Dawn 2 Dusk When the Whole World Learns His SongDavid’s prayer in Psalm 86 lifts our eyes beyond the urgent needs right in front of us. He dares to believe that God’s story is bigger than one life, one family, one church, or one nation—that history is headed toward a moment when every people group will recognize who the Lord is and honor His name. A Prayer That Stretches Past Your Borders It’s easy to pray small—just enough faith for today’s problem, just enough hope to get through the week. But Psalm 86 invites you to pray with God’s heart for the world. The Lord is not merely patching up broken lives; He is gathering worshipers. When your prayers widen, your anxieties shrink, because you remember you’re living inside a plan no crisis can derail. God has always been after “all the families of the earth.” He told Abraham, “and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3). And He calls His people to intercede beyond their own circle: “God our Savior… wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3–4). Pray today for nations you’ve never visited—then ask the Lord to make your own life part of the answer. The Day Every Rival God Goes Quiet Psalm 86:9 doesn’t picture a polite spiritual buffet where everyone keeps their favorite truth. It points to the collapse of every counterfeit and the triumph of the One true God: “All the nations You have made will come and worship before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.” (Psalm 86:9). That means every culture, every language, every system of pride will eventually bow to reality. And this promise is not abstract—it’s centered on Jesus. Scripture says, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10–11). When you worship now—especially when it costs you—you’re practicing for the future and pushing back against the lie that anything else deserves your fear, loyalty, or awe. Live Like the Ending Is Already Decided If every nation will glorify His name, then your ordinary life becomes a meaningful place to start. Your home can become a lighthouse. Your conversations can carry courage. Your generosity can preview the Kingdom. You don’t have to be famous or fearless—you just have to be faithful, taking one step of obedience at a time toward the people God puts near you. Jesus didn’t give a suggestion; He gave a mission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19). And God has already shown you the outcome: “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9). So today, worship like you mean it, love someone who can’t repay you, and speak the name of Jesus with humble boldness—because the King is worthy, and the nations are not a distraction from your faith; they are part of its purpose. Lord, thank You that You reign over every nation and Your name will be glorified; make my life today a willing instrument—teach me to pray wider, worship deeper, and share Christ boldly. Amen. Evening with A.W. Tozer We Have It AllHow much time have you spent in your Christian life meditating on the plain instruction from our Savior?-Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. The God who has revealed Himself to needy men and women wants us to know that when we have Him, we have everything - we have all the rest! Any of us who have experienced a life and ministry of faith can tell how the Lord has met our need even for food and the essentials of life. Brethren, we ought to learn, and learn it soon, that it is much better to have God first and have God Himself, even if we have only a thin dime, than to have all the riches and all the influence in this world and not have God with it! Let us go on to know Him and to love Him more dearly; not for His gifts and benefits but for the pure joy of His presence. Thus we will fulfill the purpose for which He created us and redeemed us! Music For the Soul Power for the FaintHe, giveth power to the faint. . . . Even the youths shall faint and be weary . . . but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:29-31. Earth knows no independent strength. All earthly power is limited in range and duration, and by the very law of its being is steadily tending to weakness. But though that has a sad side, it has also a grand and blessed one. Man’s needs are the open mouth - if I may say so - into which God puts His gifts. The more sad and pathetic the condition of feeble humanity by contrast with the strength, the immortal strength of God, the more wondrous that grace and power of His, which is not contented with hanging there in the Heavens above us, but bends right down to bless us and to turn us into its own likeness. The low earth stretches, grey and sorrowful, flat and dreary, beneath the blue, arched heaven, but the heaven stoops to encompass, ay! to touch it. " He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength." All creatural life digs its own grave. " The youths shall faint with the weakness of physical decay, the weakness of burdened hearts, the weakness of consciously distracted natures, the weakness of agonizing conscience. They shall be weary with the weariness of dreary monotony, of uncongenial tasks, of long continued toil, of hope deferred, of disappointed wishes, of bitter disenchantment’s, of the learning the lesson that all is vanity, the weariness that creeps over us all as life goes on." All these are the occasions for the inward strength of God to manifest itself even in us; according to the great word that He spoke once and means ever: "My grace is sufficient for thee, and My strength is made perfect in weakness." Isaiah did not know - or, if he did, he knew it very dimly - what every Christian child knows: that the highest revelation of the power of Him that " fainteth not, neither is weary," is found in Him who, "being weary with His journey, sat thus on the well," and, being worn out with the long work and excitement of a hard day, slept the sleep of the laboring man on the wooden pillow of the little boat amid the whistle of the tempest and the dash of the waves. And Isaiah did not know - or, if he did, he knew it very dimly and as from afar - that the highest fulfillment of His own word - "He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength "- would be found when a gentle voice from amidst the woes of humanity said: "Come unto Me! all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest Take My yoke upon you; and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Spurgeon: Morning and Evening Psalm 113:8 That he may set him with princes. Our spiritual privileges are of the highest order. "Among princes" is the place of select society. "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." Speak of select