A Verse, A Comment, A Prayer, A Blessing

A Verse 1 Samuel 2:1-3 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD;my horn is exalted in the LORD.My mouth derides my enemies,because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the LORD:for there is none besides you;there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly,let not arrogance come from your mouth;for the LORD is a God of knowledge,and by him actions are weig...

A Verse 1 Samuel 2:1-10 And Hannah prayed and said,“My heart exults in the LORD;my horn is exalted in the LORD.My mouth derides my enemies,because I rejoice in your salvation. “There is none holy like the LORD:for there is none besides you;there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly,let not arrogance come from your mouth;for the LORD is a God of knowledge,and by him actions are wei...

A Verse 1 Samuel 1:19-28 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the LORD for him.” When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer...

A Verse 1 Samuel 1:9-18 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the LORD’S house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son...

A Verse 1 Samuel 1:1-8 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the...

A Verse Psalm 62:5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;my hope comes from him. A Comment Psalm 62 is one of my favorite psalms. I love how it begins with David’s insistence on finding rest in God. It’s a declaration in verse 1. However, in verse 5, David moves from a declaration to a command. Instead of simply declaring that God is his rest, David must also remind himself that God is his rest. This res...

A Verse Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.  A Comment As I prepare to transition to a new ministry role in January with World Hope Ministries International , I find myself studying mo...

A Verse Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water,so my soul pants for you, my God. A Comment Most of us live with a water deficit. That rarely means that we do not have water available to us. Instead, it means that we seldom avail ourselves to the available water. We prefer other drinks. As I was reflecting upon this psalm this morning, I was encouraged by the words of St. Augustine that...

A Verse John 11:4-7 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”  A Comment Today’s passage comes from the wel...

A Verse John 6:5-7 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” A Comment Today’s passage appears in the well-kn...

A Verse Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways, LORD,teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me,for you are God my Savior,and my hope is in you all day long. A Comment Bible study and prayer go hand-in-hand with one another. And when I read Psalm 25:4-5, I cannot help but think about the need to open one’s time in the Word of God with an appeal to God for His divine assistance. Here in Psalm...

Be sure to listen to the audio for a special announcement at the beginning of this episode. You can check out the website here to learn more about World Hope Ministries International . A Verse Psalm 16:2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have not good thing.” A Comment A few weeks ago, I slowly started working through a book by Herman Bavinck. The book's title, at least in Engl...

A Verse Proverbs 17:19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. A Comment As I reflected on Proverbs 17 this morning, I was struck by the emphasis on peace and its contrast with quarreling or strife. The word for “quarrel” here in verse 19 is associated with strife or brawling. In other words, it refers to someone who loves to fight, whether verbally or phy...

A Verse Proverbs 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them,but the wise listen to advice. A Comment This morning’s verse is short but profound. It is a proverb of Solomon that contrasts the foolish person with the wise person. This type of comparison happens throughout the book of Proverbs, so this singular verse is by no means exhaustive. However, it gives us a glimpse into one of the key differ...

A Verse 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 However, as it is written: What no eye has seen, what no ear heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. A Comment In verses 9-10, the apostle Paul aims to support the claims he has made in verses 6-8. In verses 6-8, Paul explains how people who are wise accor...

A Verse John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. A Comment “The disciple whom he loved.” What a title, right? As John wrote his gospel account of the life of Jesus, he recounts these moments near the cr...

A Verse Luke 6:36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. A Comment In Luke 6:27-36, Jesus is teaching his disciples about loving their enemies. This is one of Jesus’ most well-known teachings, but it is also one that Christians tend to struggle to learn and obey. Let’s face it, loving our enemies is hard. In fact, I would say it is impossible without a proper understanding and experience of...

A Verse Exodus 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. A Comment In brief, the 10th commandment prohibits us from desires that are not rooted in love for God and love for others. To state it positively, the 10th commandment exhorts us to be content with wha...

A Verse Exodus 20:16 You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. A Comment The fundamental concern of this command is truth. God is the God of truth, and He expects His people to be people of truth. The specific prohibition here is dealing with false testimonies in the court setting, but it has implications for all forms of truth in society. From a negative standpoint, this passage f...

A Verse Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal. A Comment Almost everyone has heard or encountered the 8th commandment, which prohibits “taking something that does not belong to us.” Or, to put it another way, stealing “deprives someone of something that they are owed or due.” There is, however, a positive way of stating this commandment. As John Dickson writes, “The fundamental rationale of the 8th com...

A Verse Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery. A Comment When we encounter the prohibition against adultery in the seventh commandment, we must pay close attention to the LORD’s specificity to address the marriage relationship. While it is undoubtedly true that Scripture addresses all sorts of sexual immorality, the fact that adultery is singled out in the Ten Commandments is significant. But...

A Verse Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder. A Comment One of the saddest accounts in all of the Bible is the way that sin corrupts our relationship with one another. We see it not only in the relationship between Adam and Eve, but we quickly see the corruption spread to their offspring. Cain kills Able out of envy and jealousy over God’s acceptance of Able’s offering. Yet, the murderous rage does n...

A Verse Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. A Comment The fifth commandment bridges the first four commandments, which deal with our obligations to God, and the last five, which deal with our obligations to one another. As such, the fifth commandment picks up elements of both the first four and last five commandment...

A Verse Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea...

A Verse Exodus 20:7 You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. A Comment If you are anything like me, you were probably taught that the third commandment was about not using certain swear words. To “misuse” or “take the LORD’s name in vain” was more about a particular speech pattern. Yet, I think there is more going on in t...