Page 348 – Guideposts Articles

Presidents’ Day Devotion

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Brian Doyle

Beloved Daily Guideposts author Brian Doyle reflects on the single greatest American story ever told in this Presidents’ Day devotion:

The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners. . . . —Isaiah 61:1 (NAS)

A while ago I was standing in the gymnasium at a high school in Australia, and I had finished my ranting to the students, and the burly teacher next to me had glared down the hubbub of happiness now that the shaggy American was finally finished with his interminable nasal burble about how every moment is pregnant with miracles and how we are made of the stories we seize from the slew of natter and how defiant grace and courage are prevalent everywhere and in everyone if we look hard enough, and there was a silent instant.

Then a lanky boy in the back row said, “Sir, you are going on and on about stories. What’s the single greatest American story ever?”

For once I said exactly the right thing at the right moment, and even now I wonder if some holy spark in me was waiting merrily for this moment. For I said, with startling passion, “The day the sixteenth president of my country said that as of January 1, 1863, no people could be sold in America anymore, no brown children sold in the market, no weeping mothers sold away from their children, no roaring husbands torn from their wives, no more, done, the end. And he got shot in the head for it, and I think he knew he would be murdered for it, and he did it anyway because he knew it was right. And that’s the greatest American story of all: that a tall skinny guy from Kentucky did the right thing even when he knew he would get a bullet for it. Does that answer your question?”

There was a long silence and then they roared too, a tide of applause; not for me, not at all for me, but for a guy who did the right thing, no matter what. We can do that, every moment. Happy Presidents’ Day.

Lord, thanks for the tall skinny guy from Kentucky. Thank You for his wry sinewy courage, to which we Americans can turn when we hesitate to do the right thing.

Editor’s Note: Sadly, beloved Daily Guideposts contributor Brian Doyle passed away on May 27, 2017. We are forever grateful for the many gifts he shared with us.

READ MORE ABOUT PRESIDENT’S DAY AND DEVOTIONS:

5 Palm Sunday Devotions

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by The Editors

Let these six powerful devotions help you start your 2023 Holy Week with a renewed spirit and refreshed prayer life, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

1. A Palm Sunday Devotion: Welcome Jesus!

A Palm Sunday devotion by Camy Tang

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you. Isaiah 12:6 (TNIV)

I tried to imagine what it must have been like on that Palm Sunday when Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. What made the people so happy and joyful? Was it just that they expected Jesus to free them from the Romans? Did they realize how He would triumph over sin and death? What exactly made them so happy to have Jesus there in Jerusalem?

Then I remembered one trip my husband made for work. He had to travel for two weeks to China. Before he left, I didn’t think it would be that big a deal. I had left him at home for up to four weeks on business trips, and while I missed him when I was on the road, it hadn’t been a gut-wrenching type of loneliness.

But I hadn’t realized how lonely it would be for me without him there, in the house. All the places I was used to seeing him were empty. The things we used to do together were only hollow activities without him. We had often done our own things in separate rooms in the house—I would be working in my office while he watched television—but somehow being in my office wasn’t the same, because I knew he wasn’t in the next room.

When he finally came home, I didn’t spread palm leaves on the floor as he walked into the house, but I did give him a big hug, made his favorite dinner, and talked a mile a minute. I was incredibly happy just to have him there with me. The house felt different when I knew he was home.

I think that is how the Israelites felt as they welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem—they were welcoming Him home.

Faith step: On this Palm Sunday, let’s rejoice the way they did at the fact that Jesus is here with us, in our lives and in our hearts.

2. Showing Up on Palm Sunday

Normally Marci Alborghetti deleted those forwarded e-mails with cute or sentimental stories without even reading them. She received so many, and when it comes to Internet profundity, she just didn’t have the time. But for some reason she read the one she received on Palm Sunday. In this unique Palm Sunday devotion, learn how a simple email changed Marci’s perspective about Palm Sunday.

3. Jesus’ Triumphal Entry

When Cynthia Ruchti read the Triumphal Entry story, she wondered where the angels were. We’re not told, she thought. Can we assume they were somewhere in the heavenly audience that day? Angels played key roles in the significant moments of the life of Jesus. To Mary, an angel announced the results of the celestial pregnancy test. An angel visited Joseph to tell him everything was going to be all right. Angels filled the sky the night Jesus was born. An angel warned Joseph and Mary to flee to Egypt. In Cynthia’s reflective Palm Sunday devotion, read about the role of angels and “hosanna” in the Palm Sunday story.

