Psalm 107:39 They have become few and bowed down because of evil and trouble. Psalm 107:40 He is pouring out contempt on nobles and making them go astray in a wasteland with no road. Psalm 107:41 Yet he protected the needy from misery and cared for his families like a flock of sheep. Psalm 107:42 When the godly see this, they rejoice, and every sinner shuts his mouth.
tenth question
These verses suggest the tenth and final question from this amazing psalm: Do you realize that God is caring for your family? You are part of his flock, and he takes care of you. Every instance where you see God’s protection and care reminds you that he is the Good Shepherd, and you belong to him.
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ninth question
Psalm 107:33-38 (JDV)
Psalm 107:33 He turned rivers into an open country and springs of water became thirsty land. Psalm 107:34 A fruitful land became a barren place, because of the wickedness of those who lived in it. Psalm 107:35 He made an open country become a pool of water and a dry land become springs of water. Psalm 107:36 He allowed the hungry to settle there, and they established a city in which to live. Psalm 107:37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards and they yielded fruit. Psalm 107:38 He blessed them and they multiply very much and He did not reduce their cattle.
ninth question
If you don’t feel like praising God today, ask yourself this question: Has God ever changed a circumstance in your life so that you can be more fruitful? Has he turned a dry spot into a spring of water? If you look closely into the circumstances of your life, you will find a reason to praise him.
Psalm 107:17 Fools humble themselves by means of their rebellious road and by their violations. Psalm 107:18 Their throat hated every food and they arrived at the gates of death. Psalm 107:19 They cried out to Yahveh in their distress. From their miseries He delivered them. Psalm 107:20 He sent His word, healed them, and rescued them from their pits. Psalm 107:21 They praise Yahveh for his covenant faithfulness and His miracles for the children of Adam Psalm 107:22 and they slaughter thanksgiving sacrifices and publish his works with a joyful shout.
seventh question
If you don’t feel like praising God, as this seventh question: Have you ever felt like you were at the gates of death, and God came through and rescued you. Then, praise Him!
Psalm 107:10 They had sat in death’s dark shadow, prisoners of misery and of iron, Psalm 107:11 because they were obstinate against what God said and rejected the counsel of the Highest. Psalm 107:12 He humbled their heart with trouble. They stumbled, and there was no helper. Psalm 107:13 Then they cried to Yahveh in their distress. He delivered them from their miseries. Psalm 107:14 He brought them out from the dark place, and death’s dark shadow, And their shackles he tore off. Psalm 107:15 They should praise Yahveh for his covenant faithfulness and his miracles for the children of Adam Psalm 107:16 because he has broken bronze gates, and cut through iron bars.
sixth question
The sixth question to ask yourself if you don’t feel like praising God is suggested by today’s text. Have you ever found yourself in a dark place because you obstinately rejected God’s counsel? Remember how bad you felt, and how free you felt after God rescued you from that dark place? Our God is available to forgive and restore. Praise him for that!
Psalm 107:4 They went astray in an open country, in a desert road. They did not find a city to live in. Psalm 107:5 They were hungry — also — thirsty. Their throats within them felt weak, Psalm 107:6 and they called to Yahveh for help in their distress, he rescued them from their misery, Psalm 107:7 and he let them walk on the right road, to go to a city to live in. Psalm 107:8 They should praise Yahveh for his covenant faithfulness, and his miracles for the children of Adam Psalm 107:9 because He has satisfied a dried-out throat and has well-filled a hungry throat.
fifth question
Yesterday, we looked at four questions to ask yourself if you don’t feel like praising God. Today’s text suggests a fifth question: Have you ever been lost, and then asked God for help? He came through, right? Praise him!
Psalm 107:1 Praise Yahveh because he is good — because his covenant faithfulness is permanent. Psalm 107:2 The redeemed of Yahveh should say that – those he redeemed from the hand of an enemy. Psalm 107:3 Also, he has gathered them from the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north, and from the sea.
Perhaps you feel depressed today, and you cannot think of anything to praise the LORD for. Here is a checklist.
