Truth Encounter

10/20/2026

Dave’s Devo: Protection In Travel Psalm 115:1-3

On one of our Truth Encounter trips to Kenya, before we left Nairobi, we prayed and asked the Lord for protection on the journey. The Toyota van ride from Nairobi to Kakamega, a little north of Lake Victoria, took us ten hours. Joseph, our driver, dodged hundreds of potholes, kept the front axle from breaking over miles of road under construction, plowed carefully through water, wind, and rain, and through it all he kept us safe.

As we drove through one town, he said, “See all those people gathered at the side of the road? There must have been an accident.” When we got around the crowd and could see, a truck was down in a deep ditch in the water. The next morning when Joseph picked me up to get me to church to preach, he said, “Dave, I heard about that accident on the radio. The drive apparently was talking, missed the edge, and went over.” That prayer for safety was not perfunctory.

In Psalm 115 the psalmist tells us that the glory needs to go to God alone, not to us. The reason for this exclusive praise is that his loving kindness never fails us. We can count on his great faithfulness.

“Not to us, O LORD! Not to us, but to your Name is the glory, for the sake of your gracious, loyal love and your faithfulness.” Psalm 115:1

On the long ride, we even parked alongside Lake Victoria and stretched our legs. It’s the largest fresh water inland lake in Africa, and the second largest in the world. (Only Lake Superior has it beat.)

David Livingstone, the great missionary and Scottish explorer, believed Victoria was the headwaters of the Nile, but he went too far west, entered the Congo River system, and never proved it. He was partly correct about the beginning of the Nile, but I think explorers are still tracing small tributaries upstream to finally get to that ultimate tiny drop that begins the largest river in the world. Praise the LORD we do know the source of his Living Water.

10/19/2026

Dave’s Devo: Strange Languages Psalm 114

The British Empire and its reach into Kenya meant that on my trips to Kenya to teach, my audiences struggled a little with my American dialect but not with English. But when the formal sessions were over, my Kenyan friends switched quickly out of the language of commerce and started speaking Swahili and countless tribal languages in their personal conversations.

So, I got to hear a lot of strange languages even riding in a van from place to place to place as my two pastor brothers tried to figure out with our driver how to get to our next destination.

Psalm 114 reminds us that Israel lived for many years in Egypt where they had to learn a foreign language, but then God delivered them from slavery and brought them back home where they could freely speak Hebrew again.

“When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.” Psalm 114:1-2

I’m thankful that the Lord Jesus, the Promised Son from the tribe of Judah, takes away the blocks of culture and language. He promises in Revelation that there will be those from every language group singing praise and worshiping the Lamb who was slain but lives forever.

Daniel talked about a day when a great Western leader would promise peace to the world and then plunge the entire world into chaos and violence. Is this prediction only a museum piece-- irrelevant to today or the future? "The Climax Of The  Birth Pangs" this week on

Combining pastoral ministry with college and seminary teaching, Dave Wyrtzen, through Truth Encounter, challenges you weekly to understand Gods redemptive story

10/18/2026

Daniel talked about a day when a great Western leader would promise peace to the world and then plunge the entire world into chaos and violence. Is this prediction only a museum piece-- irrelevant to today or the future? "The Climax Of The 
Birth Pangs" this week on www.truthencounter.com.

10/17/2026

End of the world scenarios always sell books and movies, but Jesus does not give us any dates. What does he tell us? "The End , When Will It Come?" this week on www.truthencounter.com.

10/16/2026

Dave’s Devo: Filling Homes Psalm 113

For old times’ sake the other night Mary and I watched Father Of The Bride Two. The premise was that a soon to be grandfather (Steve Martin) is struggling with aging. He dyes his hair, relishes his sports car, and makes love with his wife (Diane Keaton).

The trigger in the story is that the soon-to-be grandmother gets pregnant and she and her daughter both deliver in the same hospital at the same time with Steve Martin running back and forth trying to give support to both his wife and his daughter. The story resolves with all the babies and mothers (and grandmother) safe and healthy. As the dad says farewell to his daughter and granddaughter as she and her husband move to Boston, he looks forward to again teaching another young daughter all his basketball tricks.

The refreshing part of this movie is the celebration of a new baby even as late middle age begins to dawn. This celebrations of pregnancy, new birth, and the thrill and challenges of raising kids are qualities that Israel understood well in their hymnbook.
Listen to the Psalmist picturing a mom drinking in the joy of a quiver filled with kids.

