The Major Prophets call God's people back to covenant faithfulness, warn of coming judgment, and point with breathtaking clarity to the coming Messiah who will make all things new.
The Book of Salvation
The Book of the Weeping Prophet
The Book of Grief and Hope
The Book of Visions and Restoration
The Book of Faithfulness and Prophecy
Each book includes: Overview, Historical Context and Book Outline, Major Themes and How It Points to Jesus, Word Study Spotlight, Reading Plan, Reflect, and Respond.
The Book of the Servant King · A prophet sees the holiness of God, the sin of His people, the coming judgment of exile, and the breathtaking promise of a Servant who will bear the sins of the world and make all things new.
Isaiah is the most Christ-saturated book in the Old Testament. It is quoted in the New Testament more than any other prophet. It contains the most detailed portrait of the suffering Messiah ever written, a thousand years before the cross. But Isaiah is not only about the future. It is a call to the present: return to God, trust Him in the darkness, and know that the One who created you is the One who will redeem you. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine" (43:1).
"But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed." Isaiah 53:5
Isaiah ministered in Jerusalem for at least 40 years, beginning in the year King Uzziah died (740 BC), the year he saw the LORD high and lifted up in the Temple (Isaiah 6). The northern kingdom of Israel was about to fall to Assyria (722 BC), and Judah was under constant threat. Isaiah preached to a people who were outwardly religious but inwardly far from God, trusting in political alliances rather than in the LORD. The book divides naturally into two halves. Chapters 1–39 focus on judgment and the Assyrian crisis. Chapters 40–66 shift to comfort, restoration, and the promise of a new creation. Isaiah sees further into the future than any other Old Testament prophet. The virgin birth, the Suffering Servant, and the new heavens and new earth are all here.
People: Isaiah, King Uzziah, King Ahaz, King Hezekiah, the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53), Cyrus of Persia (named 150 years before his birth, 44:28)
Places: Jerusalem, Judah, Assyria, Babylon, and the new creation that God promises at the end of all things
Judgment and Hope for Judah: Israel's sin, Isaiah's call, the Immanuel prophecy, and songs of praise
Oracles Against the Nations: God's sovereignty over Assyria, Babylon, and all the nations
Woe Oracles and the Hezekiah Narrative: Warnings, the highway of holiness, and the shadow of Babylon
The Book of Comfort: "Comfort, comfort my people"; the Servant Songs; the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53
The New Creation: The Spirit-anointed Servant and the promise of new heavens and a new earth
Isaiah's vision in chapter 6 is the defining moment of the book. He sees the LORD high and lifted up, the seraphim crying "Holy, holy, holy," and the Temple filled with smoke. God is called "the Holy One of Israel" 26 times in this book alone. Everything else, judgment, comfort, redemption, flows from this reality.
Isaiah moves between two poles: the severity of God's judgment against sin and the tenderness of His comfort for the broken. Chapters 1–39 lean toward judgment. Chapters 40–66 lean toward comfort. Both are expressions of the same love. "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God" (40:1) is not a contradiction of the earlier warnings. It is their resolution.
Isaiah contains four "Servant Songs" (42:1–9, 49:1–13, 50:4–11, 52:13–53:12) that describe a mysterious figure who will bring justice to the nations, be a light to the Gentiles, suffer on behalf of others, and be vindicated by God. The New Testament identifies this Servant as Jesus.
The phrase "fear not" or "do not be afraid" appears more in Isaiah than in almost any other book. God says it to His people again and again: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God" (41:10). This is an invitation to transfer trust. You do not need to be afraid because the One who holds the universe holds you.
Isaiah ends with the most expansive vision of the future in the Old Testament: new heavens and a new earth (65:17, 66:22). God is not simply restoring what was lost. He is making something entirely new. This vision is picked up directly in Revelation 21–22 and fulfilled in Jesus, who declares "Behold, I am making all things new."
God is called the Go'el of Israel, the Kinsman-Redeemer who has both the right and the responsibility to rescue His people. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine" (43:1). This is the language of grace; God binds Himself to His people before they can do anything to deserve it.
"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (7:14). Matthew 1:23 quotes this directly at the nativity.
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given... And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (9:6). This is Jesus.
Isaiah 53 is the most detailed prophecy of the crucifixion in all of Scripture, written 700 years before it happened. "He was pierced for our transgressions... the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (53:5–6).
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor" (61:1). Jesus read this text in the synagogue in Luke 4 and said "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him" (11:1–2). Jesus is the Branch from David's line who fulfills every covenant promise.
Isaiah is the prophet's 66-chapter declaration that the Holy One of Israel, who judges sin, comforts the broken, and redeems the helpless, has sent His Servant to bear our iniquity, fulfill every promise, and make all things new. From the throne room of chapter 6 to the new creation of chapter 66, every page points to Jesus.
Two Hebrew words define the entire sweep of Isaiah: from the throne room of God to the cross of Christ. One names who God is. The other names what He does for those who cannot save themselves.
"Holy / The Holy One"
Qadosh, holy, is the defining word of Isaiah. God is called "The Holy One of Israel" 26 times in this book, more than in all the rest of the Old Testament combined. Qadosh means set apart, other, utterly distinct from everything created. When the seraphim cry "Holy, holy, holy" in Isaiah 6, the threefold repetition is the Hebrew way of expressing the superlative. God is not merely holy; He is the holiest conceivable being. This holiness is not cold or distant. It is the blazing purity of a love that cannot tolerate sin and cannot abandon its people. Isaiah's entire message flows from this word.
"Redeemer / To Redeem"
The word ga'al, redeemer, appears more in Isaiah than in any other book of the Bible. God is called the Go'el of Israel: the Kinsman-Redeemer who has both the right and the responsibility to rescue His people. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine" (43:1). In the ancient world, the go'el was the closest male relative who stepped in to rescue a family member from slavery, debt, or death. Isaiah uses this word to describe what God does for His exiled, broken, helpless people, and what Jesus does for us. He became our close relative in the Incarnation. He had the power to redeem. And He was willing to pay the price.
