Read
Psalm 76, Daniel 10:1-14, Revelation 1:9-19 (NLT)
Psalm 76
For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph. A song to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
God is honored in Judah;
his name is great in Israel.
Jerusalem is where he lives;
Mount Zion is his home.
There he has broken the fiery arrows of the enemy,
the shields and swords and weapons of war. Interlude
You are glorious and more majestic
than the everlasting mountains.
Our boldest enemies have been plundered.
They lie before us in the sleep of death.
No warrior could lift a hand against us.
At the blast of your breath, O God of Jacob,
their horses and chariots lay still.
No wonder you are greatly feared!
Who can stand before you when your anger explodes?
From heaven you sentenced your enemies;
the earth trembled and stood silent before you.
You stand up to judge those who do evil, O God,
and to rescue the oppressed of the earth. Interlude
Human defiance only enhances your glory,
for you use it as a weapon.
Make vows to the Lord your God, and keep them.
Let everyone bring tribute to the Awesome One.
For he breaks the pride of princes,
and the kings of the earth fear him.
Daniel 10:1-14
In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship.
When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.
On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.
Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.
Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.
Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Revelation 1:9-19
I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.
“Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen.
Jesus Storybook Bible:
A Dream of Heaven (p.342)
Meditate
“Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.” (Revelation 1:17-18)
Pray
Lord Jesus, You are God’s Anointed King. You have conquered death through the cross and given us the promise of eternal life through Your resurrection. Forgive us for forgetting all that You have accomplished. Even as the world runs to their weak gods and reels in anxiety, we know that You are always with us and that we will not be shaken. By Your Spirit, abide with us today and enable us to make Your invisible Kingdom visible for Your glory and the good of our neighbors. In Your name we pray. Amen.
Take a moment to pray for others.
New City Catechism
Question 11: What Does God Require in the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Commandments?
Answer: Sixth, that we do not hurt, or hate, or be hostile to our neighbor, but be patient and peaceful, pursuing even our enemies with love. Seventh, that we abstain from sexual immorality and live purely and faithfully, whether in marriage or in single life, avoiding all impure actions, looks, words, thoughts, or desires, and whatever might lead to them. Eighth, that we do not take without permission that which belongs to someone else, nor withhold any good from someone we might benefit.
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