Devotional:
But deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good. (Psalm 109:21)  

I praise and thank the Lord because He cares for the needy ones. God is our champion! Remember when the Philistines sent Goliath to fight the champion of Israel? The army of Israel watched as the boy, David, approached Goliath with a slingshot, five stones, and no armor. His stone hit the head of Goliath and killed him. But the stone was not the lethal weapon. It was the fact that God worked through a boy with faith and a stone that “cried out” that the battle belongs to the Lord. When people deal roughly with you and accuse you unjustly, give the battle to God. Then thank God in public worship so that others may be encouraged.

Pray it:
Father, thank you for saving me according to your faithful love. Help me to remember your promises and to praise you in the midst of whatever battles or challenges I may face today. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant, and I will wipe my feet on Edom and shout in triumph over Philistia.” (Psalm 108:9) 

I praise and thank the Lord because He is faithful. What is the significance of God throwing His shoe? In the Middle East, throwing your shoe at someone is considered a sign of disrespect. Edom was the enemy of God and His people. They came with a mighty army to take the land. God (figuratively) calmly sat down to wash His feet and then threw His shoe at Edom. In a way, God was saying to Israel, “Relax, I’ve got this.” Events that frighten us do not cause God to wring His hands. He knows when He will act and He will triumph! We are secure because God is faithful, and He cannot be moved from His own purposes.

Pray it:
Father, I confess how I have often disrespected you both in my actions but also through my lack of trust in your plan and your power. Forgive me for these sins, and empower me to honor you through trusting you this day. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. (Psalm 107:2) 

I praise and thank the Lord because He enjoys hearing the voices of the redeemed. Why is it important that the redeemed give praise and thanks to the Lord? The Psalmist lists quite a few reasons. Look for the repeated pattern of distress, deliverance and thanksgiving. Sometimes people must be brought low before they will turn to God. Yet, when people cry to the Lord from any direction, He delivers them. Only the redeemed have experienced His saving grace and can praise the Lord for it. Even the holy angels cannot thank God for personal salvation. They have not experienced it because they do not need it! The Lord delights in hearing the voices of the ones He has redeemed, so let us praise Him!

Pray it:
Father, I praise you for delivering me from the distress and despair that comes from sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Help me to remember to celebrate your saving work in my life and sing the song of the redeemed each day of my life. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people; come near and rescue me. (Psalm 106:4)

Today’s chapter goes through example after example of how God’s people have messed up. They experienced God’s discipline, but every time God ended up blessing them and pouring out His favor on them just because they were His children. We sin and mess up, too, but it is comforting to know that we don’t have to earn God’s favor because we never could. It’s unconditionally given to us, as through faith in Christ Jesus has taken our punishment and we receive his reward. You are blessed and highly favored, Child of God! Praise God for that today!

Pray it:
Father, thank you for your faithful love to me and to your people, of how you forgive us for when we go astray and restore and renew us time and time again. Help me not take your forgiveness for granted but to give thanks to you and invite others to join in the “Hallelujah” that comes from my lips. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. (Psalm 105:18-19)

Joseph was sold as a slave by his own brothers, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, he was accused of a crime that he didn’t commit and was thrown into prison. He waited and waited for years to receive God’s help while in prison. Eventually, God gave Joseph the interpretations to Pharaoh’s dreams, which led to his release and rise in Egypt but also the saving of God’s people. They were then enslaved in Egypt but eventually delivered and brought to the land God promised. Maybe you feel like Joseph in prison or Israel in Egypt right now, wondering if God is hearing you. Remember His faithfulness to His people and how those difficult moments play a role in the ultimate unfolding of His plans for your life and your salvation.

Pray it:
Father, thank you for your faithfulness to your promises and to your people that I read about in Scripture and am reminded of in this Psalm and the songs I sing. Help me to remember that you continue to be faithful and that your faithfulness is not just to them but also to me. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. (Psalm 104:24)

The birds have migrated back, the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming, and our grass is growing a little too quickly. When was the last time you made time to experience God through His creation? When was the last time you paused and just praised God for all the things that He made and for the things that He maintains? Take some time today just to be still and notice how creative and amazing our God is.

Pray it:
Father, your power is beyond my comprehension as the maker of heaven and earth. I praise you for all the things that you have made and for your meticulous, fatherly care for all of creation and for me. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. (Psalm 103:11)

Did you know the sun is 93 million miles from earth? And we can see it. We can actually see it to the point where we shouldn’t look at it because it would damage our eyes. That’s amazing. How much farther are the heavens away from earth where we can’t see? The fact that we cannot even fathom the distance is the point – that’s how much love our Heavenly Father has for each of us, an incomprehensible amount. But it’s not just His love that is greater than we can imagine, it is also our forgiveness that is as far as the east is from the west (v.12). As we remember and ponder those truths, may we bless the Lord with our innermost being!