4. A Devotion for Holy Week

When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. Matthew 27:50–52 (NIV)

How come this detail doesn’t get more notice? Many people came back to life on the day Jesus died. That’s a big deal! In all the Easter weeks Erin Keeley Marshall spent in church, never once did she remember a single mention of the life that began at the moment of Jesus’s death. In this Holy Week devotion you can read on Palm Sunday, see how the hope of Easter brightens the darkness of Good Friday.

5. After Palm Sunday: A Devotional for Monday of Holy Week

It was an unheard-of scandal! This young rabbi who yesterday had the whole city in a patriotic uproar, today stormed into the very temple precinct itself and created chaos. Doves flapping, men shouting, women scrabbling after the rolling coins. This fellow from Galilee, once again stirring up trouble! But stirring-up is always what happens when Jesus enters the scene. In this devotion by Elizabeth Sherrill, learn how Holy Monday has its parallel in our individual journey of faith.

READ MORE ABOUT PALM SUNDAY AND HOLY WEEK:

3 Ways to Celebrate Palm Sunday
8 Prayers for Holy Week
A Devotion for Holy Week
A Devotional for Monday of Holy Week

Lent: A Time to Recharge, Renew & Draw Closer to God

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Sabra Ciancanelli

Walking in Grace author Sabra Ciancanelli shares a heartwarming story from the first day of the Lenten season with this powerful Lent devotion:

All are from the dust, and to dust all return. —Ecclesiastes 3:20 (ESV)

This morning my husband and I drove through our old town, past our old house that I’d loved and nurtured for almost a decade. We inched forward slowly, but not slowly enough, to catch up to all the memories.

Then we passed the local grocery store, where I shopped every day for years. I loved the man who worked there stocking shelves. Brian always greeted me with a heartfelt “Hello there!” as if he hadn’t seen me in months. I learned from a friend he’d had a car accident in high school. He spent a long time in a coma and was lucky to be alive. And though he’d made a miraculous recovery, he never fully regained all of his abilities.

Once I had an awful day at work. I was exhausted and starving as I snaked through the aisles, picking up something for dinner. When I reached for a jar of spaghetti sauce, I lost my grip and it shattered on the shiny linoleum floor. Looking at the mess, I broke down and cried.

Brian ran over. “It’s okay. Accidents happen.”

I noticed his forehead had a smudge of something as he got a mop. “Rough day,” I sighed.

“Ash Wednesday,” he said. I had totally forgotten. Brian went on. “Beginning of Lent. Forty days to get ready. Jesus saved me, you know. He saves me every day.” As he mopped up the broken jar, I took his words to heart.

Dear Lord, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of my life and forget what a blessing it truly is. Help me to use this special time to recharge and renew and draw closer to You.

READ MORE ABOUT LENT AND DEVOTIONS:

Lent: A Time for Drawing Closer to Jesus

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Sharon Hinck

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Hebrews 13:15–16 (NIV)

I’ve always loved the season of Lent. Evening worship services, time to reflect on our brokenness and need for the Savior, quiet minor-key hymns that provide an appropriate balance to perky praise choruses—all make the weeks before Easter a time for drawing closer to Jesus.

When our children were growing, we’d often choose something to give up for Lent as a family—a small sacrifice to remind us of Jesus’ amazing sacrifice for us. The kids were quick to volunteer to forego homework or broccoli. But instead in various years we gave up television, or candy, or soda. Our small struggle to set aside an indulgence reminded us of all Jesus gave up to come to earth and die in our place. And the end of the “fast” added an extra element to our Easter celebration.

Deepen Your Faith with These Guideposts Books for Lent!

This year, as Ash Wednesday neared, I hadn’t given much thought to giving something up. To be honest, I’ve had to give up several things in recent years not of my choice. Maybe I felt there was too much austerity in my daily life already, and it wasn’t fair to deny some small comfort to myself.

But on Ash Wednesday, my friend Patti mentioned she was giving up criticizing others for Lent. I was inspired by her example of changing a habit of speech. I’d recently read the book of Numbers, and was convicted by how similar I was to the Israelites when they grumbled. So this Lenten season, I’m trying to replace my habit of grumbling with a sacrifice of praise. On my own, it would be a more impossible goal than giving up chocolate. But as Hebrews says, we learn to offer praise “through Jesus.” I’m asking Him to plant His contentment and gratitude in my heart.

