FALAITE SUNE 5, 2026

SIOPE 35-37; SAAME 63:1-8

Few things are more spiritually revitalizing than getting off the treadmill of life and taking time to meditate on the wondrous works of the Lord.

‘Oku kau ‘a e taimi ‘oku te mavahe ai mei he ngaahi me’a ‘oku nau puke hotau taimi, ‘o fakalaulauloto ‘i he ngaue fakaofo ‘a e ‘Otuaa, ‘i ha taimi langahake mo fakafo’ou ki hoto laumalie.  

We are addicted to distraction. We seem to be unable to resist the next hit. Accustomed to endless information, entertainment, and controversy, we hate even a few moments of silence. We get anxious after we've been disconnected for a while. I remember when the cell phone was a new and seemingly unneeded novelty. I said that there was no way I would ever carry a phone around with me. But the device we carry with us now is not primarily a phone. When Steve Jobs gave us a portable touch screen, life began to change. Now we can access any form of entertainment or information - no matter how healthy or spiritually dark - wherever we go and whenever we want. We all feel the need to be connected, but our digital connectivity keeps us constantly distracted. Many of us spend hours a day on our devices, but less than twenty moments in personal devotion and prayer. We leave ourselves little time to stop, think, consider, and meditate.

Why does this matter? It matters because the central fact of human existence - that which gives understanding and purpose to everything we encounter - is the existence, character, purpose, and glory of God. The truth of the existence of God is the lens through which you and I need to look to properly understand everything in our lives. God's existence and glory give us identity, meaning, moral boundaries, and lasting peace. His will should guide every one of our thoughts, desires, choices, words, and actions. His glory can rescue us from living for our own glory. His holiness can expose our sin and cause us to seek and celebrate his grace. We need time every day to stop and gaze upon the glorious glory of the Lord. Consider these words from Job 37:

Hear this, O Job;

stop and consider the wondrous works of God.

Do you know how God lays his command upon them

and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?

Do you know the balancings of the clouds,

the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,

you whose garments are hot

when the earth is still because of the south wind?

Can you, like him, spread out the skies,

hard as a cast metal mirror?

The Almighty-we cannot find him;

he is great in power;

justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate.

Therefore men fear him;

he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.

(Job 37:14-18, 23-24)

We need to heed these words. We need to silence our devices and stop to consider, gaze upon, and meditate on the wondrous works of God. When we do so, we find life, hope, and help. May the Lord's majesty supersede everything else in our lives, and may it give shape to how we live.

 TU’APULELULU SUNE 4, 2026

SIOPE 32-34; MATIU 18:7-9

Remember that God's primary concern is not earthly comfort but eternal rescue.

Manatu’i, ko e taumu’a fika ‘uluaki ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘oku ‘ikai ko e fiefia fakamamani, ka ko e fakahaofi ta’engata.

Sometimes we struggle with God not because he is unloving or unfaithful (he never is!), but because our values don't match his. When we read through the biblical narrative, we realize that God's primary agenda is not that we would achieve a comfortable and pleasurable life between the "already" and the "not yet." Think about what makes you frustrated, irritated, disappointed, or sad. Think about what makes you happy, satisfied, or content. What causes these feelings? How many of your joys and sorrows have anything whatsoever to do with the kingdom and purposes of God? How often do you mourn your lack of conformity to his perfect and wise will? How often do you celebrate the outpouring of daily grace? How often are you grieved because your heart still wanders? How often are you grateful that God meets you every day with rescuing and restraining mercies? Many of us don't need a disaster in order to feel frustration and disappointment; no, a flat tire or missing the subway on the way to work can wreck our day.

We experience sturdy joy - the kind that does not rise or fall with our circumstances - when what we want most for ourselves matches what God wants for us. But if what we want is not the thing that God wants most for us, then we are living at cross-purposes with him and struggle to see him as kind, good, faithful, and loving. And when we begin to question the goodness of God, we stop going to him for help and instead we seek help only from those who we think are good and trustworthy.

