TUESDAY 30TH JUNE, 2020-LIFE'S RAPID SURF AND THE NEED FOR TRUSTED GUIDE

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June 30

Navigating Life’s Rapids

Bible in a Year:

• Job 17–19
• Acts 10:1–23

I will instruct you
and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Psalm 32:8

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Today's Scripture & Insight:

“Everybody on the left, give me three strong forward strokes!” our whitewater raft guide shouted. Those on the left dug in, pulling our raft away from a churning vortex. For several hours, we’d learned the importance of listening to our guide’s instructions. His steady voice enabled six people with little rafting experience to work together to plot the safest course down a raging river.

Life has its share of whitewater rapids, doesn’t it? One moment, it’s smooth sailing. Then, in a flash, we’re paddling like mad to avoid suddenly swirling whirlpools. Those tense moments make us keenly aware of our need for a skilled guide, a trusted voice to help us navigate turbulent times.

In Psalm 32, God promises to be that voice: “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go” (v. 8). Backing up, we see that confessing our sins (v. 5) and prayerfully seeking Him (v. 6) play a role in hearing Him too. Still, I take comfort in the fact that God promises, “I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” (v. 8), a reminder that His guidance flows from His love. Near the end of the chapter, the psalmist concludes, “The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts him” (v. 10). And as we trust Him, we can rest in His promise to guide us through life’s rockiest passages.

By:  Adam R. Holz

Today's Scripture

Psalm 32:5–11(NIV)

Psalm 32 is one of seven penitential psalms (also Psalms 6; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143), so-named because they contain confession of sins and a plea for God’s mercy and forgiveness. Many scholars believe David wrote Psalm 32 after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. For about a year afterward, he refused to repent of his sins of covetousness, adultery, deceit, bearing false testimony, and murder. Then the prophet Nathan confronted him (2 Samuel 11–12).

In Psalm 32 David speaks of the heavy burden of guilt he experienced when he denied his sins (vv. 3–4) and the joy of receiving God’s forgiveness when he confessed and repented (v. 5) and became receptive to God’s rule in his life (vv. 7–11). David contrasts the blessedness of repentance (vv. 1–2) with the anguish of refusing to confess his sin (vv. 3–5).

Reflect & Pray

What circumstances in your life right now feel like whitewater rapids? How might you seek God’s guiding voice about how to respond?

Father, thank You for Your promise to be my Guide. Help me to seek You and listen to You as You direct the course of my life.

MONDAY 29TH JUNE, 2020-WHEN SIMPLE QUESTIONS BRING MIRACLES

June 29

Simply Ask

Bible in a Year:

• Job 14–16
• Acts 9:22–43

Before they call I will answer.

Isaiah 65:24

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Today's Scripture & Insight:

Her doctor said her detached retinas couldn’t be repaired. But after living without sight for fifteen years—learning Braille, and using a cane and service dog—a Montana woman’s life changed when her husband asked another eye doctor a simple question: could she be helped? The answer was yes. As the doctor discovered, the woman had a common eye condition, cataracts, which the doctor removed from her right eye. When the eye patch came off the next day, her vision was 20/20. A second surgery for her left eye met with equal success.

A simple question also changed the life of Naaman, a powerful military man with leprosy. But Naaman raged arrogantly at the prophet Elisha’s instructions to “wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored” (2 Kings 5:10). Naaman’s servants, however, asked the military leader a simple question: “If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?” (v. 13). Persuaded, Naaman washed “and his flesh was restored and became clean” (v. 14).

In our lives, sometimes we struggle with a problem because we won’t ask God. Will You help? Should I go? Will You lead? He doesn’t require complicated questions from us to help. “Before they call I will answer,” God promised His people (Isaiah 65:24). So today, simply ask Him.

By:  Patricia Raybon

Today's Scripture

2 Kings 5:9–14(NIV)

Insight

The Jordan River, where Naaman was told to “wash [himself] seven times” (2 Kings 5:10), was the primary source of water in the ancient Near East and is the most well-known river in the Bible. The melting snow of Mt. Hermon in the north is the main water source for the river that winds for 156 miles through the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea and has no outlet. Joshua 3 records the parting of the waters of the Jordan so the Israelites could enter the land of Promise. Twice the waters of the river were parted in 2 Kings 2 when they were struck with the cloak of Elijah (vv. 8, 14). In the New Testament, John the Baptist baptized believers in Jesus and even Christ Himself in the Jordan (Matthew 3:6, 13–17).

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Reflect & Pray

How complex are your prayer requests? What life problem can you offer to God in a simple prayer?

Dear heavenly Father, when life feels complicated and difficult, thank You for Your promise to hear even my simple prayers.

