Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
The prophet Samuel traveled to Bethlehem and anointed David as the new king of Israel. However, Saul, the reigning and now rejected king, wasn’t a fan of God’s decision. Saul was obsessed with killing the competition. Surrounded by his elite soldiers, Saul chased David around the countryside. After a close call, David wrote the words in today’s passage thanking God for delivering him.
Do you ever have nights when you can’t go to sleep? You toss and turn, and your mind begins to race. Then fear shows up. Anxiety is close behind. For those of you going through times of illness, nights can be the worst. While others sleep, nights are lonely times that invite your mind to entertain all the “what ifs,” and “what ifs” never bring comfort.
God’s knowledge is universal. God knows everything there is to know about everything there is to know. God’s knowledge of all things is complete. He doesn’t need to study; there is nothing for him to learn. He knows what will happen tomorrow and 100 years from tomorrow.
Maybe you have lost a loved one. Maybe you have lost your health. Maybe you have relocated and left good friends behind. Maybe the love of your life has left you behind. Grief is our response to the many different forms of loss. While it feels foreign, it is normal and expected. Moving through mourning is a process that can only progress when our eyes are on the Lord.
When we walk with God, failure is not possible. We can fail, but God never fails us. Since he is with us, he will give us his success and turn our missteps into learning experiences.
When the prophet Elijah learned that the people had abandoned God’s instruction and were following other gods, he called a meeting at Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” Elijah called together the prophets of Baal and challenged them to a duel.