In Job 32, Elihu enters the scene of this great moral drama to correct Job's three counselors. Although in some ways Elihu is as legalistic as Job's other friends, he has moments of wisdom and insight:

God speaks in one way,

and in two, though man does not perceive it.

In a dream, in a vision of the night,

when deep sleep falls on men,

while they slumber on their beds,

then he opens the ears of men

and terrifies them with warnings,

that he may turn man aside from his deed

and conceal pride from a man;

he keeps back his soul from the pit,

his life from perishing by the sword. (Job 33:14-18)

Elihu is on to something. Why do we fail to see God? Why do we fail to hear his words? It is not because he has forsaken us. It is not because he is silent. It is because while we are worrying about why our lives have been so hard, God is working on something much more significant and glorious than the comforts of the moment. With wisdom, faithfulness, and rescuing grace, he is securing our eternal rescue. And that is a reason to celebrate!

 PULELULU SUNE 3, 2026

SIOPE 29-31; FILIPAI 4:4-13

When darkness comes, do not spend your days grumbling to yourself or complaining to others, but rather cry out to the Lord.

‘I he taimi ‘oku to mai ai ‘a e po’uli, ‘oua te ke fakamoleki ho taimi ke ke ngulungulu pe launga ki he kakai kehee, ka ke tangi hake ki he ‘Otua.

Job provides us with powerful descriptions of the dark night of the soul, including the following:

And now my soul is poured out within me;

days of affliction have taken hold of me.

The night racks my bones,

and the pain that gnaws me takes no rest.

With great force my garment is disfigured;

it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.

God has cast me into the mire,

and I have become like dust and ashes.

I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;

I stand, and you only look at me.

You have turned cruel to me;

with the might of your hand you persecute me.

You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it,

and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.

For I know that you will bring me to death

and to the house appointed for all living.

Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand,

and in his disaster cry for help? to gost

Did not I weep for him whose day was hard?

Was not my soul grieved for the needy?

But when I hoped for good, evil came,

and when I waited for light, darkness came.

My inward parts are in turmoil and never still;

days of affliction come to meet me.

I go about darkened, but not by the sun;

I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.

I am a brother of jackals

and a companion of ostriches.

My skin turns black and falls from me,

and my bones burn with heat.

My lyre is turned to mourning,

and my pipe to the voice of those who weep. (Job 30:16-31)

Notice that Job here is not grumbling to himself or complaining to others. When trouble overtakes us, it is natural for complaint to be our default language. And this default language tends to silence prayer. Complaining to yourself does not change your circumstances, and it surely doesn't lift your soul or motivate you to persevere in the darkness. Grumbling to ourselves or others becomes a doxology of bitterness, replacing the language of prayer with the language of spiritual dissatisfaction.

Prayer acknowledges the harsh realities of the moment. It confesses an inability to alter what is not under our control, and it cries out to the one who is in control and has the power to intervene. Prayer builds the soul. It reminds us of God's existence and presence, the very things that darkness seems to cloud.

May God give us grace in the darkest moments of trouble to lift our cries and complaints to him, and may he use our prayers to remind us that he is near, that he hears us, and that our hope is found in him.

 TUSITE SUNE 2, 2026

SIOPE 24-28; SAAME 46:1-11

In times of trouble, it is important to protect and stimulate your awe of God.

‘I he taimi ‘o e faingataa, ‘oku mahu’inga ke tau tokanga mo hunuaki ‘etau ‘apasia ki he tu’unga naunau’ia mo lahi ‘o e ‘Otua.  

Your heart is always being captured and shaped by the awe of something. God has hardwired us for awe in order to drive us to him in worship and surrender. He placed us in an awesome world, where created glories greet us everywhere we look. Perhaps you stand in awe of a snowcapped mountain peak or a bubbling stream. Maybe you're awestruck by a huge ribeye steak. Perhaps you're amazed by the beauty and intelligence of another person, or a feat someone has accomplished. Maybe money or the pleasures of sexuality capture your wonder. All of the awesome glories and pleasures of life have been created by God. Rightfully enjoyed, they serve an essential purpose in God's wise plan for us. They are signs that point us to his presence and glory. God does not intend for his created glories to be objects of our worship. Rather, they should excite and deepen our awe of God, so that his majesty captures us and sets the agenda for the way we live.

