Category: 1 and 2 Samuel

A Prayer from Hannah’s Prayer – 1 Samuel 2 – 2025 Day 295

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 83, 1 Samuel 2.

Let’s pray and worship the Lord together with Hannah and believers around the world.

My heart rejoices in You, Lord. You have  raised me up from the ash heap and set my feet on the solid rock of salvation in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

I rejoice in You, my God, for there is none holy like You. There is none besides You, Father. Indeed, there is no rock like our God.

Keep me humble, Father. Let me not become arrogant or proud. Help me to remember that You are a righteous judge, knowing and seeing all things, both visible and invisible. Help me to see the log in my own eye. Keep me on my knees in humility before Your throne of grace.

Increase my faith, Lord. You break the bows of the mighty, and You give strength to the weak. You make the full hungry and the hungry full. You give children to the barren, and You take children from those who have many. The number of every man’s days are held in Your hand.

You have given Your only Son, Jesus Christ, that we may be forgiven and redeemed and receive the gift of eternal life with You. Make us ambassadors for Your kingdom, sharing the good news to all four corners of the earth and making disciples of all the nations.

You, Father, are the giver of every good gift, of children and wealth and power and wisdom. Help us to be good stewards of these gifts. Make us instruments of Your peace, blessing the needy with all that You have blessed us, our time, talents, treasures, and testimonies.

The whole world is in Your hands, Father. We pray for the leaders of our nation and the nations around the world. Guide them. Grant them wisdom. Give them strength. Humble and exalt in Your perfect wisdom and timing, and help us to trust and worship You no matter the cost.

In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we pray. Amen.

Instruments of Your Peace

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Raising Your Children for the Lord – 1 Samuel 1 – 2025 Day 294

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 82, 1 Samuel 1

For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him.

1 Samuel 1:27 ESV

I prayed for each one of my children, the ones waiting for me in heaven, the ones delivered out of my womb, and the one brought to me from a foreign land. Each one of them is a gift from the good, sovereign hand of the Lord. And I have given each of them back to the Lord – not literally, I suppose, but given back to the Lord nonetheless. Ever since they were infants, I’ve seen myself as a steward of God’s creation.

This belief that I am a steward, a caretaker for God, of my children has had huge implications for my life. How would God want His children raised?

Read the Bible to them.

Teach them to read the Bible for themselves.

Pray for them.

Pray with them.

Worship the Lord with them every Sunday and every day.

Sing with them.

Teach them to sing to the Lord for themselves.

Be a godly model for them to follow.

Teach them to go through life seeking God first.

Raising children for God is so much more than just teaching them about right and wrong, the Ten Commandments, and ‘Jesus Loves You.’ Raising my children for God was my full-time pursuit for twenty-five years. Now, with my youngest off at college, I want to help my adult children and grandchildren to live for Him, and through LifeWise Academy I get to serve other people’s children as well!

What about you? Ask yourself these questions: How can I focus on raising my children for the Lord? How can I steward my life (and theirs) for His kingdom?

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the children that You have given to me. They are a gift from You. Help us to train them up in the way they should go, to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Help us to be faithful stewards, day after day, and year after year, remembering that You are their Creator and that their lives are in Your hands. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

As for Me and My House – Getty

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Worship: Thoughts from 2 Samuel

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 24

Today I’m thinking about what worship is.

What does it mean to worship God?

  • Can we worship the Lord in prison?
  • Can we worship while we’re stuck at home for a week because of snow and ice and temperatures that refuse to go above freezing?
  • Does worship only happen when we’re in the presence of other believers on Sunday morning?
  • Can we worship in dance?
  • Can we worship while we’re just sitting in church listening to a man preach? Do we?

The word “worship” first appears in the Bible in Genesis 22:5 when Abraham is preparing to take his son Isaac to Mount Moriah to offer him there to the Lord. “Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.’” The Hebrew word used here for worship שָׁחָה (šāḥâ) literally means to bow down or prostrate oneself.

This same word is used in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:5a ESV “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God.”

I think a big part of worship in God’s eyes is coming with an attitude of humble service to God, living for His pleasure and glory rather than our own. I worship God when I bow before Him, serving Him, humbling myself before Him, laying down whatever I’m clinging to as an offering to Him. Whether that offering is a measure of grain or a firstborn lamb or a song of praise, it is a sacrifice given up for His pleasure.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Romans‬ ‭12:1‬ ‭ESV‬

Like Jimmy Needham says, “Worship is more than a song.”

Clear the Stage

Heavenly Father, I want to worship You in thought and word and deed. I want my life to be a living offering to You. Forgive me for all the times that I have taken Your place, bowing down to my own desires rather than Yours, serving the creature rather than the Creator. You alone are worthy of worship. For Your glory and praise and worship. Amen.

Here I am to Worship
10,000 Reasons
O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

An Everlasting Covenant. Thoughts from 2 Samuel.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 23.