Isaiah has 66 chapters, the same number as the books of the Bible, and is often called "the Bible in miniature." The first 39 chapters mirror the Old Testament: law, history, prophecy, judgment. The last 27 mirror the New Testament: comfort, redemption, new creation. Read it slowly. Isaiah is not a book to rush. It is a book to inhabit.
This is where the guide becomes uniquely yours. These questions connect the message of Isaiah to your own life: your fear, your trust, your understanding of who God is, and the Servant who bore what you could not.
Isaiah 6 describes the prophet's encounter with the holiness of God, and his immediate response is "Woe is me, for I am ruined!" Before he can be sent, he must be undone. Have you ever had a moment where the holiness of God became real to you, not as a doctrine but as an experience? What happened? And how did that encounter change the way you live? If you have never had that moment, what do you think is standing between you and a genuine encounter with the living God?
Isaiah 53 is the most detailed prophecy of the crucifixion in all of Scripture, written 700 years before it happened. Read it slowly: "He was pierced for our transgressions... the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." This is not abstract theology; it is personal. What does it mean to you that someone bore your specific sin, your specific shame, your specific guilt? Is there something you are still carrying that you have not yet laid on Him?
Isaiah 40:31 says "Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." The word "hope" here is the Hebrew qavah: to wait, to expect, to be stretched toward. It is not passive resignation. It is active, expectant trust. Where in your life right now do you need to practice this kind of hope? What would it look like to stop striving and start waiting on God?
One-Sentence Summary
Isaiah is the prophet's 66-chapter declaration that the Holy One of Israel, who judges sin, comforts the broken, and redeems the helpless, has sent His Servant to bear our iniquity, fulfill every promise, and make all things new.
Lord, You are the Holy One of Israel, and I confess that I have not always treated You as holy. I have approached You casually, prayed to You carelessly, and lived as though You were manageable. Forgive me. Like Isaiah, I need the coal from the altar: the cleansing that only You can give. Thank You that You did not leave me in my sin. You sent Your Servant. He was pierced for my rebellion. He was crushed for my sin. And by His wounds, I am healed. I receive that today, not as a doctrine but as a reality. Send me, Lord. Here I am. Amen.
What is one thing I will do differently because of what I read today?
Isaiah 53 is the heart of the book and one of the most important chapters in all of Scripture. This week, read Isaiah 53 slowly, out loud, substituting your own name where it says "our" and "we." Let it become personal. "He was pierced for [your name]'s rebellion." Sit with that until it moves from your head to your heart.
Isaiah 40:1–11 is God's word of comfort to a people in exile. If you are in a hard season right now, a loss, a disappointment, a waiting room, read these verses every morning this week. Let "Comfort, comfort my people" be the first thing you hear before the noise of the day begins.
Isaiah 6:8 records one of the most important moments in the Bible: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" This week, ask God that question in prayer: Where do You want to send me? To whom? For what purpose? Then listen, and be willing to go.
Isaiah repeatedly warns against trusting in human alliances rather than in God (chapters 30–31). Where in your life are you trusting in your own plans, your own resources, or other people's approval more than in God? Identify one specific area this week and practice surrendering it: not once, but every time you feel the pull to take it back.
The Book of the Weeping Prophet · A reluctant prophet spends 40 years calling a nation back to God, watches them refuse, and weeps over the judgment he cannot stop, while carrying the promise of a new covenant that will change everything.
Jeremiah is the most personal of all the prophetic books. We see inside the prophet's heart: his doubts, his grief, his anger, his loneliness, and his unshakeable faithfulness to a God who called him before he was born. Jeremiah preaches for 40 years and sees almost no visible fruit. The nation does not repent. The Temple is destroyed. The people are exiled. And yet, in the darkest chapter of Israel's history, God makes His greatest promise: a new covenant, written not on stone but on the heart.
"But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days," says the LORD. "I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts." — Jeremiah 31:33
Jeremiah ministered during the most catastrophic period in Judah's history. Called as a young man in 627 BC, the thirteenth year of King Josiah, he would preach for over 40 years through the reigns of five kings, until Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 586 BC. He witnessed the death of the godly King Josiah, the brief reforms that did not last, the rise of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar, the first deportation of exiles (including Daniel), the siege of Jerusalem, the burning of the Temple, and the final exile of the people. Jeremiah was forbidden by God to marry, forbidden to mourn with the people, and forbidden to intercede for them because judgment was coming and could not be stopped. He was beaten, imprisoned, thrown into a cistern, and accused of treason. He preached faithfully for 40 years and saw almost no repentance. He is the most Christlike figure in the Old Testament: a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, rejected by his own people.
People: Jeremiah, Baruch (his scribe), King Josiah, King Jehoiakim, King Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Ebed-Melech (the Ethiopian who rescued Jeremiah from the cistern)
Places: Jerusalem, Anathoth (Jeremiah's hometown), the Temple, the potter's house, the Euphrates River, and Babylon
The Call and Early Warnings: Jeremiah's call before birth, the two visions, and the first warnings of judgment from the north
Temple Sermons and Confessions: The Temple sermon, the potter's house, the broken flask, and Jeremiah's raw laments to God
Kings, False Prophets, and Letters to Exiles: Oracles against the kings and the letter to the exiles: "Seek the welfare of the city"
The Book of Consolation: The promise of restoration, the new covenant, and "plans to prosper you" (29:11)
The Fall of Jerusalem: The final siege, the burning of the scroll, Jeremiah in the cistern, the fall of the city, and oracles against the nations
Jeremiah did not want the job. "Alas, Sovereign LORD," he said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young" (1:6). God's response: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" (1:5). Jeremiah's calling was not based on his ability or willingness. It was based on God's sovereign choice.