Pray it:
Father, help me not to forget the greatness of your love and your grace towards me, one who is like grass and blossoms only for a time, so that I might join with the angels and all of creation in praising you. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever. Your fame will endure to every generation. (Psalm 102:12)

In the midst of a section of Psalms that features mostly praise Psalms, we find yet another lament. We don’t know who wrote it, but we know he was suffering. He calls out in his suffering to God because he knows that God is king and wants all to know that as well. His cries to God to rescue him are so that nations and kings will praise God (v.15) and that the next generation will as well (v.18). This Psalm shows us that we can and should cry out to God when in need but always keep in mind God’s glory as opposed to our comfort as the driving factor for our pleas.

Pray it:
Father, help me to remember to call out to you as king of the earth when I experience hardships, seeking your glory to be made known through my life. May your name be treated as holy and your kingdom come and will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
I will search for faithful people to be my companions. Only those who are above reproach will be allowed to serve me. (Psalm 101:6)  

David spoke these words as a commitment to surround himself with people who would bring him up and not bring him down, seeking to find people of integrity so that he would walk in integrity. We, too, must surround ourselves with people we can learn from. People who we know walk with the Lord and live a life of integrity will minister to us by being examples for us. Who in your life is that “faith-full” friend? If you don’t have those people in your life, reach out and we will help get you connected. If those blessings are in your life, thank God for that today!

Pray it:
Father, I thank you that you do not leave me alone in following you but you provide people to help me walk faithfully in you. Surround me with people who push me forward in integrity, and let my example encourage others in their walk with you as well. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. (Psalm 100:5)

We have moments in our lives when we can be good. We also have moments in life when we are faithful. But God alone is always good and always faithful. Because the Lord is our God, we can be comforted knowing that He is faithfully working in our lives for good. Please praise God today because He is not temporary or circumstantial, He is always! And may His faithfulness and goodness to us propel us to become good and faithful servants who hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servantice” (Matthew 25:23, 41).

Pray it:
Father, thank you for your faithful love and your goodness that endures forever. Help me to praise your good and faithful love with my lips and also my life as I model your goodness and faithfulness to those around me. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
He spoke to Israel from the pillar of cloud, and they followed the laws and decrees he gave them. (Psalm 99:7)

God revealed Himself with the cloud as a screen because no one can see God clearly face-to-face and live. So often we demand to hear from God more clearly rather than listening to Him through the clouds. We must hear and obey through the whispers in our thoughts, through the words on the pages of His Word, through other Christians who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them…all the different ways He chooses to speak to us until we sit before Him unscreened, face-to-face in all His glory!

Pray it:
Father, you are holy and exalted, so I thank you for revealing yourself to us and for forgiving us for when we fail to remember and honor your holiness. Help me to hear from you and honor you as the holy and forgiving God. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy! (Psalm 98:4)

Seeing the pain, sickness, violence, depression and devastation present in this world, it’s tempting to ask God what happened to the joy of the Lord that Scripture talks about. The Psalmist tells all people everywhere to shout for joy to the Lord because joy is deeper than circumstantial happiness. Joy is found in its source, which is God alone. We can burst into song and shout for joy to the Lord simply because we know the Lord. We must not cave into despair like the world is tempting us to do. We are not robbed of joy when we know the Lord. So, today, shout for joy to the Lord for who He is; who alone will lift your heart and put a smile on your face.

Pray it:
Father, help me find and retain joy even in the difficult circumstances of life by reminding me of the truth that you reign and rule over the earth and will return to judge in righteousness. May the joy that bursts forth from me help others find this joy today as well. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
For you, O Lord, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. (Psalm 97:9)

God is exalted over everything and everyone, period. We must acknowledge it and participate in exalting Him. We must fight the battle of exalting others – other people, other things, even ourselves, instead of exalting God. How can you exalt the Lord today?

Pray it:
Father, you are so much greater than anything or anyone else. Help me to remember how great you are by praising your name and hating the evil things that oppose you (v.10). Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! (Psalm 96:1)

Singing a new song doesn’t mean singing a song that we don’t know. Rather, it means praising God for the new and fresh ways He works in our lives with a new and fresh appreciation. God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), so every morning we have a new song to sing. What’s your new song today? What is something new you can praise Him for?

Pray it:
Father, I thank you for being in the business of making things (and people) new and doing new things. Help me to celebrate and praise you for the new things you are doing while I wait for you to make the new heavens and new earth. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. (Ruth 4:14)

The account of Ruth concludes with the marriage of Ruth and Boaz and the birth of their son, Obed, whose grandson will be King David and through whose lineage will ultimately come Jesus. The book of Ruth has the themes of loyalty, faithfulness, trust, honor, kindness and love, and we see that Ruth and Boaz are part of a purpose bigger than each of them individually. Together their partnership focuses on the kingdom and the future. Let us also live as people with such loyalty, faithfulness, trust, honor, kindness and love as we recognize that we are part of a bigger story of God’s saving work in our world.