Is God good? Is God faithful to his covenant? Has God redeemed you from the enemy? Has God gathered you to himself along with many others from many lands?
If you answered yes to those questions, you have reasons to praise Him.
Hebrews 13:22 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to receive this message of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. Hebrews 13:23 Be aware that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon enough, he will be with me when I see you. Hebrews 13:24 Greet all your leaders and all the devotees. Those who are from Italy send you greetings. Hebrews 13:25 Favor be with you all.
strive to be significant
Petersen’s insight highlights the quiet but powerful way Hebrews ends its long reflection on faith. After presenting the great procession of the faithful in chapter 11—those ancient figures whose trust in God shaped the story of redemption—the letter closes by naming someone far less prominent, yet deeply significant: Timothy. His appearance is brief, almost understated, but it carries weight. He is presented as a fellow sufferer, a man who had been imprisoned for the sake of Christ, and therefore as one more witness whose life bears the marks of genuine, costly obedience. His name stands not as an appendix to the list of heroes but as evidence that the story of faith did not end with the patriarchs and prophets. It continued into the first century, and it continues still.
Scripture does not explain the circumstances of Timothy’s imprisonment, but the fact of it is entirely consistent with his formation. He had been shaped by Paul, a mentor whose ministry was marked by hardship, rejection, and chains. Timothy had learned the Scriptures from childhood, had been trained in the crucible of difficult assignments, and had watched Paul endure suffering with unwavering devotion. Discipleship in that environment produced a man who understood that following Christ involves sacrifice. His imprisonment, whatever its cause, revealed not misfortune but maturity. It showed that he had embraced the same pattern of faithfulness that marked his teacher.
This did not make Timothy’s life easy. Faithfulness rarely leads to ease. But it made his life significant. His significance did not rest on dramatic miracles, public acclaim, or a commanding personality. It rested on a life aligned with the purposes of God, a life that quietly carried forward the mission entrusted to him. Timothy belongs beside the giants of Hebrews 11 because he lived the same kind of faith—trusting God enough to obey when obedience demanded endurance.
This is how significance is measured in the kingdom of God. It is not the product of talent, reputation, or visible success. It is the fruit of perseverance, humility, and steadfast devotion. Ordinary people, shaped by Scripture and strengthened by grace, become part of the great story of faith. Timothy’s life stands as an invitation to pursue that same kind of significance—one rooted not in ease but in endurance, not in applause but in faithfulness, not in self‑promotion but in wholehearted obedience to Christ and His mission.
Stobbe, Leslie H et al. Leader’s Guide for the Group Study of the Discipling of Timothy. Victor Books, 1980. p. 42.
Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus – the great Shepherd of the sheep – through the blood of the permanent covenant, Hebrews 13:21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory permanently. Amen.
the permanent covenant
The permanent covenant is the covenant Jesus secured by His own blood on Calvary. Nothing else established it, and nothing else can improve it. His sacrifice did what the old covenant could never do: it removed the barrier between humanity and the Father. The curtain was torn, access was opened, and reconciliation was accomplished once for all. This covenant is not temporary, conditional, or fragile. It is rooted in the finished work of Christ, and therefore it stands forever.
Because this covenant is permanent, it not only reconciles but also equips. Hebrews emphasizes that the God of peace, through the blood of the eternal covenant, is able to “equip you with everything good to do His will.” The same grace that saves also strengthens. The covenant does not merely forgive; it transforms. It does not simply restore relationship; it empowers obedience. The God who brought Jesus up from the dead is the same God who works within His people to produce what is pleasing in His sight.
This means the Christian life is not lived by human effort alone. The covenant itself becomes the source of spiritual power. The believer is not left to struggle toward holiness with inadequate resources. The God who established the covenant continues to act within His people, shaping their desires, enabling their obedience, and sustaining their endurance. Every good work done in Christ is the fruit of a covenant that cannot be undone.
