The Crosswalk Devotional: A Daily Devotional Christian Podcast

How do you overcome fear and anxiety when something frightening or uncertain happens? Whether you’re worried about your health, struggling with work stress, facing relationship challenges, or fearing for someone you love, anxious thoughts can quickly replace peace with panic. Isaiah 41:10 offers a powerful reminder that you don’t have to face frightening circumstances alone: God promises to be with you, strengthen you, help you, and uphold you. When fear threatens to take control, His presence gives you a place to turn for comfort, courage, and hope.
Highlights
What Isaiah 41:10 teaches about trusting God when fear and uncertainty overwhelm you

How fear can affect your thoughts, emotions, and ability to experience God’s peace

Practical ways to respond to anxiety about work, health, family, and relationships through prayer and faith

Why you don’t have to face frightening circumstances or difficult decisions in your own strength

How remembering God’s past faithfulness can strengthen your confidence in His promises

Ways to redirect fearful thoughts by focusing on Scripture, prayer, and God’s constant presence

Reflection questions to help you identify your biggest fears and learn to place your worries in God’s hands

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!
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Full Transcript Below:
What to Do When Fear Knocks on Your Door
By: Whitney Hopler
Bible Reading:
“Do not be afraid – I am with you! I am your God – let nothing terrify you! I will make you strong and help you; I will protect you and save you.” – Isaiah 41:10, GNT
When my husband Russ called me from his hotel room in China, fear started to creep up in my mind. Russ was traveling alone on a business trip, waiting for a Monday meeting, when he told me he was feeling sick and wasn’t sure where to find medical care in a country where he didn’t speak the language. I urged him to ask someone at his hotel’s front desk for help, but before I could even finish my sentence, he said he had to lie down – and then our phone call got cut off. Try as I might, I couldn’t get back in touch with him. Immediately, fear knocked on my door, filling my mind with terrifying thoughts that Russ could die all alone halfway across the world. As I felt overwhelming fear, I had a choice: either give in to panic or turn to God. I chose to respond with prayer and trust by letting go of my worries and placing my husband into the hands of God, who was right there with him in that hotel room.
Fear has a way of showing up unexpectedly and uninvited. It demands your complete attention, trying to distract you from God’s love and replace your peace with panic. When fear knocks on your door, it wants to control your thoughts and feelings so much that you may be convinced you’re helpless against fear. But you don’t have to open the door to fear and let it take over your life. You have a powerful, loving Heavenly Father who promises to stand with you through every scary situation, no matter how intimidating the situation appears to be.
Where does fear knock on the door of your life and try to creep in?
Maybe it happens at work, where you face the threat of layoffs, a stressful workload, or a high-stakes project that you don’t know how to handle well. Fear might tell you that your future at your job is ruined. You can overcome that fear with faith by remembering that God is your ultimate provider. Instead of letting panic control your workday, you can take well-being breaks throughout the day to pray, asking God to give you what you need and guide you to the best opportunities.
Or, maybe fear knocks when it comes to your health or the health of someone you love. A troubling symptom or an agonizing wait for test results can make your world feel like it’s spinning out of control. When anxious thoughts of fear creep into your mind, you can fight back with faith by fighting anxiety with God’s help. You can choose to place your body and your loved ones into God’s compassionate hands, since God is the ultimate healer and he cares.
Your relationships can also bring overwhelming fear into your life. You might be terrified of losing a marriage, dealing with a broken friendship, or worrying constantly about your children. When you feel powerless to fix a person or a situation, fear tries to convince you to hold on tighter out of desperation. But if you have faith that God will help you in scary relationship situations, you can overcome that fear and let go for your well-being and the well-being of everyone involved.
God doesn’t expect you to face these scary situations in your own human strength. In Isaiah 41:10, God reminds you that you never have to be afraid because he’s always right beside you. He promises to make you strong, help you, protect you, and save you!
So, when fear tries to distract you, redirect your focus back to God’s promises. Talk to God in prayer and trust God to do everything he promises to do in this powerful verse. No matter how scary it is when fear knocks on your door, you never have to fight the battle alone.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
As you consider how to respond when fear knocks on your door, reflect on these questions:
What’s the biggest fear knocking on the door of your life right now?
In what ways does fear usually try to pull your attention away from God?
How can you let go of your current worries and place them into God’s hands to help you with those situations?
What’s one past experience where God proved he keeps his promises by helping you through a scary situation?
How can you remind yourself of God’s powerful presence with you whenever you start to feel overwhelmed by fear?
Further Reading:
Psalm 56:3
2 Timothy 1:7
Psalm 23:4
Philippians 4:6-7
Joshua 1:9
Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Instead of preparing your heart for disappointment by always imagining the worst, you can learn to approach uncertainty with faith and biblical hope. God’s promises remind you that He remains present in difficult circumstances and can bring good from situations you don’t understand. Through prayer, Scripture, and intentionally shifting your thoughts toward what God can do, you can begin to break cycles of anxious thinking and find greater peace in the present. Discover how to replace fearful expectations with hope, trust God with your future, and encourage others through the joy and peace He provides.
Highlights
What anticipatory anxiety is and how worrying about what might happen can affect your peace