SUNDAY 28TH JUNE, 2020-Some stories are more dramatic, but the underlying truth remains the same:

June 28

Some stories are more dramatic, but the underlying truth remains the same:

Redemption’s Hope

Bible in a Year:

• Job 11–13
• Acts 9:1–21

Everyone

 who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Acts 2:21

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Today's Scripture & Insight:

The man seemed beyond redemption. His crimes included eight shootings (killing six) and starting nearly 1,500 fires that terrorized New York City in the 1970s. He left letters at his crime scenes taunting the police, and he was eventually apprehended and given consecutive sentences of twenty-five years to life for each murder.

Yet God reached down to this man. Today he is a believer in Christ who spends time daily in the Scriptures, has expressed deep regret to his victims’ families, and continues to pray for them. Although imprisoned for more than four decades, this man who seemed beyond redemption finds hope in God and claims, “My freedom is found in one word: Jesus.”

Scripture tells of another unlikely conversion. Before he met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, Saul (who later became the apostle Paul) was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” (Acts 9:1). Yet Paul’s heart and life were transformed by Jesus (vv. 17–18), and he became one of the most powerful witnesses for Him in history. The man who once plotted the death of Christians devoted his life to spreading the hope of the gospel.

Redemption is always a miraculous work of God. Some stories are more dramatic, but the underlying truth remains the same: None of us deserve His forgiveness, yet Jesus is a powerful Savior! He “[saves] completely those who come to God through him” (Hebrews 7:25).

By:  James Banks

Today's Scripture

Acts 9:1–4,10–18(NIV)

Insight

While Saul was on the way to Damascus, Jesus spoke to him from a heavenly light. Afterward he was blind for three days (Acts 9:8–9). We’re not told why or how Saul was blinded. It may have been a natural consequence of the light, or it may have been a supernatural occurrence. But it’s interesting that it was through Ananias that his sight was restored. While God caused the blindness, He chose to remove it through a person. Sometimes God works in unexpected ways. 

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Reflect & Pray

Do you know someone who seems like a “tough case” for redemption? Nothing is too hard for God! Bring that person before Him in prayer.

Dear Jesus, thank You for loving us so much You died to bring us into a relationship with You.

SATURDAY 27TH JUNE, 2020

FRIDAY 26 TH JUNE 2020

THURSDAY 24 JUNE, 2020

WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE 2020

TUESDAY 23 JUNE 2020

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FRIDAY 12TH JUNE, 2020

THURSDAY 11 JUNE, 2020

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SATURDAY 6TH JUNE, 2020

FRIDAY 5 TH JUNE 2020-WISDOM GROUNDED IN HUMILITY

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June 5

Useful Temptation

Bible in a Year:

• 2 Chronicles 23–24
• John 15

Humbly


 accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

James 1:21

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Today's Scripture & Insight:

Fifteenth-century monk Thomas à Kempis, in the beloved classic The Imitation of Christ, offers a perspective on temptation that might be a bit surprising. Instead of focusing on the pain and difficulties temptation can lead to, he writes, “[temptations] are useful because they can make us humble, they can cleanse us, and they can teach us.” Kempis explains, “The key to victory is true humility and patience; in them we overcome the enemy.”

Humility and patience. How different my walk with Christ would be if that were how I naturally responded to temptation! More often, I react with shame, frustration, and impatient attempts to get rid of the struggle.

But, as we learn from James 1, the temptations and trials we face don’t have to be without purpose or merely a threat we endure. Although giving in to temptation can bring heartbreak and devastation (vv. 13–15), when we turn to God with humble hearts seeking His wisdom and grace, we find He “gives generously to all without finding fault” (v. 5). Through His power in us, our trials and struggles to resist sin build perseverance, “so that [we] may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (v. 4).

As we trust in Jesus, there’s no reason to live in fear. As God’s dearly loved children, we can find peace as we rest in His loving arms even as we face temptation.

By:  Monica La Rose

Today's Scripture

James 1:2–5,12–21(NIV)

Insight

James begins his letter to dislocated and troubled followers of Jesus by urging them to ask for wisdom in living as His followers (1:5, 19–22). But how will they recognize such divine help? After briefly discussing a series of difficult relational challenges, James describes a wisdom grounded in humility rather than self-centeredness (3:13–16). Wisdom from God is peace-loving, considerate, willing to listen, full of mercy and goodness, and without prejudice or hypocrisy (v. 17).

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Reflect & Pray

How might an attitude of humility and patience change how you respond to a current temptation or struggle? How is it freeing?

Jesus, I’m saddened when I realize how often I try to face life’s temptations and struggles on my own—as if I’m self-sufficient, as if I don’t need You. Thank You for Your unending love and patience with me.

