by Kevin Tillman | Oct 9, 2026 | Blog, Thoughts
There are things that you do when a hurricane is coming. You secure all of the yard missiles. You fill your gas tanks. You make sure you have flashlights, medical supplies, chargers. You join the mad rush and buy bottled water. Then, you check the forecast, then check it again, and then check it again. It’s as though we feel like looking one more time will somehow change where the storm is headed. As I type this, Hurricane Isaias (ee-sah-EE-ahs) is within hours of making what looks like a direct hit on the area where we live. Many people I know have been doing those very things today. I did get out a little earlier. I bought some chicken salad, which isn’t your typical hurricane preparation, but I was just getting lunch. The parking lots at Publix and Lowe’s were packed. People were driving crazy and cutting each other off. For many there is just a level of anxiety and tension in the air. So, what do you do when you are “waiting on the storm”?
Psalm 56:3
3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
What stands out is that David said “when”, not “if”. Around here in Northwest Florida you will often hear people saying, “it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when”. We are using that phrase in context of a hurricane. The truth is a hurricane will come. With that mindset, we prepare. Newer homes are now often built with better foundations and structure. Most waterfront homes are elevated to prevent storm surge from entering the house. We prepare knowing that the storm is coming.
Storms also come in life. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Life storms, unlike a hurricane often come unannounced. But, we can still prepare. We lay a solid foundation. We build our life with the right materials. We learn His Word. We develop the habit of prayer. We stay connected to people who will help us remember what is true when fear makes it difficult to think clearly. We do everything we can to prepare for the inevitable day that the storm comes in.
I appreciate that David also said “When I am afraid”. Strong faith doesn’t have to be devoid of honest emotions. The Bible is full of passages on fear. Multiple times the Bible says, “Do not fear”. With all of those mentions of not fearing, and with all of the Biblical reminders of God being our help, our presence, and our refuge, we still find ourselves at times like David.
To be clear, we each express and handle fear in different ways. For some, it’s easy to see. For others, including me at times, it’s something we bury and carry on. We may not call it fear, but it’s still there beneath the surface. I appreciate that David names it. He acknowledges his fear and turns to God. We can do the same. Admitting that we are afraid doesn’t mean we lack faith. We can honestly acknowledge our fear and still say, “I will put my trust in You.”
Today, as we prepare for this storm, there might be some fear. We don’t know exactly what the next several hours will bring. But even while we are waiting for the storm, we can choose to put our trust in God. We can remember His faithfulness in the storms we’ve already faced. We can ask Him for protection. And we can trust that whatever comes, He will be with us.
Father, I close this blog today with a prayer for those in the path of this storm. We pray for protection of life. Protect those that have to work in the storm, the first responders, the doctors and nurses in the hospitals. God, we also pray for our properties. Protect our homes and our churches. But, no matter what, we trust You. I also pray today for the one who might be in the middle of another type of storm. Likely it is one they didn’t see coming, but they find themselves now in the middle of it. Today, right now, as they are reading this prayer, infiltrate their heart and mind. Let them hear from You that You are with them. The storm waters might be rising all around them, but You are with them. God, comfort them with your peace. For all of us I pray that you help us in our preparations. Help us all to do the things we can do now before a life storm arrives. Father, we echo those words from David: “When we are afraid, we put our trust in You”. Amen
by Kevin Tillman | Sep 17, 2026 | Bible Study, Blog, Thoughts
The accusation was ridiculous. It did not even remotely tie into my character. (I do a lot of things wrong, but this particular lie was not one of my many sin issues.) The lie tied into cruel behavior unleashed against me. My heart was shattered into seemingly a billion unrepairable pieces. The devastation crushed my soul causing physical issues as well. I thought I could do nothing. But it was in the nothing that answers were found.
Psalm 37:7
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
What has come against you? Accusation, gossip, lies, demotion, brokenness…the list could go on. Where have others, inspired by the enemy, seem to have won against you? Think of that situation. How do you want to respond? Vindication, justification control, planning, yelling, revenge…the list could go on. Yet, God gives us the response: be still and wait patiently.