society, there is none like this! "We are a chosen generation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood." "We are come unto the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven." The saints have courtly audience: princes have admittance to royalty when common people must stand afar off. The child of God has free access to the inner courts of heaven. "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." "Let us come boldly," says the apostle, "to the throne of the heavenly grace." Among princes there is abundant wealth, but what is the abundance of princes compared with the riches of believers? for "all things are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Princes have peculiar power. A prince of heaven's empire has great influence: he wields a sceptre in his own domain; he sits upon Jesus' throne, for "He hath made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign forever and ever." We reign over the united kingdom of time and eternity. Princes, again, have special honor. We may look down upon all earth-born dignity from the eminence upon which grace has placed us. For what is human grandeur to this, "He hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"? We share the honor of Christ, and compared with this, earthly splendours are not worth a thought. Communion with Jesus is a richer gem than ever glittered in imperial diadem. Union with the Lord is a coronet of beauty outshining all the blaze of imperial pomp. Spurgeon: Faith’s Checkbook A Change of NameThat day has come. We view our God no more as Baal, our tyrant LORD and mighty master, for we are not under law but under grace. We now think of Jehovah, our God, as our Ishi, our beloved husband, our LORD in love, our next-of-kin in bonds of sacred relationship. We do not serve Him less obediently, but we serve Him for a higher and more endearing reason. We no longer tremble under His lash but rejoice in His love. The slave is changed into a child and the task into a pleasure. Is it so with thee, dear reader? Has grace cast out slavish fear and implanted filial love? How happy are we in such an experience! Now we call the LORD’s day a delight, and worship is never a weariness. Prayer is now a privilege, and praise is a holiday. To obey is heaven; to give to the cause of God is a banquet. Thus have all things become new. Our mouth is filled with singing and our heart with music. Blessed be our heavenly Ishi forever and ever. The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer Receive Not the Grace of God in VainBY the "grace of God" in this passage, we are to understand the everlasting gospel; which is a glorious proclamation of favour manifested to the vile and unworthy. It proclaims that God has come down unto us in the person of Christ; that he has accepted the labours, sufferings, and death of Jesus, as the ground of our deliverance from death, and as our title to eternal life; and He now sends His ambassadors to assure us that he is our Friend-that He will not impute our trespasses unto us-that He views us in Jesus as a NEW CREATION; all former things are passed away and forgotten; and He will make all who receive His word, and believe in His Son, the righteousness of God in Him. Let us not then receive this glorious message in vain; we do so if we indulge the thought that God is angry with us; if we doubt our acceptance of God in Christ; if we fear that He will be wrath with us. He informs us of His grace to encourage us to believe, to quicken us in his ways, to embolden us at His throne, to produce love to His name, and to furnish us with an answer to all objections. Oh, what amazing words of grace Are in the gospel found! Suited to every sinner’s case, Who knows the joyful sound. May I this glorious grace receive, And to my Saviour’s glory live. Bible League: Living His Word So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God.— 2 Corinthians 5:20 ERV There's a problem. The problem is the most fundamental problem in all of creation. If problem-solving is your thing, then this is the one you should concentrate on first. The problem is that the relationship between God, the Creator of all things, and humanity, the crown of His creation, has been damaged and disrupted by our sin against God. Consequently, instead of unity, there is opposition. We need a way to end the opposition and initiate peace. Aha! There is a way. God himself made a way to solve the problem. If you want to take advantage of the solution for yourself, then you must make use of the way God has provided. You can't just make up a new way or solve the problem on your own terms Where can you find the way? In Scripture. How can you understand the way? Preachers. God uses people who have already found the way to call to those who haven't. Such people are heralds of the way. What is the content of the call they make? The Gospel. They callpeople to be at peace with God by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus was perfect, but God placed our sin on Him and made Him pay the penalty by dying on the cross. If you accept this, then God places Jesus' perfection on you and ends His opposition to you (2 Corinthians 5:21). As you, the terms are generous. There's no penance to pay, no pilgrimage to make, and no moral perfection to achieve. If you accept the terms, if you accept Jesus and what He has done, then you will have taken advantage of the solution leading to peace with God. Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 97:12 Be glad in the LORD, you righteous ones, And give thanks to His holy name.Job 15:15,16 "Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight; • How much less one who is detestable and corrupt, Man, who drinks iniquity like water! Job 25:5,6 "If even the moon has no brightness And the stars are not pure in His sight, • How much less man, that maggot, And the son of man, that worm!" Exodus 15:11 "Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? Isaiah 6:3 And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." 1 Peter 1:15,16 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; • because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." Hebrews 12:10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 1 Corinthians 3:17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. 2 Peter 3:11,14 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, • Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, Ephesians 4:29,30 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. • Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion So watch yourselves!