Learn how to make big asks in short prayers. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 117 Q. How does God want us to pray so that he will listen to us? A. First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, who has revealed himself in his Word, asking for everything he has commanded us to ask for. Second, we must acknowledge our need and misery, hiding nothing, and humble ourselves in his majestic presence. Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. That is what he promised us in his Word. Summary Yesterday we saw that Daniel, who was facing execution along with the rest of Babylon's 'wise men,' prayed a model prayer thanking God for giving him wisdom enabling him to interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream. What we noticed was that although Daniel's prayer was relatively short, the bulk of it was spent acknowledging who God is. Today we meet up again with Daniel, who is now in the service of a much different king named Darius, as one of the top three governors over the Babylonian kingdom. Certainly such a position kept Daniel busy, but notice how he makes reading scripture and spending time in prayer his top priority. It's as he reads the prophet Jeremiah that Daniel sees the good news: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you... (Jeremiah 29:10-11)" Daniel realized that the seventy years were up, and that the time had come for God to "fulfill His good promise to bring them back." Certainly it would have been appropriate for Daniel to pray a psalm of celebration, praising God for His faithfulness, but that's not what Daniel does here. Rather, he puts on sackcloth and ashes, and prays a prayer of confession. What a lesson Daniel teaches! Even when we claim God's most rock solid promises - promises that are not conditioned upon our good behavior but are guaranteed by the very character of God Himself - we must make those claims humbly and with a healthy dose of contrition. In other words, we must align ourselves with God's will. Dig Deeper Daniel is making a huge ask in this prayer: that God's people would be set free from one of the most powerful kingdoms in all of history. Two thing stand out about this prayer that can help you drastically improve your own prayer life, even if the things you're asking for are not as significant. First, although this prayer is longer than the one we looked at yesterday, it still is relatively short, especially given the magnitude of what Daniel is praying for. One of the biggest lessons we need to learn about prayer is that our prayers do not need to be long, rather we need to be praying short prayers often throughout the day. Second, although the context of this prayer indicates that Daniel is clearly praying for the freedom of his people, he never specifically asks God for that. In fact, throughout most of the prayer, he really doesn't ask for anything! It's not until v16 that his first petition is made, and that is that God will turn away His anger and wrath. Daniel is assured of the promise God made to free His people after 70 years because Daniel knows he can trust God's Word, given long before through the prophet Jeremiah. Daniel makes the emphasis of his prayer acknowledging who God is (v4, 7, 9, 12, 15) and making sure that both he and his people are aligned with God's will. So pray lots of short prayers today, reminding yourself who God is, what He's promised, and aligning yourself with His will by confessing your sin. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Lord, the great and awesome God. who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments (v4); ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Confess that you have sinned and done wrong in turning away from God's commands and laws (v5); ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Lord, listen! Lord forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your people bear your Name (v19). Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 18

You can either worry about your problems or pray short prayers acknowledging who God is. Which one will bring you true peace? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 117 Q. How does God want us to pray so that he will listen to us? A. First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, who has revealed himself in his Word, asking for everything he has commanded us to ask for. Second, we must acknowledge our need and misery, hiding nothing, and humble ourselves in his majestic presence. Third, we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. That is what he promised us in his Word. Summary One of King Nebuchadnezzar's problems is that he was surrounded by dozens of 'yes men' - guys who kept their spots at the king's well stocked table by simply telling him what he wanted to hear when he wanted to hear it. But just a year into his reign, God sent dreams to Nebuchadnezzar which troubled him so much that he couldn't sleep. Suddenly the sheen of his army of 'yes men' began to wear away as the king began to see through their charades when these supposed magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers couldn't even explain a simple dream. This chorus of fakers had wasted Nebuchadnezzar's time for long enough now, and he was done with them. And when the king had no more use for them, he made sure nobody else would either. The problem was that Daniel and his friends were considered part of this cadre of wise men, even though they didn't utilize the same gimmicks the other ones did. Even so, they were set to be executed with the rest. Daniel utilized true wisdom as he spoke to the king's commander, and was able to gain audience with the king so that he might interpret the dream for him. As Daniel gathered his faithful friends, they didn't spend any time at all strategizing as to how to weasel their way out of the predicament they were in. Rather, Daniel urged them to "plead for mercy from the God of heaven." As the Heidelberg Catechism would put it thousands of years later, they knew they "must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, who has revealed Himself in His Word." Dig Deeper The Bible doesn't record the words Daniel and his friends prayed initially. Only Daniel's prayer of thanksgiving he prayed after God gave them the interpretation they'd asked for is recorded. But my hunch is that as they "pleaded for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery," that their prayers of petition were structured very similar to this prayer of thanksgiving. Over the next couple of months, we'll be be referring often to the three components that nearly every Biblical prayer includes: Acknowledging who God is, Aligning our life with God's will, and then finally Asking God for what we need. What we'll notice is that so many of the Biblical prayers that we're called to emulate are like Daniel's: they're fairly short, and they put the bulk of their emphasis on the first two A's - Acknowledging who God is and aligning their lives with God's will. Imagine the peace that swept over Daniel and his friends, even as they faced imminent doom, as they acknowledged who God is: All wisdom and power are his, He deposes kings and raises others, He gives wisdom to the wise, and He reveals deep and hidden things. Be sure to experience this peace for yourself. Pray lots of short prayers all through the day, with the emphasis on acknowledging who God is, reminding yourself in the process that all things - even your biggest problems - are under His control. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Open your prayer the same way Daniel did: pray the words in v19-23; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to make it your instinct to plead for mercy from the God of heaven when you face challenges, rather than worrying and fretting about them; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 17