“He causes the barren woman to sit in her home—a happy mom with her sons. Hallelujah!” Psalms 113:9

Generation Z is putting off marriage and questioning whether pregnancy and kids are a good thing. With all the divorce they have seen in their life experience and the wars and rumors of war a constant drumbeat, I can understand why young people in their twenties and thirties shrink back from love, marriage commitment, and the responsibility of raising kids, but the Lord and his Son have not changed their minds about what brings human joy and thriving.

LORD, Mary and I thank you for each of our precious grandchildren and that our own kids gave us each of these precious gifts. Thanks also for all the young couples we pastored who are now grandparents themselves. Move many in your family of faith to obey your ancient command to be fruitful and multiply.


The End—When Will It Come?
End of the world scenarios always sell books and movies, but Jesus does not give us any dates or wild speculations. Instead, he prepares us for what it will mean to be his follower down through time before he returns. Listen today at

Combining pastoral ministry with college and seminary teaching, Dave Wyrtzen, through Truth Encounter, challenges you weekly to understand Gods redemptive story

10/15/2026

Dave’s Devo: Character Qualities That Last Psalm 112

I asked you to see how many of the character traits you could find in Psalm 112. Psalm 111 presents some of God's dominant character traits as he reveals his story in the Bible and then Psalm 112 shows how he generates some of these qualities in us as we reverence him. Here is my list:

He reverences the I AM vs. 1
He delights in the LORD's commandments vs. 1
He is gracious, compassionate, and just v. 4
He lends freely v. 5
He conducts all his business with fairness and justice v. 5
His heart is steadfast because he trusts in the LORD. v. 7
He gives to those in need v. 9.

And here are the life results that the LORD generates in this person's life:

His "seed" is blessed from one generation to the next v. 2
His "horn" is strong in honor.
Power and wealth are in his house v. 3
His obedience to God's standards enables him to endure v. 3
In times of darkness he is given light v. 4
Good comes to him v. 5
He shall not be moved v. 6
He will be remembered for his righteousness v. 6
He is not afraid of bad news v. 7
He is not afraid of his enemies because his enemies are defeated v. 8
His heart is steady v. 8 & 9

Psalm 112 takes us back to the wisdom themes where the psalter started in Psalm 1. Reviewing these character qualities and then looking at the norm of what Mary and I have experienced in life give encouragement but also correction as we live today.

10/14/2026

Dave’s Devo: Bad News And A Calm Heart Psalm 112

Israel and Palestine are still at war. Mass shootings. Fires. Tornadoes bringing lethal power from the sky, and inflation is still a threat. Go to bed with those headlines and a troubled heart keeps you awake all night. One of our Old Covenant brothers knew how to deal with bad news and a shaky heart.

“He (the wise person who reverences the LORD) doesn’t fear bad news. His heart is secure. He trusts in the LORD. His heart is firm, he will not fear, till he sees the defeat of his enemies.” Psalm 112: 7-8

I don’t need to fear bad news if I know how the last chapter resolves all the terrible crises in the world and in my life. Jesus did teach us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I can count on Him to answer this prayer in the End.

LORD, I hear the news there is strong reason to fear that evil wins. Even those redeemed face trauma and possible rejection. Keep my heart steady as I trust in you and give peace and calm hearts.

10/13/2026

Dave’s Devo: The Good Character In The Story Psalm 112

Our judgment about who is in the right and who is in the wrong is often powerfully determined by our personal point of view, but what about God’s?

Israel’s hymnbook begins in Psalm 1 with a contrast between the righteous and the wicked. As we move toward the completion of the Psalms in Psalm 112, we have another acrostic poem (like Psalm 111) giving the A-Z of who the “good guy” is from God’s point of view. Also, like Psalm 1, it ends focusing on how things turn out for the wicked.

I pick out nine characteristic of God’s “good” character in this psalm. I’ll give you my first four and then, see if you can work through the rest of the verses and complete your list.

My first four are:
He reverences the LORD v. 1
He delights in God’s commands v. 1
He is gracious v. 4 and
He is compassionate v. 4 (See what you come up with)

This psalm also presents the results of allowing God to generate this kind of character in our lives. For instance, Psalm 1 begins with the fact that the LORD will bless this person and then spells out how this blessing is expressed concretely in life. See how many results a person who obeys God’s commands can expect based on Psalm 112.

LORD, because you have given me a new heart by the power of your Son, there’s a part of me that doesn’t try to wiggle out of your instructions anymore but realizes that your Law actually shines light on the path I need to take to find steadiness, happiness, and a life worth remembering. Help me to obey your instructions today.