Prepare: Psalm 119:41-45

Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
    your salvation according to your promise;
then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word.
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
    for my hope is in your rules.
I will keep your law continually,
    forever and ever,
and I shall walk in a wide place,
    for I have sought your precepts.

Read:

Hosea 13:1-14:9

Think:

As the theme of idolatry and rebellion against God continues, we read the stark warnings of vv. 4 and 6: “besides me there is no savior” and “therefore they forgot me.” What a tragedy to forget your only Savior! Yet again slight glimmers of hope shine through, including the familiar words of 13:14. Where are these words used later in the New Testament to grant us hope in Christ? The wise are those who turn from idols and trust only in the Lord (14:8-9) and walk with him!

Pray:

Daily we have been reading about the troubles of Israel when they forget their true God and embrace worldly idols. Rejoice in great hope for a faithful God who will deliver, and ultimately does so by sending his Son “out of Egypt” to save us! Rejoice that in Christ for the believer death has lost its sting and the grave cannot hold us (I Cor. 15). Pray for our Converge Heartland District Annual Meeting and Cultivate Conference that we are hosting today and tomorrow at Faith. Pray for our conference speakers: John Jenkins Sr. (President of Converge); Todd Miles (Professor of Theology at Western Seminary); and Duane Tweeten (President of Training Leaders International).

Sing:

In this setting of Psalm 62 by Aaron Keyes & Stuart Townend, the words point to our only hope, Jesus Christ, who has "crushed the curse of death."