Zechariah 12:1-13:9, Revelations 19:1-21, Psalm 147:1-20, Proverbs 31:1-7
Today is the 28th day of December, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It’s great to be here in the week between, right that week between Christmas and New Year’s where we start thinking about bigger things and goals for our lives and it’s important that we keep the Scriptures the front and center of our journey. And so, let’s take the next step forward together as we do every day. We are in the book of Zechariah as we wind down our way through the Old Testament, and today we will read chapters 12 and 13.
Commentary:
Okay, so, we were talking a little bit yesterday about how reflective we get. I get so reflective this week between. There’s a lot of work to do to get ready for the next year but it’s kind of a different sort of week. And we do get reflective and we do get like, we look back at what happened in the year and there are news programs like that and magazines like that and all these opportunities to consider the past, especially like the past 12 months. And here we’ve been taking steps every day, day-by-day, step-by-step to get here in the last 12 months. And we’ve been reflecting over the last couple of days about New Year’s resolutions. The kinds of stuff that we do this, this time of year, the things that we’re going to change, things that we’re not gonna put up with anymore, the things that we have to accomplish, the goals that we need to set. And Psalms gives us something to consider as we’re considering the next 12 months. The Lord is pleased with those who fear him, those who wait for His mercy, those who open His unfailing love. So, if we think about this in terms of like, I don’t know, like let’s say we’re saving for retirement. So, we put a little bit of money away and it’s accruing, it’s supposed to be building up and…and maybe gaining momentum so that we have the resources that we would need to live after we stop working. And so, we do this, we put this money in and we have the hope that it will mature, the hope that it will become what it’s supposed to be when we’re going to need it. The Bible is saying those who put their hope in God’s unfailing love, those who fear Him and wait for His mercy, this is pleasing to God. God delights in that person. When we think about our New Year’s resolutions, are we thinking about pleasing God at all. We might be thinking, I need to read the Bible more. I mean, I need to spend more minutes in prayer, but pleasing God as a New Year’s resolution. I mean, we’re resolving to make all kinds of changes that will make our lives better. At least, that’s what we think. But what would make our lives better and more in the center of things then pleasing God, becoming the Lord’s delight. And so, may we consider what we are investing in, where our hope is. Is it in that bank, is it in that job, is it in that person, or is your hope invested in God. Are we waiting expectantly for God’s unfailing love and the Lord’s delight, or are we more interested in the waistline, like what is, what is going on here, as we consider what we want to change in our outward life, let’s consider what’s going on inside of us. And let’s resolve to be pleasing to the Lord.
Prayer:
And so, Father, we invite You into that as we wind down these days, take these next final steps through this year and march our way into a brand-new beginning and a fresh start to be pleasing to You, to bring You delight. This is our aim, Holy Spirit come, and show us how to do that. 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:
Hey guys, it’s Katie Jill from Wyoming. I’m calling to encourage Marilyn from New Hampshire, for your brother David whose struggles with alcoholism. I just wanted to give you a testimony of my life. My dad, who I had no relationship with all my life, because he was an alcoholic and I mean, he’s been drinking for 45/50 years straight. I mean, I never saw him. Had no, I hated him so much. And me and my mom believed and then me and my brother came to the Lord. And but I’ve just, God’s just been working in my dad and so, it’s so funny. I am with like Youth with a Mission. And so, after I came back from my school worship in Switzerland, and my dad just saw how much I had changed and he, God just did something with that, with all those changes. And my dad just started listening to worship music. And he had already restored our relationship. Like, I had wanted no relationship with my father. Didn’t even pray for it. And God just restored it and I was so happy and I was praying for his salvation. I had the whole church praying for his salvation. And after that school, he just started listening to worship music and stuff that he wouldn’t normally do. And he gave his life to the Lord. And I will tell you this, he stopped drinking overnight. It’s amazing. And so, right now, I mean, he has COPD and he’s really struggling with that. And he’s really discouraged but he’s really trying to quit smoking. And I just wanted to tell you that and encourage you with that, that God is always working. Thanks.
