Daily Word Capsule

DATE - June 30th, 2022 TOPIC - The Spirit of Praise BIBLE TEXT - Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! - Psalm 148:13 This psalm is an expression of corporate praise at its highest: angels, stars and skies, mountains and hills, wild animals, kings and rulers, all people everywhere, even old men and children—all are commanded to praise the name of the Lord. Why? Because each of these are expressions of his grandeur and glory! Because every created thing in heaven and on earth exists because God spoke them into existence and sustains them by the word of his power!  This is the spirit of praise that we will all be ushered into when every knee will bow at Christ’s second coming. That is a wondrous thought, but this psalm is also a call to us today to get caught up in the spirit of praise, which is continually going on in heaven. Read this psalm aloud to God and ask the Spirit to give you great fr...

DATE - June 29th, 2022 TOPIC - What God Delights In BIBLE TEXT - The strength of a horse does not impress him; how puny in his sight is the strength of a man. Rather, the Lord’s delight is in those who honor him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love. - Psalm 147:10-11 In this psalm we discover an important secret about relating to the Lord. Our great and mighty God, who has absolute power over everything in heaven and on earth, is not impressed with powerful people. Those who are strong and mighty in their own strength don’t get God’s attention. Instead, it is the brokenhearted and humble he notices and supports (Psalm 147:3,6). He chooses to work not through those who are strong but through those who are weak. And most of all, we don’t earn his approval by being great or strong. He delights in those who reverently honor him and put their hope and trust in his unfailing love and mercy, not in their own ability. Today, if you’ve put your hope in anyone or anythi...

DATE - June 28, 2022 TOPIC - A God Who Rescues BIBLE TEXT - Jehoahaz prayed for the Lord’s help, and the Lord heard his prayer. The Lord could see how terribly the king of Aram was oppressing Israel. So the Lord raised up a deliverer to rescue the Israelites from the tyranny of the Arameans. Then Israel lived in safety again as they had in former days. - 2 Kings 13:4-5 Jehoahaz, king of Israel, lived an evil life. He committed all the sins of Jeroboam and continued leading the nation into the sin of idolatry. So the Lord had turned the people of Israel over to be oppressed by the Arameans. But even though Jehoahaz had been a failure and disobedient to God as a king, when he sought the Lord’s help, God heard. And seeing the terrible oppression Israel was living under, he intervened. He raised up a deliverer and savior (a foreshadowing of Christ), one who rescued them from tyranny, and Israel once again lived in safety and peace. If God will do this for an evil king and an...

DATE - June 27th, 2022 TOPIC - All about God BIBLE TEXT - Bless the Lord, who is my rock. He gives me strength for war and skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my deliverer. He stands before me as a shield, and I take refuge in him. - Psalm 144:1-2 As humans, we just naturally tend to be self-absorbed, so it is easy to get things all turned around and think that the Christian life is all about me—all about my disciplines and my effort, all about my problems and what I can do to solve them. But this wonderful psalm is one that pulls us back to the center, back to the truth: it’s all about God, not about me! It’s about God’s strength and skill, not my puny efforts. It’s about God’s shelter and deliverance and protection, not my efforts to watch out for myself.  As we use these verses to praise the Lord who is our rock, our loving ally, our fortress and tower of safety, our deliverer and shield, we will find our rest and refuge in ...

DATE - June 25th, 2022 TOPIC - The Power of Praise BIBLE TEXT - Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! - Acts 16:25-26 Paul and Silas’s praise lifted their eyes from their dire circumstances in a filthy prison to the God who was able to deliver them. They had been stripped and beaten and then thrown into the inner prison with their feet fastened into stocks. It would have been natural for these two disciples to be fearful or to just give up. But instead, they prayed and sang hymns to God! The other prisoners heard their praise—the throne of God heard their worship. The Lord delivered them with a mighty earthquake that rocked the prison to its core, causing the doors to open and the prisoners’ chains to fall off. Are you shaken by your own circumstan...

DATE - June 24th, 2022 TOPIC - God’s Strength Is Greater BIBLE TEXT - “Ah, my lord, what will we do now?” [Elisha’s servant] cried out to Elisha. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened his servant’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. - 2 Kings 6:15-17 The Aramean army was advancing. Enemy horses, troops, and chariots were everywhere, surrounding the city with the express purpose of seizing Elisha. No wonder his servant was petrified when he woke up to the sight of a massive army bearing down on them. When the servant cried out to his master, Elisha shared how he perceived in spirit the might of the Lord, which was far greater than the forces opposing them. And when Elisha prayed for God to open his servant’s eyes so that he, too, can see what Elisha has seen, immediately he ...

DATE - June 23rd, 2022 TOPIC - A God We Can Count On BIBLE TEXT - O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help! . . . Take control of what I say, O Lord, and keep my lips sealed. Don’t let me lust for evil things; don’t let me participate in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do evil. - Psalm 141:1-4 In this psalm David not only called on the Lord for protection from the enemies that were hunting him down; he also cried out to God and counted on him to do a deep work within his own heart. He needed God to set a guard over his lips and prevent wrong speech, to preserve his heart, to deliver him from lust and evil desires that would lead to wicked acts, and to so work within David that he would welcome reproof from godly people.  He knew he couldn’t depend on his flesh and human effort. They are too weak and too easily led astray. He relied instead on God’s heart-changing power to be at work within him....