How Romans 15:13 encourages believers to trust God for joy, peace, and overflowing hope

Why expecting the worst can become a habit—and how to begin choosing hope instead

How biblical promises like Romans 8:28 can help you trust God when you cannot control the outcome

What David’s confidence in Psalm 27:13 teaches us about expecting to see God’s goodness during difficult times

Practical ways to use Scripture and prayer to redirect anxious thoughts and strengthen your hope

How trusting the God of hope can help you experience greater peace and encourage others through your faith

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!
Sign Up Today!
Full Transcript Below:
Focus on the Best That Could Happen Instead of the Worst
By: Lia Girard
Bible Reading:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
– Romans 15:13, NIV
I wish I were the only one who struggles with what a former counselor of mine called “anticipatory anxiety” or “feeling physical and mental consequences from something that hasn’t happened yet or might not happen at all.” But if this were true, and I was the only person prone to overthinking and overstressing, there wouldn’t be so many reminders in the Bible to “cast our cares,” and “not worry,” and “fear not.”
The one who made each one of us knows that fearing what might not even happen can upset anyone’s equilibrium. This inclination to auto-traumatize potential outcomes can dig a familiar rut. I’ve even heard people say it feels safer or more comfortable to “not get their hopes up.”
But what if it were just as possible... to be intentionally hopeful?
What if you and I could decide, in the middle of our rising fear and discomfort, to always ask, “What’s the best that could happen?” Instead of expecting the worst—because we’re trying to dull any disappointment we might endure if hopes are dashed—there’s also the biblical option to believe in better days ahead. Even to expect miracles.
You see, even though David was cornered by enemies who were plotting to destroy him, he proclaims in Psalm 27:13—
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Here’s the reality: you can’t control everything. But you can control your own choices. You can choose to trust Romans 8:28, which promises, “God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.” And as you trust in God’s ability to bring forth good things from all of our combined circumstances, you can also give yourself this valuable pep talk found in Romans 15:13—
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Are you noticing the energy in this verse? Not just “fill you with a bit of joy” or even “fill you to the brim.” But to fill you with all joy and peace so that you overflow with hope. This kind of experience can transform your day, and even inspire others to choose hope, too. Best of all, none of this is accomplished by your power alone. When you trust in God, the power of the Holy Spirit can generate hope in such abundance that it spills out into your own and others’ lives.
Pay attention here, too, to who fills you with joy and peace. Not your work plan or your accomplishments. Not your bestie or your spouse. The one who provides the joy and peace you need is the God of hope.
It becomes clear, after parsing through Romans 15:13, that your only part is to trust in him. Trust in all his promises, such as Jeremiah 29:11—
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
This is yours to claim, too. God wrote you a love letter so you would tuck what is possible, divine, and true in your heart and know it well. Especially during times you may feel tempted to look for the worst possible outcome, instead of what his goodness can make happen. Why not try it today? After all, what’s the best that could happen?
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Knowing that God desires you to feel hopeful rather than fearful can help pull you out of the rut we all get stuck in sometimes. Try writing down or memorizing verses like these during challenging times:
Isaiah 40:31: Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Hebrews 6:19: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
Ephesians 3:20: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Further Reading:
Looking Back with Gratitude, Looking Ahead with Hope – The Crosswalk Devotional
A Prayer to Not Fret in Confusing Times – Your Daily Prayer
Hope Bible Verses – biblestudytools.com

