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 16:5-8 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Read the Entire Psalm
Read these verses again and look for who God is and what God has done. The Lord is his portion, his cup. The Lord makes a place for the writer. The Lord is his counselor.
Now look again, the Lord is all those things, but what is the writer of this Psalm doing? He commits to praise, to keep his eyes on the Lord, to keep the Lord near.
Turn this Psalm into a prayer. Pray it to God and then read the passage below.
Scripture Reading
Haggai 2:1-9 – English Standard Version
The Coming Glory of the Temple
2 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: 2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, 3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 4 Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, 5 according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. 6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Give thanks to God for His gifts and His goodness.
- 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 CAYM. Ask God to use Donnovan to establish and strengthen Christian Mentoring Programs.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
God’s commands, throughout Scripture, are always founded upon His character and/or His saving work. God doesn’t hang His commands in thin air. Tomorrow we’ll focus on the commands God issues in this passage. But, first, we’ll focus on His promises. God’s issues three promises in this passage: I am with you, my Spirit remains in your midst, and then a promise of future redemption.
The promises of this passage pass cleanly from the original context of the Covenant at Sinai and apply to the New Testament believer. As you think about what lies ahead today, this week, or this month, how do these promises personally comfort and compel you to enjoy and obey the Lord?