Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 117, 2 Samuel 17
Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 ESV)
Today’s passage encouraged me to once again trust that 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.
So I ask myself, am I working for Him or against Him?
Heavenly Father, I pray that the counsel I give to others will be founded on Your love and wisdom. Help me to trust You. Help me to put one foot in front of the other, doing the next right thing, and seeking Your guidance each step of the way. Keep me inside the guard rails 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. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen
Whate’er my God Ordains is Right – Collierville Bible Church
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 116, 2 Samuel 16
In 1 Samuel 25:3, we read 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 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 anymore. 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.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 110, 2 Samuel 9.
I’ve loved the story of Mephibosheth since I very first read it. I hope you will love it, too.
“And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
And he said, “I am your servant.”
And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”
Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”
The king said to him, “Where is he?”
And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”
Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!”
And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”
And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”
Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.”
2 Samuel 9:1-10a
It reminds me of my 2024 Word of the Year, “ENOUGH” and the refrain of Dayenu, a traditional Passover song, “it would have been enough.” Click here to read the full lyrics.
If David had allowed Mephibosheth to continue living in Israel, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
If David had given Mephibosheth a daily allotment of bread to eat, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
If David had given Mephibosheth a small plot of his land, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
If David had given Mephibosheth a single servant, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
If David had allowed Mephibosheth to eat at his table once a year, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
What a picture this is of what Jesus has done for us!
Jesus has given us more than a meager portion of bread and a scant cup of water. He has given us the living bread of His Word and the living water of His Spirit. He has prepared a bountiful table before us. He has filled our cups to overflowing.
Jesus has given us more than a corner in a godforsaken land. He has brought us to His own banqueting table and spread His banner of love over us. He has even gone to prepare a place for us in the glories of eternal heaven.
Jesus has given us more than a mere human servant could give. He washed more than our feet; He washed our whole lives white as snow
Jesus has given us more than the very best, friend friend could give. He has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to walk with us as our ever-present counselor and comforter.
Jesus has made us more than the very best human Father could give. He has made us more than just slaves in His heavenly kingdom. By His very own blood, He has made us more than just His friends. He has adopted us as His very own children and He has invited us to live in His home and eat at His table forever and ever.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God;”
1 John 3:1a ESV
Have you received this gift? If not, what are you waiting for?
If so, who does God want you to share it with?
Our Father’s table is large enough to fit people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Let’s go out to the streets and bring them in to join us at this feast.
Heavenly Father, It would’ve been enough to be a gatekeeper at the door of Your palace. It would’ve been enough to dwell in the courtyard of Your temple. It would’ve been enough to sit at Your feet. It would’ve been enough to be Your handmaiden. Yet, in Your immense, boundless grace, You have brought me to sit at Your banqueting table and You have spread Your banner of love over me. Thank You. I don’t deserve it. I could never earn it. I could never work hard enough or be good enough to merit all this favor that You have poured over me. Let my life be one of grateful submission to Your will die me. I love You today and every day. In the Name of Jesus, Your Son who gave His life for me. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 100, 1 Samuel 27
Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
1 Samuel 27:1 ESV
Be careful what you allow yourself to say to your heart, those things that are too dreadful or foolish to speak out loud, things you’d never utter to your husband or sister or parent or pastor because you know they’re not true and not right.
Some of us are prone to saying discouraging words in our own hearts. We need to remember what the Lord said in Deuteronomy,
“If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out.”
Deuteronomy 7:17-19a ESV
Some of us are prone to saying boastful words in our own hearts. Again, we need to remember what the Lord said in Deuteronomy,
Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘Mypower and the might of myhand have gotten me this wealth.’ (Deuteronomy 8:17 ESV)
Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, “It is because of myrighteousness that the LORD has brought me in to possess this land,” whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you. (Deuteronomy 9:4 ESV)
Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, “I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.” This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. (Deuteronomy 29:18b-19 ESV)
Remember the warnings of Psalm 10. The wicked man says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity,” renouncing God and saying inhis heart, “You will not call to account”? while the helpless man says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
Rather, let us say to our hearts these words of David’s son, Solomon, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding,” and “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”(Proverbs 3:5, 29:25 ESV)
Heavenly Father, help me to be careful what words I say aloud, but also what words I say to my own heart, those things that no human being will ever hear. You know them, and I know them. You know my thoughts before I speak them. Help me to guard my heart for it is the wellspring of life. Help me to think about what is good and excellent and true and praiseworthy. Help me to take sinful thoughts captive and make my thoughts obey you. I recognize that I am unable to do this on my own. I need Your strength. Please help me do it for Your glory and for my good. In the name of Jesus Christ who saved me and redeemed me and rules over me, I pray. Amen
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 96, 1 Samuel 21-22
Samuel 21 begins with David running to Ahimelech, the priest. That’s a great place to start, but it goes downhill quickly as David tells one lie after another. Before fleeing to the Philistine city of Gath, Goliath’s hometown, David asked the priest for a spear or a sword because he’d “brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required taste” (1 Samuel 21:8). More lies.
What has happened to David’s faith?
What happened to the David who said, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with the javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts the god of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45)?!
What happened to David wanting all the earth to know that there is a God in Israel and all the Israelites to know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord’s?! (1 Samuel 17:46-47)
Friends, our flesh is so weak. Now is the time to prepare for that day when persecution comes, when someone is pursuing us. Are you prepared to stand?
Who do you fear more? God … Or man?
Today, November 2, 2025, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), is a great day to consider these questions.