After reading all the yuck of the previous 12 chapters of 2 Samuel, I held my breath reading David’s words in 2 Samuel 23:5.

For he has made with me
an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
For will he not cause to prosper
all my help and my desire?

2 Samuel 23:5 ESV

Then I was reminded of 2 Samuel 7 when God made that everlasting covenant with David,

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.

And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”

2 Samuel 7:12-16 ESV

And then I was reminded of 2 Samuel 12 when God swore to bring evil upon David because of his sin.

“Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”

2 Samuel 12:9-12 ESV

And I was once again reminded that God is a promise keeping God, both in His promises of blessing and His promises of wrath. God did keep His everlasting covenant with the house of David, bringing Jesus, our eternal King of kings, but God also kept His oath that the sword would come upon David’s house and that his wives would be given to his neighbor, as we just read about in chapters 15-16.

So, then I wondered, why do so many professing Christians only talk about God’s steadfast love and refuse to talk about His just anger against our sin?

The reason God’s great mercy
is the BEST NEWS EVER
is because God’s great wrath
is the WORST NEWS EVER.

Friends, if you are not in Christ, then you are still under God’s judgment, and if you are judged by your own deeds, you will be found “guilty as charged” and endure God’s eternal condemnation.

Everyone loves John 3:16 ESV — “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But, let’s not forget about the other verses of John 3,

  • “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” John 3:18 ESV
  • “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” John 3:36 ESV

And what about 1 John 5:11-12? “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.“

Heavenly Father, help us to believe and proclaim the full counsel of Your Word, the full gospel of truth, that You are holy and righteous, that You are the judge of even our secret sins, those hidden things that no one else knows about, the thoughts and intentions of the heart as well as our words and deeds. None of us can stand before You by our own merit. We need You, Lord. Cover us with the blood of Jesus and wash us clean. Redeem us and deliver us from sin. In the Holy, Almighty Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Trust. Call. Praise. Thoughts from 2 Samuel 22.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 22

David trusts in God because he knows his character. David knows that God is good so he puts his trust in Him. David knows that God sees him and cares about him so he puts his faith in Him. I’m reminded of another psalm David had written.

And those who know your name
put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken
those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10 ESV

The more You know God, the more you will trust Him because you will recognize His everlasting goodness and power. This is why I love reading The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer so much. I even wrote an ebook from my own thoughts on the topic.

As your trust in God grows, then you will seek Him and call upon Him, which reminds me of another Psalm of David. Psalm 34:4, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”

As you call upon Him, He will answer you, and You will praise His Name.

For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.

2 Samuel 22:50-51 ESV
Psalm 34, Taste and See, Shane and Shane

My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

Psalm 34:2-3 ESV

Heavenly Father, thank you for your goodness and mercy towards me. You are the almighty God, the steadfast rock, the refuge for those who seek you. Help me to trust in You, fully and daily. May I not trust in horses and chariots and human wisdom, but in Christ my solid rock on whom I stand. He is the eternal God and King of kings. It is in His holy name that I pray. Amen.

Where is My Treasure? Thoughts from 2 Samuel.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 20-21

Yesterday when I was shoveling, I was listening to CityAlight on Pandora and was thrilled when this song came up. It’s one of my favorites.

Christ is Mine Forevermore by CityAlight

So today I’m thinking again, where is my treasure? On earth or in heaven?

If earth, why? What joy does earth hold? Good food? Fancy clothes? Fun times with friends? The love of grandbabies and children and a husband? The ecstasy of seeing someone receive the gift of faith and be welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom?

If heaven, why? Do I want to be in heaven so I can be reunited with loved ones who have already been called home, like my Grandma Norma and my babies gone too soon? Or do I want to be in heaven so I don’t have to deal with all the pain and sin that life on earth entails? Or do I want to be in heaven so my faith will finally be as sight and I can enjoy living in the presence of my Savior?

For to me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:21 ESV

Heavenly Father, You are worth it all. What does earth have that compares to the joy of knowing You? Help me to cast off all that sin that clings so tightly. Give me strength to pursue You, to live on earth with eternity and heaven in view. Christ is mine now and forever. ✝️ ♾️ Amen

Shoveling the Snow: Bringing Hidden Sins into the Light of the Sun.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 19

We live in an area of the U.S. that fully enjoys all four seasons of the year, hot summers and cold winters with beautiful springs and falls in the transition times. It’s actually one of my favorite things about living here. But, the problem is that our area isn’t accustomed to a week of below freezing temperatures and multiple inches of snow. My neighborhood’s streets are still covered with five inches of snow, and there’s no plow in sight. We’re staying home, along with everyone else in our area, and thanking God for a fridge and pantry full of food and a furnace to keep us warm.

This morning my son and I took advantage of the shining sun and a break in the snowfall to shovel our driveway. I used the time to teach him some things I’ve learned about shoveling, but I also used the time to meditate on some lessons God has been teaching me in 2 Samuel.

