OUR DAILY BREAD 11 DECEMBER 2024 DEVOTIONAL, WEDNESDAY ODB MESSAGE
TOPIC: God Will Answer
BIBLE IN YEAR: Hosea 5-8; Revelation 2
KEY VERSE: Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. – Jeremiah 29:12
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Jeremiah 29:10-14
TODAY’S ODB INSIGHT
Seventy years is a long time, but the faithful prophet Daniel lived to see the promise of God made through Jeremiah come true. Reading the book of Jeremiah’s prophecies, Daniel realized that the time for returning to Jerusalem was drawing close, and so he prayed that God would remember His promise and redeem His people (Daniel 9:1-3). God’s response was to give Daniel a picture of what He planned to do with and through His people in the future.
But God hadn’t forgotten His promise either. In the first year of his reign, the new Persian king, Cyrus, began returning the exiled Jews to their homeland (2 Chronicles 36:22-23). Daniel, who’d left for Babylon as a teenager (Daniel 1:6-7), was now an old man. He’d served wicked kings and not-so-wicked kings. Through it all, God protected him and the Jewish people, and the elderly prophet saw his prayer answered as God’s people returned home.
OUR DAILY BREAD 11 DECEMBER 2024 – WEDNESDAY ODB DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE:
When Pastor Timothy wears his preacher collar while traveling, he often gets stopped by strangers. “Pray for me, please,” people in the airport say when they see the clerical band atop his simple dark suit. On a recent flight, a woman knelt by his seat when she noticed him, pleading: “Are you a pastor? Would you pray for me?” And Pastor Timothy prayed.
A passage in Jeremiah sheds light on why we perceive that God hears and answers prayer: God cares! He assured His beloved but sinful, exiled people, “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you’ ” (29:11). God anticipated a time when they would return to Him. “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me,” He said, “and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (vv. 12-13).
The prophet learned this and more about prayer while confined to prison. God assured him, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (33:3).
Jesus also urges us to pray. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him,” He said (Matthew 6:8). So “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” in prayer (7:7). Every petition we make draws us closer to the one who answers. We don’t have to be a stranger to God in prayer. He knows us and wants to hear from us. We can take our concerns to Him right now.
REFLECT: How often do you pray? What will you say to God today?
PRAY: Your care and knowledge of me inspire my prayers, dear God. Thank You for answering.
ALSO, READ Streams of Joy 10 December 2024 Daily Devotional – More Results
Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet
PRAYER OF SALVATION
Accept God’s free gift of Salvation Do you want to have a personal relationship with God? We invite you to accept His free gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)You can pray the following prayer right now to ask God to come into your heart so that you can receive the miracle of new birth:
‘Almighty God, I come to you today. I confess that I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus Christ came to this world, he died on the cross for my sins, and rose again triumphant on the third day. Right now I repent of my sins, and ask Jesus Christ to come into my life to be my Lord and personal Saviour. I believe according to your Word that I am now saved. Thank you Jesus for saving me from my sins. In Jesus Name, amen.’If you have prayed the prayer above – congratulations! There is much rejoicing in heaven!