Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 2, Deuteronomy 31
First Moses told all Israel, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV
Next, Moses immediately summoned Joshua to tell him personally, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)
Over two years ago, I logged out of my Facebook account. I don’t miss it much. I’ve gained more than I’ve lost. But one thing I do miss is reading Sunshine Meister’s beautifully written testimonies of God’s daily sustaining grace in her life after her son Nahum’s traumatic brain injury in 2021. One morning I woke up thinking about her and tried to find a way to follow her somewhere other than Facebook, and I stumbled on this testimony on YouTube.
Her words will encourage you more than mine. To God be the glory. Do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you.
Sunshine Meister – Finding Comfort in God’s Presence
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 150; Numbers 22-24
Am I largely confused by the story of Balaam and Balak? Yes, frankly, I am. But … is there any question in my mind that God is a promise-keeping, miracle-working God who never changes and has all authority over all things in heaven and on earth? No, truthfully, there isn’t. I believe with all my heart the words of Numbers 23:19,
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Numbers 23:19 ESV
I remember one morning, too long long ago when the Mid-South was in the midst of a major heat wave which was made all the more devastating by coming right on the heels of a major thunderstorm with high winds that left a large portion of our city without power and therefore without air conditionally. Thankfully, we never lost power, but we were still having to work around the extreme heat outside. So, my husband got up early so he could mow our 2-acre yard before it got too hot. Shortly after he’d finished mowing, suddenly the sky grew dark, and we could hear the rumbling of thunder in the distance. Suddenly, I had this thought,
The sun is as present and bright right now as it was an hour ago. The clouds might hide it from view, but the sun hasn’t changed one bit.
Likewise, God is the same no matter what circumstances I find myself in. He is unmoving. He is unchanging. He is the rock of ages. Like Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” May we learn to “kiss the waves that throw [us] against the Rock of Ages,” as Charles Spurgeon so brilliantly said.
“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise…. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.”
Hebrews 6:13-15, 17-19 ESV
Today, as my daughter and her new husband exchange vows, promising for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do they part, I pray they would recognize God’s abiding faithfulness, and that His Holy Spirit is the One who gives them the power to keep those vows.
Great is Thy Faithfulness – Hymnology – Hymns of Grace
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 131-132; Hebrews 11
I love, love, love Hebrews 11. I love it from the first verse to the last verse. I could spend a month just studying this one chapter of the Bible. How can I choose just one verse to focus on?
Do I choose the definition of faith – that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen – that we find in verse 1?
Or how about that the universe was created by the word of God, that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible, like we read in verse 3?
But what about verse 6, that without faith it is important to please God, for whoever would draw near to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him?
Or maybe I should choose one of the stories of faithful men and women, like Noah or Moses or Rahab?
No, I’m not going to choose any of those. Rather, I want to take you to some of the less popular verses which are found at the end of this chapter, the stories of faithful men and women whose stories aren’t so famous as Abraham and Joseph. I want you to really consider the men and women who aren’t featured in our children’s Sunday school lessons.
Let’s begin reading at verse 32.
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection.
Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
Hebrews 11:32-40
Sisters, Brothers, life isn’t always easy, but God is always good. Trust Him.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for all of these examples of faithful men and women who have gone before us. Thank You for the wonderful stories of miracles like Abraham and Sarah having a baby in their old age, and Moses parting the Red Sea. Help us to remember that even in those joyous stories there is great pain – Sarah’s pain enduring decades of barrenness, Moses’s years growing up apart from his mother along with forty years in the wilderness. And, Lord, there’s also all those stories of men and women who were mocked, tortured, and killed, who never received in this life the rewards and promises they hoped for. Oh, but Father, today they are in Your glorious presence. Today they see You face to face. And someday we will, too, if we do not lose heart. Give us strength to hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, because You, O Lord, are faithful to keep Your promises. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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Faith to Believe – Shane and Shane
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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 129; Hebrews 9
For several years, I have been teaching English classes online using The Beginners Bible. I remember one year when I taught the last class, reading the last story, the story of John’s vision of heaven. One of my students wondered if heaven would be boring, if we’d all just be sitting around on clouds singing and playing harps. We had a great discussion about how glorious and good heaven will be. I promised him that he wouldn’t be bored, and I sent his mom a link to another wonderful book, perfect for parents and kids alike, Heaven for Kids by Randy Alcorn.
More recently, I spent 18 weeks leading the youth through a study of the book of Revelation with our local Community Bible Study group. As part of that study, we memorized Revelation 21:1-8 about the glories of the new heaven and the new earth.
So, those things returned to my mind, when I read Hebrews 9.
For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
Hebrews 9:24 ESV
Jesus is there now, at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, and that fact alone is enough to make me long to go – which then reminded me of this quote from John Piper
“The critical question for our generation—and for every generation— is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?”