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

God doesn’t always provide immediate relief, but His presence and power remain constant even when life feels out of control. When you’re facing uncertainty, remembering how God has carried you through past hardships can strengthen your faith and help you trust Him with today’s struggles. Rather than focusing only on when your circumstances will change, you can grow closer to Jesus by learning who He is and relying on His strength. Discover how to find peace amid anxiety, trust God when answers seem delayed, and build a resilient faith that holds firm through life’s fiercest storms.
Highlights
What Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4:41 teaches us about His power and authority

Why God doesn’t always provide immediate relief when we face fear, anxiety, and difficult circumstances

How life’s storms can reveal doubts and strengthen our understanding of who Jesus truly is

Why remembering God’s faithfulness in past struggles can help you trust Him through present challenges

How to rely on Christ for lasting peace instead of depending only on changes in your circumstances

Why God can use difficult seasons to deepen your faith, develop perseverance, and strengthen your spiritual foundation

Practical ways to turn to Jesus in moments of fear and find comfort in His unchanging character and presence

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!
Sign Up Today!
Full Transcript Below:
Encountering the God Able to Calm Our Fiercest Storms
By: Jennifer Slattery
Bible Reading:
They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” - Mark 4:41
Often, when difficulties hit, I want immediate rescue. In the past, when God didn’t respond as I’d hoped, I tended to feel frustrated or abandoned. At times, I even accused Him of ignoring me when I most needed Him. Yet, looking back on our history, I’m able to see how often He used my most challenging circumstances for my good: to liberate me from a harmful behavior, heal a wound, or deepen my faith.
While I occasionally still slip into old, panicked responses, this after-event realization strengthens my soul. I’m better able to pause and reflect on all the times He’s rescued me from past storms and what this reveals regarding His power, nature, and heart. I increasingly go from, “Who is this God, who commands even the winds and waves,” to, “This is the One who holds all of Creation, myself included, in His hands.”
In the passage surrounding today’s verse, Jesus was teaching the disciples this same truth. This was relatively early in His earthly ministry, and therefore early in His relationship with these men who chose to abandon whatever dreams and goals they held previously because they believed He offered something better.
Although they didn’t yet understand what that meant, and in fact, were operating on false assumptions that kept them from knowing and therefore trusting in Christ’s true nature. They’d accepted Him as the long-promised Messiah, yet their comprehension of what that meant, and what He came to do, remained far too small. They wanted temporary solutions and comfort and freedom from circumstantial oppression (largely, at the hands of the Romans and the religious elite).
But Jesus was doing a much deeper work that would anchor them through all of life’s hardships. And He used the storm recorded in Mark 4 to do so by first making them aware of their need and the fear this evoked.
Consider, He timed His rescue intentionally, with His loving gaze focused on the work He was doing in their souls. He allowed them to feel the full weight of the situation, not out of callousness or rebuke, but rather to allow the doubts and lies lurking in their souls to rise to their awareness.
Imagine if your doctor knew how to give you medication without you realizing it for an illness you didn’t know you had. This would affect you physically, in preventing whatever distress you might experience as your disease progressed, but it wouldn’t deepen your trust in his care. If anything, that might convince you that you didn’t need his intervention. In contrast, your confidence in him is likely to significantly increase if the successful treatment comes after you’ve felt the full weight of your condition and your longing for relief.
