2 Samuel 23:24-24:25, Acts 3:1-26, Psalm 123:1-4, Proverbs 16:21-23
Today is the fifth day of June, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today, as we take the next step forward on our adventure together through the Scriptures this year. And obviously we will pick up where we left off. That leaves us, leads us back into the book of Second Samuel and we’re wrapping things up. We’re learning of all of the elite warriors that were around David and some of the details of the end of David’s life. We will finish the book of Second Samuel today. And so, let’s dive in, Second Samuel chapter 23 verse 24 through 24 verse 25.
Commentary:
Okay, so, we’re just getting going in the Book of Acts, we’re just a few chapters in, but we have spent plenty of time, in fact, our entire year so far, moving through the Gospels, walking alongside Jesus and watching Him and His ministry. And one of the things, of the many things that we notice about Jesus as we move through the Gospels, is that He heals people, He restores people. Blind see, lame can walk, miraculous signs and wonders follow Him where he goes. So today, in the Book of Acts, we see something pretty remarkable. Peter and John are moving through the temple complex, there’s a person there, that is at the beautiful gate, begging. That’s not unusual, that wouldn’t of, that wouldn’t have been unusual then, it’s not particularly unusual now, for there to be people begging all around the old city. So, that’s not unusual, but what happened in the interaction is very unusual. Peter speaks to the man, who’s looking for like, some type of monetary donation. And he tells him, I don’t have any money, but I have something that I will give you. And then he tells him, in the name of Jesus, to get up and walk. And he pulls the man up and the man does get up and walk and jump around. This is the first recorded instance of a miracle after Jesus ascension. Jesus had ascended to the Father, so Jesus was not physically there. And yet, He was totally present in the power of the Holy Spirit. And so, Jesus was physically absent, but the work of Christ was continuing forward, like Jesus said it would and could. And crowds form around this event, as you can imagine. They’re seeing this guy that they see begging all the time, now he’s leaping and jumping around. And so, a crowd is gathered, and Peter asks an important question of the people. And it’s an important question for us, as we enter into the Book of Acts, like we are now. Because we are entering into the story of everything that comes next, what some would call the church era. And we are still in that time, like we’re reading about the Book of Acts, the beginning of all of this, this has been ongoing until today. Peter asks the astounded crowd, what is so surprising about this? Obviously, what’s so surprising about it is that a lame man is leaping and jumping, a miracle has taken place. But Peter’s saying like, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. This is what you saw Jesus doing, the one that was turned over to be killed, the one that you saw die. He has been raised back to life and this is the ongoing revelation of the kingdom He came to announce. What’s so surprising about this? This is everything that He said would happen. This is everything that has been foretold to happen. So, what we see is that Jesus ascended to the Father, the Holy Spirit came back to lead and guide, and Jesus has told them, told them the stuff you see me do, you can do these things, you can do greater these things, greater than these things because I am going to the Father. And so, Peter’s question, what is so surprising about this is certainly a question for the crowds that were there in the moment. But it’s also a question for us, what if this is all true? What if our lives were shaped around the enormous, unstoppable power of Christ within us, and what if when we read the Book of Acts, we understand that these are examples and maybe the wholeness that Jesus said He came to bring, the healing of the broken heart, the setting of the captive free, the restoring of sight to the blind, the restoring of strength to the lame. What if this is available to us? What if this is the point, putting what is broken, back together. Let’s spend some time today thinking about what wholeness would look like in our lives. Let’s think about what is broken and then let’s think about the power of God and then let’s think about Peter asking, what is so surprising about this. Maybe healing and restoration are available for us. And so, let’s give it some thought today. Let’s just dream about what it might look like today. And then invite Jesus into that.
Prayer:
And Jesus, we confess, we spend all of our lives trying to organize and order things in such a way that we can feel not broken, we can feel not behind. And so, we spend most of our energy in these efforts, only to find that the second we get something fixed, something else is broken and it’s a never-ending cycle. But what if we stepped back and realized that we aren’t the ones that can make ourselves whole. Only You can and You are not withholding from us. So, what if we turned our affection and our energy toward You and allowed You to heal what is broken in us, and then, we too, along with Peter, can say what’s so surprising about this? Of course, He would come for us. Of course, He loves us. Of course, He’s here to heal the brokenhearted and set us free. So, come into this Holy Spirit, as we think about the different areas that we believe will never be fixed. Maybe what we need to do is acknowledge that we can’t fix it and we can’t do it. And so, we surrender to You, come and invade our space, filling us with Your presence. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Announcements:
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And that’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I will be waiting for you here, tomorrow.