Faith step: Prayerfully consider giving up something for Lent.

Labor Day Lessons

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Michelle Medlock Adams

For many, the first Monday in September of every year is simply a much-needed day off work, but it’s truly more than that. Labor Day was established to recognize and honor the social and economic achievements of American workers.

It’s a day that we pause as a nation to celebrate the contributions that American workers have made to the strength, prosperity, integrity, and overall health of our great country.

For me, it’s a day for giving thanks that I have a job I love–a job that allows me to follow my passion of writing and sharing stories of God’s goodness and faithfulness. But, it’s also a time of remembering and being grateful for the lessons my father, the late Walter Medlock, taught me about work ethic and integrity.

Growing up in very humble circumstances, my Dad worked from the time he was old enough to get a job. From delivering newspapers to selling cars to eventually co-owning several furniture stores with his cousin and best friend, the late Jay Hale, my Dad enjoyed his work.

Dad was a true people person, investing in everyone he encountered. He wasn’t just selling someone a dining room suit–he was making a new friend.

I learned three key lessons from observing my Dad at work and in life.

First, Daddy was the same person with a customer when he was in full “sales mode” as he was when he gave instructions to the delivery boys who worked for him.

He was kind, respectful and helpful. I can’t tell you how many people came to my Dad’s funeral and said, “You know, your dad is the only one I would buy my furniture from. He always took care of me.”

Second, Dad always said, “Integrity is working just as hard when no one is watching.” Dad didn’t do anything in life for accolades; he did his best and gave his all day in and day out–no matter who was watching. And I was always watching.

Third, Dad always went the extra mile for his customers, his employees, his family, his church, and his community. I’ll never forget the day when Dad let a customer return a couch that the customer had damaged by disregarding the care tag and washing the cushions in an industrial-strength commercial washing machine.

She was visibly mad when she came into the furniture store that afternoon, and Dad immediately went up to greet her. After hearing her complaints, Dad didn’t ask any questions, even though he knew she was at fault.

Instead, he replaced the couch with a new sofa. Before the afternoon was over, she thanked Dad for his kindness and shared with him about her recent divorce and health battles, and Daddy ended up praying with her. She left with a new sofa and a new heart.

No matter where I’ve worked over the years, I’ve always tried to keep those three key lessons in mind in honor of my earthly father and my Heavenly Father. I hope you’ll do the same. The working world, and the world in general, would be better if we had more Walter Medlocks.

So, happy Labor Day everyone. Thank you for the work you do and for investing your time and talents as part of America’s workforce. Because of you and people like you, we live in the greatest country in the world.

I hope you enjoy this holiday, surrounded by family and friends. I pray that you’ll pause long enough to thank your Heavenly Father for your job and go into work tomorrow with a little more pep in your step, knowing that you make a difference.

Keep Easter in Your Heart

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Elizabeth Sherrill

It’s the day after Easter. Yesterday at church there were flowers, triumphant hymns, shouts of “Hallelujah!” Today comes as a letdown. Time to go back to work. How I’d like to prolong the splendor of Easter!

One year I tried. There’s a retreat house 40 miles north of us where I was sure I could maintain the Easter spirit. I drove up there that Monday, took my suitcase to the room assigned to me and went into the chapel to try to recapture the exaltation of the day before.

And all I could think about were the half-done projects on my desk and the car inspection due that week. I stayed on in that serene setting for two days. There were worship services, silence, beauty. But on my mind were only unwritten letters and the torn lampshade that needed replacing.

By Wednesday I was back at my desk. There were 43 new e-mails waiting and the phone never stopped ringing and the plumber who was going to work on the sink couldn’t come. And it was there, in the workaday world, that I was overwhelmed with the sense of Jesus’ risen presence.

“Where’ve you been?” I could almost hear Him say. “I’ve been waiting here for you.”

The apostle Peter was wiser than I. After the awestruck reunion with his resurrected Lord in the room with the locked door, Peter did not linger in that sacred space. He did not run again to the empty tomb, trying to recapture that moment of moments. A fisherman, he went back to his job of fishing. And there is where Jesus waited for him, preparing a meal on the lakeside for the hungry laborers before sending them out to carry the Easter message to the world.

Risen Lord, show me the difference Your Resurrection makes, today and every day.