Don't get so consumed in your daily battles that you forget your primary orders. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 116 Q. Why do Christians need to pray? A. Because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us. And also because God gives his grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly, asking God for these gifts and thanking him for them. Summary This passage, often entitled The Armor of God, is familiar to most of us. I was a bit surprised to notice that we'd not yet covered this passage in our readings this year, but it makes sense we come to it now, as we've been focused lately on living out the salvation that's been won for us. Today we're not going to focus as much on the particular pieces of armor we must put on, but rather on the specific orders we've been given to fulfill as soldiers of the Lord. To understand your mission, you must first identify the enemy that you'll be struggling against (literally: wrestling with). It might be surprising to be reminded that the daily problems you wrestle with - which certainly are real and may be very painful - are not the enemy that you've been called to struggle against. The real enemy - who very well may be the source of your daily problems - are the "rulers, authorities, and power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (!!)" who are shooting "flaming arrows" at you. Your orders are as follows: to put on / take up your armor, to stand your ground, and to extinguish the flaming arrows. But your primary tactic is quite surprising: it's not to engage in hand to hand combat, but to be praying in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests... for all of the Lord's saints (v18). Dig Deeper We're beginning the final section of our catechism today, which is focused on prayer. We'll be going through the Lord's prayer over these next couple of months, but before we can do that we have to stop and ask a question that we don't stop to ask enough in life: Why? Why must we pray? You're likely inundated with things that need to be done, both good things that will bring God honor and glory, and things that need to be taken care of to keep your world from collapsing in upon itself. Maybe you've got a couple of these pieces of spiritual armor on but feel ready to go nonetheless, or maybe you're fully suited up and ready for battle. Why waste time praying? Two reasons. First, and foremost, because your King has ordered you to do so. This ought to be reason enough. "Prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us." But there's more! "God gives His grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly." In other words, no matter how awesome your armor is (and it is!), it won't do you one bit of good unless you use it on your knees. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who rules all things through our Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords and calls us to battle; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to keep you from being distracted by the fog of daily battle so that you fulfill your orders to pray continually; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 16

Do you feel like you're lost in the wilderness? Find peace as you anticipate returning to God's sanctuary in a few days. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 115 Q. No one in this life can obey the Ten Commandments perfectly: why then does God want them preached so pointedly? A. First, so that the longer we live the more we may come to know our sinfulness and the more eagerly look to Christ for forgiveness of sins and righteousness. Second, so that, while praying to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit, we may never stop striving to be renewed more and more after God’s image, until after this life we reach our goal: perfection. Summary Psalm 63 presents some of the most beautiful language ever written, conveying what our attitude ought to be towards God: I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water (v1) Your love is better than life (v3) [In God] I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods (v5) Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings (v7) All who swear by God will glory in him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced (v11) One of the reasons David longs for God is that David has seen God (v2). Not very many people have; certainly Adam & Eve saw God before their sin required they be put out from God's presence. Men like Moses and Isaiah experienced God's presence upfront and personally, but it was very much in a limited way. But there's no Biblical record of David being in the localized presence of God, so what is David referring to here? David saw God in the same way you do: in the sanctuary (literally: the holy / separate place). It's as David joined with his people coming before God in worship that David beheld God's power and glory. Dig Deeper Too many people think of their salvation as a one time event, as the song implies, I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind but now I see. A person wanders around in the dry and parched land where there is no water, stuck in sin and misery, but then prays a prayer and just like that it's nothing but happily ever after. Certainly the moment you believed you were instantly transformed from being lost to being found, and your blindness instantly gave way to sight, but it's critical for you to understand that that was just the beginning of your salvation! You don't get to spend every moment in the sanctuary, and often, like David, you'll need to wander through the dry and parched land, with sleepless nights and persisting enemies. This is why you need to develop a craving for God like David's. Notice in v6-7 how thinking of God carried David through the insomnia, and enabled him to sing while being sheltered from the surrounding pressure under God's wings. To experience this peace, keep yourself as close as possible to God's sanctuary. As you enter alongside other struggling saints each Lord's Day to behold God's power and glory, you'll be refreshed by His presence. This will cause you to, as the catechism says, "never stop striving to be renewed more and more after God's image" as you go back out into the dry and parched land for another week. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose love is better than life (v3); ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God you can be filled with His presence in the sanctuary, and pray for an increased longing for Him which calls you back to worship; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 15

