Daily Lesson for Wednesday 10th of June 2026

It had been an intense few weeks for the two disciples as they replayed in their minds some of the events and conversations they had experienced. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the clearing of the temple. The Passover in the upper room. Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane. Judas’s ugly betrayal. The trial, the mocking, the beating. Jesus’ bruised body hanging on a cross and His final words before He breathed His last as the afternoon sky turned black. The loud rip of the temple curtain. The open graves of the righteous. Gently taking Jesus’ body off the cross and laying Him in the tomb before Sabbath. And then the confusion, discouragement, and questions in the disciples’ minds. How had they gotten it so wrong?

Jesus’ followers were disappointed, discouraged, and confused. This was the greatest setback of their lives. What they didn’t see was that this was merely a moment in the greatest story of all time. As two of them walked on the road to Emmaus, Jesus appeared and walked with them.

Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com

Once their eyes were opened, the two followers rushed to Jerusalem to share the things that had happened to them on the road (Luke 24:33-35). As Jesus came and stood in their midst, they were terrified. Notice His questions to them: “ ‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?’ ” (Luke 24:38, NKJV).

This is also Jesus’ message for us today. Too often, we forget that He walks beside us in our valleys. Too often we don’t recognize Him. Too often we forget that there’s much more to the story. Too often we feel troubled and allow doubts to arise in our hearts, forgetting that Jesus holds our lives securely in His hands. And too often we think we know better than Jesus does about what’s really happening in our lives (Luke 24:18).

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-11-the-road-to-emmaus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-11-the-road-to-emmaus

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 9th of June 2026

When we think of setbacks in the Bible, Job is perhaps the person who first comes to mind. Not only did he lose all his wealth (Job 1:14-17), but he also lost his children (Job 1:18-19) and his health (Job 2:7). His wife then tried to convince him to curse God and die (Job 2:9).

After some time, three friends came to sit with Job. They were so shocked at his appearance that they sat with him, speechless, for seven days (Job 2:13). Eventually, when they spoke, they tried to offer human reasons for why such misfortune had come to Job, but in doing so, they unintentionally increased his suffering. Three friends blamed him, saying he must have some hidden sin in his life to repent of (Job 8:1-22; Job 11:1-20; Job 15:1-35), even saying, “ ‘Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God’ ” (Job 18:21, NKJV).

Image © Providence Collection from GoodSalt.com

No matter the tragic events that surrounded him, and the fact that he didn’t understand them, Job remained faithful. He held fast. He didn’t blame God or curse Him. Instead, when tempted to blame God, he declared: “ ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord’ ” (Job 1:21, NKJV).

We, too, live in the middle of this same battle. Satan afflicts us with pain, suffering, loss, and hardship as part of his plan to distort our picture of a loving God. In such times, we can respond in one of two ways: blame and reject God, or cling to Him with all our might. Although the battle rages around us, we must remember that, in light of eternity, our momentary troubles are but temporary trials (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). There is so much more to the picture than what we see here and now, and one of the great challenges for a believer is to trust God even in the darkest times. God has, in many ways, revealed to us the reality of His love. We must cling to this crucial truth—that of God’s love—even when we might not sense it at the moment.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-11-job/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-11-job

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NKJV

Last Tuesday, my fiancée, Becky, and I ran off to get married at a harbor on Tampa Bay. The next day, we took off for our honeymoon in St. Augustine, Florida, where I had reserved a hotel room with an ocean view. I asked Becky if we could take her car on the honeymoon since hers is silver and mine is black. I just thought silver was more appropriate for a wedding and honeymoon than black.

Wednesday morning, we left for St. Augustine when we saw the oil light flickering and realized the car was due for an oil change. We stopped at one of those quick oil-change places, thinking a simple oil change would fix it. As we pulled into the lot, the engine started knocking. After the oil change, as we drove a few more miles, we noticed the knocking was not going away. We searched for the dealership to have the car looked at, hoping we would not be set back too much. I have waited 60 years for a honeymoon, so I did not want any more delays.

However, the car never made it to the dealership on its own. It bit the dust and had to be towed. Waiting for the tow truck and then for the car to be looked at had already set us back a few hours. Now, how much was this going to set us back financially? Were we going to have to get a new car? Were we going to have to cancel our trip?

Strangely, the possible financial setback did not scare me. Getting married made me realize it’s not my money anymore. Also, for years as a bachelor, I have seen God put money in my bank account and take money out. I knew from experience that God had a plan.

