SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 2 OBSERVATION: The Lord chose Israel to represent Him to the world. When they failed to live up to their calling, the Lord punished them with exile. But He did not reject them forever, and He will once again use them to rebuild His Kingdom on earth. The Lord calls the exiles to return…
renewing the church
SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 1 OBSERVATION: This book consists of a series of visions given by God to Zechariah (around 520 BC) for the nation of Israel, exiles in Babylon. The basic message is ‘get ready, God is about to act on behalf of Israel!’ [1:16] God had allowed His special people to be defeated by their cruel,…
concern for the weak and needy
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 146 OBSERVATION A summary of what David says in Psalm 146: I will always boast about how great God is, the great and mighty God who is on the side of the weak and needy! When you think of God, is this what comes to mind for you? The champion of the weak, the needy, the…
daily, specific praise!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 145 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION How much time do you spend thinking about how great and how good God is? Honestly! I’m not talking about singing worship songs, I’m talking about intentional periods of reflection where we list the different ways that God’s greatness or goodness have impacted us. I need to ask myself this question. David…
trained for battle
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 144 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION These words need to be read in their context, then applied to our own context. In David’s day, when violence and war were normal, being trained for battle and subduing the enemy was critical. The enemy – often foreigners, or non Jews – was a constant threat to the tiny, vulnerable nation…
persistent prayer
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 143 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION What did David do when he was in a desperate situation? (a) he prayed desperately, persistently (b) he was honest about his struggles, as wel as about his own sin and need for mercy (c) he reminded himself of God’s past blessings and mercies (d) he opened himself to learn, to be taught (e)…
christians confess
Now here is an interesting site. I have felt for some time that the biggest obstacle for non-Christians to hearing and receiving the message of Jesus is the attitudes and behaviours of Christians. So imagine a web page devoted to Christians admitting their judgmental attitudes and hypocritical behaviours. After reading some of the confessions, go…
twelve steps
The devotions these last few days (from the psalms) have reminded me of the desperate struggle we often find ourselves in, and our desperate need for God’s help. As Gary Haugen reminded me at the Leadership Summit last week, our daily disciplines (Bible reading, prayer) need to become daily desperations, where we cannot help but…
desperate for God’s help
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 142 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION David is on the run, hiding from King Saul in a cave [see 1 Samuel 24]. He desperately cries out to God for mercy and protection (later he records it as a psalm). As the story unfolds, we see how God puts Saul into his hands, and how David refuses to kill God’s appointed ruler. Saul relents, and…
prepared for battle
SCRIPTURE: Psalms 140-141 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION These two psalms are help prayers for Jesus-followers. Although I am not facing the human enemies that David faced, I read these words in light of the evil one, the Enemy behind all other enemies. I am also having to deal with Satan’s poison, his tricks and traps. Like David, I need to…