Want straightforward, practical advice on how to live a blessed life? Just open the Psalms. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 115 Q. No one in this life can obey the Ten Commandments perfectly: why then does God want them preached so pointedly? A. First, so that the longer we live the more we may come to know our sinfulness and the more eagerly look to Christ for forgiveness of sins and righteousness. Second, so that, while praying to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit, we may never stop striving to be renewed more and more after God’s image, until after this life we reach our goal: perfection. Summary "The Bible just isn't very relevant in this day and age..." What a lousy excuse so many people give for not digging into God's Word! As if the Bible is nothing more than page after page of ancient history, obscure laws, and meaningless religious rituals! Quite the opposite is true! This is the second day in a row now that our passage has given us pointed, specific and actionable instruction as to how you can live a blessed life; that is, a life filled with happiness, joy and shalom. What could possibly be more practical and relevant? Like the other Psalms we've looked at this week, Psalm 32 is divided up into strophes (stanzas / verses). Notice how these strophes progress: Dig Deeper David demonstrates the two primary uses of God's law here in Psalm 32. To the unrepentant, God's law feels like a heavy hand on them, sapping their strength with bone crushing guilt (v3-4). As ugly as this seems, this is God's redemptive power at work, causing us to "more eagerly look to Christ for forgiveness of sins and righteousness (QA 115)." This makes sense. Without the law bearing down on us, we'd never know of God's holy wrath until it was too late to repent! Guilt is a gift of grace that drives us to the cross! When you confess your transgressions to the Lord, He will forgive the guilt of your sin (v5). But God's Law becomes even more valuable on this side of the cross. Through it, God "will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go," so that you don't get sucked into the many "woes of the wicked (v9-10)," but instead live a blessed life, rejoicing and being glad in the Lord (v11). AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose ḥěʹ·sěḏ love surrounds the one who trusts in Him (v10); ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God that His Law exposed your sin and pointed you to the cross, and pray that you will be instructed and taught by His Law in the way you should go (v8); ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 14

God's Word must be much more than a hobby. Make it your business. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 114 Q. But can those converted to God obey these commandments perfectly? A. No. In this life even the holiest have only a small beginning of this obedience. Nevertheless, with all seriousness of purpose, they do begin to live according to all, not only some, of God’s commandments. Summary Psalm 119 is a celebration of God's Word, and this opening strophe expresses this multiple ways. All of the italicised words below are different ways of describing God's Word: Blessed are those... who walk according to the law of the Lord (v1); Blessed are those who keep his statutes (v2); they do no wrong but follow his ways... precepts that are to be fully obeyed (v3-4); Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees... when I consider all your commands (v5-6); I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees (v7-8). Even as massive as what Psalm 119 is, it boils down to a theme that remains consistent throughout the Psalms, which is best expressed in the second verse of the first Psalm: Blessed is the man... whose delight is in the law of the Lord, who mediates on his law day and night. Another way to translate that would be, Happy is the man who makes God's Word his primary occupation. Dig Deeper I really like the way the Catechism phrases this answer. The question is significant: as people who've been made perfect in Christ, are we now expected to obey the commandments perfectly? Yesterday, Psalm 143 reminded us that nobody (besides Jesus) is able to live perfectly righteously, but today we read that our weakness and inability is not to be used as an excuse. "Nevertheless," the answer continues, "with all seriousness of purpose, Christians begin to live according to all, not only some, of God's commandments." Are you pursuing righteousness with all seriousness of purpose? In other words, do you you "seek the Lord with all your heart (v2)" with the same intensity that you take to honing your athletic abilities, hunting skills, or growing your business? Most of us aren't, so it shouldn't be a surprise that most of us don't experience the blessedness (happiness) given to those who steadfastly obey God's decrees. Learn to delight in God's Word the way the psalmists do. Make it your business, and see how God will reward you with blessedness in this life and the life to come. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who commands us to walk according to His law; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your ways will be steadfast in obeying God's decrees; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 13