Trying to move 5-inch-deep snow is hard, back-breaking work, especially when your driveway is practically 100 yards long! The top few inches of snow were light and fluffy, but much of that bottom inch was packed down tight and hard to move. I encouraged my son to do a quick once-over first and move all that top layer off so the sun could do it’s work on that bottom icy layer. Then, when he’d come back ten minutes later, that lower layer would scrape off easily.

I started thinking about how often David (and others in 1-2 Samuel), (and me), hide under layers of white fluff, or under layers of sin. It’s only when that top layer is scraped aside that the sunlight can do its work. As long as we keep hiding, refusing to do the hard work of bringing our sin into the open, that icy hard layer remains.

On the other hand, if we take that first step of sweeping away that fluffy top layer, those easy to confess sins, but we refuse to deal with breaking up and shoveling away that icy crust of hidden sin that we don’t want anyone to know about, all our work is for naught because that lower layer is where the real danger lies. Those deep, hidden sins are what really make us slip and fall, and fall hard.

Heavenly Father, You are a good God and You want to free me from the hard, icy grasp of sin. Help me to bring into the light what I want to keep hidden in the dark. Help me to faithfully shovel away those “respectable sins” of covetousness and gossip that I can bring into the light those hidden sins of pride and deceit and fear and bitterness. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

A Father’s Love: Thoughts from 2 Samuel 18.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 18.

Even though Absalom had killed Amnon, David’s oldest son, out of revenge for him raping his sister, and even though Absalom had tried to take his father’s rightful place on the throne, David orders his army captains to deal gently with him during their battle against the Israelites (2 Samuel 18:5) And then when David finds out that Absalom is dead, David cries, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:33)

That’s how a parent’s love is. It’s unconditional. It’s love with no strings attached. No matter how your child disappoints you or angers you, you keep loving them. As 1 Corinthians 13:8a says, “love never fails.”

“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11-13 ESV)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4-7 ESV)

“For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8 ESV)

“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 36:7 ESV)

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your steadfast, faithful love, love without end, love that never fails. You are good. You are worthy. Make us more like you. Conform us into the image of Jesus Christ, Your perfect Son. It is in His Name that we pray. Amen.

The Lord’s Will be Done: Thoughts from 2 Samuel 17.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 17

Reading today’s passage I was again encouraged what the Lord has ordained will come to pass. No one can thwart Him. No one can stay His hand. The safest place I can be is in the center of His will. I can trust His goodness and power to accomplish His purposes. Am I fighting for Jim or against Him?

Heavenly Father, I pray that the counsel I give to others will be founded on love and wisdom. Help me to trust You. Help me to walk one foot in front of the other, seeking Your guidance each step of the way. Keep me inside the rail guards that You have established. Help me to be discerning so I can sort out what is Your voice and what is the devil’s, and then give me the desire and strength to obey You. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen

Being Discerning and Using our Powers of Discernment. Thoughts from 2 Samuel 16.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 16

At the end of last year we read in 1 Samuel 25:3 that Abigail was both beautiful and discerning (or sensible, intelligent, of good understanding, depending on your translation). Then, earlier this week in 2 Samuel 14:17, the woman of Tekoa flattered King David saying, “my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil.” Next month we will dive into 1 Kings and read about David’s son, Solomon, who asked God to give him an understanding mind that he might discern between good and evil so he could rightly govern the nation of Israel.

How desperately we need discernment! We are indeed surrounded by so many liars and deceivers, men and women who call light dark and dark light, who call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13). As my pastor said two weeks ago when he was teaching through 2 Corinthians 11, Satan disguises in order to deceive, and I might add he deceives in order to devour. (See 1 Peter 5:8)

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
He disguises himself in order to deceive us.
He deceives us in order to devour us.
We must be discerning,
distinguishing rightly between good from evil.

We must be wise. Not with the wisdom of the world, but with the wisdom of God. Remember Paul’s introductory words in his letter to the Corinthians, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'” (1 Corinthians 1:18-19 ESV)

“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

– Hebrews 5:7-14 ESV

Let me ask you, when did you first receive Christ?

  • Last week?
  • Last month?
  • Last year?
  • Last night?

Oh, baby Christian, enjoy the sweet, pure milk on the gospel. It has been given to you to help you grow up to full maturity.

But, sister, were you born again years ago, even decades ago? It’s time to grow up into maturity, training your powers of discernment by constant practice.

In today’s passage, 2 Samuel 16, David isn’t a baby believer any more. He’s a grown man who knows God and the truth of His Word. He knows that he ought to inquire of God. God has proven Himself faithful. David needed to listen to the Holy Spirit’s counsel that he might know the way that he should go and who he should believe … and so do we.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us Your Word and filling us with Your Holy Spirit. Give us wisdom and lead us in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Help us to discern what is good and right and true that we may run toward it. And help us to discern what is foolish and wicked and false that we may flee from it. In the Almighty, Holy Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer we pray. Amen.