Let me recommend the video series, PREPARE TO STAND, with Andrew Brunson who was imprisoned in Turkey for two years for his faith.
Heavenly Father, we lift up our persecuted brothers and sisters to You. Give them strength when they are weak. Protect them from the enemy’s schemes. Grow our faith, Father. Help us when our faith is weak. Help us to remember Your power and faithfulness. Let us not trust in any earthly weapon – not weapons of human intellect or power or violence – but let us trust in the sword of Your Spirit, Your Word, which is mightier than the mightiest human sword. Help us to hide it in our hearts and meditate on it night and day. In the matchless name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 94, 1 Samuel 17
Goliath was big. God is bigger.
Goliath’s armor was strong. God’s armor is stronger.
Goliath’s spear was mighty. God’s sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, is mightier.
Just like we shouldn’t judge little David by external appearances, we shouldn’t judge our circumstances by external appearances. Put on your armor, take up your sword, and get in the battle! Quit standing on the sidelines. Remember what David said to Goliath, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” 1 Samuel 17:45 ESV
Heavenly Father, help me to look at life through the lens of Scripture and truth, to remember that You are on my side. Thank you for that mighty sword that I hold in my heart and in my right hand. Remind me to use it. Thank you for that armor that is mine and fits me like a glove. Remind me to put it on. Hide me behind the cross. Shelter me under Your wings. You are my mighty fortress. I have nothing to fear.
A Mighty Fortress is our God – Desert Hills Bible Church
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 92, 1 Samuel 15.
“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”
1 Samuel 15:22 ESV
Am I as faithful to obey God in the little things, as I am to obey Him in the “big ones”?
I go to church every week without fail, but am I as faithful in reaching out to a hurting neighbor or stranger in need?
I read my Bible every single day, but am I as diligent in being patient and kind to my husband and children day after day?
I answer each and every question in my Bible study workbook, but am I as conscientious in sharing the gospel and making disciples of the lost.
I try to take every opportunity I have to teach others about the goodness of God, but am I as careful on praying without ceasing and seeking the Lord’s guidance in my own daily life.
There are some areas of my life that I find easier to obey than others. How about you? What is easier for you to obey and where do you struggle?
I think some of the things that are easier for me to obey are because they are more enjoyable for me. I simply enjoy reading and singing and studying more than I enjoy serving and listening and being kind. But I’m afraid that some of the things are easier for me because they are more visible. Other people see me at church. Other people hear me teaching or participating in Bible study. Ouch 😳
Oh, Father, help me to live for Your “well done.” Protect me from seeking man’s praise rather than Your praise. I want to live for an audience of One. You are my perfect judge. Your opinion is what matters. Help me to trust and obey. Day by day. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
One Thing – Sovereign Grace Music
More Encouraging Scripture:
Galatians 1:10 ESV — For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Colossians 3:22 ESV — Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 91, 1 Samuel 13-14
Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.”
1 Samuel 14:6 ESV
Sometimes we stand in our own way. We set up our own road blocks. We refuse to step out in faith simply because the bridge before us seems too difficult to cross.
We need to remember that “Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) Nothing. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. God can do anything He pleases.
He has absolute authority over everything and everyone on earth. He can take down an army of thousands with two faithful men. He can slay a giant with one little stone. He can part the sea, and He can bring water out of a rock. He can bring manna out of the heavens, and He can make the fleece dry while the ground around it is wet.
Nothing is impossible with God.
He can save by angels. He can save by dreams. He can use ravens. He can use donkeys. He can send floods and earthquakes and hurricanes. He can work through the youngest of babies and the oldest of women.
Nothing is impossible with God.
Heavenly Father, give me the faith that I need to trust in You. Help me to get out of the boat and follow Your lead. Let me not put up road blocks by my unbelief. Make me like Abraham who was counted righteous because of his faith. May nothing cause me to doubt, for I know that You are able to save by many or by few. Indeed, nothing is impossible with You. In the Name of Jesus Christ who triumphed over sin, the devil, and the grave. Amen.
Nothing is Impossible with God – Luke 1:37 memory verse song
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 90, 1 Samuel 12
A.W. Tozer’s book, “The Knowledge of the Holy,” published in 1961, is the only book I’ve read again and again, well, besides the Bible and C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series.
I’d love to just quote the whole first chapter entitled, “Why We Must Think Rightly About God” for you, but instead I’ll share a few sentences and urge you to get the book for yourself.
“We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.”
“Compared with our actual thoughts about Him, our creedal statements are of little consequence.”
“All the problems of heaven and earth, though they were to confront us together and at once, would be nothing compared with the overwhelming problem of God: That He is; what He is like; and what we as mortal beings must do about Him.”
I was thinking about these ideas while reading 1 Samuel 12, especially this verse:
For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.
1 Samuel 12:22 ESV
We must ask ourselves questions like,
Is there a God and what is He like?
Does He exist for my pleasure or do I exist for His?
Does He see me, know me, and care about me?
Is He in charge or am I?
The answers to these questions are found, and must be found, in God’s Word rather than in our emotions, logical conclusions, or Google searches.
Heavenly Father, I believe that You are all-powerful and all-knowing and holy and righteous and good because Your Word and Your Creation confirm it. You have created me and redeemed me for Your pleasure, for Your Name’s sake. I want to live for Your glory. I want to glorify and magnify Your Name. Help me. Strengthen me. Enlighten me. Draw all men to Yourself that there would be a great cloud of witnesses praising You for all eternity. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Teach What is Good 
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