John Piper
Our Father in Heaven, what an honor it is to pray to You, to know that You hear our prayers while we are here on earth, and what an even greater honor to know that Jesus is interceding on our behalf. We look forward to seeing You face to face, to sitting at Your feet and at least beholding Your glory. We pray that You will draw our loved ones to Your side, that we can worship You side-by-side with those we love. In the Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
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Heaven is a Wonderful Place – Psalty
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Read Through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 91, Exodus 13
Over my almost 30 years of motherhood, I’ve had countless opportunities to make decisions that my children don’t understand.
Sweetheart, put on your shoes and socks right now and go collect the chicken eggs.
Honey, grab your backpack and stick it in the car. We’re going to need it later.
Hey, sweetie, hurry and finish up your chores. We have to leave in five minutes.
Maybe I know something that we have planned for later that day which my children are unaware of or maybe I’m looking at a bigger, longer-term goal that my children just aren’t ready to understand. Whatever the reason may be, I want my children to obey “promptly, cheerfully, and completely.” I want them to trust my judgment. I want their first response to be obedience, rather than debate. I want their initial thought to be, “My mom’s pretty good at this mom-stuff, I ought to do what she says,” rather than, “Why is my mom always telling me what to do? Can’t she just leave me alone?”
I was thinking about this as I read about God leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.”
Exodus 13:17-18 ESV
God knows men’s hearts, and God knows the future. In His perfect wisdom, He always knows what is best. He always has purpose in the path that He choses for His children. Sometimes He wants us to walk through the darkest valleys, and sometimes He wants us to joyously dance over the mountains, but either way His purposes are goodand He is worthy of our trust.
Let’s pray.
Oh Lord God, You are good and perfect in all Your ways. Help me to trust You. Help me to follow You promptly, cheerfully, and completely, even when I don’t understand, especially when I don’t understand. May I have unwavering faith because You are an unwavering God. You always keep Your promises. When the way looks dark and scary, help me reach out my hands to You and trust that You are there. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Good Shepherd, we pray, Amen.
All of our Tomorrows – Sovereign Grace
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Read Through the Bible in 2 Years: Job 42; Psalm 53
“And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. He had also seven sons and three daughters.”
Job 42:12-13 ESV
In Job 1, we read that Job had 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen and 500 female donkeys. Here at the end of his life, Job has twice as many of these animals. Yet in Job 1, we read that Job had seven sons and three daughters and now at the end of his life, he once again is given seven sons and three daughters. Why was the number of his children not doubled?
Let me share with you my thoughts: When Job’s first animals were wiped out and he got new animals, he no longer counted the ones he had earlier in his life … but children, they are different. Our children are made in God’s image and are given eternal souls. Our children are irreplaceable. If your child passes away, they remain your child. I have two children who have gone to heaven before me and I have four children here on earth, therefore I have six children.
Job began his life with ten children and he ended his life with twenty. The Lord had indeed given him a double portion.
The pain of losing all of your animals is great, but the pain of losing all of your children is immeasurably greater. But may I encourage you with this word: the pain is great because your love is great.
Job was a righteous man with a deep love for God, but Job grew to know and love God more intimately and personally as a result of his great pain – and so can we. Earlier we read the words of Job, “Behold, my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it.” (Job 13:1 ESV) But now at the end of this book, Job says, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;” (Job 42:5 ESV)
I remember all too well how much the Lord grew and transformed me through the pain of losing a baby. I pray that whatever trial you are going through now or have gone through in the past, that you will keep your eyes wide open to see God as He walks with you through this dark valley.
Heavenly Father, please grow our faith. Help us to see Your hand guiding us and blessing us every step of the way as we walk through this valley. You are always good and always right. You are all-knowing and all-powerful. We need You every hour.
We pray that we will know how deep and high and long and wide is Your love toward us as Your children. We pray that we will see You in our lives and see You in Your living and active Word because we know that You are there. In the Name of Christ Jesus our Lord we pray, Amen.
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Job 29-30, Psalm 45
“Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness, as I was in my prime, when the friendship of God was upon my tent, when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were all around me, when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!”
– Job 29:2-6 ESV
“But now they laugh at me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.”
– Job 30:1 ESV
Job once enjoyed the praise of men. He was once the helper of the afflicted. But now he must endure the disdain even of the “rabble,” the common people, of his community. I’m afraid that is a very common secondary effect of loss, the loss of praise (and companionship) from those around you.
The grief-stricken often feel abandoned by whoever has passed, whether their husband or child or parent or sibling, but they also must wrestle through feelings of abandonment by God. To then experience the loss of their place in their community or “friend circle,” is to heap grief upon grief.
In reading through Job, I want to apply what I’m reading to how I treat my friends who are going through loss. I want to be better at reaching out and walking with them. How about you?
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank You for all of Your grace. You are impartial. You do not love us better when we are enjoying the praise of man. You do not love us better when our houses are full of children and laughter. You are with us in the dark and trying times. I pray that I would go and do likewise. Help me to draw near to the brokenhearted, to be close to those who are in times of deep distress. Help me to hear these words of Job and apply them to my own life. In the name of Christ I pray, Amen.
