiah 35, we compare Eli's passive parenting with Jonadab's careful leadership of his family. Godly leadership can make all the difference in the lives of our children and grandchildren.

In Daniel 6, Daniel keeps the same faithful prayer life he has lived for decades, even when the law makes it a capital crime. God wants us to serve Him consistently, in ordinary faithfulness, not only when it is easy.

In Daniel 5, Belshazzar feasts with the temple vessels, ignoring the warnings already given through his grandfather. God wants us to reverence Him, and to learn from the warnings He has already spoken, before the writing is on the wall.