Month: April 2025

Our text for today is from 1 Kings 19:9.

“But the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?'”*

Fresh off a mountain-top victory, Elijah had seen fire fall from heaven. He stood firm against hundreds of false prophets, watched the people fall face down in worship, and felt the wind of revival stir the air. But the thrill didn’t last. One threat from Jezebel, and fear found its way into his soul.

He ran. Far into the wilderness. Past the cheering crowds and the memory of triumph. He collapsed beneath a broom tree and begged God to take his life. Then, farther still—into a cave. Hiding. Numb. Spent.

That’s where God met him. Not with a shout. Not with a sermon. But with a question.

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

God wasn’t seeking directions. He was seeking Elijah’s heart. And He still does the same today.

When we run out of strength… When the fire dies down and fear flares up… God leans in with a whisper, not a wagging finger. “What are you doing here?” It’s not condemnation. It’s a gentle call to come out of hiding.

Maybe today, that question is for you. Not to expose you—but to invite you. Into rest. Into grace. Into the presence of a God who still speaks in whispers.

Let Him meet you there.

What Is That in Your Hand?

God’s question for today is from Exodus 4:2.

Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

In his hand, Moses had a stick. That’s all. A shepherd’s staff—ordinary, unimpressive, simple.

But in God’s hands, it parted seas, struck rocks, and showed His glory.

We often think we need more to serve God. More talent, more resources, more confidence. In the midst of all this, God asks a simple question: “What is that in your hand?”

He doesn’t ask what you wish you had. He asks what you do have.

A gift. A skill. A story. A moment.

God delights in using what’s already there—ordinary things for extraordinary purposes. The staff didn’t become powerful until Moses laid it down and let God use it.

Take inventory today. What’s in your hand? What gift, opportunity, or resource has God already given you? Offer it to Him, and you will be amazed at what you can do.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

God’s question for today comes from Genesis 18:14.

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Skeptics love to think up things that God cannot do. They ask, “Can God dig a hole so deep that he can’t get out of it,” or “Can God build a mountain so tall he can’t leap over it.” They ask these and other nonsense questions. 

Sarah was no skeptic but when God told her that at 90 she would have a child, Sarah laughed. 

Not out loud, but quietly in her heart. The promise of a child felt impossible. She was old. Her body had long stopped working the way it once had. Her hope had dried up like a desert.

She needed God’s question:

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

It wasn’t a rebuke—it was a reminder. God’s promises are not limited by our age, our logic, or our doubts. He doesn’t need the odds to be in His favor. He is the One who created time, breath, and bodies. And He still delights in doing the impossible.

We all have situations that feel too far gone. Prayers that feel too old. Dreams that seem dead. But the same question still whispers: Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Of course not. Simply trust Him.

I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Adam and Eve ate the fruit they were told to leave alone. Suddenly, innocence slipped away. They covered themselves with fig leaves and hid in the trees. When they admitted their fear, God asked them,  

“Who told you that you were naked?”  

– Genesis 3:11

Notice, God didn’t first ask, “What have you done?” He asked, “Who have you listened to?”

Because before our feet ever move the wrong way, our hearts start believing the wrong voice. Adam had listened to a voice that planted fear and shame. We still do the same. Some voices speak truth. Others whisper lies that sound almost true—until they leave us doubting God’s goodness.

Sin not only changes what we do; it changes how we see ourselves. Adam and Eve once saw themselves through God’s eyes—pure, beloved, enough. But now? Now they saw only shame. That’s what sin does. It doesn’t just wound us; it warps us. It makes us believe we are broken beyond repair.

Shame tells us to hide. God calls us to come close.

I love how God goes straight to the heart. He doesn’t begin with the broken command. He begins with the broken belief. 

And He still asks us today: Who told you that you were too far gone? Who told you that my love could run out?

Don’t listen to that voice. God is still calling.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

God’s question for today comes from Genesis 4:9.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

Cain had already crossed a line that should never be crossed. He murdered his brother. Even so, notice how God approaches him—not with a thunderclap, but with a question.

“Where is your brother?”

It wasn’t that God didn’t know. God always knows. He was offering Cain a chance. A chance to come clean. A chance to take responsibility. A chance, even now, to seek mercy. Sadly, Cain chose to hide behind denial.

That question hasn’t faded with time. It still echoes across the centuries. Where is your brother? Where is your sister?

Have you noticed their absence? Their tears? Their silent suffering? Are you your brother’s keeper? God seems to think so.

We are not called just to avoid doing harm. We are called to actively love. To see the ones who are easy to overlook. To reach out before it’s too late.

This question reminds us that it is not just about you. It is also about those around you.

Maybe there’s someone God has placed on your heart. Someone who feels forgotten. Someone whose burdens have gone unnoticed. Don’t brush off the nudge. Reach out. Call. Visit. Ask how they are.

Be your brother’s keeper today.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our verse for today is Isaiah 55:2.

“Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.”

One of the Bible characters who illustrates this verse was King Solomon.

He had it all—wealth, wisdom, and fame. He built houses, planted vineyards, and surrounded himself with every pleasure money could buy. Yet in the end, he called it all “meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” He had everything people dream of, but it couldn’t fill the emptiness in his heart.

