Psalm 17. David prays for deliverance from evil men. Like a lion, the wicked man lurks in ambush, seeking to do violence for personal gain (12). His portion is in this life (14). But David’s hope is that God would deliver him in answer to prayer, AND that his ultimate vindication would be awaking from death satisfied with the LORD’s likeness (15).
LORD, we trust you for deliverance from trouble today, and deliverance from death tomorrow.
Luke 10:25-42. The balance needed to be a follower of Jesus is seen in the two people that he encounters in this text. First, there is the lawyer who knows all the right answers, yet in his heart he refuses to serve his neighbour. Then there is Martha, who is so busy serving that she neglects the relationship and growth that comes from sitting at her master’s feet. The foundational commands from the Old Testament which Jesus gave us are to love God with all that we are, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. Martha’s service was crowding out her devotion. The lawyer’s knowledge had crowded out his service.
LORD, we commit ourselves to a loving relationship with you, and loving service to others.
Luke 9:51-10:24. The great evangelistic campaign of the seventy-two was a victory for the kingdom of God. Because these believers were spreading the gospel, even the demons could not stand in their way. Luke puts this story in its proper context by showing that even though this campaign was a success, there were other attempts to spread the same gospel that were not so successful. An attempt to reach a village of the Samaritans did not go as well as the encounter with the woman at the well in Sychar (John 4). The village did not receive him (9:51-56). Some attempted to join the movement but Jesus rejected them, knowing that they were not committed, thus would not be able to pay the cost of following him (57-62). Even in commissioning the 72, Jesus warned that the major cities of this northern campaign would be judged because they would resist the message, in spite of all the miracles that would attest to its veracity (13-15).
LORD, give us the tenacity to keep preaching the gospel no matter what the reception we get.
Psalm 15. David’s question in verse 1 uses two verbs for residing in a residence. The verb sojourn implies a temporary residence. Sojourning in the LORD’s tent is having a relationship with him now — in the present. The verb dwell speaks of the future, and a permanent residence. To dwell on the LORD’s holy hill is to be a part of his eternity. The answer to both questions may be summed up as this: a person of integrity. Integrity has legs that walk blamelessly, hands that do what is right, a heart that speaks truth and a tongue that does not slander his neighbour. Integrity protects his community’s name, and promotes good and not evil. A person of integrity can be trusted in what he says and does not misuse what he owns. A person of integrity is sojourning in a relationship with the LORD now, and will not be moved in that relationship. The result will be an eternal relationship with the LORD.
LORD, make us people of integrity who follow you into eternity.
1 Chronicles 15:1-16:3. David had learned his lesson from the previous attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem. This time he did it right. He tasked the Levites, whom God had commanded to handle the ark. He also tasked them to provide and orchestrate the worship. TA DA! If you know that you are doing what God wants, you may still not succeed the first try. Don’t give up. Keep at it. God values your faithfulness rate higher than your success rate.
LORD, when it doesn’t work, help us to persevere, and prove ourselves faithful.
Psalm 13. The believer proceeds from victory to victory — with long stretches of waiting in between. These are opportunities for us to spend quality time in prayer. God is not offended when we ask how long it will be before the next victory. He does not want us to sleep in death and have our enemies gloat over our demise. He wants us to express our trust, and rejoice in anticipation of God’s deliverance.
LORD, when nothing seems to work and defeat seems inevitable, help us to keep complaining to the right person.
1 Chronicles 13. It seemed like a good idea at the time. David enlisted the support of his kingdom to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. They built a new cart, got two drivers, and accompanied the procession with rejoicing and musical instruments. Then something went wrong. The oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out to steady the ark, and ZAP — the LORD breaks out against him. One of the lessons God’s people have to keep learning is that good intentions are not enough. God is holy, and his work must be done the right way. Lack of preparation in this case cost a life, and delayed the mission for three months.
LORD, help us to take your work seriously, for you are a serious God.
Gen. 13. Abram is described as a very rich man, but he has three other attributes the Bible rarely equates with the rich. He is committed to the LORD, setting up altars wherever he goes. He is a man of peace, settling the disputes between his herdsmen and those of Lot by suggesting an amiable separation. He is also a man of faith, walking throughout the land that the LORD shows him, and trusting that God will fulfill his promises.
LORD, even if you do not make us rich like Abram, make us like Abram!
Luke 7:36-8:3. The late Dr. Harry Bilieu wrote a book called Two Thirds Wasted. He argued that the Christian Church is made up of mostly women. Yet sadly that two-thirds of Christendom is wasted because so many women are not actively involved in ministry. They feel like second class citizens of the kingdom of God. We men should follow the example of Christ, who opened his heart to not only minister to women, but also to be ministered to by them.
LORD, help me to regard all those who are in Christ as I would regard Christ.
Gen. 12. The LORD makes several promises to Abram in this chapter. He promises to make him a great nation, to bless him, to make his name great, and that all these signs of grace will result in Abram being a blessing. He promises to get revenge on the people who dare to curse Abram (or as it turns out, even those who mistreat Abram out of ignorance). All those promises are conditioned on one act of obedience. Abram had to leave his comfort zone.
LORD, grant us the wisdom to obey you in regards to the light burden you require. Give us confidence that it will all be worth it.
