Daily Lesson for Friday 12th of June 2026
Further Thought:
It’s when we face life’s challenges that we most need to cling to God.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
The topics we’ve explored throughout this quarter all contribute to keeping or refreshing a strong walk with God. When you face a setback such as a health challenge, financial difficulties, a marriage breakdown, the death of someone close to you, or another burden that robs you of joy, consider the following questions and reflect on the lessons studied thus far.
Discussion Questions
- How has whatever setback you are facing, or have faced, impacted your picture of God? How can you more clearly see God’s true character?
- When did you last pray for God’s voice in your life to be stronger than the enemy’s? Remember that the thief (Satan) comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but God gives abundant life (John 10:10).
- Is your heart humble? Do you trust that God is still sovereign and leading in your life, despite hardship? If not, how can you learn this humble trust in the goodness and love of God for you personally?
- Are you keeping yourself grounded in God’s Word daily? Ask God to reignite your first love for Him as you pass through challenging times.
- When did you last turn to God as your Comforter and Counselor in prayer, trusting that He has kept His promise never to leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)?
- If your faith is weak, pray, “ ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’ ” (Mark 9:24, NKJV). Surround yourself with people who can encourage rather than discourage you.
- The world doesn’t always care for the weak, ignorant, wounded, and broken. God’s message of “When you are weak, my power is strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9, WE) is a message that can radically transform people’s lives. Think of someone you might encourage with this message today.
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Summary: We still live in a sinful world full of pain and suffering, and each of us faces hardships at some point in our lives, things that can cause us to question God’s love. As we look back on how various individuals in the Bible responded to life’s setbacks, we can take courage that our response in such times can strengthen our walk with God, who does not change (Malachi 3:6) and whose love remains constant.
<–Thursday
When God told the children of Israel, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exodus 14:13), it sounded absurd to human reasoning. Why stand still when the enemy is advancing? Why appear helpless when something could be done? Yet God often calls us to trust Him in situations where our own efforts seem insufficient. Many times, when deliverance delays, we assume God has forgotten us, but His instruction remains the same: position yourself for His blessing, trust His timing, and watch Him fight battles that are beyond your strength. As Scripture says, “The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14).
At other times, God calls us to act in faith, even when His instructions seem unreasonable. It made no sense for Noah to build an ark when there had never been rain, for Abraham to sacrifice the very son through whom God’s promise would be fulfilled, for Naaman to wash in the muddy Jordan instead of the cleaner rivers of Syria, or for a starving widow to give her last meal to Elijah before feeding herself and her son. It seemed impossible when Jesus told a man with a withered hand to stretch it out and commanded a lame man to rise and walk. Yet God’s power is often revealed when obedience goes beyond human logic. Sometimes He says, “Stand still,” and at other times He says, “Step forward in faith.” May God give us the wisdom to know the difference. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
“Curse God and die” was the suggestion from Job’s wife to him and I asked if Job had obeyed, to what benefits would it have been on the wife and the family, would it have changed the situation?
The story of Job pictures the following realities;
1. The great battle for the human soul is deeper than we know and won’t stop until Christ returns to claim His victory and receive His own.
2. If not for God the devil would have destroyed those that have taken stand for Jehovah with the speed of light, the Bible says that,
“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not”. – Lamentations 3:22
3. The great controversy is not about who is stronger rather it’s about who cares about our future as falling humanity and willing to do anything including dying on the cross to secure our salvation. while Jesus is willing and not ashamed to call us – sinners – brethren, the devil is ready to steal, kill, and destroy those not aligned with him, let’s choose sides wisely.
No matter what the devil throws at us, if we persevere and don’t give up, whether we are alive or dead we will see Jesus Christ and it will be well with our souls eternally!!!!!
Amen!!!!
Sometimes lessons are so appropriate. Briefly, our bachelor son had to have a heart procedure 12 days ago, It was only supposed to be a day procedure but he ended up staying in hospital for 11 days. All this time we have been staying in his flat in Sydney to look after his cats, and travelling a couple of hours each day to visit him in hospital. The pressure was on for us because we had scheduled a motoring trip starting this coming week with our daughter and her husband. The trip was important to us because her husband has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and it may be the last big trip he can take. So, we were stuck between a rock and a hard place. On Wednesday night our son’s heart went back to normal and started behaving itself. He was released from hospital yesterday and we are back home packing the van to on our trip.
