Reading for today
Old Testament: 2 Samuel 10, 11, 12
New Testament: Acts 4
Thoughts from today’s reading
2 Samuel 10:1-6. We see here that Hanun received evil advice from his counsellors that caused him to start a war that he did not need to. If he had acted differently, he would have received a blessing instead.
We have to be careful not to interpret every act of another from a place of suspicion, thinking the worst of them. This can save us from many heart aches and wrong decisions.
2 Samuel 12:7-14. David’s sin was brought to his attention by the prophet and he owned up to it and called it what it was, a sin against God. We see his full prayer of repentance in Psalm 51. He was very concerned about restoring his relationship with God and not his position to the throne like Saul.
Acts 4:23-31. When the apostles were threatened not to speak in the name of Jesus again, they went back to the company of believers and prayed that God would grant them boldness and work through signs and wonders in the name of Jesus as they continued to preach the word.
Prayer
1. Father, have mercy on us according to your unfailing love and great compassion. When we sin, let us be quick to see it for what it is and repent of it to be restored back to a right relationship with you. May we never feel too important or high up to fall down on our face and repent and get back into a right relationship with you.
2. Lord grant us boldness to keep speaking your truth. Not a boldness that we take on ourselves to oppose the world, but a boldness that comes from you to work signs, wonders and miracles through the word that we preach. May we be wise to recognise the subtle threats to the gospel in our day, and may we be empowered to surmount them in Jesus’ name.