Where no wood is, the fire goeth out - Proverbs 26:20a. It is your responsibility to keep the fire burning continuously upon the altar of your heart by adding the wood of praise and prayer as you fellowship with God every day. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out. However, if the fire has gone out, you can repair the broken altar today as Elijah did at mount Carmel.

Hannah was a sorrowful woman for a long time and she complained about her unpleasant situation of barrenness. She was provoked by her adversary to make her worry and weep over her condition. Until she learned to take her burden to the Lord in prayer, she remained a sorrowful woman. But when she prayed earnestly, the Lord changed her complaint to acclaim. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

The Lord was watching to see how the children of Israel would react to the temptations that befell them during their wilderness journey. He wanted to know if they truly loved Him. Almost all of them yielded to the temptations and therefore were not approved by the Lord to enter into the promised land. Those that were disapproved, all died in the wilderness.

Who are the poor in spirit? And what did Jesus mean by "the poor in spirit"? Poverty is synonymous with scarcity, deficiency, inadequacy, meagerness, lack, want, etc. The poor usually depend on others, even for the basic necessities of life. In like manner, the poor in spirit are spiritually destitute and in need of the Lord's help. Jesus was referring to the spiritually thirsty and hungry who always look up to the Lord for sustenance.

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put your confidence in man or princes. If you have God on your side, who can be against you? The Lord your God will defend and shield you from the arrows of the wicked. Put your confidence in the Lord, for He will never leave you nor forsake you. You attract a curse from the Lord when you place your trust in man: "... Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord" - Jeremiah 17:5.