Pray it:
Father, thank you for your great plan of redemption and the way you used the choices and lives of Ruth and Boaz in it. Help me to remember to trust you and your plan in all circumstances and to see your hand is at work in even the smallest details of my life. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman. (Ruth 3:11)

Ruth was a risk-taker, determined to honor her mother-in-law. Naomi was a risk-taker, determined to secure a husband that Ruth needs to secure her future. Boaz is also a risk-taker, determined to fulfill his prayer of blessing over Ruth (3:10). He promises to serve as a family redeemer (or kinsman-redeemer) for Ruth, which would involve taking her as his wife. Such an act would be costly, both financially but also socially, and not all would be willing to take this step. Boaz’s care and compassion for Ruth both foreshadows that of Jesus for those overlooked and forgotten in his world and our world today and also invites us to show such love and help to those in our midst, even if that seems risky and costly.

Pray it:
Father, thank you for your great love not just for Ruth in her time of need but also for me in my time of need. Help me to know how my redemption comes at a great cost – the loss of Jesus’s life – and to live a life of bold love for you and others in light of it. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
Father, help me not to have fear drive my actions by rather love – love for you and love for others. May others see, be inspired and blessed as I live a life devoted to loving you and loving my neighbors. Amen. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech. (Ruth 2:3)

One of Ruth’s first encounters as an immigrant is the challenge of learning a new culture. She doesn’t know the cultural rules and norms, but she doesn’t let her fear of what may happen drive her actions. Ruth is driven by her need for food and her loyalty to her mother-in-law. And everyone knows it: the harvesters, the other girls in the field, the field foreman and Boaz, to name a few. What drives your day-to-day choices? Do those who interact with you know your motivation? What are they thinking after an encounter with you? How do you bless others when you interact with them? Ruth humbly did and it rocked that community. Can you?

Pray it:
Father, help me not to have fear drive my actions by rather love – love for you and love for others. May others see, be inspired and blessed as I live a life devoted to loving you and loving my neighbors. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah. (Ruth 1:7)

Naomi’s life had change, flexibility, tragedy, sadness and hopelessness. Imagine that kind of life – losing a husband and sons, and then moving back to her homeland without knowing what would be next. It’s hard to know how we would react to those circumstances. However, we have a bird’s eye view of this widow’s life; we know how God’s plan and purposes unfold and her story plays out. When life gets challenging, put your hope in the One who has all things planned. God is in all your circumstances. You are His image-bearer. Trust His plans. When the unexpected comes, call on Him…and remember Naomi’s story – a story of purpose and redemption.

Pray it:
Father, I thank you that in the midst of the changing and challenging circumstances of life, I can know that you never change and are working your plan of redemption in this world and my life. Help me to remember and trust in your plan even when I can’t see it or feel it in the moment. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. (Judges 21:25) 

“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” How often that has been true in the book of Judges! And yet, after the wife snatching we read about in this final chapter, after all the rebellion and horrific events we encounter in the book, the nation of Israel continues to exist. God has not destroyed them but continues to show His faithfulness to them. He is faithful to His promises. Even the book of Judges points us to the grace of God. And what good news that is for us who follow Jesus today. There are times when we blow it, when we rebel against God, but He continues to show us His grace. He continues to forgive. He continues to keep His promises. Rejoice in this today and give thanks to our faithful God for His grace and mercy.

Pray it:
Father, I thank you for your great patience and abundant grace towards sinners. Help me to remember this reality in the midst of my own failures and also proclaim this good news with those around me who have not yet experienced your grace and forgiveness. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
The Israelites sent messengers to the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What a terrible thing has been done among you! Give up those evil men, those troublemakers from Gibeah, so we can execute them and purge Israel of this evil.” (Judges 20:12-13) 

After receiving a disturbing message from the Levite whose concubine had been left for dead by the men of Gibeah (see Judges 19:28-30), the people of Israel come together to deal with this atrocity. Gibeah was in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, but the people of Benjamin would not give up these men. Instead, they gathered their fighting men to go to battle against the rest of Israel. This civil war cost both sides many lives, and the tribe of Benjamin was nearly decimated. Things should never have escalated to this point among God’s own people. The Benjaminites chose to rebel against God and failed to live in unity with their own brothers. Is there a relationship with a Christian brother or sister that you need to work on today? “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).

Pray it:
Jesus, you prayed that your church may be one and I join with you in this prayer. May the unity and community found among your people show the world the power and reality of your name. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
even though we have everything we need. We have straw and feed for our donkeys and plenty of bread and wine for ourselves.”