I remembered when I got sick in 2009 before I had good health insurance, and a friend gave me a side job where I earned way more money than my medical expenses and ended up ahead financially. In 2015, I had substantial credit card debt, and then the church I was working for as a Bible worker had to let me go. Long story short, I was getting paychecks from my new Bible worker position before I even got my last paycheck from the previous church. By Thanksgiving that year, I had a new car and all my credit cards were paid off. Once again, what was supposed to be a setback actually helped me get ahead.

I assured Becky we would be in St. Augustine by early evening. We rented a car and were on our way. On our drive, the dealership called with bad news: the engine was ruined! But they quickly followed it with good news. Because of a recall, the engine was still under warranty and would be replaced with a better, rebuilt engine at no cost to us! There would be minor items surrounding the engine we would need to pay for, but the big picture was that we were getting a rebuilt car that would be much better than before at a very minimal cost.

We also got to our hotel in St. Augustine in time to enjoy a delicious dinner at a nice romantic restaurant before taking a romantic walk along the Atlantic shore.

Meanwhile, Becky and I were impressed by how each other handled the car situation. Instead of panicking, we prayed together and trusted God. We praised God that a few hours’ delay turned into us getting a better car. What we thought was going to be a no-stress, relaxing day actually turned into an afternoon of split-second decision-making: how to handle the car, how to get a tow truck, and whether to get a rental car or hire an Uber to take us back home to our other car. Since we were lost in the middle of nowhere, we had to decide where to find a rental car. By both of us going to God first, we worked everything out smoothly with no inconveniences other than a slight time delay. We even ended up making our own inside jokes about the situation!

Sure, I was a little annoyed that the romantic honeymoon I had been waiting 60 years for was being delayed. Being stranded in the middle of nowhere without a car was not how I dreamed of spending my honeymoon. However, on the way home, Becky and I agreed we were actually glad it all happened! It gave our honeymoon and marriage more meaning. It cemented my faith that our union was meant to be.

Why? Because if everything had gone perfectly and smoothly, neither one of us would have known and appreciated how well we worked together under pressure. All we would have known was that we could enjoy beautiful walks on the beach together. Now we know we can handle potentially stressful situations with the same peace, love, and even humor we share on a romantic beach. Having weathered that storm so well together made our romantic walk on the beach even more meaningful.

Be careful asking for Jesus to calm all your storms. Sometimes it’s the wind in the storm that gets you exactly where you need to be. Those storm winds are not always setbacks. With God’s grace, they are progressing. When I got sick in 2009, what was supposed to be a setback was actually financial progress. It happened again when I lost my job in 2015. And last week, what was supposed to be a setback on our honeymoon turned into not only financial progress, but also a deeper love, respect, and appreciation for each other than we could ever have experienced just walking on a romantic beach.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/setbacks-that-arent-really-setbacks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=setbacks-that-arent-really-setbacks

Daily Lesson for Monday 8th of June 2026

Imagine the throng of people on the shore of Galilee. They’ve been waiting for Jesus’ return since early morning, and as He steps from the boat, they press close around Him, following Him into the village of Capernaum. Suddenly, Jairus, ruler of the synagogue, appears and begs Jesus to come to make his daughter well.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

One of the people in the crowd is a woman who has been unwell for many years. She’s spent all her money on doctors, but she “was no better, but rather grew worse” (Mark 5:26, NKJV). She’s heard about this great Man of Galilee and, with hope in her heart, gathers what little strength she had to leave her house that morning to join the crowd. The press of the people feels almost suffocating as she inches closer to Jesus. And then, through the pushing and shoving, she sees Him. She encourages herself: “ ‘If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well’ ” (Mark 5:28, NKJV).

This incident shows Jesus’ care and compassion for the sick and lonely, and those usually lost in the crowd. Many that day were pressing close to Jesus’ side as they drifted along with the crowd, but only one intentionally reached out to touch Jesus to receive the blessing she so desperately needed. However, it wasn’t her touch that healed her; it was her faith that made her well (Mark 5:34). “The Saviour could distinguish the touch of faith from the casual contact of the careless throng.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 344. Jesus’ garment held no special power; rather, it was the woman’s faith and her choice to reach out to touch Him that healed her.

That frail woman, in her suffering and distress, could have stayed in bed at home on that morning, but instead, she deliberately sought Jesus out in the hope of healing. Seeing Him at a distance wasn’t enough; she drew close to Him.

Jesus beckons us to do the same today. He says, “ ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls’ ” (Matthew 11:28-29, NLT).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-11-be-made-well/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-11-be-made-well

Join It Is Written Sabbath School host Eric Flickinger and this quarter’s author, Nina Atchesonn, as they provide additional insights into this week’s Sabbath School lesson.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/11-setbacks-it-is-written-discussion-with-the-author/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=11-setbacks-it-is-written-discussion-with-the-author