July 4

2 Kings 23:31-25:30, Acts 22:17-23:10, Psalm 2:1-12, Proverbs 18:13



Pray: Today is a special day, a day of remembrance. A day to recall the presence of God which dwells with people and governments and which honors the God of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel. Today is a day to remember when a king had to surrender to another ruler. No, not England surrendering to the American Colonies, but Judah surrendering to the king of the Babylonians. A people who had known victory now suffered defeat because they had forgotten God. Let us pray for America to remember to love God and to love our neighbor in both word and deed.

Read: The apostle Paul is arrested and his life is threatened. He claims his Roman citizenship and he is spared as he now has to go before a Roman court. Have you ever thought how American citizenship does have certain privileges? For Paul it meant that he had to receive a fair hearing in front of a Roman leader. One day, each of us will receive a fair hearing in front of a just God. Our only hope will not be in God’s fairness, but in His grace through His son Jesus Christ interceding on our behalf.

Edify: This was not the story in 2 Kings 35 of a stronger army taking advantage of a weaker people. If we trace the powerful story here we realize, sadly enough, that this is the story of a strong and favored people who lost favor with a powerful God by their acts of idolatry and worship of false idols. I have often wondered, “What if?” What if the people of Judah had put God first, depended upon Him for their protection and sought the Lord in all of their endeavors? God would have fought for them as He had done in the past. What if you and I would do the same?

Practice: Paul states with conviction that, “I have always lived before the Lord with a clear conscience”. What an absolute gift to go to sleep at night and not carry any regrets with you to bed. What a relief to lay our worries on the nightstand, knowing that the God of Israel who neither slumbers nor sleeps, will be willing to work things out throughout the night as we sleep and in the morning our problems will still be there ready for Him to give direction. You and I can have this kind of assurance, this kind of peace by living today a life which is lived in the daylight and not in the dark in any way shape or form. Now that is true freedom! Happy July 4th!