And because this covenant is permanent, it will never be replaced. There is no future arrangement coming, no new system waiting to supersede what Christ has already accomplished. The old covenant was temporary by design; the new covenant is eternal by nature. Its foundation is the resurrection life of the Son of God, and its promises are secured by His unchanging priesthood. Nothing can improve upon it, and nothing can overturn it.
The permanence of this covenant gives confidence. It assures believers that their standing with God is secure, their access is open, and their future is guaranteed. It assures them that the God who saved them is the God who equips them. And it assures them that the work Christ finished will never be undone, replaced, or diminished.
Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your throats as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:18 Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything. Hebrews 13:19 And I urge you all the more to pray that I may be restored to you very soon.
obey and pray
The closing instructions of Hebrews carry a deeply pastoral tone. After all the warnings, encouragements, and theological arguments, the writer turns to something intensely practical: the relationship between God’s people and their leaders. He urges the community to obey and submit to those who shepherd them, not because leaders are flawless or authoritarian, but because their work is weighty. They watch over souls. They carry responsibility before God. When the people of God respond with trust, cooperation, and humility, the work of leadership becomes a joy. When they resist, undermine, or grieve their leaders, the work becomes heavy and painful.
The writer’s concern is not merely for the leaders’ emotional well‑being. He knows that joyful leadership benefits the whole church. A leader weighed down with sorrow cannot serve with clarity, energy, or hope. A leader supported by a faithful congregation can serve with freedom, courage, and delight. The health of the flock is tied to the joy of its shepherds.
Then the author turns the focus on himself. He asks for prayer—not for success, not for comfort, but for restoration. He longs to be reunited with the people he serves so that he may continue his ministry among them with joy. His request reveals the heart of a true shepherd: he finds joy not in position or authority, but in the privilege of serving God’s people face‑to‑face.
These two instructions—support your leaders, and pray for those who serve—belong together. They remind the church that leadership is a shared work. Leaders labor for the good of the flock, and the flock responds in ways that either strengthen or weaken that labor. When both sides walk in humility and love, the whole community flourishes.
LORD, help us to make it possible for our leaders to serve you and your people with joy rather than grief.
Hebrews 13:15 Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:16 Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, because God is pleased with such sacrifices.
new covenant sacrifices
Under the new covenant, the desire to offer sacrifices does not disappear—it is transformed. The old system of animals, altars, and priests has been fulfilled in Christ, but the instinct to respond to God with tangible devotion remains. Hebrews explains that there are sacrifices believers still offer, but they are not sacrifices for atonement. Christ has already accomplished that once for all. These are sacrifices of gratitude, obedience, and love—acts that reflect a life shaped by the mercy received.
The first sacrifice is praise. Hebrews calls it “the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.” This is not mere emotion or sentiment. It is the deliberate, vocal acknowledgment of God’s greatness, goodness, and saving work. Praise becomes a sacrifice because it costs something—time, attention, humility, and the willingness to publicly identify with Christ. It is the offering of a heart that recognizes God’s worth.
The second sacrifice is doing good. Under the old covenant, sacrifices were brought to the altar. Under the new covenant, the altar is carried into daily life. Acts of kindness, generosity, service, and compassion become offerings presented to God. These deeds are not attempts to earn favor; they are expressions of the grace already received. Doing good is a sacrifice because it requires energy, intention, and self‑giving love.
The third sacrifice is sharing what one has. Hebrews highlights this as a distinct offering—using one’s resources, gifts, and blessings to meet the needs of others. This is the sacrifice of generosity. It mirrors the generosity of Christ, who gave Himself for the sake of others. Sharing becomes a sacrifice because it loosens the grip of self‑preservation and reflects the character of the God who gives abundantly.
These sacrifices are pleasing to God not because they complete what Christ lacked—He lacked nothing—but because they flow from hearts transformed by His grace. They are the lived expression of gratitude. They demonstrate that the new covenant has taken root in real life. They show that worship is no longer confined to a temple but is woven into the fabric of everyday obedience.
In these ways—praising God, doing good, and sharing blessings—the people of God continue to offer sacrifices that honor Him, not to secure forgiveness, but to reflect the salvation already given.
Devotions 