2 Kings 13:1-14:29, Acts 18:23-19:12, Psalm 146:1-10, Proverbs 18:2-3
Pray: Spend a moment in prayer today for our generation and for the leaders of our country and all around the world to do what is pleasing in the Lord’s sight.
Read: Allow today’s reading to reinforce putting our hope in the everlasting God rather than the powerful people of our current day whose influence will sooner or later fade away.
Edify: The Bible has a lot to say about power and authority. Some people in power will please the Lord and some will do what is wicked in the sight of the Lord as seen in the generational perspective that Kings gives us. Therefore the Psalmist warns us not to put our hope and confidence in powerful people. They will one day fade away, but the word of the Lord and the powerful work of His Spirit will never fade. It is the Lord who will reign throughout the generations. Paul understands this as he continually encounters those under John’s baptism. No matter how eloquent their speech or how genuine their repentance; they lacked power without receiving the Spirit of God, the baptism of fire that comes from being baptized in the name of Jesus.
Practice: Replace fearful or prideful opinions, as well as, the temptations of cutting remarks about our nation’s leaders with intercessory prayer for them. This is genuinely possible when we understand that the Lord reigns throughout the generations and it is those who have received the confidence and power of the Holy Spirit that invest in things of lasting influence.
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