Jesus could’ve easily prevented the storm recorded in Mark 4. He could’ve had the disciples wait to enter that boat until after it passed, or never asked them to cross the lake in the first place.
But then, they never would’ve reached the place where they exclaimed, with awestruck amazement, “Who is this Man who holds authority over even the wind and waves?!”
Again, they knew, before climbing into the boat, that He was the long-promised Messiah. They didn’t realize, however, how insufficient their view of Him in that role was. He was providing an expanded and much more faith-anchoring perspective. To stand strong for all that lay ahead, they needed to recognize Him as more than the Father’s chosen servant or yet another divinely empowered prophet. They needed to see Him as He truly was, and is, God the Son, Co-Creator, in human form.
Through the storm, He also forced them to confront a core need for safety, which only He could fully meet. In this, He was teaching them to rely on Him, rather than themselves, which ultimately positioned them for strength.
Notice, also, His rescue didn’t arrive a moment too late. When all hope seemed lost, and all their fighting against the external chaos left them physically and emotionally spent, He arose and brought enduring, supernatural calm.
This helped develop their endurance and inner grit. The next time they landed in a terrifying situation, they could look back on how He’d carried them through that frightening night and trust that He could, and would, do so again.
Intersecting Life & Faith:
God doesn’t change. The same Savior who remained with the disciples in their fear remains with us in ours as well. The same Messiah who knew precisely when to calm the winds and waves understands when our rescue will impact us most as well. His delays might feel frustrating, and at times, deeply unsettling, and that’s okay. He understands our overwhelm, and He longs to comfort us in today’s challenges. But He does so with His gaze fixed on building a faith that, progressively, brings lasting peace.
We reach that place, in part, by turning to Him in crisis, asking for the help we need, but also reminding ourselves of the heart and ways of the One providing it. Because of that, not circumstantial relief is how we develop the rock-solid faith that allows us to thrive, regardless of what life throws at us.
This is a topic with which I’m highly passionate, because it has provided me more relief in my anxiety than temporary “rescue” ever has. And, to build these important truths into my soul, I spent much of August discussing some of God’s most comforting divine attributes. I invite you to peruse my Instagram page to glean from some of those reels and posts. Just Google my name, Jennifer Slattery, to find me and more of my faith-building content.

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Following God doesn’t always mean taking the easiest path. Sometimes faith requires perseverance when you’re tired, uncertain, or unable to see how things will work out. Yet true worship is about more than singing songs or gathering with other believers. It’s a daily choice to honor God, trust His promises, and remain faithful even when the journey feels long and the destination seems far away.
When circumstances test your faith, God invites you to keep drawing near to Him through prayer, Scripture, obedience, and praise. Worship can become an expression of trust when you don’t have all the answers or when following God costs you something. Rather than allowing exhaustion, disappointment, or uncertainty to pull you away from Him, you can learn to recognize His faithfulness along the way. Discover how to persevere in your walk with God, worship Him through challenging seasons, and find renewed strength by keeping your heart focused on His presence.
Highlights
Why worship sometimes requires sacrifice, perseverance, and a willingness to trust God through uncertainty

How following God faithfully can mean choosing the difficult path instead of the easiest one

Ways to worship God when you feel tired, discouraged, or unsure of what lies ahead

Why worship involves daily trust and obedience, not just singing or attending church

How prayer and Scripture can strengthen your faith during a long or challenging season

How to recognize God’s faithfulness even when you haven’t reached your destination

Practical ways to keep your heart focused on God and continue following Him when the journey feels difficult

