Word and Hope · Articles
Biblical answers to the questions people actually wrestle with.
Articles by Matthew Schaefer, working through Scripture on the questions people actually wrestle with: a parable, a hard providence, a marriage, a besetting sin, taken straight from the text.
Written by
Matthew Schaefer
Pastor at First Baptist Church of Wellston. He writes plainly and stays close to the text, so readers get a real answer to what the passage is actually saying.
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Psalms · Worship and Thanksgiving
Does God Need Your Worship?
Psalm 50 exposes worship offered as payment and words of faith without obedience. God calls his people to thanksgiving, repentance, and the salvation he gives.
“The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes; he doe” — Psalm 50:1–23 (ESV)
Joel
Joel 1: When You Can't Fix What's Broken Between You and God
You could read Joel 1 as a bad harvest report. The real loss is the shut table in the temple, the grain and drink offering that kept communion with God open. Israel cannot reopen it, and the chapter points forward to the one who can.
“The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests mourn, the ministers of the LORD.” — Joel 1:9
Malachi
Why God Calls Divorce "Covering Your Garment with Violence"
Malachi 2:10-16 names faithlessness between neighbors, intermarriage with pagan gods, and divorce as the same sin. Here's how a marriage metaphor ties all three together, and what it asks of you.
“For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts.” — Malachi 2:16
Malachi
Why Pastors Get Judged Harder Than Everyone Else
Malachi 2 catches God cursing the very priests who were supposed to represent him. The reason he comes down so hard on them is the same reason your pastor is held to a standard you aren't.
“And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings.” — Malachi 2:1-2
Psalms
You're Not a Tenant of God. You're His Child.
Psalm 147:12-20 moves from a God who provides for every creature to a God who claims a people as his own. Here's the difference, and why it now includes you.
“He has not dealt thus with any other nation.” — Psalm 147:20
Malachi
Would You Give the President Your Sickest Cow? Malachi's Question for Your Worship
Malachi 1:6-14 catches Israel's priests handing God their blind, lame, and diseased animals while keeping the healthy ones for themselves. God's response is a comparison you won't forget.
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. You say, 'How have we despised your name?' By offering polluted food upon my altar.” — Malachi 1:6-7
Psalms
The God Who Counts Every Star Also Heals Every Broken Heart
Psalm 147 puts God's cosmic power and his tenderness toward the brokenhearted in the same breath. Here's why one is the reason you can trust the other.
“He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.” — Psalm 147:4
Knowing Christ
Did the Prophets Know They Were Writing About Jesus?
Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1, "Out of Egypt I called my son," and applies it to the child Jesus, a verse that was originally about Israel's past, not a future messiah. Either Matthew is stretching the text, or something is actually there.
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” — Hosea 11:1
Malachi
Why Did God Say He Hated Esau? What Malachi 1 Actually Means
Malachi 1 opens with God saying "I have loved you" and Israel demanding proof. The Jacob and Esau line that follows isn't about two brothers. It's about what covenant love costs, and who it was always for.
“A pronouncement: the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi. "I have loved you," says the Lord. But you ask, "How have you loved us?"” — Malachi 1:1-2
Idols & God's Glory
What Is Your Baal? Psalm 29 on Idols and God's Glory
Psalm 29 takes every claim the ancient world gave to a storm god and hands it back to the true one. It leaves us asking: what have we been crediting to our own idols?
“Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.” — Psalm 29:1-2
Anxiety & Peace
Congratulations, You're Very Good at Being Miserable
A tongue-in-cheek look at the habits that quietly keep Christians anxious, isolated, and stuck, sharp, honest, and pointed toward real hope.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28
Confession & Repentance
The Conversation You Keep Rehearsing
You know you need to have the conversation. Here's why Christians stall anyway, and what Jesus actually calls us to do about it.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” — Matthew 18:15
Mortality & Eternity
Teach Us to Number Our Days: Moses's Prayer in Psalm 90
Moses prays from the gap between God's eternity and our few, hard years, asking not for information about death, but for a different heart altogether.