Jeremiah diagnoses the problem with devastating clarity: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (17:9). The people of Judah have a heart problem. They have forsaken the spring of living water and dug their own broken cisterns (2:13). No amount of preaching can fix what is broken at the root. Only God can.
Jeremiah is the most transparent prophet in Scripture. His "confessions" (chapters 11–20) are raw, honest, and sometimes shocking. He accuses God of deceiving him. He curses the day of his birth. He begs for vindication. And God meets him in every one of these moments: not always with comfort, but always with presence.
In the darkest moment of Israel's history, with the Temple burning and the people in chains, God makes His most extraordinary promise: "I will make a new covenant... I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts" (31:31–33). This is the promise Jesus fulfills at the Last Supper when He takes the cup and says "This is my blood of the new covenant."
In chapter 29, Jeremiah writes to the exiles in Babylon with a stunning command: "Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it" (29:7). This is not resignation. It is a theology of faithful presence. God's people are called to bless the places where they find themselves, even when those places are not home.
Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Spoken to people in exile, this promise is not that circumstances will change immediately. It is that God's purposes are good even in the long wait.
Jeremiah was called before he was born (1:5), just as Jesus was the eternal Son sent in the fullness of time (Luke 1:35).
Jeremiah was rejected by his own people, his own family, and his own hometown (11:21). Jesus came to His own and His own received Him not (John 1:11).
Jeremiah wept over Jerusalem's coming destruction. Jesus wept over Jerusalem too (Luke 19:41), grieving the same hardness of heart.
Jeremiah 31:31–34 is the promise Jesus seals with His own blood at the Last Supper (Luke 22:20). The writer of Hebrews calls it "better" (Hebrews 8:6).
Jeremiah was betrayed by close companions (20:10). Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Both suffered at the hands of those they came to serve.
Jeremiah is the story of a prophet who preached faithfully for 40 years with almost no visible results, wept over a nation that would not turn, and carried, in the darkest hour of Israel's history, the most extraordinary promise God ever made: a new covenant written not on stone but on the heart.
Two Hebrew words carry the entire weight of Jeremiah. One names the covenant God is making. The other names the prophet's most anguished cry, and God's most tender response.
"New Covenant"
Berit chadashah, "new covenant," appears for the first time in all of Scripture in Jeremiah 31:31. Berit means covenant, a binding, solemn agreement. Chadashah means new: not a repair of the old, but something entirely different in kind. The old covenant (Sinai) was written on stone tablets and depended on Israel's obedience. The new covenant will be written on the heart by God Himself, and it will not depend on human faithfulness but on divine grace. "I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more" (31:34). This is the promise Jesus quotes at the Last Supper (Luke 22:20) and the promise every believer lives under today.
"Return / Repent / Turn Back"
The Hebrew word shuv, to return, to turn back, to repent, is the most repeated word in Jeremiah, appearing over 100 times in various forms. God uses it as both a command and a lament: "Return, faithless Israel" (3:12). And heartbreakingly: "They do not know how to return" (8:5). Shuv is not merely an emotional feeling of regret. It is a physical turning, a change of direction, a reorientation of the whole person toward God. Jeremiah's entire ministry is a call to shuv. The people refuse. But the promise of the new covenant is that God will one day give His people a heart that can finally turn and stay turned.
Jeremiah has 52 chapters, and it is not arranged chronologically, which can be disorienting. Do not worry about the order. Read it as what it is: a collection of sermons, laments, letters, and prophecies from a man who gave everything for God and received very little in return. Read it asking: What does faithful obedience look like when there are no visible results?
This is where the guide becomes uniquely yours. These questions connect the story of Jeremiah to your own life: your calling, your faithfulness in hard seasons, and the new covenant that has already been written on your heart.
Jeremiah was called before he was born. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" (1:5). He did not choose his calling; it chose him. And it cost him everything: his comfort, his relationships, his freedom, and his reputation. What has God called you to that feels too hard, too costly, or too unlikely? What is the "I do not know how to speak; I am too young" excuse you are using? And what would it look like to say yes anyway?
Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things; who can understand it?" Jeremiah's diagnosis of the human heart is not flattering, and it is not meant to be. It is meant to drive us to the only One who can fix what is broken. Where in your life are you trusting your own heart: your own instincts, your own feelings, your own sense of what is right, more than God's Word? What would it look like to submit that area to Him this week?
In Jeremiah 29, God tells the exiles to "seek the peace and prosperity of the city" where they have been sent: to plant gardens, build houses, and pray for the place they did not choose. You may be in a season, a city, a job, or a relationship that you did not choose and would not have chosen. What would it look like to stop waiting to get out and start seeking the welfare of where you are? What would faithful presence look like in your current situation?
One-Sentence Summary
Jeremiah is the story of a prophet who preached faithfully for 40 years with almost no visible results, wept over a nation that would not turn, and carried, in the darkest hour of Israel's history, the most extraordinary promise God ever made: a new covenant written not on stone but on the heart.
Lord, You knew me before I was born. You set me apart before I had done anything to deserve it. Like Jeremiah, I often feel unqualified, unprepared, and unwilling. But You do not call the equipped; You equip the called. Touch my mouth. Put Your words in me. And give me the courage to speak what You give me, go where You send me, and trust You with the results I cannot see. Thank You for the new covenant: for writing Your law on my heart, for forgiving my wickedness, and for remembering my sins no more. I live under that covenant today. Help me live like it. Amen.
What is one thing I will do differently because of what I read today?
Jeremiah 1:5 says God knew you before He formed you in the womb. This week, write out Jeremiah 1:5 with your own name inserted: "Before I formed [your name] in the womb I knew [your name]." Let that truth sit with you. You are not an accident. You are not a surprise. You were known before you existed.