You'll never stop stumbling as you follow God, but He'll never stop picking you up. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 114 Q. But can those converted to God obey these commandments perfectly? A. No. In this life even the holiest have only a small beginning of this obedience. Nevertheless, with all seriousness of purpose, they do begin to live according to all, not only some, of God’s commandments. Summary Although it's impossible to know for sure, it seems that David wrote Psalm 143 late in life. In the trial he faced while penning these words, he "remembers the days of long ago (v5)." David here demonstrates one of the best things you can do when facing difficulty: look back over your life, and look for the ways that God was at work. "Meditate on all God's works, and consider what His hands have done (v5)." You would think that King David, whom God Himself described as being "a man after my own heart (1 Samuel 13:14)," would have 'arrived' at a certain point in life. Certainly he had trials and temptations in his youth and made his share of bad decisions, but it would make sense that this man, who'd by this point written so many psalms under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, should have been able to navigate around sin and rest in his righteousness. But he couldn't. Nobody, except, of course, Jesus, can. David realized that "no one living is righteous before God (v2)." After all those years walking in God's light, David's spirit still felt "faint (v4)" and was "failing (v7)." No matter how diligently you try to live righteously - and tomorrow we'll notice that you should diligently try - you, like David, will never attain perfection here on earth. But whenever you see an adjective preceding the word 'love' in the Old Testament (unfailing, steadfast, loyal, lovingkindness, etc) like what we read in v12, it's likely translating the Hebrew word ḥěʹ·sěḏ, which describes God's continual covenant love. So come to the same conclusion David did: that although you'll continue to stumble no matter how long you live, God's ḥěʹ·sěḏ - His covenant love - will always "preserve your life... bring you out of trouble... and silence your enemies (v12)." Dig Deeper Did you notice the shift we made today? For the past two and a half months, we've been unpacking the implications of the 10 commandments. Yesterday we took a brief look at what it means to covet, but now today, just like that, the catechism moves on. It's not that coveting is a simplistic concept that's easily and quickly described. Quite the opposite, in fact. It's just that the catechism has nothing new to say about it at this point. As you look back over the commandments, you'll quickly notice that coveting - lusting after something you don't have - is the primary temptation each commandment was written to address. So today, rejoice in the fact that God, in His perfect ḥěʹ·sěḏ, provides you the perfect righteousness you need to fulfill His commandments in His Son, our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. But remember what the catechism says: no matter how many years you've been a Christian, you "have only a small beginning of this obedience." You will certainly continue to trip up and even fall on your face. But when you do, know that God will "hear your prayer and listen to your cry for mercy (v1)." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who shows us His ḥěʹ·sěḏ love; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray "teach me to do your will, for you are my God (v10)." ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 12

God's glory is proclaimed everywhere you look, but true refreshment comes only from His Word. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 113 Q. What is God’s will for you in the tenth commandment? A. That not even the slightest thought or desire contrary to any one of God’s commandments should ever arise in my heart. Rather, with all my heart I should always hate sin and take pleasure in whatever is right. Summary The opening stanza of Psalm 19 is both beautiful and familiar. We're surrounded by beauty: the fertile Great Plains give way to rugged mountains which fall off into deep blue sea. Plants and animals of all types abound everywhere we look, and we can peer both into the microscopic world surrounding us, as well as galaxies billions of miles away. All of this beauty has a singular purpose: to declare the glory of God and proclaim the work of His hands. This is why Christians have always championed education and exploration to get to know God better. But if you not only want to know God as much as possible, but also experience the true peace and refreshment that such knowledge brings, focus your attention on the second stanza of Psalm 19 (v7-9). Make it your goal to know God's law, statutes, precepts, commands and decrees. In simpler terms, work hard to learn and live in God's Word. The third stanza (v10-13) explains the value of God's Word: it is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. It warns you of the danger of sin and points you to great reward. Dig Deeper Your sinful nature, which we often refer to as Sarx (a nickname based of the Greek word the Bible uses to describe your old nature), is constantly battling you, trying to pull you away from God's Word by whispering temptations in your ear, so to speak. One of Sarx' most effective tools is getting you to covet: to have even the slightest thoughts or desires contrary to any one of God's commandments. Just a tiny bit of coveting quickly can explode into massively sinful urges and even actions. To battle Sarx, keep doing what you're doing right now: reading God's Word and digging deeper into it every day. As you're strengthened in God's law, statutes, precepts, commands and decrees, you'll be better equipped to resist sin and join all nature in declaring the glory of God and proclaiming the work of His hands. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our LORD, our Rock and our Redeemer; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the meditations of your heart may be pleasing in God's sight; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 11

