Devotionals
2021
If you could only see God’s face, When He smiles down on you!
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Have you seen the smile on the face of a father when he holds his baby son? . . . the solemn, tender faces of a bride and groom as they vow to love each other “as long as we both shall live”? . . . the grieving,...
Learning to Like Doing What You Have to Do
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Handford I was caring for a child whose mother had suddenly abandoned her family. The father was desperately looking for ways to make sure the children were cared for, so that day I watched the 5-year-old while the two older...
Be of Good Cheer; God Is Still in Control
A Word of encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Sweat trickled down my back as the FAA inspector said to me, “O.K., Mrs. Handford, take us back to Greenville.” I turned the little Cessna 150 southwest back toward home. My flight exam for my private pilot’s...
A Delightful Surprise in a Boring List of Bible Names
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Handford You remember those tedious lists of names scattered through the Bible, don’t you? Somebody “begat” somebody or “was the father of” somebody, or “these of the names of those who—” did something or the other. The two...
Have You Opened the Valentine God Sent You?
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford After my dear husband Walt graduated from high school, he worked for Boeing Aircraft in Seattle installing electronic equipment in B-17's and B-29's during the war. He was just as adept at mechanics and math and...
The Job Isn’t Completed Until—
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford Why doesn’t my child pick up his toys when I tell him to? Why does my boss seem to be dissatisfied with my work, but never tells me why? Why does the city council keep making such contrary decisions? Why does our...
She’s Gotten Old and Cantankerous
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford She’s an old woman now, very old, and cantankerous. She’s a Christian, but unreasonable in her demands. Querulous. Complaining. Ungrateful. Destructive. Causes conflict between family members. Her adult children...
The Glorious Paradox of God’s Holiness and His Forgiveness
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford “Daddy, I think God must get very tired of my having to say ‘I’m sorry’ to Him so often,” I said impulsively one summer day when our family was vacationing with my parents. You understand, I was already middle-aged,...
The Law of Creation
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford When Albert Einstein was five years old and sick, his father gave him a magnetic compass to play with. He was fascinated. As he watched that needle swing inevitably to the same place no matter where he pointed it,...
The Law We Seem to Have Forgotten
A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford In the hysteria of protest marches like “Me first” and “I’m fighting for my rights,” have we lost sight of one law, a principle, given to us by God, that would so wonderfully ease human relationships? That “law” is...