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, but read it in context. God is speaking to people in exile, telling them the exile will last 70 years. The promise is not that your circumstances will change immediately. It is that God's purposes are good even in the long wait. Where are you in a "70-year season"? What would it look like to trust His plans in the middle of it?
Jeremiah bought a field in the middle of a siege, a seemingly absurd act of faith that God commanded as a sign: "Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land." This week, identify one act of faith that seems absurd given your current circumstances. Something that says "I believe God's future is real" even when the present looks hopeless. Do it.
Jeremiah's "confessions" (chapters 11–20) show us a prophet who brought his full, unfiltered self to God, including his anger, his doubt, and his despair. God did not rebuke him for his honesty. He met him in it. This week, write out your own honest prayer to God. Do not edit it. Do not make it sound spiritual. Say what you actually feel, and then wait for Him to respond.
The Book of Holy Grief · A prophet sits in the ashes of a destroyed city, weeps without pretending, and discovers that God's mercies are new every morning, even in the ruins.
Lamentations is the Bible's permission slip to grieve. It is five poems of raw, unfiltered sorrow over the destruction of Jerusalem, and it does not rush to resolution. The poet weeps, accuses, confesses, and pleads. In the very center of the book, the exact middle, he finds something that does not move: "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (3:22–23). Grief and faith are not opposites. They are companions.
"The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." — Lamentations 3:22–23
Lamentations was written in the immediate aftermath of one of the most catastrophic events in Israel's history: the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 BC. The Temple was burned. The walls were torn down. The people were killed or carried into exile. Everything that had defined Israel's identity (the city, the Temple, the Davidic king, the presence of God) was gone. Lamentations is the poet's response to that devastation. It is not a theological treatise. It is a cry. The book is structured as five acrostic poems, four of them following the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, one letter per verse. This is not accidental. The acrostic structure suggests that the poet is trying to express grief in its totality: from A to Z, from aleph to taw. He is saying: I have said everything there is to say. And still the pain remains.
People: Traditionally Jeremiah, the prophet who warned of this destruction for 40 years and wept when it came
Places: Jerusalem (called "Daughter Zion"), the destroyed Temple, the city gates, and the roads to exile
The Desolation of Jerusalem: the city sits alone like a widow, she weeps bitterly, and her enemies have become her masters
The Anger of the LORD: God Himself has become like an enemy; His judgment has fallen on the city He loved; the poet calls for honest lament
The Center: Hope in the Darkness. This is the turning point of the book; in the middle of deepest grief, the poet remembers God's steadfast love and great faithfulness
The Siege and Its Aftermath: the horrors of the siege described, the fall of the king, and the failure of human leadership
A Prayer for Restoration: the community's final cry, a confession of sin, and a plea for God to restore and renew
Lamentations gives the people of God permission to grieve without pretending. The poet does not say "everything happens for a reason." He weeps. He accuses. He describes the horror in unflinching detail. And God preserved every word of it in Scripture. Grief that is brought to God is not the opposite of trust. It is trust in its most honest form.
Lamentations does not blame Babylon for Jerusalem's fall. It blames Israel's sin and God's righteous judgment. "The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word" (1:18). The poet acknowledges that God's warnings were real, that Israel's sin was real, and that the consequences were just. Honest grief begins with honest confession.
In the exact center of the book, chapter 3, verses 22–23, the poet makes a turn. Not because the circumstances have changed. But because he remembers. "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning." God's hesed is not cancelled by catastrophe. It is the one thing that survives.
One of the most honest moments in Lamentations is 3:8: "Though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer." The poet prays and hears nothing. This is not a crisis of faith. It is a description of a real experience that many believers know. Lamentations gives us language for the seasons when God feels absent.
The book does not end with resolution. Chapter 5 closes with a question: "Or have you utterly rejected us?" The answer is not given. The people are left waiting. But the waiting is not hopeless. It is the posture of those who know that God's steadfast love is real, even when they cannot feel it.
Four of the five poems follow the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This is the poet's way of saying: I have expressed grief in its totality. Every letter, every word, every cry has been brought before God. The structure itself is an act of faith, that even the most complete grief can be offered to God.
Jesus is the ultimate Man of Sorrows. Isaiah 53 describes Him as "acquainted with grief," and Lamentations gives us the vocabulary for that grief. When Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), He was weeping the same tears the poet of Lamentations wept.
When Jesus cried from the cross "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He was entering the silence of Lamentations 3:8. He did not avoid the ruins. He entered them. He sat in the ash heap. He bore the judgment.
Jesus rose on the third day, the ultimate "new every morning." His resurrection is the final answer to every lament. The mercies that are new each morning find their source in the empty tomb.
Lamentations 1:12: "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow." The early church read this as a portrait of Christ on the cross, the one whose suffering surpassed all others.
Jesus does not merely stop the destruction. He restores what was lost, and more. The new Jerusalem of Revelation 21 is the final answer to the ruined Jerusalem of Lamentations. God's last word is not ash. It is glory.
Lamentations is the Bible's permission to grieve without pretending: five poems of raw, honest sorrow over Jerusalem's ruins that find, in the exact center of the darkness, the one thing that does not move: the steadfast love of a God whose mercies are new every morning and whose faithfulness is great.
Two Hebrew words carry the entire weight of Lamentations. One names the grief that fills the book. The other names the love that refuses to let it be the final word.
"How? / Alas! / How Could This Happen?"
The Hebrew word eichah, "how?" or "alas!", is the first word of the book and gives Lamentations its Hebrew name. It is a cry of stunned disbelief: How could this have happened? How could the city that was full of people now sit alone? How could the LORD have done this to the city He loved? Eichah is not a theological question. It is a gut-level cry of grief. It appears at the opening of chapters 1, 2, and 4, marking the structure of the book. It is the language of someone who cannot believe what they are seeing. It is the first honest word of grief. And God receives it.