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” — Psalm 90:1-2
Waiting on God
Psalm 23 Doesn't Promise an Easy Life. It Promises a Shepherd.
Psalm 23 doesn't promise an easy life. It promises something better: a shepherd who is with you in the green pastures and in the darkest valley alike.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” — Psalm 23:1
Confession & Repentance
Two Hearts, Side by Side: Psalm 36 on Deceit and Steadfast Love
Psalm 36 shows two pictures side by side: the deceitful darkness of the human heart, and a love from God so vast it fills the heavens. We're asked which one we'll live by.
“Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.” — Psalm 36:1-2
Walking by Faith
Two Witnesses, One Verdict: Psalm 19 on Creation and Scripture
Creation and Scripture are two witnesses telling the same story, and both leave us needing more than admiration. They leave us needing a Redeemer.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” — Psalm 19:1-2
Praying the Psalms
How Long, O Lord? What Psalm 13 Teaches About Waiting on God
Psalm 13 is built to slow you down. Its structure hides the point until the very end, and the point is how a believer responds to God in the middle of unresolved pain.
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” — Psalm 13:1
The Parables of Jesus
The Rich Fool's Real Sin: Luke 12 on Owning vs. Stewarding
The rich fool wasn't condemned for his wealth, but for believing it was his own. Everything we have belongs to God; the only question is whether we live like owners or stewards.
“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'” — Luke 12:16-17
Praying the Psalms
Better Than Life: Praying Psalm 63 in a Spiritual Wilderness
Written in the wilderness, Psalm 63 shows us how to pray when God feels distant, moving from thirst, to remembrance, to the settled confession that he is better than life itself.
“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you.” — Psalm 63:1
Knowing Christ
Psalm 119:9-16 Isn't About You. It's About Christ.
Psalm 119 isn't first a portrait of you. It's a portrait of Christ, who kept his way perfectly pure. Only because of that can this psalm become our prayer too.
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” — Psalm 119:9
Praying the Psalms
The Most Shocking Prayer in the Bible: Psalm 137
Psalm 137 ends with one of Scripture's most shocking prayers. It's meant to be a comfort, teaching us to bring our grief over injustice to God rather than take it into our own hands.
“O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us. Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock.” — Psalm 137:8-9
Praying the Psalms
Thankful for the Gifts, or the Giver? Psalm 107 on Giving Thanks
Psalm 107 traces one pattern four times over: crisis, crying out, rescue, and thanksgiving. It's the rhythm of everyone God has redeemed, and it's ours to pray.
“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” — Psalm 107:1-2
Praying the Psalms
Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul? Praying Psalm 42-43
When your soul is cast down and God feels far away, these two psalms teach you how to pray honestly, preach truth to yourself, and anchor your hope in Christ.
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before my God?” — Psalm 42:1-2
Confession & Repentance
David Needed to Be Confronted First: Psalm 51 on Confession
David didn't see the problem with his own behavior until Nathan the prophet confronted him. Psalm 51 and what it looks like to pray when we've fallen.
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” — Psalm 51:1
Praying the Psalms
Two Ways to Pray a Psalm Back to God
If prayer is learning to speak with God, we should begin the same way Jesus began: with adoration, not requests. Psalm 145 and two simple ways to pray Scripture back to God.
“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever... Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” — Psalm 145:1, 3
Joy in Suffering
Joy from a Jail Cell: Reading Philippians
Stepping back from the phrase-by-phrase study to hear Philippians the way its first readers did: as one letter, read straight through, from a man in chains who could not stop rejoicing.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” — Philippians 4:4
Contentment
Contentment Isn't Self-Made: Philippians 4:10-23
Paul learned to be content whether in plenty or in need, and he tells us plainly where that strength came from. Philippians 4:10-23 on contentment, gospel partnership, and God's promise to...