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!
Sign Up Today!
Full Transcript Below:
You Don’t Have to Fear What Hides in the Dark
By Deidre Braley
Bible Reading:
Since the children have flesh and blood, (Jesus) too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. - Hebrews 2:14-15
Our children have become afraid of the dark. Our daughter sleeps with her door open now, to let in a crack of light, and many nights after bedtime, our son wanders out of his room and calls down the stairs for me.
“I’m scared,” he will say, bleary-eyed and slumping. In the cocoon of his room, he imagines the beasts he has read about in his books. He hears noises he can’t identify. He looks outward, and all he can see is darkness, and he shudders to think of whatever lies hidden within it.
Downstairs in the kitchen, all the lights are on, and it still smells like whatever we had for dinner. I am packing lunches, presetting coffee, and wiping down counters. Everything is in order. In this brightly lit space, his fears feel distant, improbable. I am watching over him, and I am certain no beasties will get him tonight. But as I lead him back up the stairs, through the dark hallway, and into his bed once more, it is as though I am seven years old again, too. I see the shadows. I know what it’s like to lie awake, afraid of what hides in the dark. So I lay beside him for a while, then I rub his back and tuck the covers up under his chin, to make sure nothing can get to him there.
And when I wake up in the middle of the night, my mind racing with existential dread and worries about looming disaster and grief, I am no different than my children: in the darkness of my room and my limited understanding, these threats feel as real as real can be. There is no doubt about it—the human experience can be terribly frightening.
What I like to remember during these times is myself as a parent, standing in the brightly lit kitchen, knowing that even if my child is feeling afraid in his particular room, I am presiding over the whole house, and that he is safe and that everything is in order. Though he may not sense it when the lights are turned off in his own bedroom, he is actually surrounded on all sides by light and love and security.
I think it is the same with God and us.
But we are not just contained within his care and the light of his goodness. Because God did not choose to stay in the brightly lit space, where our fears were distant and removed from his
reality. Jesus—God in the flesh—came to dwell with humanity and was, as it says in Hebrews, the “pioneer of their salvation” (2:10). He engaged with the darkness and wrestled with the power of death—that darkness that haunts us mortals and keeps us lying wide-eyed and terrified in our bedrooms at night—and came out on the other side gripping the keys to death and Hades (Revelation 1:18). He entered into our greatest nightmare with us so that we wouldn’t have to leave in fear of what hides in the dark all our lives. In doing so, he showed us that he has the final say, that he holds the ultimate power, and that we are children who are surrounded by his light.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
In the book of Revelation, John records what the new creation looked like in the vision he received from God. He writes:
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.” (21:23-25)
One day we will live in a place where there is no longer any darkness to fear—no beasts hiding in the dark and no dread of the future looming beyond what we can see. Though we long for that place now, we already have a God who is, by his very nature, light and life and love. His glory is already radiant. His power is already all-encompassing. And his presence is already here, through his Spirit dwelling with us. So the next time you wake up in the night and your mind begins to race with worries, try this prayer:
God, I am so afraid, and everything feels so dark. But I know that you are God of the living, and that you are also God of the light. Please come into this darkness with me and illuminate it with your presence. Please help me to see my circumstances from your standpoint: in a brightly lit place, totally surrounded by light. Amen.
Further Reading:
Hebrews 2
Revelation 21

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What do you do when worshiping God requires sacrifice, patience, or a long journey through difficult circumstances? Following God doesn’t always mean taking the easiest path. Sometimes faith requires perseverance when you’re tired, uncertain, or unable to see how things will work out. Yet true worship is about more than singing songs or gathering with other believers. It’s a daily choice to honor God, trust His promises, and remain faithful even when the journey feels long and the destination seems far away.
When circumstances test your faith, God invites you to keep drawing near to Him through prayer, Scripture, obedience, and praise. Worship can become an expression of trust when you don’t have all the answers or when following God costs you something. Rather than allowing exhaustion, disappointment, or uncertainty to pull you away from Him, you can learn to recognize His faithfulness along the way. Discover how to persevere in your walk with God, worship Him through challenging seasons, and find renewed strength by keeping your heart focused on His presence.
Highlights
Why worship sometimes requires sacrifice, perseverance, and a willingness to trust God through uncertainty