It’s easy to get caught up in the chase, isn’t it? We spend our days piling up possessions, chasing achievements, and seeking approval. We work hard. We fill our schedules. We fill our homes. We fill our closets. Yet somehow, deep inside, the hunger remains.

God sees us running, and He gently asks, “Why?”

Why pour your energy into what cannot nourish you? Why invest your life in things that leave you emptier than before?

He isn’t scolding us. He’s inviting us. “Listen carefully to Me,” He says. “Eat what is good.”

God sets a table that no earthly banquet can match. He offers peace for the restless, hope for the hurting, grace for the guilty, and love that never lets go. The richest of foods for the emptiest of hearts.

You don’t have to stay hungry. You don’t have to keep striving.

Sit at His table. Taste His goodness. Listen to His voice. Let your soul delight in what truly satisfies.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our question for today comes from Genesis 4:6.

“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry?'”

Cain had stumbled. His offering didn’t please God the way his brother’s did. And instead of asking, “What can I do better?” he turned his frustration toward Abel. His brother hadn’t caused the failure, but Cain’s heart found a target anyway.

God saw it all. The jealousy simmering. The hurt swelling. The rage crouching, ready to pounce. And before the dam broke, God leaned in with a question.

“Why are you angry?”

Not a lecture. Not a condemnation. Just a gentle, soul-piercing question. Why?

It wasn’t anger management Cain needed; it was heart management. God wasn’t trying to scold him—He was trying to save him. 

God’s next words are even more tender and powerful.

“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it” (verse 7).

Sin crouches. Like a wild animal, it waits. It knows when we are weak, when we are tired, when we feel overlooked, or when we are angry. But God says, “You can master it.”

Not in your strength. Not by ignoring it. But by answering His question honestly and choosing to do right, even when anger claws at your heart.

Oh, Cain. Oh, us.

When anger knocks, don’t open the door. Open your heart instead. Talk to God. Try again. Choose the better way.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our verse for today is Genesis 3:13.

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

When my daughter was just four, she got into a little trouble—nothing serious, but enough for a gentle swat on the bottom. She cried, more from wounded feelings than pain. I walked out of the room, but something tugged at me. So I went back in and knelt beside her. “Sweetheart,” I asked, “do you know why I did that?” She sniffled, lifted her head, and said, “Yes… because you were mad at me.”

Ouch! That one cut deep. I wasn’t trying to punish—I was trying to correct. But her little heart misunderstood.

That moment helped me understand this question from God to Eve: “What is this you have done?” It wasn’t a courtroom interrogation. It wasn’t for information—God already knew. It was an invitation. An open door to self-awareness. A holy pause.

God doesn’t ask to shame. He asks to awaken. He wanted Eve to see—not just what she had done, but what it meant. The broken trust. The shift in the world. The crack in her own soul.

We’ve all been there. We’ve crossed lines, stepped outside of wisdom, followed our wants instead of God’s word. And in the quiet that follows, God still asks, “What have you done?” Not to scold, but to guide. Not to condemn, but to start the healing.

Today, take a moment to answer that question in your own life. Not with fear, but with faith. Because the God who asks is the same God who forgives.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our text for today is Job 40:8.

“Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?”

Life hurts. We lose a loved one. Our sickness drags on and on, even though we pray. In those times, we question God. We don’t mean to do it—we just want answers. Why the loss? Why the silence? Why the sorrow? And before we know it, our pain turns into a courtroom, and we’ve placed God on the stand.

That’s where Job found himself. Broken. Bruised. Baffled. And then comes the voice from the whirlwind, tender yet firm: “Would you condemn me to justify yourself?”

God wasn’t scolding Job for grieving. He was inviting him to trust. Not to explain the suffering, but to reframe it. To remember that heaven’s justice doesn’t sit under human judgment.

We don’t see the whole story. We catch glimpses—a doctor’s report, a lost job, an unanswered prayer. But God? He sees the beginning, the middle, and the end. His justice isn’t crooked. It’s just too wide for our eyes.

Job never got all the answers, but he found something better: the presence of God in the storm. And maybe that’s what we need, too. We need to remember the church song, “I don’t know about tomorrow, but I know who holds tomorrow.” When we really believe, that is enough.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Have you ever noticed the very first question God asked in the Bible? It’s found in Genesis 3:9—“Where are you?” Spoken to Adam after the fall, this wasn’t a question about geography. God knew exactly where Adam was. It was a question aimed at the heart. 

God was inviting Adam—and all of us—to step out of hiding. To face where we are, spiritually and emotionally. This question still echoes in our lives today. 

That’s why studying the questions God asks in Scripture can be so powerful. God’s questions reveal what matters most to Him. They uncover our fears, our motives, and our deepest needs. 

When God asks a question, He’s not seeking information. He’s stirring reflection. He wants us to think, to grow, and most of all, to come back to Him.

In the next few days we will be looking at the questions God asked. You may be surprised how deeply they speak to you. In addition to “Where are you?” God also asks, “Why are you angry?” “Where is your brother Abel?” And “Is My hand shortened, that it cannot redeem?”

By the way, if you know someone who wants to receive these daily devotionals, send me their name and number. I will add them to the daily list. Don’t worry, when you text me, it is seen only by me.

I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.