It looks like the enemy won. Be still and wait patiently. It looks like others, even our friends, have taken their side. Be still and wait patiently. It looks like we will never recover from all this. Be still and wait patiently. It looks like prayers will never be answered. Be still and wait patiently. It looks like it is becoming worse. Be still and wait patiently.
Being still and waiting patiently seem to be the opposite of appropriate responses. However, the Lord calls us to this because we are waiting on Him. We are not waiting aimlessly but waiting on the only intervention that will make an impact. God alone knows how to respond in a way that supersedes the situation. God alone knows all the underlying pieces and motivations behind what is going on. God alone knows the demonic playbook and how to turn what seemingly seems like an assured enemy victory into a crushing defeat. God alone knows how to use what the enemy used for evil to make it good not only for you but for others as well.
Be still and wait patiently. How do you know if you are following this command?
Psalm 37:8
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
The absence of anger, wrath, and worry prove a heart that is still before God and waiting on Him. If any of these are in the heart, ask forgiveness and repent. We do not want the enemy who is working evil against us to entice us to our own evil choices. Instead, we must settle the war within and choose the way of God: Be still and wait patiently. Eventually, we will see the Lord’s intervention.
Psalm 37:9
For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
Answers will come, situations will turn, what was lost will be restored. Until then, be still and wait patiently on the Lord.
by Kevin Tillman | Sep 11, 2026 | Blog, Thoughts
It was just a Tuesday. Like every other day I was getting ready for work. Tuesday was staff meeting day, so I was moving through the same routine I had followed countless times before. Nothing about that day felt significant. It was just another day. While I was brushing my teeth and looking for a pair of matching socks, little did I know that the world was changing. Then, somewhere during the morning, I turned on the television. Like millions of people across the country, I watched as smoke was pouring from one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. It was horrible, it was tragic. But, at the time it was just that. My thought process was somehow a commercial airliner had a malfunction, and I was seeing one of the worst tragedies in American history. It was that, but as we now know, it was actually far worse. Like so many others, the weight of the moment turned into an even deeper disbelief and horror. While watching live on television the second plane hit that second tower. Immediately the broadcasters knew, the viewers knew, everyone knew. In that moment, everything had changed. It was just a Tuesday, until it wasn’t just a Tuesday.
The rest of that day saw more and more catastrophe. By the end of the day, two more planes had been hijacked. One hitting the Pentagon. Another being taken down heroically in a field in Pennsylvania. We continued to watch as the towers collapsed. People jumping from the high skyscrapers. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives that day, including so many first responders that intentionally went into the buildings to rescue others. It was just a Tuesday, until it wasn’t just a Tuesday.
That evening people were looking for answers. We were all looking for answers. Where do we go? What do we do now? The country was in shock. All flights had been shut down. Life as we had known it had changed in an instant. That evening the church I served at had an impromptu prayer meeting, as did many other congregations across the country. This was a last minute thing. No time to rehearse songs. No time to prepare sermons. No time to advertise. Besides, what do you say in a time like this? So, we just opened the doors and the altar for prayer. To this day, I believe that is the largest prayer meeting I have attended. Without a doubt it was the most emotional prayer meeting I have attended. I remember tears. Those that weren’t weeping visibly, were most certainly weeping internally. The room was somber. I remember people that never prayed out loud in public, passionately praying to God. No one knew how to say it, but we all felt it. This event, this day was different. No one had answers. No one knew what was next. So, we did the only thing we knew to do… We prayed!
I remember that day. I remember that Tuesday, that wasn’t just a Tuesday. I remember that prayer meeting. Praying was the right thing to do. At the time it felt like the only thing to do. But, here’s the question that comes to mind 25 years later: Why does it so often take a tragedy to bring us to prayer? As we answer that, I admit that crisis prayer is real prayer. We should pray in those times. The Bible is full of people crying out to God when they are in distress. But why does it take these events to bring us to this place of prayer?