"Steadfast Love / Covenant Faithfulness"
In the center of the book, the exact middle of Lamentations, the poet reaches for the one word that can hold the weight of everything he has described: hesed. "The steadfast love (hesed) of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end" (3:22). Hesed is the covenant love of God, the love that is not based on the worthiness of the recipient but on the faithfulness of the One who gives it. It is the love that pursued Israel through the wilderness, that preserved a remnant through the exile, and that sent Jesus to the cross. Hesed does not cancel grief. It outlasts it. The poet has said everything there is to say about the ruins. And then he remembers: hesed. And that is enough to keep going.
Lamentations has only 5 chapters. It can be read in a single sitting. But do not rush it. This is a book meant to be felt. Read it slowly, letting the weight of each poem land. Ask as you read: What is the poet feeling? What does he know about God even in the darkest moment? And where do I find myself in this grief?
This is where the guide becomes uniquely yours. These questions connect the grief of Lamentations to your own life: your losses, your seasons of silence, and the steadfast love that is new every morning even in the ruins.
Lamentations does not rush to resolution. The poet sits in the ruins and describes them in detail, chapter after chapter, before he reaches the turning point in chapter 3. We live in a culture that wants to skip the grief and get to the lesson. Is there a loss, a disappointment, or a grief in your life that you have been rushing past rather than sitting with? What would it look like to bring that grief honestly to God: not to perform it, but to actually let Him meet you in it?
The turning point of Lamentations is not a change in circumstances; it is a choice to remember. "This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope" (3:21). The poet does not feel better. The ruins are still there. But he chooses to remember what he knows about God. Is there a truth about God that you know in your head but have not been choosing to remember in your current season? What would it look like to make that choice today: not to pretend the pain is gone, but to say "this I call to mind"?
Lamentations 3:22–23 says God's mercies are "new every morning." Not new every year. Not new when things get better. New every morning. What would it look like to begin each day this week by receiving God's mercy as genuinely new: not carrying yesterday's failures, not dreading tomorrow's unknowns, but receiving this morning as a fresh gift of His faithfulness? What would have to change in your morning routine for that to be real?
One-Sentence Summary
Lamentations is the Bible's permission to grieve without pretending: five poems of raw, honest sorrow over Jerusalem's ruins that find, in the exact center of the darkness, the one thing that does not move. The steadfast love of a God whose mercies are new every morning and whose faithfulness is great.
Lord, You are the God who sits with us in the ruins. You do not demand that we pretend. You do not require that we perform. You receive our grief, all of it, and You meet us there. Thank You that Your steadfast love never ceases. Thank You that Your mercies are new this morning, not because I have earned them, but because You are faithful. In the seasons when I cannot feel You, help me to remember what I know. Help me to say with the poet: "This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope." Great is Your faithfulness. Even here. Even now. Amen.
What is one thing I will do differently because of what I read today?
Lamentations 3:22–23 is the center of the book and one of the most important verses in all of Scripture. This week, memorize it. Write it on a card. Set it as your phone wallpaper. Say it out loud every morning before you check your phone. Let it be the first truth you speak into the day: "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
The poet of Lamentations sat with his grief before he moved through it. This week, if you are carrying a loss, a disappointment, or a grief, do not rush past it. Set aside 15 minutes to write it out honestly before God. Not a polished prayer, just the truth of what you are feeling. Then read Lamentations 3:19–26 over what you have written. Let God's Word speak into your specific pain.
Lamentations 3:25–26 says "The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." This week, practice waiting quietly. Before you reach for your phone in the morning, sit in silence for five minutes. No music, no podcast, no scroll. Just wait. Let God be the first voice you hear.
The book of Lamentations was read aloud in Jewish communities on the anniversary of Jerusalem's destruction: a communal act of grief and remembrance. Is there someone in your life who is in a season of grief right now? This week, do not try to fix it or explain it. Simply show up. Sit with them. Let your presence be your ministry, the way God's presence is the ministry of Lamentations.
The Book of the Glory of God · A priest-turned-prophet sees the glory of God depart from a corrupt Temple, watches Jerusalem fall, and receives the most breathtaking vision of restoration in all of Scripture: dry bones rising, a new Temple, and the glory returning.
Ezekiel is the prophet of the glory of God. His central concern is not politics or military strategy; it is the presence of God. He watches the glory of the LORD depart from the Temple because of Israel's sin (chapters 8–11). He preaches through the fall of Jerusalem. And then, in the second half of the book, he receives vision after vision of what God will do: a valley of dry bones raised to life, a new shepherd, a new heart, a new spirit, a new Temple, and the glory returning. The book ends with a new name for the city: "The LORD is there."
"I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart." Ezekiel 36:26
Ezekiel was a priest who was taken into exile in Babylon in 597 BC, eleven years before Jerusalem finally fell. He ministered among the exiles on the banks of the Chebar River, a canal near the city of Nippur. His prophetic ministry began in 593 BC with a stunning vision of God's glory: a chariot-throne of fire, four living creatures, and wheels within wheels. It continued for at least 22 years. Ezekiel is one of the most dramatic and visually intense books in the Bible. God calls him to perform elaborate sign-acts: lying on his side for 390 days, shaving his head, cooking food over dung, and refusing to mourn his wife's death. These are not performances. They are embodied prophecies. Ezekiel's ministry divides into two phases: before the fall of Jerusalem (chapters 1–24, judgment) and after the fall (chapters 25–48, restoration). The pivot point is the news of Jerusalem's fall in chapter 33.
