Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Daily Scripture & Questions
II Kings 24-25; II Chronicles 36 These chapters give us a brief, historical overview of what we have been studying in Jeremiah recently. Jehoiakim (609-597 BC) is followed by Jehoiachin (for three months in 597 BC), who was taken away to Babylon. The fall to Babylon (the Chaldeans) came in three waves. (There were three times when folks were taken into exile. Daniel and his friends were part of the first wave. The final wave takes place when Jerusalem falls in 586.) Zedekiah (597-586 BC) was in power when Jerusalem fell to the final siege. The destruction was devastating.
Family Devotions—Scripture & Questions
Read II Chronicles 36:11-21. We've recently read about Zedekiah. How did he not humble himself before Jeremiah? What does it mean to have a stiff neck and a hard heart? Why are the words at the end of verse 16, "until there was no remedy"?
Biblical Prayer Focus
James 5:13-18 "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit."
Remember the power of prayer. Ask the Lord to help you and others get over any hurdles that would keep you from asking for help, including prayer. If you have been sick for some time, call the church office and ask that the elders come and pray for you in light of this passage. Ask the Lord to give you a prayer life like Elijah's.
II Kings 24-25; II Chronicles 36 These chapters give us a brief, historical overview of what we have been studying in Jeremiah recently. Jehoiakim (609-597 BC) is followed by Jehoiachin (for three months in 597 BC), who was taken away to Babylon. The fall to Babylon (the Chaldeans) came in three waves. (There were three times when folks were taken into exile. Daniel and his friends were part of the first wave. The final wave takes place when Jerusalem falls in 586.) Zedekiah (597-586 BC) was in power when Jerusalem fell to the final siege. The destruction was devastating.
Family Devotions—Scripture & Questions
Read II Chronicles 36:11-21. We've recently read about Zedekiah. How did he not humble himself before Jeremiah? What does it mean to have a stiff neck and a hard heart? Why are the words at the end of verse 16, "until there was no remedy"?
Biblical Prayer Focus
James 5:13-18 "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit."
Remember the power of prayer. Ask the Lord to help you and others get over any hurdles that would keep you from asking for help, including prayer. If you have been sick for some time, call the church office and ask that the elders come and pray for you in light of this passage. Ask the Lord to give you a prayer life like Elijah's.
Posted in Daily Reading