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 148:7-10 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!
9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds!
Read the Entire Psalm
God made the earth for His pleasure. Beasts, livestock, trees, mountains, fire, hail, and snow. Even creeping things, created by and for God. In Kansas during the hot summer months, you can hear the cicadas “sing”. Their voices “ring” above all the sounds of nature on these hot summer days. When you hear the cicada, let it be a reminder that all things were made for God. The voice of the cicada might be annoying, but I wonder, what did their voice sound like before the fall? How were “creeping things” perceived by Adam and Eve before sin brought a curse to creation? Let the call of creation to praise be a reminder that one day there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Creation will be restored. Praise God for this promised future.
Scripture Reading
2 Peter 3:12-18 – New International Version
12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanks 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 Jason and Lisa. Ask God to guide them as they seek to reach out to refugees. Pray that their family would grow in the grace of Christ.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
What do you believe that God has promised you? We would all probably agree on his eternal promises, but what of his temporal ones? What has he promised you now before your death or his return? It’s worth considering because we all have very specific ideas about what we can expect from God, but we may not have thought them through well or submitted them to biblical scrutiny. So, today, let’s consider our ideas. I want you to think specifically about your ideas, so let me give you some questions. Be honest. Sometimes our ideas are conflicted. Sometimes we don’t really know what we think about some things.
1. What has God promised you in regards to material wealth?
2. What has God promised you in regards to physical health?
3. What has God promised you in regards to mental/emotional “well-being”?
(Has he promised you won’t feel depressed or ever be anxious?)
4. What has he promised you in regards to relations with others?
If you can, write down scripture references or just principles from scripture that either corroborate or contradict those ideas.
God is alive and involved. We can trust his promises as he has actually made them. We need not fear this exercise, but we do need to fear putting our faith in ideas that are not true regarding God and his promises. Ask God to help you grow in understanding what he has promised and to grow in gratitude for his faithfulness to keep his promises.