Use this devo as you are able, in whole or in part. Don’t feel compelled to read it all. Simply read and meditate upon whatever catches your attention. The goal is enjoying time with God through His Word and in prayer. Questions about the devotional elements?
Call to Prayer
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14)
Prayer of Confession
Confession is formative. It trains us to recognize the ways our hearts have become de-formed and how Christ is at work bringing redemption in our lives. Pray with this in mind.
God of all that is, was, and will be, you hold it all in your hands. And yet,
I confess that my heart is often like that of Jacob: wanting the moon, but not its Maker.
Remake my self-sufficient heart, O God, and hobble me to do it if you must.
It is surely better to walk alongside you with a limp than to sprint through this wilderness alone.
But don’t stop there! Continue working out your redemption of me by your Spirit
And not just today, but tomorrow, and every sunset and sunrise until I return to the dust. Amen.
Take a moment to confess your sins, knowing that he hears you.
Reading Plan
This reading plan will help you to develop the habit of being in God’s Word each morning and evening. Come to this time with expectation. Expect God to reveal himself to you. Expect that he delights in you being there, even when you’ve wandered away. Growing a spiritual habit is a slow, patient process. So be kind to yourself as you grow!
Readings are hyperlinked. Simply hover over the passage or click Morning/Evening Reading (email version).
Morning Readings:
Pray Psalm 54 | Read Ephesians 4
- Praying the Psalms: Read slowly. Take note of words and phrases. Bring them before the Lord in prayer and personalize the passage as you pray.
- NT Context: “Paul’s letter to the Ephesians joins together what has been torn apart in our sin-wrecked world. He begins with an exuberant exploration of what Christians believe about God, and then, like a surgeon skillfully setting a compound fracture, “sets” this belief in God into our behavior before God so that the bones—belief and behavior—knit together and heal.” Meditate on the passage, noting a few words or a phrase that stood out. Take them to God in prayer.
Evening Readings:
Pray Psalm 55 | Read Deuteronomy 21
- OT Context: “The book of Deuteronomy is organized as a series of addresses given by Moses to the people of Israel in the land of Moab, where they had stopped at the end of the long wilderness journey and were about to enter and occupy Canaan…The great theme of the book is that God has saved and blessed his chosen people, whom he loves; so his people are to remember this, and love and obey him, so that they may have life and continued blessing. The key verses of the book are 6:4–6, and contain the words that Jesus called the greatest of all commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”Reflect on the passage. Who was the original audience, and what was their situation? How is that relevant to you today?
Sermon Devo
Each day this devo will tread along a variety of paths connected to the week’s theme in Knowing God. Consider this your invitation to come along for the ride as we head into the wilds of coming to know and experience God’s person and grace.
*Read: Genesis 27:21–24; 33:8–11
Nowhere will the man or woman who has fallen short of the glory of God find greater encouragement [than in the story of Jacob]. — A. W. Tozer
God likes to choose and change unlikely people. And Jacob has to be one of the least likely. Here is a man who cheats his own brother and father, a man who altogether lacks common decency. Yet Jacob goes down in history as one of the key people God uses as he develops the story of salvation.
Whoever seeks God will find him. But remember that God is always the one seeking us first. Even here in the Old Testament it’s clear that God’s favor is never earned. Jacob’s famous dream with the angels on the ladder happened right after Jacob swindled his blind father. Right then, at Jacob’s worst, God shows up and says the unthinkable: “All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.” And Jacob’s response shapes the rest of his life: “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” (Genesis 28:14–16).
Reflect:
1. What happened to Jacob that brought about such a dramatic change? Did it happen suddenly or over time?
2. Has there ever been someone, perhaps yourself, you thought would never change who was changed by God?
Today’s devotional comes from The Reservoir by Hall, Christopher A. Hall & Carolyn Arends
Evening Prayer of Examen
- Where did you move with or feel close to Jesus today?
- Where did you resist or feel far from Jesus today?
- Where is Jesus leading you tomorrow? Ask for joy as you follow him.
Benediction
Now may the eternal God who is your refuge, be a rock that is beneath you, the tower that is around you, the shelter that is above you this day and all the days until Jesus comes. Amen.