Particularly when trouble looms large and seems inescapable, we must protect and stimulate our awe of God. If awe of God doesn't shape our lives when times are hard, then awe of something else will. When we are suffering, we must work to gaze upon the glory of the Lord; that is, we meditate on him, not on our trouble. Biblical faith never asks us to deny reality. But it does require that we meditate on the glory of God in the midst of overwhelming trouble.

This is exactly what Job does in the middle of horrible suffering and loss:

[God] stretches out the north over the void

and hangs the earth on nothing.

He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,

and the cloud is not split open under them.

He covers the face of the full moon

and spreads over it his cloud.

He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters

at the boundary between light and darkness.

The pillars of heaven tremble

and are astounded at his rebuke.

By his power he stilled the sea;

by his understanding he shattered Rahab.

By his wind the heavens were made fair;

his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.

Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,

and how small a whisper do we hear of him!

But the thunder of his power who can understand? (Job 26:7-14)

May God give us the grace in times of trouble, even when he seems distant, to preach to ourselves the glory of his majesty, so that trouble doesn't overwhelm us and rob us of our awe of him.

 MONITE SUNE 1, 2026

SIOPE 21-23; SAAME 88:1-18

We face spiritual danger when we think God is distant, inactive, or unreachable.

Te tau to ki ha faingata’a fakalaumalie ‘i he taimi ‘oku tau fakakaukau ai ‘oku mama’o ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘ikai ngāue, pe faingata’a ke tokanga mai. 

I have counseled many people during times of trouble and difficulty. Their problems loom so large, dominating their thoughts and clouding their hearts, that they are tempted to believe that God doesn't exist or that he has forsaken them. They think their prayers are not powerful enough to penetrate the ceiling, let alone reach God. What do you do when you're in times of intense suffering? What do you say to yourself? What happens to your spiritual life? We live in a world that is broken, and so bad things happen to us. Times of trial turn our lives dark. We face physical suffering, relational disappointment, and situational struggles. These problems seem so big that they confront us as soon as we awake, dominate our thoughts during the day, and make sleeping difficult at night. Suffering is the universal experience of people living in a world that is groaning, waiting for its final redemption. 

The book of Job invites us into the sacred space of a suffering man's struggle with God. We get to eavesdrop on the private conversations between Job and God. We get to walk down the corridors of Job's heart. As we look in and listen to Job, we realize that our struggles are not new or uncommon. We experience the same kinds of struggles that God's children have always endured. In his suffering, Job puts words to our questions and our cries:

Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,

and backward, but I do not perceive him;

on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;

he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. (Job 23:8-9)

As part of the travail of living in this fallen world, we all go through times when it seems as though God has left us alone in our suffering. If you have suffered deeply, if loss has changed your life forever, or if something has come into your life that you did not expect and did not want, then you can relate to Job's words.

Why has this private conversation been recorded for us? Why have we been invited into the sacred space of a man's struggle with God? The answer is that God loves us. In the tenderness of his love and mercy, and with his knowledge of the brokenness of the world we live in, God lets us know that he sees and cares about what we are going through. And, because he does, he will make everything new again. Your Lord knows-and has already set in motion-our final, glorious renewal

 SAPATE ME 31, 2026

SIOPE 17-20; SAAME 121:1-8

Amid all the questions, stresses, disappointments, and hardships of life, it is heartening to be able to say, "I know that my Redeemer lives."

‘I he uhouhonga ‘o e ngaahi fehu’i, mafasia, mamahi mo e ha’aha’a ‘o e hala fononga, ‘oku fakalotolahi ke te lava ‘o lea’aki, “Oku ou ‘ilo ‘oku mo’ui ‘a hoku Koeli.”