People: Ezekiel, the elders of Israel in exile, the "watchman" (Ezekiel's role), and the four living creatures of the vision
Places: Babylon, the Chebar River, Jerusalem (seen in visions), the valley of dry bones, and the visionary new Temple
The Call: Ezekiel's vision of God's glory and his commission as a watchman to the house of Israel
Judgment on Jerusalem: Sign-acts, visions of the Temple's corruption, the glory departing, and oracles of coming destruction
Oracles Against the Nations: God's judgment on Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt
Visions of Restoration: The new shepherd, the valley of dry bones, the new heart and spirit, and the defeat of Gog and Magog
The New Temple: A detailed vision of a restored Temple, a new land, and the glory of God returning. The city is named "The LORD is there."
The Hebrew word kavod, glory, is the heartbeat of Ezekiel. The book opens with a vision of God's overwhelming, mobile, unstoppable glory. It then records the most devastating moment in Israel's history: the glory departing from the Temple because of sin (chapters 8–11). And it ends with the glory returning to a new Temple (chapter 43). Everything in between is the story of what happens when God's glory is absent, and the promise of what it looks like when it comes back.
Ezekiel 18 is one of the most important chapters in the Old Testament on personal accountability. The people were saying "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge," blaming their situation on previous generations. God's response is direct: "The one who sins is the one who will die." Every person stands before God on their own. This is not harsh. It is liberating.
God calls Ezekiel a "watchman" (3:17, 33:7), someone stationed on the wall whose job is to warn the city of coming danger. If the watchman sees danger and does not warn, the blood of the people is on his hands. If he warns and they do not listen, he has done his job. This is one of the most sobering descriptions of prophetic ministry in Scripture, and it applies to every believer who has been entrusted with the gospel.
Ezekiel 37 is one of the most famous passages in the Old Testament. The prophet stands in a valley of dry bones, the picture of a nation that is dead, scattered, and hopeless. God asks: "Can these bones live?" And then He breathes life into them. This is not merely a metaphor for national restoration. It is a picture of resurrection, of the Spirit of God bringing life where there is only death.
Ezekiel 36:26–27 is one of the most extraordinary promises in all of Scripture: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees." This is not a call to try harder. It is a promise of transformation from the inside out.
The book ends with a vision of the glory of God returning to a new Temple (chapter 43) and a new name for the city: "The LORD is there" (48:35). This is the theological climax of the entire book. Where God's glory is, there is life. The departure of the glory was the greatest tragedy. Its return is the greatest promise.
The title "son of man" is used over 90 times for Ezekiel, and it is the title Jesus most often used for Himself. Jesus was claiming the identity of the one who stands before God on behalf of His people.
The new shepherd of Ezekiel 34, who will seek the lost, bind the broken, and feed the flock, is Jesus. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11).
Ezekiel 36:26–27 is fulfilled at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit is poured out. The new heart and new spirit God promised is given to every believer through Christ.
The valley of dry bones is enacted at the resurrection. Jesus is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20), the proof that dry bones can live.
The new Temple of Ezekiel 40–48 finds its fulfillment in Jesus, who declared "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days" (John 2:19), and ultimately in the new Jerusalem of Revelation 21, where God Himself is the Temple.
Ezekiel is the prophet's witness to the most devastating loss in Israel's history, the departure of God's glory, and the most extraordinary promise in Scripture: that the glory will return, the dry bones will rise, the heart of stone will become flesh, and the city will be named "The LORD is there."
Two Hebrew words carry the entire weight of Ezekiel. One names the glory that defines the book. The other names the life-giving breath that makes restoration possible.
"Glory / The Weight of God's Presence"
Kavod, glory, is the most important word in Ezekiel. Its root meaning is "weight" or "heaviness." The glory of God is not a light thing. It is the overwhelming, tangible, visible manifestation of who God is. Ezekiel's opening vision (chapters 1–3) is the most elaborate description of God's glory in all of Scripture: a chariot-throne of fire, four living creatures, wheels within wheels, and the sound of rushing water. This glory then does the unthinkable: it departs from the Temple (chapters 8–11), moving slowly, reluctantly, as if God is giving Israel every chance to repent before He leaves. And then, in chapter 43, it returns. The entire book is structured around the movement of kavod. Where God's glory is, there is life. Where it is absent, there is death.
"Spirit / Wind / Breath"
The Hebrew word ruach, meaning spirit, wind, or breath, appears over 50 times in Ezekiel, more than in almost any other book of the Bible. It is the same word used in Genesis 1:2 when "the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." In Ezekiel 37, God commands the prophet to call on the ruach to breathe life into the valley of dry bones, and the dead rise. In Ezekiel 36:27, God promises: "I will put my Spirit (ruach) in you and move you to follow my decrees." The ruach is not a force or an energy. It is the personal, life-giving presence of God Himself. Every new birth, every act of genuine repentance, every moment of spiritual life is the ruach of God at work. Pentecost is Ezekiel 37 fulfilled.
Ezekiel has 48 chapters, and it is one of the most visually intense books in the Bible. Do not try to decode every symbol. Read it for the big movements: the glory departing, the judgment falling, and the glory returning. Ask as you read: Where is God's presence in this passage? And what does it cost when it is absent?
This is where the guide becomes uniquely yours. These questions connect the visions of Ezekiel to your own life: the glory you have been chasing, the dry bones you are sitting in, and the new heart God has promised.
Ezekiel watches the glory of God depart from the Temple: slowly, reluctantly, step by step, because of Israel's sin. The departure is not sudden. It is a long, grieving withdrawal. Is there an area of your life where you sense that God's presence has grown dim, not because He has left, but because something has been crowding Him out? What is it? And what would it look like to remove it and make room for His glory to return?
Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones, is God's answer to the question "Can these bones live?" The prophet's honest answer is "Sovereign LORD, you alone know." He does not pretend to know what God can do. He simply obeys and prophesies. Is there a situation in your life, a relationship, a dream, a ministry, a person, that feels like dry bones to you? What would it look like to stop writing it off and start prophesying over it, speaking God's Word into what feels dead?