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Job 22; Psalm 41
Have you ever struggled with why “bad things happen to good people”? I believe the simple answer to that question is, “Truly there are no good people. We’re all downright bad. None of us deserve anything that the Lord gives to us out of His grace.” But, today when reading Job 22, I found myself thinking about a slightly different question, “Why do good things happen to bad people?”
They said to God, “Depart from us,” and “What can the Almighty do to us?”
YetHe filled their houses with good things…
Job 22:17-18a ESV
Why does God allow the sun to shine and the rain to fall on both the evil and the good, like we read in Matthew 5:45? Why is the LORD good to all, and why does He have mercy on all that He has made? (Psalm 145:9) Why do the wicked prosper like we considered in yesterday’s reading of Job 21?
I think one reason is that when God saves and blesses bad people (like each and every one of us), so that we can display His immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:3-6 ESV
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:1-7 ESV
Like Job, and David, and Paul, the Lord inclined Himself to me and heard my cry and drew me out of the pit of destruction that I had dug for myself. He set my feet upon the rock of His salvation. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of PRAISE to our God, that many will see and fear and put their trust in God. (Psalm 40:1-3)
Heavenly Father,
I am indeed so poor and needy, yet You take thought of me. You have indeed multiplied Your wondrous deeds and thoughts towards me. I will proclaim and tell of them, though they are more than can be told. You are my help and my deliverer. Do not delay, for You are my God.
I delight to do Your will for You are my God. Your law is within my heart. Let me not restrain my lips. Help me to tell of all the glad news of deliverance that I have experienced. Let me not hide Your saving grace within my heart.
Fill me with Your Spirit. Delight me with Your presence. Make me Your witness, sharing boldly and openly of Your faithfulness and salvation.
Truly, You are good to both the evil and the good for You are a good and gracious King. May I praise You just as loudly for the thorns in my flesh which You have given me to keep me humble as I praise You for Your mighty works of deliverance. They are both gifts granted out of Your abundant, overflowing grace!
Make me a pipeline of Your kindness and grace toward sinners like me.
In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Job 16-17; Psalm 36
After Job’s friend, Eliphaz, shares his human wisdom with his grieving friend (Job 15), it comes Job’s turn to reply. Job’s first words to his friends are, “I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all.”
Ain’t that the truth? Miserable counselors they have been. When you’ve lost all ten of your children, all of your possessions, and even your health, do you really want to hear words like, “Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash, that you turn your spirit against God and bring such words out of your mouth?” (Job 15:12)
Remember, friends, there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. I pray that we learn to speak those words that fit the occasion, to ask the Holy Spirit, our great counselor, to guide us in what to say to a grieving friend.
So, how amazing it was to then read Psalm 36 right on the heels of the words of Job’s heartache.
“Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart!”
– Psalm 36:5-10 ESV
Job’s friends truly were miserable comforters, but God’s faithful, steadfast love is a comfort to His children. Jesus truly is our very good shepherd who comforts us in all our affliction. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 ESV
Let’s pray,
Heavenly Father,
Please help us to be patient with our friends when they say stupid things because they just don’t know what to say. I’m sure it hurts them to see us hurting. Help us to have grace toward them when they are terrible comforters and say things that make our pain even worse.
I pray that we will trust You all the more as we see what miserable counselors even our dearest friends are, for Your Holy Spirit is our perfect comforter. Apply the wisdom of Your Word like a balm to our hurting souls. Speak to us through Your Words, healing our brokenness for Your glory, comforting us so that we can comfort others.
Lord, I want to thank You in all circumstances and trust that You have purpose in my pain. As I walk through dark valleys, will you please grow my faith muscles? Help me to see Your light glowing at the end of the tunnel, guiding me with your merciful staff and fending away my enemies with Your righteous, rugged rod.
I pray that You will someday use my pain to comfort others who find themselves in pain. Teach me how to speak fit words for hurting hearts. Give me wisdom as to when to speak and when to be silent, when to exhort and when to encourage. I want to be an instrument of Your peace, to be my brother’s keeper, to love my neighbor as myself, and to comfort others with the comfort that I have received from You.
In the Name of our Perfect Comforter, Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.
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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Job 13-14; Psalm 34
You can feel Job wrestling between how he feels in his heart and what he knows is true in his mind. On the one hand, Job wishes that God would go far away from him and leave him alone, yet he knows that God is good and his only hope for salvation.
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever wrestled between your mind and your emotions?
And in the middle of that wrestling Job says these nine profound words.
Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.
Job 13:15a
Can we say that with Job? Can we maintain our hope in Christ even when life is crashing down around us.
No matter what God puts us through, He is still our only hope, and what is life without hope? How can we get through the tragedies of daily life without trusting in a good and Sovereign God?
Truly He is our only hope in life and death.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the hope that we have in this life, that even our pain has purpose. Thank You for the hope that we have in eternity, that You will wipe every tear from our eyes and we will behold Your glory face to face.
We lift up our grieving brothers and sisters to You and ask You to encourage them. Please do not take Your hand from them, even when they ask You to. Hold them close in Your hand even when they’re in the fire.
We love You and worship You and thank You for giving us the book of Job that we might know that we are never alone.
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
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