You can probably imagine what Carmel and I thought as we went through the lesson this week. This all came hard on the heels of Carmel’s mother dying about 3 weeks ago.
God’s presence has meant much to us through this time. It was not a case of praying for a healing miracle but rather that God’s presence would be with us as we dealt with all the issues. Our prayer has been to keep us level-headed and patient.
Footnote: I will be taking a break from Sabbath School Net for about 6 weeks as we travel with our family. If I get time, I may add a comment now and then, but I’m sure you will understand that sometimes family has to come first.
God Bless, and have a Happy shareable Sabbath!
Thanks and may God be with you
May God continue to give you Maurice and your family the assurance that He is with you in all circumstances.
For me, that has been one of the most profound take aways from this week’s study. I may not know what God’s plan is for me amid life’s setbacks but I get comfort from trusting that He is with me all along and that He has my best interests at heart.
We thank God for His faithfulness and healing mercies He graciously granted your son and we are with you in prayers for God to grant you all journey mercies and good health as you embark on the trip.
Have a refreshing experience!!!
Footnote: Please don’t forget that Sabbath School Net is family too and we will be delighted to get your comments.
Thank you Boss!!!
Have a fun and safe trip, Maurice. May the Lord bless your travels and give your family a wonderful time together. I’m sure He has many object lessons and insights waiting along the way, and I look forward to benefiting from them when you return to sharing with us. Safe travels and God bless!
Thanks Maurice for sharing with such intimateness and relevance. It brings at times such a human feel to our theological discussions. I tremble as I contemplate mimicing your openess and candour.
My life is so completely different from yours, in so many respects ; that reading your comments, that are always ( to the best of my memory) inextricably linked with you life experiences; I find it amazing.
Suffice it to say , at this stage of my life, I still have major life changing decisions to make. Decisions that are positioned, challenged as well as circumvented by age, educational attainments, marital status , personal preferences; and the list seems unending.
Yet I am propelled with the overwhelming force of sacred Scripture , like the waves of a Tusnami, overpowering, relentless and unretreating -“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20 NIV. Propelled to continue dreaming and to co-operate with God to make those dreams a reality. I defie anyone to tell me that God can’t do it , when He just informed me that He can do more than I can imagine.
Yes Maurice I am a dreamer, that is what gives meaning and excitement to my life : and trust me, those that have come true, only serves as fuel for the fire; the fire to dream and accomplish even against the odds.
To a God who says to me – ” Steve I can do more than you can imagine” My response is – “Go ahead God, just blow my mind with the unimagined, the unperceived and ungrasped magnimity of your charm and power.”
May our good Lord be with you and your family Always. Amen!
Prayers for God’s comfort and refreshment in your lives. Thank you for all you share. I always look forward to reading your posts as I know do many others. They always help cement the lesson for me. Have a great trip!
Thank you Maurice for your dedication to Sabbath School Net, and for your continued inspiring comments. I wish your and Carmel a safe and enjoyable vacation.
Enjoy your trip Maurice. I hope it will be restful after the challenging circumstances you have recently been through
I cherish your and that of your family members` courage, with faith. May the healing hand of God that raised Jairus`s daughter manifest in your son and son`s in-law`s life. Their bodies are the temple of the Lord; He will not allow anything to be buying and selling there. We will continue to pray for all of you and God will not fail you. I wish you safe and blessed trip. You shall testify by the grace of God.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Prayers for your son and for safe traveling mercies as you spend time with family. 🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾
May you and your family travel with God as you go.🙏❣️💞
Truly a difficult time. Happy to hear your son is doing better and I hope & pray you will have a blessed time with family. God be with you as you travel.
“Lord,from the end of the earth will I call Thee when my heart is overwhelmed ”
Psalm 61:2
Come what may we trust in the Lord to get us through; though we cannot assume that His answer will always be avoidance of death. However, however God does not want us to live in or on fear of death, which is degradation to the soul. God wants us to be happy peaceful Christians, with peace of mind. Isaiah 26:3. He wants us to ask for protection. David did that all the time, and Christ confirmed that. John 14:14. We do this by full trust in God, attained by time in His word, and faith in His word by reading, musing, pondering, and meditating in and on His word, remembering His goodness of old we have a happy and rejoiceful life through trials. Psalm 143:5. We come out through and on the other side rejoicing in the Lord. I don’t need to tell you, many have experienced this as I have, and continue to. The statement rejoice in the Lord always is not just a statement, it is a promise for you to decide to let the Lord make it happen in your life. Claim the promise.