Prayer and Encouragements:
Hi, neighbors, it’s Lisa the Encourager. I was just calling in today, to say hello and hope you all are having a good day. And I hope that you are blessed, and I just wanted to share something with you that was actually read in 1st Samuel. I know we’re in 2nd Samuel now. But I just wanted to share it with you because it really stood out to me. And it was the story about Eli and Samuel and Samuel was in the temple and he was a little boy. And God was calling out to him. And Eli was helping him understand it was God and not him. And he was also telling him what to say. And he, when he went back and he realized it was God, he said to God, he said, speak your servant is listening. And I just think those words are so profound. Speak, your servant is listening. And it was just like a challenge in my mind that said, you know, I should be ending my prayers that way or beginning my prayers that way. When I’m talking to God and you know, we’re dealing with different things in life. And just you know, addressing God that you know, we’re His servants and that we’re listening to what He wants to share with us. What He wants to lay on our hearts. You know we, obviously, want to ask for things and give Him all of our burdens, as we should. But this is just a good reminder to listen. And I thought it was a beautiful way that Eli taught Samuel to you know, be the servant and to listen to our God.
Good morning, DABers. This is God’s Chosen from Georgia. It’s the beginning of another new month. And I want to thank God for all of us. Thank You God for Your grace that You have extended to us to enter into this new month of June. We thank You Lord, for Your unwavering provision for all of us. We trust that Your peace will watch over us as we step into this new month. We thank You Lord that, during this month of June, all of us will rely on the riches of Your love and Your grace to provide for us in the physical, in our emotional and in our spiritual well-being. We thank You Lord, that You will help us to walk according to Your will. Father, forgive us when we error or stray. Help us Lord, to stay in Your truth and be the light that shines to the world. We ask You once again Lord Jesus, to guide our footsteps throughout this month of June. Help us Lord, God Almighty, to keep our eyes on You. Grant us grace to continually acknowledge and thank You for all the blessings that You have poured upon us. Let us be mindful of all those who are around us, who are suffering and let us be a kind person. Show kindness to each and every one of them. We pray for those who are sick amongst us. We pray for all those who are waiting upon You, those whose hearts have been torn. Just by the diagnosis they have received. We pray for restoration. We pray for healing. We pray in the name of Jesus, Lord, that You will continue to guide us throughout this month. Help us Lord, to keep our eyes on You, to trust You. Help us to live by Proverbs 3:5 and 6. We all love You Jesus. And we thank You. For we pray in Jesus name.
Hey, Daily Audio Bible Family. I’m gonna call myself Just John. It’s what my mentor called me, some years ago. Anyway, the reason for the prayer request is for the last year and a half, I have really been struggling with finding work that supports me and treats me well. I’m currently in a job now, this is week 5. I’m hoping that they’re gonna make it so I can be supported and have the basic tools needed to do my job properly. I’m going in day-by-day hoping for the best. And the powers that be, know what I need, and we’ll see what happens. So, my request is also direction for what kind of work to do. I can continue to do the same type of work. I find fulfillment in it, but I also have a desire to start a small business. So, that’s my request. I feel good. I’m not down even though in these past 4 weeks I had sometimes where I was really upset and angry. But I know God’s gonna work it out. I appreciate your prayers. Thank you for listening.
Good morning, Daily Audio Bible Family. This is Beloved in Arizona. I am calling to ask for prayer for family that just lost their father and grandfather. There was a, there’s a man in Prescot Valley who, he was a good Christian man, youth pastor, beloved by the whole community. And he was found murdered in his home just Monday night. He’s got three children: Justin, Courtney and Sarah, they’re adults. And Courtney just, a few months ago, lost her 8-month-old baby. I’m not sure the cause. So, Courtney has lost her baby and her father. And Justin and Sarah have lost their father. Please pray for them.
Hey, fellow DABers. This is Shepherding Outside of Seattle. As a pastor, I’m probably like a lot of pastors, facing a lot of decisions to make to go left or right, to go up or down, backwards/forwards, all those kinds of things. And there’s just a lot of things that are pressing in and it seems like, when it rains, it pours. And I really appreciate your prayers for wisdom for me, to have wisdom in decisions that I have to make. I pray for God to open doors and to provide, where I can’t see provision at the moment. And, yeah, I could really use your help in that. And yeah, I would just encourage you to pray for your pastors. Some people think that pastors never struggle. But I could really use your help. So, appreciate your prayers for just sustaining my enthusiasm, my anticipation of what God’s gonna do. And He has given me no reasons whatsoever to doubt Him. It’s just, sometimes, it’s a struggle, to hold on and wait. And so, I’m trying to do that. Hold on and wait for His provision, His answers. And in the meantime, do what I need to do and wait patiently and be wise. So, thank you for your prayers. It’s Shepherding Outside Seattle.