Thou shalt not bear false witness... unless you need to. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 112 Q. What is God’s will for you in the ninth commandment? A. God’s will is that I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause. Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are devices the devil himself uses, and they would call down on me God’s intense anger. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it. And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor’s good name. Summary King Saul knows what's at stake when he said to his son Jonathan, "As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established (v31)." It would have been in Jonathan's best interest to let his father eliminate David, so that Jonathan would inherit the throne. It would have been so easy for Jonathan to rat David out, let Saul do the dirty work, and be all but guaranteed that the kingdom would be his. But Jonathan both honored God's will and loved his friend David, and he demonstrated that love and commitment by not only sacrificing his own future, but putting himself in grave danger to defend David's honor. When Saul demanded that David be hauled in and killed, Jonathan lied in order to, as the Catechism teaches us, "guard and advance his neighbor's good name." Any curiosity that David & Jonathan had regarding Saul's intentions were settled when Saul's spear went hurling across the room towards Jonathan. Jonathan continued to put himself in danger by secretly messaging David that he needed to flee. Dig Deeper It's ironic that in this particular incident, Jonathan needed to lie in order to ultimately keep the 9th commandment to not bear false witness. Being truthful about David's whereabouts would have not only ended David's life, but would have put an end to the line that would ultimately lead to Christ. It would have been a greater betrayal of truth for Jonathan not to lie in this situation. But Jonathan is not the only righteous liar that helped usher in our redemption. When Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill the Hebrew newborns, the midwives lied and said the Hebrew moms always gave birth before they arrived. Rahab lied to her fellow citizens about the Jewish spies she hid, which led to Jericho's defeat. The wise men didn't report the location of baby Jesus to murderous King Herod as they'd been ordered to do. Christian ethics are not always simple. Sometimes doing the right thing forces a person to do what would otherwise be considered the wrong thing. When you find yourself stuck between an ethical rock and a hard place, don't try to figure it out on your own. Spend much time in prayer, study God's Word, and lean on the wisdom of the Christian community God has placed you in. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the King of kings and the Lord of lords; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for wisdom in dealing with complicated ethical situations; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 10

Can you trust your friends & family? Are you sure? Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 112 Q. What is God’s will for you in the ninth commandment? A. God’s will is that I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause. Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are devices the devil himself uses, and they would call down on me God’s intense anger. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it. And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor’s good name. Summary Sometimes the best way to know something is to study its opposite. In other words, if we want to understand what it means to "love the truth and speak it candidly," we can begin by examining the consequences of doing the opposite: what happens when people who "taught their tongues to lie... and in their deceit refused to acknowledge the Lord (v5-6)?" As we see so often in scripture, there's a direct link between your tongue and your overall actions. The truthfulness of your words is directly correlated to the honesty of your daily living. As God describes it, a life steeped in deceit has terrible consequences: trust is shattered and slander abounds. Even as the people "all speak cordially to their neighbors, in their hearts they set traps for them (v8)." Israel's descent into falsehood left God no choice. "What else can I do?" asks God in v7, "I will refine and test them." He continues, "Should I not punish them for this? ...Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?" In many ways, the constant lies and deception you are bombarded with - both from the media and from the people around you - are nothing new. But be on guard: Know that God will punish people severely, both in this life and the next, who continually exchange the truth for a lie. Dig Deeper Truth is much more than giving an accurate accounting or a correct definition. Truth is a bedrock upon which a solid community can be built, but that solid bedrock quickly turns to shifting sand when truth is replaced with deception. When that happens, you can't trust even your friends or family, because no one speaks the truth (v4-5). Although deception can take many forms, it always springs from the same source. God refers to this source twice in today's passage: "in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me (v3, 6)." When people lose their knowledge of God, they lose their grip on truthfulness, and it doesn't take long after that for entire societies to implode. The best way to reverse our own society's implosion is to restore people's knowledge of God so that they turn to Him in repentance and once again find solid footing in the bedrock of truth. And the best way for you to restore other people's knowledge of God is to continue building up your own! You can't stop other people from sliding unless you're firmly planted in the truth! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The LORD God, who will punish those who do not acknowledge Him; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your knowledge of God will increase so that your influence will cause others to find the bedrock of truth once again; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 9