Hi family, this is Prisoner of Hope. His Little Songbird in Canada, praying that you’ll be able to get your dog Toby’s teeth cleaned without paying a bunch a money. And then for also your friend pumpkin, that she’ll have favor with her cancer being gone and for her three brothers who don’t know the Lord. White as Snow in Tennessee, you lost your job. Praying you’ll be able to find a different one or maybe the same job but just in a different location. And for others who have been affected by this as well. God’s Little Bird, you had a job interview and you said you know it’s come and gone but you know that God can hear your prayers. You’re absolutely right. We’re praying that the Lord will lift up, lift away any anxiety that you feel and that He will provide for you. Raven, you need to find a job and you’ve been denied for a home loan, so you need to find a home too. And then you have surgery coming up, or you need surgery and you’re stressed and worried about finances. We’re praying that the Lord will come through for you. Lost in Texas, you’ve been out of work and you had this amazing opportunity to open up, so we’re praying for God’s will either way. You just said that you’ve also been alone during the holidays, so we’re praying for God’s comfort for you during this as well. And then Rebecca from Michigan, praying for God’s direction for a new job and home. You’re stressed at your current job. So, we’re just lifting you up sister. Lord, we just come to You. In Proverbs 8, it says, does not wisdom call out. Indeed, God’s wisdom does call out. And those who respond positively and prayerfully to this, find blessing and favor from the Lord. So, we pray for that. We do ask that these people who need your favor, that You would give them Your comfort and Your peace and Your strength, and direction and love. May they receive everything according to Your will. And for those who don’t know You Lord, we lift them up, that they would know Jesus in a personal way. That they would receive Your healing, mercy, love and guidance and that they would, You would change their hardness of hearts into a heart of flesh, that they would accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. We ask this in His powerful name. Amen.
Abba’s Daughter, Sadie M, this is God’s Life Speaker. I heard you on the community prayers, I think it was somewhere around the 10th of December. And you were in despair. You felt like you could not get your mind wrapped around truth. And it was just consuming you. But by now, I’m sure this all behind us and you have passed this semester and now we are looking at surgery coming up here, I think about three weeks. Right after your phone call, at about the 3 hour 18 minute mark there, Taken With Love came on. She was amazing. It was like she was speaking right to you, to all of us. But she said we had, we had gone 345 days into the year, believing Him and His word, and walking the miles, seeing the fruit of our labor in prayer. And she’s right. She was speaking life over all of us. And we speak it over you. That in the name of Jesus, these thoughts are taken captive. And that they will not destroy what we know to be true. So, speak it out loud, Sadie, and say what you know is truth. Even if you don’t want to believe it in the minute, you know that His word is true. So, find some scripture that you will declare over yourself, in the name of Jesus, I declare that I am healed by His stripes. In the name of Jesus, I do not have a spirit of fear. In the name of Jesus, He goes before me, behind me, beside me, and with me. And carry on, Sadie. We all need to speak truth. We know it, and we need to overcome it. And we do that by the power of prayer. Like Take it With Love, was talking about. We pray it for you. Lord Jesus, we pray health and healing over Sadie M, all of us Lord. That You would right our minds and we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Hey Daily Audio Bible family, we love you. It’s the day after Christmas. And I just saw some concerning news from my friend. I just know the Lord has got His hand on Reese but my friend from work has a daughter, I wanna say she’s 9-11 years old. She has been getting sick intermittently and had had seizures, a few, like last week. And now she is sick again and admitted to ICU and they don’t know what’s wrong. And they’re monitoring her. Her seizures and I don’t know if they’re doing, I haven’t gotten a lot of details but it looks like they’re doing some sort of intercranial pressure monitoring. So, it’s something that seems pretty concerning. And my friends just so worried. I just ask that you guys would join me in lifting little Reese up to our heavenly Father. Lord, we know You have this in Your hands. And I just have a feeling that You, You have this under control and that You’re going to help her recover really quickly, Lord. And we just praise You. And we just ask that You would help this family with answers and that You would touch Reese with Your healing hands. Lord, help her to get better quickly. Help them to find out exactly what’s wrong right away, and Lord, may Your hand just heal her completely, even if it’s by Your own hands Lord. If it’s Your will, will You do this. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Thank you family. Talk to you soon. It’s Susana in Texas. Bye.