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“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity [“sin”; “act of unrighteousness”]: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell” (James 3:6).

When Smokey the Bear talks to children about fire safety, he always tells them, “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.” He lets them know how to prevent wildfires too: they should avoid playing with matches or leaving fires unattended.

The Bible mentions another kind of fire safety. James 3:6 warns that our tongues can commit iniquity (“sin”). James even compares the tongue to a fire because, like a fire, sin destroys. The Bible tells us to avoid sins with our tongues, such as calling people names or telling lies, because name-calling and telling lies hurt us and others.

Do these warnings mean that fire and tongues are always bad? No! Smokey the Bear points out that fire can be good. Fire helps clear out brush and trees for plants that need sun to survive. Sometimes fire teams will start fires on purpose if an area has plants that need more sunlight.

Tongue fires can be used for good too. When God created humans, He made our tongues to glorify Him. The Bible tells us about some “fire teams” who used their tongues for good. Paul’s tongue told people that Christ came to save them from their sins. Esther used her tongue to ask the king to spare God’s people. You can create good tongue fires too, just like Paul and Esther. You can speak words that are kind, that show love, and that share Jesus with others.

Since the tongue is the most powerful part of your body, it can be the most dangerous or the most righteous (“good”). Your tongue can help others and bring glory to God. What you say can help clear away “brush” so people can see the Light, the true Son of God.

While our tongues can destroy through sin, they can also glorify God through righteous speech.

My response:

» Have you ever used your tongue to set a wildfire going?

» How can you use your tongue to spread goodness instead of evil?

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

What does it mean when someone is not available? Maybe your mom has taught you to take a telephone message for her when she cannot come to the phone. She has probably told you to say something like this: “I’m sorry, but Mom is not available right now. May I please take a message?” When you tell someone that your mom is “not available,” it may mean she is not at home, or it may mean she is giving the dog a bath and is up to her elbows in soapy water. Whatever Mom is doing, the point is that the person trying to call her cannot reach her. The caller will have to wait or try again later.

Sometimes we can’t reach people when we need them. We get their answering machines or their voicemail messages when we try to call them. But God is never out of reach when we call on His name. The Bible tells us that He is “a very present help”—especially when we’re in trouble. One translation of the Bible has this wording in the margin: “abundantly available for help.” When you go to God in prayer and ask Him for help, He is always available! In fact, He is very or abundantly available. He is ready, willing, and eager to help you. You must come in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6). You also must not be hanging onto any sin that you’re unwilling to confess when you come to Him (Psalm 66:18). But as long as you’re coming in obedience to these conditions, you can come to Him for help any time at all.

What kind of trouble can God help you with? Maybe you’ve started attending a new school, church, or club, and you’re finding it hard to make friends. God can help you reach out to others. Maybe you’re upset because your brother or sister has treated you unfairly. God can help you forgive and love in return. Maybe you’re worried about a family member who is sick. God will listen to you and carry your burden for you so you don’t have to worry. Whatever your problem, nothing is too great or too small for God to care about and help you with. Don’t hesitate to come to Him and ask His help. He is always available to you.

God is always available to help us.

My response:

» What problem do I need to take to God for His help?

“The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:25–26).

“Wait.” Most of the time we don’t like to hear that word, do we? Sometimes we are looking forward to something, like a vacation or a birthday, because we know that something fun or exciting is going to happen. When we have to wait for this type of event, it seems like forever before it comes. But it’s just as hard to wait for something to be over as it is for something that we want to happen. For example, when we are in the dentist chair getting a tooth drilled to fill a cavity, it seems to take a very long time, doesn’t it? No matter what, it’s hard to wait!

Lamentations 3:25 and 26 were written by a prophet named Jeremiah. A prophet was called by God to bring God’s people a special message from Him. Sometimes the people the prophet spoke to were not nice, because they did not want to hear what God had to say. They wanted to keep living the way they wanted to live, instead of living God’s way. That’s what happened to Jeremiah. One time, people threw him into an empty cistern (“a pit that can hold water”). Jeremiah did not have an easy life, but in these verses he writes, “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him.” Jeremiah understood that sometimes waiting, even though it’s hard to do, is really God’s way of showing good to us.

How can waiting be good? We must remember that God is always working for our good, even if we must wait for something that we really want, or even when we must wait for a hard time to be over. If God is always working for our good, then what should we do as we wait for Him? Lamentations 3:25 and 26 say we should first seek God. That means we need to talk to Him through prayer. Don’t be afraid to tell God how hard it is to wait. Ask Him to give you the faith you need to trust Him while you wait. These verses also tell us we should wait quietly and expect God to help us. Waiting quietly means that we don’t complain or fight against what God is trying to do for us. That’s sometimes very hard, but God’s timing is different from our timing. As we wait for Him quietly and with faith that He will work things for our good, our faith will grow. This pleases the Lord. So, the next time you must wait for something, remember that God is working for your good, even though it may be hard to wait.

When God makes us wait, waiting is what’s best for us.

My response:

» When I must wait for something, will I seek God by praying to Him?

» When I must wait for something, I will not complain. I will trust God instead!

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

Mountain climbers love heights. Roller coasters are nothing to them; they want to be up really high. But climbing mountains can be incredibly dangerous. Oftentimes, experienced mountain climbers (mountaineers) will hang by a single rope off the side of a cliff. Dangling thousands of feet above the ground below them, climbers must be able to trust the rope that is holding them. If the rope breaks, they will die.

Mountaineers describe a good rope as their lifeline. In August 2011, Hans Bauer learned just how important it is to have a reliable rope. While climbing Cathedral Ledge, a cliff over three hundred fifty feet tall, Bauer unhooked a piece of his climbing gear by accident, causing him to free-fall for a hundred feet. He would have died, but his rope stopped his fall before he hit the ground. When his rope was examined later, it was barely still in one piece, but it had saved his life.

If you think putting that much trust in a rope is crazy, most people would agree with you. But while you may not want to put that much trust in a rope, God wants you to put that much trust in Him. In Isaiah 41:10 God promises to “uphold” us. For mountain climbers, there is nothing more important than having a rope they can absolutely trust to hold them up if they fall. God gives Christians that same confidence for daily life. When we come to the most difficult parts of our lives, just as mountaineers can trust the strength of their rope, we can trust that God is in control of everything that happens and that He will help us through even the most difficult circumstances if we trust Him.

We can trust God in even the most difficult situations of life because He has promised to uphold us.

My response: When bad things happen in my life, do I trust God’s promise to uphold me?

“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him” (Psalm 103:11).

“Look Dad, I see Orion’s Belt,” said Sarah. She pointed to three stars in a row right above them. Sarah and her dad were lying on a blanket on the porch, trying to find the constellations she had learned about in school.

“You’re right,” her dad said. “Do you see that bright star by his left foot? That one’s called Rigel.”

“That’s a nice name,” said Sarah. “How far away is Rigel?”

“I don’t know exactly. But if you traveled your whole life, you couldn’t get there.”

“It’s hard to imagine something being that far away,” said Sarah.

Sarah was right. It is hard to imagine traveling for a whole lifetime and never getting to the stars. But do you know something else that is hard to imagine? God’s mercy, or kindness. Psalm 103:11 says, “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” That means that if we could stack up all the things God gives people in His mercy, the pile would be so high that it would not fit under the stars. God’s mercy allows Him to forgive us and to give us good things that we do not deserve. Aren’t you glad that God has so much mercy?

God’s mercy is greater than I can imagine.

My response:

» How has God showed me mercy?

» Have I thanked God for His mercy today?