Philippians 4:6-7, 13.
Romans 8:28, 31, 35.
No nothing shall separate us from the love of God.
Also let me leave you today with this.
Psalm 33:1, 21.
1. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, because it is fitting that we should praise Him. 21. In Him our hearts rejoice and in His holy name we trust. From the Clear Word.
There have been many times that God “showed up” in my life just when I needed it most. On one such occaision I distinctly remember shaking my head, smiling, pointing towards heaven and saying, “That was you Lord, wasn’t it?!” Sometimes it is obvious, other times it seems he failed to show.
I remember a time as a boy when I was on a grade school softball team. We had our games in the late afternoon. I always invited my Dad to come see me play, but his work schedule didn’t allow it. One game as I came up to bat, I scanned the crowd to see if Dad was there. I didn’t see him, then I heard his voice encouraging me, and cheering me on to do my best. It brought a smile to my face to lock eyes with him and see him wink at me. In that moment I wanted to hit a homerun just to make him proud of me. Instead, I hit a slow grounder to the third baseman, and ran as fast as I could towards first base. Sadly, the ball was caught from the third baseman’s throw just before I reached the base. I was so deflated by that failure that I had to fight back tears. I apologized to my Dad telling him that I wanted to make him proud of me. He stooped down and put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eye and said, “even if you struck out, I am proud of you, because you’re my son.” We went out for an ice cream cone at the Dairy Queen after the game. I was so happy that even though I didn’t have a good game, my father was there and still loved me. The ice cream was nice too.
We need to understand that even when we cannot see Him, our Heavenly Father is always there and is cheering us on. He doesn’t love us any more when we succeed, or any less when we fail. He is pleased with us simply because He is our Father, and we are His child. So when we don’t understand, when we don’t see His plan, when we can’t trace His hand, may we trust His Heart.❤️
Trust His Heart, Babbie Mason
Can we cling to God in challenging times if we do not cling to Him in good times? This relationship can not be turned on and off; it is an ongoing, deep, meaningful exchange of thoughts, feelings, and the awareness of our need for His Presence at all times.
Maybe even more so than in challenging times, we need to want to cling to Him in good times. If we go about our life ignoring His Presence when there are no obstacles to overcome, how can we stay alert of impending dangers? Or, even worse, be prepared to handle outright disasters when they suddenly come upon us? Matt.25:1-13.
Yes, it is imperative to keep a ‘strong walk with God’ at all times, though especially in good times when we are on auto pilot and temptations lead us to think life is ‘easy’. We cannot let our guard down; knowing that we are in God’s Presence at all times. We are in Jesus Christ – our Lord and Savior, Rock and save Harbor – walking by faith in His Strength which withstands temptations and tempests, no matter their severity – Psalm 271; Psalm 62:1-6.
God is such a coach! He knows exactly what I need to go through to improve as a person, in my abilities, and in my emotional patterns! The more I cling to Him, the more I learn to appreciate His character! Thus, perhaps by contemplating His character, I could shape mine like His.
Thanks, Maurice, for sharing. Praying that God uses your family’s experience of detour, growth and healing to lift others, to His glory.
I gather that He who both sees around the bend and commands the winds, allows what is necessary – challenges and setbacks – in order to bring us to full faith in Him. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
All the while, He is with us, as we let Him. Only He is certain to cover and save us to the glorious end!
This week’s lesson is deeply relevant to me. Somehow, through the burden God placed on my heart many years ago to care for victims of sexual abuse, He led me not only to work with those who have been harmed, but also with those who have caused harm.
At times, it can be difficult to know what to do, what the best treatment approach is, and how to remain grounded when faced with darkness that can feel overwhelming. In those moments, God’s presence and guidance become incredibly real. They serve as a powerful reminder of how important it is for me to continually examine my own heart and live in a way that keeps me right before Him.
God also allowed me to walk through personal tragedy, giving me a deeper understanding of this profoundly complex trauma and the far-reaching effects it has on individuals, families, and communities. While I would never have chosen that path, I can see how He has used it to shape my compassion, perspective, and ability to serve others.
If I did not have faith, I honestly do not know how I could do this work and remain whole. It is my faith that gives me strength, clarity, and hope in the midst of some of life’s most difficult realities. He is my refuge.