Daily Devotional
You Can’t Separate These Two
“…I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem”
Daniel 9:2
January 17, 2020
Ponder This
What was it that caused Daniel to set his face to seek the Lord? It was reading the Old Testament prophets. As Daniel studied Jeremiah, God showed Daniel that He had prophesied a seventy-year time of captivity for His people the Jews in Babylon (Jeremiah 25:11-12), and the seventy years were almost up. Through Jeremiah, God said to Daniel, “I’m going to judge Babylon.”
Reading the Word, Daniel saw God’s blueprint and knew he was living at the end of an age. He sought God for wisdom. What do we learn from this? We learn that Bible study and prayer rise and fall together. Your study life will not be greater than your prayer life and vice versa. There is no way you can separate Bible study from prayer.
Practice This
When you read the Bible, the Bible impels you to pray. And when you pray, your prayer life will urge you to read the Bible. Prayer and Bible reading go hand in hand. When you read the Word of God, God is speaking to you. Prayer is you, talking back to God. And it ought not to be a one-sided conversation from either side.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
