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 48
1 The Lord is great and highly praised in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, 2 rising splendidly, is the joy of the whole earth.
Mount Zion—the summit of Zaphon— is the city of the great King.
3 God is known as a stronghold in its citadels.
4 Look! The kings assembled; they advanced together.
5 They looked and froze with fear; they fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there, agony like that of a woman in labor,
7 as you wrecked the ships of Tarshish with the east wind.
8 Just as we heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of Armies,
in the city of our God; God will establish it forever.Selah
9 God, within your temple, we contemplate your faithful love.
10 Like your name, God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with justice.
11 Mount Zion is glad. Judah’s villages rejoice because of your judgments.
12 Go around Zion, encircle it; count its towers,
13 note its ramparts; tour its citadels so that you can tell a future generation:
14 “This God, our God forever and ever— he will always lead us.”
This God, our God forever and ever— he will always lead us. Trusting in God, letting Him be a place of refuge, protection, and provision is the best plan for flourishing life. This city that the Psalmist is singing about is the city protected by God. He is our protector. One day, if you have trusted Christ, you will be at home with Him. Praise Him now for His greatness. Ask Him to use you to tell a future generation that He is faithful.
Scripture Reading
1 John 1:9 – New International Version
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
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 Amelia as she serves overseas. Ask God to encourage her and guide her and use her for His glory.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Doubt. Look at that word for a moment. Say it out loud. Doubt. Don’t be in a hurry. Don’t just think about it. Pay attention to what you feel. Now try it again. Doubt. Do you feel afraid or anxious when you really think of doubt? Do you want to avoid thinking about it? What do you do with doubts? What are you supposed to do with them? You say, “I don’t doubt God.” That good, but many do struggle with doubting God’s existence or goodness. But there are many things that we can doubt that can be disconcerting. Do you doubt your ability to stay faithful? You should. Do you doubt that you can live your entire life and not fall into some terrible sin pattern? You should. Do you doubt that you will be able to trust God no matter what comes your way? You should. Now, let’s rethink this. You should doubt your ability in all this, but you should not doubt that God will prove to be sufficient. If you continually put your trust in him, he will continually prove trustworthy. Doubt is a troubling word, for good reason. On our own, future outcomes are all in doubt. Doubt is a word that should make us run to the Lord Jesus.