October 2 – A Living Hope and a Faithful God Psalm 40:1–3 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. Scripture Reading – Joshua 5:10-6:27 As we prepare to worship, 1 Peter reminds us that our hope rests not in circumstances but in the living Christ. Through Jesus’ resurrection, God has given us a living hope and an inheritance that cannot perish, spoil, or fade. Joshua 20–21 gives us a picture of that same faithfulness. God provided cities of refuge for those who needed protection, and He gave the Levites their appointed cities throughout Israel. After all that God had promised, Israel could look back and declare that not one of His good promises had failed (Joshua 21:45). Our circumstances may chang...
Day 8 – Bethlehem and Israel’s Heartland Today we visit Israel’s “heartland.” What is a heartland? Geographically it’s the central, or most important part of a country, area, or field of activity. It can also mean the center of support for a belief or movement. Yes, we will be visiting some very important locations central to the land of Israel. But I think the second definition is also quite fitting since we will stand on the ground where the Tabernacle once stood, then the foundation where the Temple was erected and later destroyed, and finally Bethlehem where David was anointed as king and Jesus was born! These are quite central in both location and meaning to our faith and belief as Christians. Our passages will take us on a progressive journey through prophecy, promise and anointing, covering about 2,100 years of history! Micah 5:2 This single verse from Micah for our morning reading and prayer doesn’t just prophesy the coming ruler of Israel, but in man...