Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 35:1-5 Oppose my opponents, Lord; fight those who fight me.
2 Take your shields—large and small— and come to my aid.
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers, and assure me, “I am your deliverance.”
4 Let those who intend to take my life be disgraced and humiliated;
let those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed.
5 Let them be like chaff in the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away.
Read the entire Psalm
This is another imprecatory Psalm calling for God to come against the writer’s enemies. Notice verse 3 where the Psalmist asks God to assure the writer that God is His deliverance. The Psalm is a prayer of dependence asking God to deliver. Praise God that He is dependable, that He is deliverer. Ask Him to assure you that He is your deliverer.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Peter 2:9-12 – Christian Standard Bible
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray for the River Youth, especially our senior Youth. Pray they would respond to God’s prompting to continue trusting Him as they move into this new season in life.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
“Beloved” is how Peter begins verse 11. Who’s beloved? In some part Peter was speaking for himself. The Christians he was writing to were dear to him; they were his beloved. But clearly, he was speaking for God as well. We are God’s beloved. Just look back at the preceding passage:
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
What is this, other than a description of a people who are God’s beloved? What might it mean for you if you were truly able to live your life believing that you are truly God’s beloved? You are not his occasionally loved son or daughter, based on your performance or ability to be faithful. You are his fully and finally loved child, based on his mercy.
Application: Consider whether you actually believe God has fully accepted you, or whether you still believe that somehow you can or must earn his mercy. Tell him now that you will take him at his word and that you will believe that you are his beloved. This is especially important if you are not feeling lovable right now.