A deeper concern is that dependence on God that is awakened by tragedy is often replaced by self-sufficiency when ordinary life returns. This shock of the crisis lasted long enough to fill our pews, but it didn’t last long enough to change our habits. For a few weeks in 2001 we prayed with a desperation for God. Then, life slowly returned to normal, and so did we.
The battle cry of the country over those few months was “Never Forget”. It could be seen on signs, bumper stickers, t-shirts, memorials. It was everywhere. We said it because we meant it. We wanted to honor the sacrifice of those first responders, and remember all of those innocent people who lost their lives. We said “Never Forget” and we meant it. To this day, I would agree that we haven’t forgotten 9/11 and the horror of that day. But, could it be that there are things we haven’t necessarily forgotten, but we no longer allow to shape us? Could it be that we remember the tragedy of that day, but fail to remember the utter dependence on God from that day?
This isn’t just about that Tuesday in 2001. We do this all too often. We cry out to God when the diagnosis comes. We cry out to God when the relationship is on the rocks, or the job is ending. We pray with an intensity in the middle of the storm, but lose our focus when the skies begin to clear.
On this 25th anniversary of 9/11 ceremonies will take place. Names will be read and flags will be lowered. The videos and the images will be broadcast. We should remember. We should honor those lives that were unfairly lost. We should honor those first responders that ran toward danger, and the ordinary citizens that displayed great courage. But, perhaps we should also remember something else. We are still fragile. We are still dependent on the God that holds this world together. We still need Him, and we still need each other.
“Never Forget” should mean more than remembering what happened. It should mean remembering what mattered more than anything else on that Tuesday. We don’t need to wait on the next crisis to pray. Remember now. Pray now!
by Kevin Tillman | Aug 13, 2026 | Blog, Thoughts
There’s a big difference between knowing about God and knowing God. You can spend years studying the Bible and learn a lot about who God is. You can study His character, learn the theology, even dig into the original languages. All of that is good. We should want to know as much about God as we possibly can. But there are some things about God that you don’t fully understand until you experience them.
There’s a difference between saying, “I know that God is faithful,” and saying, “I know God as faithful.” I can learn about the faithfulness of God in a book or a sermon. But, I may not truly discover what God’s faithfulness feels like until I’m in a hospital room waiting on answers.
I can read what the Bible says about forgiveness. I can study the Greek words and walk through every passage. I can agree with all of it. Then somebody hurts me. Not annoys me. Hurts me. Now forgiveness isn’t just a doctrine I’m studying. It’s something Jesus is asking me to do. That’s different because now it’s personal.
Warren Wiersbe said,
“We do not understand and then obey: that is instruction. We obey by faith, and then we understand: that is illumination.”
I think Wiersbe is pointing out something we can easily miss. The Bible is instructional. We study because we want to understand what God has said. We need sound doctrine. We need good theology. And our experiences should always be measured by the truth of Scripture, not the other way around. But… instruction isn’t where it ends. At some point, we have to live it out. It has to move from what God has said, to what God is saying. That’s where illumination begins.
There’s something interesting about the biblical idea of “knowing”. The Hebrew word often translated “know,” is “yada”, it does refer to knowing information about God, but Scripture also uses it for something much more personal and experiential. To “know” God carries the idea of a relationship and a personal experience.
When the Bible talks about knowing God, we’re dealing with something much bigger than knowing facts about Him. You can know what the Bible teaches about God. You can know the Word and even believe the Word. But, all the while, still be discovering what it means to actually walk with Him.
For instance, maybe you’ve known for years that God provides. You’ve read about God’s provision. You “understand” it. You know Jesus said that your heavenly Father knows what you need. You’ve heard testimonies of God’s provision. You believe every bit of it. Then you find yourself in a season where the numbers don’t work. You’ve run out of pay before you’ve run out of month. You don’t know how the bills are going to be paid. You don’t know where the answer is coming from or when the answer may come. You pray, you do what you know to do, and somewhere in that season you have to depend on God in a way you’ve never had to before.
