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 52
1 Why boast about evil, you hero! God’s faithful love is constant.
2 Like a sharpened razor, your tongue devises destruction, working treachery.
3 You love evil instead of good, lying instead of speaking truthfully.Selah
4 You love any words that destroy, you treacherous tongue!
5 This is why God will bring you down forever. He will take you, ripping you out of your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living.Selah
6 The righteous will see and fear, and they will derisively say about that hero,
7 “Here is the man who would not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches, taking refuge in his destructive behavior.”
8 But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever.
9 I will praise you forever for what you have done.
In the presence of your faithful people,
I will put my hope in your name, for it is good.
Refuge in God or Refuge in Evil? This Psalm is a reminder that we do not have to make a refuge for ourselves. We don’t need to make a refuge from riches or a refuge by lying or by tearing others down or by boasting. God is glad for us to make him our refuge. His faithful love is constant and he accepts us if we want to find our refuge in him. Praise him for what he has done. He has revealed himself. He has made himself accessible by the blood of Jesus.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – Christian Standard Bible
4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.
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.
- Pray for war in Israel. Pray for peace. Pray for innocent lives to be spared.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead., Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.
This is about intentional effort over time. Clearly Moses is telling us that we cannot dabble in this, we must give our full effort to making God’s word primary in our lives and in the lives of our children. The idea here is not literalistic; who cares if you write Scripture on plaques and hang them in your house if Scripture isn’t shaping how you live in that house? The literal meaning here is not tattooing verses on your head and hands, but it is that God’s word is to shape you everywhere you go, and in everything you do. As you look at the world, Scripture is the lens you see the world through. Without Scripture as your lens, how you see the world is going to be distorted. You will not really understand what is happening if you look at your life without the truth of God. You are being shaped by some ruling authority; make sure it is the authority of God’s word and not the authority of your mind and moods.