Everybody has it, even people who consider themselves to be completely irreligious. It gets you up in the morning and motivates you throughout the day. It comforts you when you are sad. It gives you hope when your dreams have been dashed. It causes you to endure when suffering enters your door. You use it to encourage others. What am I talking about? Faith. Everyone looks to someone or something for security. Everyone has some kind of rock of hope. Everyone hooks his life to something he thinks is secure and will always be there. Everyone has faith in something. What makes Christians different is not that we live by faith. No, what makes us different is the object of our faith.

The things that most people have faith in ultimately will fail them. Only one source provides unshakable security and hope in this fallen world. If you want sturdy peace of heart and mind, quit looking horizontally and lift up the eyes of your heart. God is the only reliable, unfailing, never-changing, and always-faithful rock of security and hope. You can put your hope in him-not just because he has awesome power and makes wonderful promises, but because he rules over every situation and relationship you will ever have in your life. This is where Job's heart goes in the middle of horrible suffering and loss, the faulty counsel of friends, and confusion about what God is doing. The words he speaks in the midst of his hardships have given strength and courage to generation after generation of believers. Job might not know and understand much at

this point in his life, but one transformative thing he knows for sure:

I know that my Redeemer lives,

and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has been thus destroyed,

yet in my flesh I shall see God. (Job 19:25-26)

Speaking as a prophet, uttering words that have meaning beyond his understanding, Job reminds himself where unshakable hope and help can be found. What gives Job hope? God is alive and will never go away. After everything else has passed away, God will still stand. But there is more. Job knows that even though he is suffering, even though God has confused him, and even though God seems distant, God has not forsaken him and there will be a day when Job will see God.

Even if you're not facing hardship now, you will someday. In your tears and loss, may you look up with confidence and hope and say, "I am unsure of many things right now, but this I know for certain: I know that my Redeemer lives!"

 TOKONAKI ME 30, 2026

SIOPE 14-16; PALOVEPI 3:5-6

It is spiritually healthy to always remember that God, in his infinite wisdom, has set limits for us.

‘Oku kau lelei ki he’etau mo’ui fakalaumalie, ke tau manatu’i, ko e ‘Otuaa, ‘i he taumama’o ‘o ‘ene poto, ‘oku ne fokotu’u ha ngaahi fakangatangata ki he tangataa.

Working beyond God-ordained limits is always spiritually debilitating and destructive. We will never be able to go two weeks without sleep. We will never be able to work eighty hours a week and not see a negative impact on our family. We will never have so much wisdom that we will be free of God's. We will never be so righteous that we will no longer need God's grace. We will never grow so strong that we will no longer require God's power. We will never have so much control that we will no longer need to rest in God's sovereignty. If you deny the limits God has set for you, you then begin to live with a self-sufficiency and independence that never go anywhere good.

Job in his suffering-over which he has no voice or control-is powerfully confronted with his limits. Note Job's words:

Since his days are determined,

and the number of his months is with you,

and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass... (Job 14:5)

Job is faced with the reality that not only does he have limits and not only do those limits set boundaries for him that he cannot pass, but those limits have been preordained and predetermined by God. If you think back to Genesis 1 and 2, you realize that the only being in the entire creation account that is without limits is God himself.

The limits God has set for us are not unloving or unkind. He does not intend them to handicap or incapacitate us. God's boundaries are not meant to stifle us, to make life hard and frustrating. No, the wise God who made us knew what was best for us. He specially designed us, knowing exactly what we needed. In his wisdom, he did not create us to be limitless, self-sufficient, independent beings. The limits he set for us drive us, in humility, to surrender to and depend on him and to find in him our wisdom, strength, righteousness, and power. We push against our limits when we forget the meaning and purpose for which we were created: to know God and to rest in and enjoy him forever.

Nothing confronts us with our limits more than the cross of Jesus Christ. We cannot bridge the gap between ourselves and God on our own. Because of our limits, we needed the Redeemer, Jesus, to come as our substitute, to do what we could never do, and by grace to unite us to God forever. The limitless one took on limits, so that we would someday know the glory of a limitless eternity with God. Accept your limits and rest in the wisdom and grace of the one who put those boundaries in place for his glory and your eternal good.