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 50:1-6 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks; he summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 From Zion, the perfection of beauty, God appears in radiance.
3 Our God is coming; he will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes him,
and a storm rages around him.
4 On high, he summons heaven and earth in order to judge his people:
5 “Gather my faithful ones to me, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God is the Judge.Selah
Read the Entire Psalm
Gather my faithful ones to me. What a tremendous thought, God gathering us to himself. The mighty God who speaks and judges also gathers us. Do we deserve to be near Him? No. Does He need us near Him? No. He wants to gather us and draw us near. Praise Him for His desire to gather us.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 John 1:9 – New Living Translation
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
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 those who do not know God. Ask God to help you see the lost people around you and have compassion for them. Ask God for opportunities to build trust. Ask God to give you opportunity to have gospel conversations.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
“Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” What a tremendous prayer. One of my all-time favorites. We are taught to repeat the Lord’s prayer and other great prayers from Scriptures. This prayer of the distressed and desperate father ought to be on our lips, because the reality behind it is often in our hearts. We do believe. We really do. But we need help to believe. We desperately do. So, let’s pray. Take the various things that you truly believe, but you need ongoing help to believe, and talk with God about those things right now. “God I believe that you are good, but this is hard, help me in my unbelief.” “I believe you are in control of the world, but the world looks crazy, help me in my unbelief.” Okay, your turn. Pray.