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 56:1-4 Be gracious to me, God, for a man is trampling me; he fights and oppresses me all day long.
2 My adversaries trample me all day, for many arrogantly fight against me.
3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
Read the Entire Psalm
What do you do when you are afraid? The Psalmist here says he trusts God and his trust is not passive. His trust is engaged by praising God for his word. His word not just being a book, but God’s word being the revelation of himself and his character. This person trusts God by activating God’s word in his own life by recalling God’s character of faithfulness, compassion, justice, etc. When you think of who God is the last question “What can mere mortals do to me?” loses the power it once had. God is trustworthy. Ask Him to help you trust Him.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Haggai 2:10-19 – Christian Standard Bible
From Deprivation to Blessing
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord of Armies says: Ask the priests for a ruling. 12 If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy?”
The priests answered, “No.”
13 Then Haggai asked, “If someone defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled?”
The priests answered, “It becomes defiled.”
14 Then Haggai replied, “So is this people, and so is this nation before me—this is the Lord’s declaration. And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled.
15 “Now from this day on, think carefully: Before one stone was placed on another in the Lord’s temple, 16 what state were you in? When someone came to a grain heap of twenty measures, it only amounted to ten; when one came to the winepress to dip fifty measures from the vat, it only amounted to twenty. 17 I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you didn’t turn to me—this is the Lord’s declaration. 18 From this day on, think carefully; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid; think carefully. 19 Is there still seed left in the granary? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet produced. But from this day on I will bless you.”
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 the war in Israel. Pray that it would end. Pray for those suffering.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
God’s grace, forgiveness, and love communicated in and through Christ Jesus will always meet you where you are, no matter the depths. But it will not leave you there for long. Grace will pull you up and push you forward, further into obedience to Jesus. The love of Christ is never a cop-out for sin; it always compels us to obedience.
Obedience is an essential part of our sanctification, the lifelong process by which we grow in godliness by the power of the Gospel. Sanctification is a grace-empowered mission to go on becoming what you already are (clean, righteous, a temple of the living God, a child of God, etc.). And, when we obey Jesus, He promises us blessing: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 10:28)
Ask the Spirit to prompt you to acts of obedience today. Ask Him to help you see obedience as a means of blessing. And ask Him for the courage and power to obey.