The doctrine hasn’t changed. But you have. Now when you say, “God is my provider,” there may be something behind those words that wasn’t there before. You know something of God that you didn’t know before you had to trust Him completely.
I think that’s a glimpse of what Wiersbe means by illumination. It’s not a new revelation. God isn’t adding something to extra to the Scripture. It’s more like the truth you’ve read about for years suddenly has weight in your life. Now, that truth you already believed comes alive, because you’ve had to live it out.
John 7:17
“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.”
Notice the order. There is a willingness to do the will of God. Then comes the knowing. We usually want it the other way around. “God, explain everything first. Give me the details. Show me why. Show me how. Show me where this is going. Help me understand, and then I’ll decide whether I’m ready to obey.”
But sometimes understanding comes only after obedience. Think about Abraham. He knew God, but he was asked to take some tough steps of obedience. Each step brought a new level of understanding. First, he had to uproot his family and go to an unknown destination. Over time Abraham got a deeper understanding of God’s guidance and provision. Not by studying, but by experiencing. Eventually he is on a mountaintop with his son Isaac. An altar is waiting. Isaac is about to be sacrificed, until at the last moment a ram appears. God provided! Abraham knew that God would provide. He knew because of knowledge, but he really knew because of past experiences.
These are times in our lives where instruction begins moving toward illumination. Some of the deepest Christians I’ve known weren’t necessarily the people who could explain the complicated doctrines of our faith.. They couldn’t necessarily trace all of Paul’s journeys on a map. They knew their Bible, but there was something else there, they knew the God behind the Bible. That’s different. They had walked with God. They had trusted Him through the tough seasons. They had prayers that weren’t answered the way they wanted. They had times where they couldn’t see what God was doing. They had buried people they loved. They had made decisions that cost them something because they believed obedience mattered. Through all of it, they came to know God. Not just know about Him. Know Him.
To be clear, I don’t think we ever graduate from instruction. There will always be more to learn from Scripture. There will always be places where our theology needs correcting and our understanding needs deepening. But we also don’t want to spend our whole Christian life simply collecting more information about a God who has invited us to walk with Him.
We can know more about God in a Bible Study, but we only truly know God in the lab of experiences. You know about God. But do you know God? Instruction needs to become illumination.
by Kevin Tillman | Aug 6, 2026 | Blog, Thoughts
I often share in my Bible study class my propensity to the sin of approval. It stems from a broken nuclear family. I have often compromised my own self, even God’s commands in order to obtain the approval of others. Many regrets in my life come from living for others instead of living for the Lord. Through many broken relationships, God has slowly entangled me from the obsessive need of other’s approval to living for Him alone. On days I backslide, a verse from Psalm 63 encourages me to repent and live for God once again.
Psalm 63:3
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
The word for “life” in the Hebrew could also be translated in the masculine noun form as “relatives”. Thus, the verse would read: Because your love is better than relatives, my lips will glorify you.
I am not a student of Hebrew, so I do not know if this interchange is possible in this particular instance. However, I know the Lord spoke to me through this new meaning of the word. His love is better than my relatives, my family.
For those of us who have difficult family situations, this verse is comforting. The pain of family drama has taken a toll on me not only emotionally but physically as well. Yet, I alone decided to allow tears to become my way of life and the stress to become my constant companion. I could have chosen differently. I should have believed that the love of God is truly better than the broken family dynamics that kept me walking on egg shells. Unfortunately for me, I sought people instead of the Lord.
People come and sometimes go but amazingly God stays. God is safe, trustworthy, loving, kind, good, faithful, powerful, forgiving, and so much more. People are well, dysfunctional, me included. Our dysfunction can be painful to ourselves and others. When we hope to find eternal love in a temporal person, we will be disappointed, hurt, and even broken. Thankfully, the Lord’s love is better than relatives, better than anything of life. He will be with us even if others harm us or forsake us. God lovingly remains.
I spent many years living for others, only to be left wounded and abandoned. I hope for the rest of my days; I will live for the Lord alone. Truly, His love is better.