THURSDAY 4 JUNE 2020-MY FATHER'S CHILD

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June 4

My Father’s Child

Bible in a Year:

• 2 Chronicles 21–22
• John 14

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

John 14:9

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Today's Scripture & Insight:

They looked down at the faded photograph, then up at me, then over at my father, then back at me, then back at my father. Their eyes were as wide as the proverbial saucers. “Dad, you look just like Papa when he was young!” My father and I grinned because this was something we’d known for a long time, but it wasn’t until recently that my children came to the same realization. While my father and I are different people, in a very real sense to see me is to see my father as a younger man: tall, lanky frame; full head of dark hair; prominent nose; and rather large ears. No, I am not my father, but I am most definitely my father’s son.      

A follower of Jesus named Philip once asked, “Lord, show us the Father” (John 14:8). And while it wasn’t the first time Jesus had indicated as much, His response was still cause for pause: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (v. 9). Unlike the physical resemblances between my father and me, what Jesus says here is revolutionary: “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” (v. 10). His very essence and character were the same as His Father’s.

In that moment Jesus was being straightforward with His beloved disciples and us: If you want to know what God is like, look at Me.   

By:  John Blase

Today's Scripture

John 14:8–14(NIV)

Insight

Philip, recruited by Jesus Himself (John 1:43), was one of the very first disciples. In the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—Philip is always paired with Bartholomew (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14). In John’s gospel, however, Bartholomew isn’t mentioned and Nathanael (who isn’t mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels) is listed instead. Many scholars believe that Bartholomew is probably the same person as Nathanael, whom Philip recruited (John 1:45–48).

In John 14:8–14, when the disciples are gathered in the upper room, Philip responds to a question from Thomas asked in verse 5. The fact that Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father indicates that, although one of the first disciples, Philip hadn’t really understood the heart and mission of Jesus—to make visible the unseen God (see 1:18). No wonder Jesus gave Philip a gentle rebuke for his misguided request; it had already been fulfilled during their many months together.

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Reflect & Pray

What are some of the characteristics of Jesus (and the Father) that resonate strongly with you, and why? How has He been molding your character?

Jesus, when things seem overwhelming, remind me that to see You is to see the Father. Help me keep my eyes fixed on You.

WEDNESDAY 3 JUNE 2020

TUESDAY 2ND JUNE, 2020

MONDAY 1ST JUNE, 2020-WHEN GOD LEADS NOTHING GOES WRONG

June 1

Needing His Leading

Bible in a Year:

• 2 Chronicles 15–16
• John 12:27–50

From the ends of the earth I call to you.

Psalm 61:2

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Today's Scripture & Insight:

Uncle Zaki was more than a friend to scholar Kenneth Bailey; he was his trusted guide on challenging excursions into the vast Sahara. By following Uncle Zaki, Bailey says that he and his team were demonstrating their complete trust in him. In essence, they were affirming, “We don’t know the way to where we are going, and if you get us lost we will all die. We have placed our total trust in your leadership.” 

In a time of great weariness and heartache, David looked beyond any human guide, seeking direction from the God he served. In Psalm 61:2 we read, “From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” He longed for the safety and relief of being ushered afresh into God’s presence (vv. 3–4).

God’s guidance in life is desperately needed for people the Scriptures describe as sheep that have “gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6). Left to ourselves, we would be hopelessly lost in the desert of a broken world.

But we are not left to ourselves! We have a Shepherd who leads us “beside quiet waters,” refreshes our souls, and guides us (Psalm 23:2–3).

Where do you need His leading today? Call on Him. He will never leave you. 

By:  Bill Crowder

Today's Scripture

Psalm 61(NIV)

Insight

Historical context for Psalm 61 isn’t provided in the superscription, so the only thing we know about the background for this psalm is that David is being pursued. Fleeing from Jerusalem, he prays, “From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint” (v. 2). We’re not told who was pursuing him; however, some scholars believe there may be a clue in verse 6: David asks for God to prolong “the king’s life.” This seems to indicate that this is a different time period than when he was pursued by Saul to prevent him from becoming king. In this psalm, David is already king, which would more likely place it during the time he fled from the attempted coup orchestrated by his son Absalom.

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Reflect & Pray

What was it like when you felt lost? How can you begin to trust God’s desire to guide you like a shepherd in those times of seeking?

Loving Father, thank You for being my Shepherd and Guide. Help me to trust You and rest in Your wisdom, allowing Your Spirit to guide me through the challenging moments of life.

Listen to Psalm 23: A Psalm of a Good Shepherd at discovertheword.org/series/a-psalm-of-a-good-shepherd.