“I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” — Philippians 4:11-12
Anxiety & Peace
What You Feed Your Mind, You Become: Philippians 4:8-9
What fills your mind shapes your life, the same way food shapes your body. Philippians 4:8-9 and the eight "whatevers" that describe the mind of Christ.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” — Philippians 4:8
Anxiety & Peace
Anxiety Isn't Removed, It's Replaced: Philippians 4:6-7
Anxiety isn't dealt with by force of will alone. It has to be replaced. Philippians 4:6-7 on prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, and the peace that surpasses understanding.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” — Philippians 4:6
Perseverance
Why Standing Firm in Philippians 4 Starts With 'The Lord Is Near'
Unity, joy, gentleness, and hope don't come from circumstances. Philippians 4:1-5 grounds all four in a single fact: the Lord is near.
“Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” — Philippians 4:1
Perseverance
Who Are You Actually Imitating? Philippians 3:17-21
You are imitating someone right now, whether you've noticed it or not. Philippians 3:17-21 on godly examples, enemies of the cross, and the citizenship that shapes how we live.
“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.” — Philippians 3:17
Perseverance
Not There Yet: Pressing On in Philippians 3:12-16
Paul, the apostle who wrote half the New Testament, flatly refuses to say he has arrived. Philippians 3:12-16 on why the Christian life is a race run to the very end.
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” — Philippians 3:12
Knowing Christ
Everything Else Is Rubbish: Why Knowing Christ Outweighs Everything You've Built
Thirty years after his conversion, in a Roman prison, Paul still says the same thing he said on the Damascus road: everything else is rubbish compared to Christ.
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” — Philippians 3:8
Knowing Christ
Paul's Impressive Resume, and Why He Threw It Away
Paul had every credential a first-century Jew could want, and he moved every single one of them from the gain column to the loss column. What made him do the accounting that way?
“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.” — Philippians 3:1
Humility
Timothy, the Man Who Didn't Look Out for Himself
Paul had just handed the Philippians an impossible standard: have the mind of Christ. Now he shows them a real, ordinary, imperfect man who is actually living it, and asks whether our lives...
“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be cheered by news of you.” — Philippians 2:19
Humility
He Didn't Grasp for Glory: The Humility of Christ
An ancient hymn about a God who refused to grasp at His own glory, and was lifted higher than anyone in history because of it.
“He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” — Philippians 2:6
Identity in Christ
What Philippians 1:1-2 Packs Into a Greeting
It's easy to read past a letter's opening greeting. Paul packs four load-bearing truths about identity and the church into just two verses.
“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi.” — Philippians 1:1
Saul & Obedience
Which Saul Are You? 1 Samuel 26 on Mercy and Repeated Sin
David spares Saul's life for the second time. Saul says "I have sinned" for at least the third time. Same words, same tears, and it still leads nowhere.
“Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed?” — 1 Samuel 26:9
David & Rejection
When Those You Saved Turn on You (1 Samuel 23)
David saves an entire city from ruin. The moment danger turns his way, that same city is ready to hand him over. A hard story about what it costs to do good.
“And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines.” — 1 Samuel 23:5
Saul & Obedience
Saul's Lesson: Partial Obedience Is Disobedience
King Saul comes back from battle certain he's done well. He obeyed almost everything God commanded, and that "almost" cost him the kingdom.
“To obey is better than sacrifice.” — 1 Samuel 15:22
Walking by Faith
Psalm 1: The Blessed Man, the Wicked Man, and You
Psalm 1 describes a blessed man who never sins and a wicked man who perishes, with no third option offered. If that doesn't sound like you yet, that's not the end of the story.
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked.” — Psalm 1:1
The Parables of Jesus
One Seed, Four Soils: What the Parable of the Sower Reveals
Jesus told a story about a farmer, some seed, and four kinds of ground. It's also one of the most searching questions he ever put to a crowd: when the word of God lands on you, what kind of soil are you?
“A sower went out to sow.” — Mark 4:3
The Ten Commandments
More Than Someone Else's Marriage: The Seventh Commandment
Adultery has touched nearly every family in some way. Jesus says the seventh commandment was never just about the act itself. It starts in the heart, long before it reaches the hand.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’” — Matthew 5:27
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