“You are welcome to stay with me,” the old man said. “I will give you anything you might need. But whatever you do, don’t spend the night in the square.” (Judges 19:19-20) 

Judges 19 is a hard chapter to read. It recalls the disturbing events that took place in the city of Sodom at the time of Abraham (Genesis 19). God sent two angels to lead Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his family out of Sodom before he destroyed it. Lot hosted these angels in his home, and the men of the city came wanting to “know” them, just as the men of Gibeah wanted to “know” the Levite the old man was hosting. The author of Judges wants us to understand that conditions in Israel at the time of the judges were as deplorable as they were in Sodom. O how these people needed the Lord! And how our world needs Him today! May we stand against the deterioration of our society by restoring the world one relationship at a time — helping others to see the wonderful love of Jesus.

Pray it:
Father, you call your people to be different from those who do not worship yet, but we all too often look more like the world around us than you. Forgive us for failing to follow you fully. Transform us to reflect you more faithfully in our world so that others may give you glory. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
“What do you mean, ‘What’s the matter?’” Micah replied. “You’ve taken away all the gods I have made, and my priest, and I have nothing left!” (Judges 18:24)

Judges 18 continues to paint the picture of just how far Israel has strayed from God. Here, the tribe of Dan steals Micah’s idols and lure away his priest (who shouldn’t even have been a priest!). Micah’s response shows how far he is from understanding who God is. A god that we make is not worthy of our worship, and a god who can be stolen is lacking in power. The Bible presents a much different picture of the true God. Our God is the powerful creator who reigns over all that He has made. We did not make God…He made us! We can’t steal God…He reigns over us (see Isaiah 40)! May we worship Him and serve Him day by day so that we do not fall away from Him but instead honor Him throughout our lives.

Pray it:
Father, I praise you for being the creator of all things who reigns supreme over the whole universe. Help me to worship you rather than the things that you or I have created. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
He returned the money to her, and she said, “I now dedicate these silver coins to the Lord. In honor of my son, I will have an image carved and an idol cast.” So when he returned the money to his mother, she took 200 silver coins and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into an image and an idol. And these were placed in Micah’s house. (Judges 17:3-4) 

The closing chapters of Judges show just how far the people of Israel were from honoring God even though they may have said things that sounded good. Here, Micah’s mother says that she is dedicating this silver to the Lord, but she actually gives it to the silversmith to make a carved image so Micah can add to his collection of idols. That action did not honor God. In Matthew 15:8, Jesus challenges the religious leaders of his day with words spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” This was true in the days of Micah; it was true at the time of Jesus. How about for you and me today? Are our words and hearts in sync?

Pray it:
Father, help me to honor you with my words and actions. Show me any places in my life that are displeasing to you so that I can turn from those sinful ways and have a heart more fully devoted to worshiping you. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” …he prayed, “Let me die with the Philistines.” And the temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime. (Judges 16:28, 30) 

Samson calls to the Lord again near the end of Judges 16, just before his life comes to an end. Samson has often acted rashly and foolishly, rejecting God and His blessings. Some believe that when the Jews read the story of Samson they were meant to see a picture of themselves. They, too, had often acted rashly and foolishly, turning away from God and His love. Perhaps there are times when we can see ourselves in Samson. But as we see today, at the end, Samson turns to the Lord. His motives may not be totally pure, but God uses him to win a great battle against the Philistines and their god, Dagon. That is good news for Samson, for Israel, and for us. For like Samson, we may fail. But we, too, can turn to the Lord who can use us (see Psalm 51:9-13).

Pray it:
Father, I praise you for the forgiveness you offer me for my rash and foolish decisions that forget you and your love for me. Help me to continually turn from my own evil desires and seek your kingdom with my life and actions. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?

Devotional:
Samson was now very thirsty, and he cried out to the Lord, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagans?” So God caused water to gush out of a hollow in the ground at Lehi, and Samson was revived as he drank. Then he named that place “The Spring of the One Who Cried Out,” and it is still in Lehi to this day. (Judges 15:18-19) 

Samson continues to have success against the Philistines. With foxes and fire, he destroys their grain. With the jawbone of a donkey, he takes out 1,000 Philistines. He was able to kill those Philistines because the Spirit of the Lord rushed on him. It is interesting that up until this point in his life, we never hear Samson ask for the Lord’s help. God just graciously gives him that help. But at the end of this chapter, for the first time, Samson calls on the Lord. He asks for water, and God miraculously provides water to revive him; Samson finally acknowledges his dependence on God. Unlike Samson, may we be quick to acknowledge our dependence on God and be faithful in giving Him thanks for His blessings.

Pray it:
Father, I confess that I often fail to give you thanks for your good gifts and fail to recognize my utter and complete dependence upon you. I praise you as the one from whom blessings flow today and each day of my life. Amen.

Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?