How following God faithfully can mean choosing the difficult path instead of the easiest one

Ways to worship God when you feel tired, discouraged, or unsure of what lies ahead

Why worship involves daily trust and obedience, not just singing or attending church

How prayer and Scripture can strengthen your faith during a long or challenging season

How to recognize God’s faithfulness even when you haven’t reached your destination

Practical ways to keep your heart focused on God and continue following Him when the journey feels difficult

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!
Sign Up Today!
Full Transcript Below:
When Worship Requires a Long Journey
By Hannah L. Benson
Bible Reading:
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him’” (Matthew 2:1-2 ESV).
When we think of Christmas, we often think of Christmas carols, a baby lying in a manger, shepherds in the field, and wise men bearing gifts to the King of the Jews.
But the first Christmas wasn’t as “silent” and “calm” as the carols lead us to believe.
Before Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph endured what may have been a roughly ninety-mile journey to Bethlehem, according to historical geography. And miles away in the east, another journey began, one that would require months of travel across harsh terrain before these travelers ever laid eyes on the King.
We don’t know how long the Magi traveled before they arrived in Bethlehem. But Scripture offers an interesting clue: when King Herod inquired about the star’s appearance and eventually ordered the execution of male children in the region, he targeted boys two years old and younger (Matthew 2:16). This means Jesus was likely a toddler already living in a house (Matthew 2:11), suggesting the wise men’s search was not an easy, brief journey, but a relentless, long-term pursuit.
The wise men were well-versed in astronomy and had no doubt studied the stars and signs in the sky. It’s also possible they were familiar with Jewish prophecy and the rumblings of the coming Messiah. Either way, the moment they saw the star rise in the east, they knew something amazing had happened and that the long-awaited King of the Jews had been born.
We often think of the end of the Magi’s journey, the moment when they fell on their faces before Jesus, worshiped Him, and presented Him with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
But we rarely consider the months, or perhaps years, spent traversing desert expanses and rocky terrain. While the book of Matthew doesn’t detail their route, we can infer from historians that day after day, they likely would have faced scorching heat, freezing nights, the constant threat of bandits, and the fatigue of an exhausting journey.
Think about it. These wise men traveled across the perilous desert. No doubt they knew one wrong turn could cost them both their lives and the treasures they carried.
But no matter what they encountered, God protected them. By the time they arrived at the house where the young King stayed, their treasures were intact, ready to be offered in worship.
Imagine their immense joy when they finally arrived where Jesus was. When the star went before them and then rested over the place, Scripture records that they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:9-10 ESV).⁠
What must it have been like to feel that joy course through their veins as the moment they had pursued for so long finally arrived?
It’s likely these were wealthy and influential men who chose to humble themselves by traveling to see a King, at the time still a young child.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
I don’t know what you are going through today. Perhaps you feel like you’re traveling through the proverbial desert or fighting to survive.
I wonder if the wise men ever felt like giving up. Surely, the journey was laborious. Did they ever wonder if they would make it in time, if the trek was worth the difficulty?
While it may have been difficult, the wise men chose to keep moving forward, trusting that what they would find at the end of their journey would make it all worth it.
And once they laid their eyes on Jesus and fell on their knees before the King of the Jews, I’m sure they didn’t think about how hard it was to get there.
While we aren’t traveling across a physical desert, our lives as believers are a journey of their own. Keep moving forward. The road may be long and wearying, but the prize waiting at the end, Jesus Himself, makes every single step worth it.
Pray with me: Dear Father God, I feel like I’m on a long journey today, and I’m struggling to keep going. Please help me to worship You even when it’s hard and to keep pressing onward to see Your face at the end of this race. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

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