Good Friday Reflection

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Marci Alborghetti

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. —Isaiah 42:1 (NRSV)

There is a long walk I take when I’m in northern California. It starts in Sausalito, meanders into Mill Valley and ends near Tiburon. The route veers from the road onto a path through wetlands. A number of small wooden bridges cross streams connected to the massive bay.

I was walking over one of these bridges on Good Friday, where I sometimes can spot a graceful crane. Floating down the river right toward me came a brown, dried-up Christmas tree.

Had someone finally taken down their tree this week? Or had this sad reject been in someone’s backyard and just now been thrown in the stream?

The tree was a real, if strange, reminder that Christmas was over. All the joy over the special birth was gone, dried up like this useless Christmas tree. Today, the baby who’d been the source of all that rejoicing was the man nailed to a different kind of tree.

The carols had become dirges, the incense was replaced by myrrh to anoint His body, the candles extinguished in the dark of a day without light. And yet it was this event for which the baby had been born.

Jesus, give me the courage to journey with You from Your joyful birth to this grief-drenched day.

God Bless America!

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Ruth Stafford Peale

I live a few miles from Luke Air Force Base, just west of Phoenix. Sometimes I hear people in my community complain about the noisy jets. But I take their sound as a call to prayer.

Every time I hear the roar and swoosh of a fighter jet overhead, I stop to pray for the airmen and airwomen. I honor the sacrifices they make to keep our country safe.

My grandkids help. When Landon, now eight, was younger, he’d yell, “Jet! Jet! Pray!” Charlotte, who’s three, proclaims “God bless America” when she sees or hears a jet—often inspiring people nearby to say, “Yeah!” Eleven-year-old Taylor helps too.

We may not pray for every aircraft, but we get most of them. And my grandkids are growing up with respect for our men and women in uniform.

Learn more about Someone Cares greeting cards!

Did you enjoy this story? Subscribe to Guideposts magazine.

A Devotion: Get Ready for Advent

Posted on March 10, 2026April 14, 2026 by Norman Vincent Peale

Clergyman and author Dr. Norman Vincent Peale offers us this beautiful Advent devotion to help us prepare for this holy time of year.

The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream…. —Matthew 1:20

Do you have a guardian angel? Does everyone have a guardian angel? The Bible certainly gives us grounds for believing that. The eleventh verse of Psalm 91 says, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” If you look back through your life, you will almost certainly be able to recall episodes where a benevolent, unseen force seemed to be acting in your behalf. Both of us have lived a long while now, and many times we have felt guided or protected in mysterious and comforting ways.

Certainly, in the days before and after Christ’s birth, the angel of the Lord was keeping a watchful eye on Joseph, the young carpenter who had planned to marry Mary. As the Bible makes plain, angels can manifest themselves in a variety of ways, and St. Matthew tells us that in Joseph’s case, the angel chose to appear to him in dreams. Those dreams must have been extraordinarily vivid, even frightening perhaps, since in the first one the angel again uses those reassuring words, “Fear not” (Matthew 1:20). Joseph was told not to hesitate to marry Mary, and the circumstances of her pregnancy were explained to him. In subsequent dreams, the angel told him to flee into Egypt to avoid Herod’s anger, and then later to return to the land of Israel but to avoid Judea and settle in Galilee.

Each time Joseph did as he was told, and unquestioning obedience is the lesson we can learn from this “just man,” as St. Matthew calls him (Matthew 1:19). But for his obedience, the dangers surrounding the Holy Family might have overtaken them.

Christmas is a time of renewal. Pause and ask yourself: How obedient am I to God’s Will and His Word? None of us is perfect in this regard. But when defiance or rebellion or selfish impulses come crowding in, it might help to remember an honest, uncomplaining carpenter named Joseph, and try to follow the example he has left us.

Give us the wisdom to know Your Will for us, Heavenly Father, and the obedience to follow it.

This Advent devotion by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was originally published in Daily Guideposts, now called Walking in Grace.

Experience the Easter Miracle Deep Within

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Elizabeth Sherill

“He is not here; he has risen!…” —Luke 24:6 (NIV)

“He is not here,” the angels told the little group of grieving women who came to the tomb that first Easter morning. “He has risen!” This is what angels, in their myriad shapes, tell us still, not only on this Easter, but every day.

For me, one of those angels is a handsome conifer, the only large tree in our yard. My husband John and I were new homeowners, not sure of how to care for the lawn and shrubs. But whatever our failures, the tree towered above them, drawing the eye away from weeds and bare spots.