“If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” Insight To rebuke does not mean to point out every sin we see; it means to bring sin to a person's attention with the purpose of restoring him or her to God and to fellow humans. Challenge When you feel you must rebuke another Christian for a sin, check your attitudes before you speak. Do you love the person? Are you willing to forgive? Unless rebuke is tied to forgiveness, it will not help the sinning person. Devotional Hours Within the Bible Jesus Walks on the SeaIt was after the feeding of the five thousand. As we learn from John’s account, the people were so excited by this miracle that they wished to take Jesus by force and make him king. To prevent this act, Jesus sent the multitude away and then went up into a mountain for prayer. Before going into the mountain, however, He sent His disciples out upon the sea in the boat, to go before Him to the other side. The record says He “constrained” them. It ought to have been a comfort to them that night, in the midst of the storm, to remember that their going out upon the lake was not at their own suggestion then they might have thought it a mistake but that the Master had bidden them to go. They were in the way of obedience. When we are doing Christ’s will we are under Divine protection, and need fear no storm . We must not expect that every voyage we take at Christ’s bidding, shall be without storm. We may be pleasing God and yet meet dangers. When we find obstacles in something we are doing under God’s guidance, we may not conclude that we have made a mistake, and that these difficulties are indications that we ought not to have taken such a course. On the other hand, such troubles are not meant to discourage us but to inspire us to stronger faith and greater endeavor. “He went up into the mountain alone to pray.” No doubt His prayer was partly for Himself. There had come to Him a temptation of earthly honor and power and He sought relief in prayer. Then He prayed also for His disciples. Mark tells us that from this mountaintop, He saw them that night on the sea, distressed in rowing. Jesus always sees us when we are toiling in any tempest, any struggle, and speaks for us to His Father. “In the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” He did not come to them immediately; indeed, it was almost morning when He appeared. The boat in the wild storm, represents Christ’s friends in this world in the storms of life. Sometimes we think we are forgotten, that Christ does not see us, or does not care. Here we have an illustration. From His mountaintop He sees His disciples in their struggles in the wild sea. He does not forget them. He watches that no wave shall engulf them. Then at the right time He comes to them with help. So it is in all our experiences of danger and distress. He is interested in our earthly life. Some people tell us sneeringly that there is no one who cares, no one who thinks of us. But the picture here is the true one. Christ cares, watches, keeps His sleepless eye upon us, and keeps His omnipotent hand on all affairs so that no harm can come to us on the ocean or on the shore. When He came He came as no other friend could come. “He went unto them, walking on the sea.” No human help could have possibly arrived to them that night in the wild sea. If their friends were standing on the shore, and saw their peril they could not have done anything for them. So we may stand and look at our friends in their sorrow, and our hearts may break for them but we can do nothing. We cannot get to them through the wild waves. But there is One who can reach them Jesus can walk on the roughest billows, as if they were a crystal floor. Sometimes Jesus alarms His friends by the way He comes to them. It was so that night. “When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled.” In their terror and superstition they thought it must be an apparition, and they were frightened. Yet it was their best friend, and He was coming to deliver and save them. They were terrified, because He came in such a strange way. It is the same with us often. He comes in the black cloud of trial, sickness, loss, bereavement, disappointment; and we think it is some new peril, when really it is our Savior! We should learn to see Christ in every providence, bright or painful. The sternest things of life carry in them Divine blessing and good if only we have faith to receive them. “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” As soon as the disciples heard the voice of Jesus, they recognized Him, and their fear changed to joy. So it was with Mary at the sepulcher. He whom she took to be the gardener, was her own Master; she knew Him as soon as He spoke her name (John 20:15, John 20:16). Then comes the story of Peter’s venture and failure. Peter was always impulsive. As soon as he heard the voice of Jesus, and knew who it was that was walking on the waves he was seized with a desire to rush to meet Him. “Bid me come unto You on the water,” he cried. Jesus said, “Come!” and for a time Peter walked on the waves and did not sink. His faith was simple, and he was upheld by Divine power. But as soon he took his eye off his Lord and looked at the tossing waves he instantly began to sink. That is the way most of us do. We go a step or two as if we were borne up on wings, while our faith is strong and our eye is fixed upon Jesus. But soon we begin to look at the dangers, and then our faith trembles and we begin to sink. If we could always keep our eye upon Christ, not thinking of the perils our faith would not fail. “Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him.” In his fear and helplessness, Peter did the right thing he turned to Jesus for help, crying, “Lord, save me!” Said an old Alpine guide to a tourist who was timid at some point of danger, “this hand never lost a man.” Christ never lost a man out of His hand! As soon as Jesus was in the boat with the disciples, the storm was over, the boat was at the land, and the tired rowers, after their long night of toil, dropped their oars, and all went on shore. So will it be at the end of life, if we have Christ with us. As the morning breaks we will pass out of the storm into the quiet calm and will find ourselves on the shore of eternal blessedness! Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 47, 48, 49 Psalm 47 -- Oh clap your hands, all you nations. Shout to God with the voice of triumph! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 48 -- Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 49 -- Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 26 Acts 26 -- Paul's Defense Before Agrippa NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. |
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