Micah 1:2-4

January 19, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Hear, you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be a witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the Lord is coming out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place” (Micah 1:2-4).

Here, we have another prophet warning Israel (a little) and Judah (a lot) before being destroyed by Assyria and Babylon, respectively.

The thing that immediately and repeatedly comes to mind is “a church on every corner.” The prophets appear to be making the same community impact that churches are making in the USA today. While the prophets declared God’s judgment to come during biblical times, churches are supposed to be doing similarly today. 

And like the majority of people in biblical times ignored the prophets, most people in the USA ignore the prophetic warnings coming from churches. Our attention, as a nation, is on other things. 

Father, forgive me for ignoring your word in favor of other interests. Forgive me for being part of the problem. Help me to be more committed and responsive to your word this year. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Micah, Old Testament, Prophecy

Jonah 4:1-2

January 18, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster’” (Jonah 4:1-2).

Jonah wears his feelings openly. My first reaction is to criticize Jonah. In this story, He received mercy. Yet, he wants to deny such to the Assyrians. Who does he think he is?

How can I criticize him, though? Aren’t there people I prefer who would not be forgiven? I hate to admit it, but yes, there are. What about all those people whom I fail to share Christ with because I’m busy, or afraid, or I’m just not interested at the moment? I’m not actively saying, “they can go to hell.” However, my actions surely say, “I don’t care if they do.”

In the end, how am I different than Jonah? 

Father, forgive me for being so selfish. I have received so much mercy, yet I do not do much to see others have the same mercy. Please help me to grow out of this selfishness. Amen. 

Filed Under: Assyria, devotional thoughts, Evangelism, Jonah, Old Testament, Prophecy

Jonah 3:1-2

January 17, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’” (Jonah 3:1-2‬).

These verses tell us much about God. First, we see his kindness toward Jonah. Though we should not demand that God give multiple opportunities to obey, we see that He has the capacity to do so. However, notice that God required Jonah to do what He told him to do the first time. God didn’t reduce the requirement the second time just to get Jonah’s cooperation. 

Second, we see God’s kindness toward Nineveh. God continued dealing with Jonah to deliver the message of repentance to Nineveh. I know he continued offering me the message of repentance before I believed. He still does. 

Father, thank you for your kindness toward me. Please help me not to waste or tread on your kindness. Amen. 

Filed Under: Assyria, devotional thoughts, forgiveness, Jonah, Old Testament, Prophecy

Jonah 2:1-2

January 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, ‘I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice’” (Jonah 2:1-2‬).

Jonah found himself in a fix. While he got himself into this one, what we see here is applicable whether our situation of distress is our fault or not. 

What we see is that Jonah cried out to the Lord for help, which is a pattern found in the Bible. 

“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.” (‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭22‬:‭7‬)

“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears” (‭‭Psalm‬ ‭18‬:‭6‬)

“Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.”
‭‭(Psalm‬ ‭118‬:‭5‬)

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me” (‭‭Psalm‬ ‭120‬:‭1‬).

Paul and Silas were praising the Lord around midnight while being unjustly jailed. (Acts 16)

If the pattern in Scripture is to cry out to the Lord in times of trouble, why is my first instinct to phone a friend? Why is venting to a friend, who usually can not help fix the problem, so tempting? Why isn’t first crying out to the Lord more natural for me? 

Father, please help me grow in my faith so that I will first turn to you when I’m in a pickle. Amen.

Filed Under: 2 Samuel, Acts, Assyria, devotional thoughts, Jonah, Old Testament, Psalms

Jonah 1:1-3

January 15, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:1-3‬).

The introduction to Jonah is so relevant to me. 

1) The word of the Lord came to Jonah. There is no indication that Jonah was confused or had any doubt about who was directing him. 

2) Jonah was told to go to Nineveh to preach repentance. There is no indication that Jonah was confused or had any doubt about what He was told to do. 

3) But … Jonah didn’t want to do what God told him to do. It is that simple. 

In an effort not to do what God told him to do, he tried to run away from God. However, the Psalmist helps us see the futility of such a thought: 

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you” (‭‭Psalm‬ ‭139‬:‭7‬-‭12‬).

Like Jonah, I find myself refusing to do what God tells me to do OR doing what God tells me not to do. I may not actually say the words, but my actions scream, “I don’t care what you say, I’m going to do what I want to do.” 

Of course, this spirit never leads to good … even if it takes a while to realize it. I’m amazed at how easy it is to recognize Jonah’s obstinate spirit, but not my own. Yikes!

Father, forgive me for being sinfully stubborn against your directives. Please help me to become more mature in my faith. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Jonah, Old Testament, Prophecy
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