Ezekiel 36:26 promises "I will give you a new heart." This is not a self-improvement program. It is a divine transplant. God does not renovate the old heart; He replaces it. If you are a follower of Jesus, this has already happened to you. But are you living like it? Are there areas of your life where you are still operating out of the old heart, the stone, the stubbornness, the self-protection, rather than the new one? What would it look like to ask the Holy Spirit to activate what He has already placed in you?
One-Sentence Summary
Ezekiel is the prophet's witness to the most devastating loss in Israel's history, the departure of God's glory, and the most extraordinary promise in Scripture: that the glory will return, the dry bones will rise, the heart of stone will become flesh, and the city will be named "The LORD is there."
Lord, You are the God whose glory fills the Temple, and whose glory fills me by Your Spirit. I confess that I have allowed things into my life that crowd You out: distractions, sins, idols I have not named. Forgive me. Remove what does not belong. And let Your glory return to every room I have kept closed to You. Breathe on the dry bones in my life. Give me the new heart You have promised. And let the name over my life be the same as the name over the city: "The LORD is there." Amen.
What is one thing I will do differently because of what I read today?
Ezekiel 1 describes the glory of God in overwhelming, almost incomprehensible terms: fire, living creatures, wheels within wheels, the sound of rushing water. This week, read Ezekiel 1 slowly and let it recalibrate your sense of who God is. We often shrink God to fit our circumstances. Ezekiel 1 is the antidote. Read it aloud if you can. Let the weight of it land.
Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones, ends with God saying "I will put my Spirit in you and you will live." This week, identify one area of your life that feels spiritually dry or dead. Write it down. Then pray Ezekiel 37:14 over it: "I will put my Spirit in you and you will live." Do this every day for a week. Do not evaluate the results. Just prophesy.
Ezekiel 36:26 promises a new heart, but many believers live as though they still have the old one. This week, ask the Holy Spirit to show you one specific area where you are still operating out of old patterns: fear, control, bitterness, self-reliance. Then ask Him to activate the new heart He has already given you. Cooperate with what He is already doing.
God calls Ezekiel a "watchman," someone responsible for warning others of danger. Every believer carries some version of this calling. This week, ask God: Who has He placed in your life that needs to hear the truth? A friend, a family member, a colleague? You do not have to have all the answers. You just have to be willing to speak. Ask God for the courage and the words.
The Book of the Sovereign God · A young man refuses to compromise in a pagan empire, God vindicates him through lions and fire, and the most sweeping visions of history and the end of all things are revealed.
Daniel is a book about who is really in charge. Empires rise and fall. Kings demand worship. Furnaces are heated seven times hotter. Lions are hungry. And through it all, one truth remains unmoved: the Most High God rules over the kingdoms of men and gives them to whom He will (4:17). Daniel does not survive because he is brave. He survives because his God is sovereign. And the visions of chapters 7–12 declare that this sovereignty extends to the end of history itself.
"He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light." — Daniel 2:22
Daniel was taken to Babylon in 605 BC as a teenager, part of the first wave of exiles under Nebuchadnezzar. He was selected for training in the royal court because of his intelligence and appearance, and he served in the courts of Babylon and Persia for over 70 years. The book divides into two distinct halves: chapters 1–6 are narrative, with stories of Daniel and his friends in the royal court, and chapters 7–12 are apocalyptic, with visions of world empires, the end of history, and the coming of the Son of Man. Daniel is one of only two books in the Old Testament written partly in Aramaic, the international language of the ancient Near East, which signals that its message is for all nations, not just Israel. The book was written to encourage faithful Jews living under pagan rule: God has not lost control. He knows the end from the beginning. And His kingdom will outlast every empire.
People: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, King Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius the Mede, Cyrus of Persia, and the angel Gabriel
Places: Jerusalem (where Daniel was taken from), Babylon (the royal court, the furnace, the lions' den), and the Persian court
Faithful in the Small Things: Daniel and his friends refuse the king's food and are blessed by God; faithfulness begins with the daily choices
Stories of Faithfulness: The statue and the furnace, the humbling of kings, and Daniel in the lions' den
Visions of World Empires: The four beasts, the Ancient of Days, and the Son of Man coming on the clouds
Daniel's Great Prayer: Confession, intercession, the 70 weeks, and the angel's response
The End of All Things: The great tribulation, Michael the archangel, and the promise of resurrection
The phrase "the Most High rules" echoes through Daniel like a drumbeat. Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man on earth, is driven to eat grass like an animal until he acknowledges that heaven rules (4:26). Belshazzar sees his kingdom weighed and found wanting in a single night (5:27). Empire after empire rises and falls. And through it all, God's throne does not move. Daniel is the Bible's most sustained argument that no human power, however vast, is beyond God's control.
Daniel and his friends are the model of faithful living in a culture that demands compromise. They refuse the king's food (chapter 1). They refuse to bow to the statue (chapter 3). Daniel refuses to stop praying (chapter 6). In each case, the cost is real: the furnace, the lions' den, the threat of death. And in each case, God meets them in the fire. Daniel teaches us that faithfulness is not the absence of pressure. It is the presence of God in the middle of it.
Daniel prayed three times a day, facing Jerusalem, even when it was illegal (6:10). He did not pray because it was safe. He prayed because it was necessary. His great prayer in chapter 9 is one of the most beautiful prayers of confession and intercession in all of Scripture. Daniel's entire life is sustained by prayer. The visions come through prayer. The wisdom comes through prayer. The deliverance comes through prayer.
Daniel 7:13–14 is one of the most important passages in the entire Old Testament: "I saw one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven... He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him." This is the title Jesus used for Himself more than any other, and He quoted Daniel 7 at His trial before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:64).
Daniel 12:2 contains one of the clearest statements of bodily resurrection in the Old Testament: "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." The same God who delivered Daniel from the lions and his friends from the furnace will deliver His people from death itself.