That’s why we were distressed when that fall some brown patches appeared among the dark green needles. We mulched the tree, fed it, watered it, talked to it. Nothing stopped the withering of the needles. They dropped from branch after branch until of our lovely tree only a great gaunt skeleton remained etched against the November sky.

To leave the dead tree there was just too sad. Dangerous, too, we worried. What if it fell against the house! All winter we debated whether to cut it down ourselves (too big) or to hire a tree service (too expensive).

It was in April that the first pale green fuzz appeared on the highest branches, then lower down, swelling, spreading, darkening, clothing every branch with glorious new growth. Our tree, we learned that year, was not an evergreen, but a larch—an unusual conifer that sheds its needles in the fall only to replace them in the spring, brighter, more bountiful than ever.

Today the tree is twice the height and width it was when we moved here. Autumn and spring, for forty-nine years it has played out this little drama of death and resurrection. For forty-nine years it has repeated the angels’ joyful shout: “He has risen!”

Risen Lord, with every outward sign of loss or death, give me eyes to see the Easter miracle deep within.

Expect a Blessing This Thanksgiving

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Sabra Ciancanelli

A Thanksgiving devotion:

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. —Psalm 107:1 (NKJV)

The turkey is on the table, my favorite green bean supreme casserole is beside it and, best of all, my extended family rounds our dining room table. It’s a little crowded, I have to admit. Sometimes elbows rub and we’ve had to use every chair in the house, but we all fit—and the amazing aroma of Thanksgiving fills the house.

In a few minutes we’ll share what we’re thankful for, but this year, as the host, I’m adding a new twist to our family tradition. I suppose it all started at the beginning of the year when I was trying to think of a word to focus on. The phrase “Expect a Blessing” kept coming to mind.

I tried to shorten it to expect or blessing. I even looked for something else altogether. But again and again it came back to me. Browsing a cute little gift store in town, the same three words greeted me on a hand-painted sign, and I said to myself, Okay, okay, I get it.

I wrote “Expect a Blessing” on the inside flap of my journal and vowed to mean it. I said it whenever a worry came into my thoughts. Instead of going over the worst of any given situation, I countered it with the best. Even if a blessing didn’t follow, I felt at peace.

So, in line with my theme for the year, and in addition to sharing gratitude for what’s already happened, I’m asking everyone to give thanks for a blessing that’s on the way—a goal they want to accomplish, a vacation down the road, maybe a raise at work, their hopes for tomorrow.

Dear God, on this special day of Thanksgiving, thank You for the amazing gifts You give us, most especially the ones to come.

Share this Thanksgiving devotion and try this new tradition with your family and friends!

Encouragement for the New Year

Posted on March 10, 2026April 10, 2026 by Carol Kuykendall

A New Year Devotional for 2025:

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” Exodus 23:20 (NIV)

I sometimes think New Year’s Day comes at the wrong time of year. I’m usually facing a bunch of tasks left over from the old year, like taking down the Christmas tree and putting away all the decorations, writing thank-you notes and dealing with decisions about what to do with the stack of Christmas cards. Throw them away? Save the ones with pictures? Check the addresses? Then there’s the thought of trying to catch up with all the work I put off during the holidays. I’m behind before the New Year even starts.

“Who can think about new beginnings or inspirational goals in the midst of old concerns?” I asked my lawyer-husband Lynn as he came in the door after a quick trip to the office to complete a couple of year-end responsibilities.

“Let me show you a gift I just received,” he said, pulling an attractively wrapped package out of his briefcase. On it was a card: “To Lynn. May this gift encourage you in the coming year.” It was signed by a friend in his Bible study group.

Lynn tore off the paper and lifted out a beautifully framed message, penned by a professional calligrapher. The message read:

Lynn,

Trust Me. I have everything under control.

Jesus

He set the frame down amidst the clutter on the kitchen counter so I could see that simple message as I went about my tasks. Slowly those words began to change my frame of mind. If I needed something to help me carry my old concerns into the New Year, I’d just found it … the determination to face each day’s concerns, trusting in the words of this promise from the Source of all comfort and strength.

Father, each day in this new year, please help me remember that You are in control of everything.

STAY INSPIRED WITH ANOTHER NEW YEAR DEVOTIONAL:

OUTREACH & PARNTERSHIPS

Shop

NEW!

Living God's Call

Articles

Featured Article

‘The Star Thrower’ and the Difference You Can Make

Abide

The Abide App

Find Peace and Rest in God's Presence