The statue of chapter 2 represents four great world empires, each rising and falling. And then a stone cut without human hands strikes the statue and becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth (2:34–35). That stone is God's kingdom: the malku that will never be destroyed, never left to another people, and never end (2:44). Every human empire is temporary. God's kingdom is eternal.
The "Son of Man" of Daniel 7 is the title Jesus claimed for Himself: the one who comes on the clouds, receives all authority, and reigns forever. Jesus quoted this passage at His trial (Matthew 26:64).
The fourth figure in the furnace, "like a son of the gods" (3:25), is widely understood as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, present with His people in the fire.
Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy (9:24–27) is one of the most precise Messianic prophecies in Scripture, pointing to the exact timing of the Messiah's coming and death.
Daniel's resurrection promise (12:2) is fulfilled in Jesus: the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20). Jesus is the proof that the dead will rise.
Jesus is the stone cut without human hands (2:34): the one whose kingdom will crush every other and fill the whole earth. His kingdom has no end (Luke 1:33).
Daniel is the story of a young man who chose faithfulness over comfort in a hostile empire, and the God who vindicated him: through fire, through lions, and through visions of a coming Son of Man whose kingdom will never end.
Two words, one Aramaic and one Hebrew, carry the entire theological weight of Daniel. One names the kingdom that will never end. The other names the man who will receive it.
Kingdom / Reign / Dominion
The Aramaic word malku, kingdom, is the most important word in Daniel, appearing over 50 times, and always being compared: the kingdoms of men versus the kingdom of God. Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom is vast, but it is given to him by the Most High and can be taken away in a night (4:31–32). The statue of chapter 2 represents four great world empires, each rising and falling. And then a stone cut without human hands strikes the statue and becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth (2:34–35). That stone is God's kingdom, the malku that will never be destroyed, never left to another people, and never end (2:44). Every human empire is temporary. God's kingdom is eternal. Daniel was written so that exiles living under Babylon's shadow would know: the kingdom that matters is not the one you can see.
Son of Man
In Daniel 7:13, the prophet sees a vision: "I saw one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away." Bar enash, son of man, means literally "a human being." But this figure is no ordinary human. He comes on the clouds, a divine prerogative. He receives universal worship, reserved for God alone. And He is given an eternal kingdom. Jesus quoted this passage at His trial (Matthew 26:64) and used "Son of Man" as His most frequent self-designation, over 80 times in the Gospels. He was not being humble. He was making a claim. He is the one Daniel saw.
Daniel has 12 chapters. They form two very different halves. Chapters 1–6 read like gripping narrative: a young man in a foreign court, a fiery furnace, a den of lions. Chapters 7–12 shift to apocalyptic vision: sweeping, symbolic, and sometimes difficult. Read the first half for inspiration. Read the second half for perspective. Both halves answer the same question: Is God in control?
This is where the guide becomes uniquely yours. These questions connect the story of Daniel to your own life: your faithfulness under pressure, your prayer life, and your confidence in the God who rules over every empire.
Daniel's faithfulness began with a small, private decision. He refused the king's food when no one important was watching. It was not a dramatic moment. It was a daily one. What are the small, daily decisions in your life right now where you are being asked to compromise? Where is the culture: your workplace, your social circle, your entertainment, quietly pressuring you to defile yourself in ways that seem minor but are not? What would it look like to draw a line in the dining hall before you ever face the furnace?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said something remarkable before they were thrown into the furnace: "Our God is able to deliver us, but even if he does not, we will not bow" (3:17–18). They did not make their faithfulness conditional on deliverance. They trusted God's sovereignty even if it meant death. Is there an area of your life where your obedience to God is conditional; where you are essentially saying "I will follow You if You come through for me"? What would it look like to move from conditional to unconditional trust?
Daniel prayed three times a day, facing Jerusalem, even when it was illegal. Prayer was not a crisis response for Daniel. It was a daily discipline. It was the rhythm that sustained everything else. What is your current prayer life like, honest answer? Is it a daily discipline or a crisis response? What would it look like to build a consistent, structured prayer rhythm into your day: not because you feel like it, but because, like Daniel, you know you cannot survive without it?
One-Sentence Summary
Daniel is the story of a young man who chose faithfulness over comfort in a hostile empire, and the God who vindicated him: through fire, through lions, and through visions of a coming Son of Man whose kingdom will never end.
Lord, You are the Most High, and You rule over every empire, every election, every boardroom, and every moment of my life. When the world feels out of control, remind me that it is not out of Your control. Give me Daniel's courage to draw lines in the small places before I am tested in the large ones. Give me the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: to trust You even if You do not deliver me the way I expect. And give me Daniel's prayer life, consistent, disciplined, and unashamed. You are the Ancient of Days. Your kingdom will never end. And I am Yours. Amen.
What is one thing I will do differently because of what I read today?
Daniel resolved not to defile himself before the pressure came (1:8). This week, identify one area of your life where the culture is asking you to compromise: slowly, quietly, without drama. Name it. Write it down. And make a decision about it before the pressure intensifies. The time to decide where your lines are is before you are standing at the furnace door.
Daniel 6:10 says that when Daniel learned the decree was signed, "he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed." He did not change his routine. He did not hide. He simply kept doing what he had always done. This week, establish or recommit to a specific, daily prayer time: same time, same place. Not when you feel like it. Every day.
Daniel 9 contains one of the greatest prayers in Scripture: a prayer of corporate confession on behalf of his people. Daniel had not personally committed the sins he was confessing. He identified with his community and stood in the gap. This week, pray for someone or something beyond yourself: your church, your city, your nation. Confess on behalf of others. Intercede. Stand in the gap.
The book of Daniel ends with these words to Daniel: "Go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance" (12:13). That is God's word to every faithful believer. Go your way. Be faithful where you are. The end of the story is already written, and it ends in resurrection. Let that reality change how you face this week.
The Redemption Story Bible Study Companion