Words of Hope Daily Devotional
START EVERY DAY WITH HOPE
Get the Words of Hope Devotional and get daily encouragement to love God, read His Word, and meet with Him in prayer. Available in print and email.
START EVERY DAY WITH HOPE
Get the Words of Hope Devotional and get daily encouragement to love God, read His Word, and meet with Him in prayer. Available in print and email.
THE DEVOTIONAL IS AVAILABLE IN YOUR EMAIL AND IN PRINT.
The Words of Hope Devotional is a non-profit, donor-supported publication whose goal is to encourage readers to grow in faith through the practice of daily Bible reading and prayer.
DINNER WITH JESUS
Breakfast on the Beach
Jesus in the Old Testament
Read: Acts 8:26-40
Beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. (v. 35)
The traveler from Ethiopia is a somewhat mysterious figure. Drawn to worship at the temple in Jerusalem, he was in a position of great authority in his own country. When we meet him, he’s reading the prophecy of Isaiah when an angel of the Lord (v. 26) and the Spirit of the Lord (v. 39) conspire to direct Philip to join him. When asked by Philip if he understood what he was reading, the eunuch unashamedly invited Philip to join him and explain it.
The portion of Scripture that the Ethiopian was reading was Isaiah 53, and this remarkable event teaches us at least two things. First, every verse in the Old Testament points to Jesus. Paul says as much: “All the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor. 1:20). When you are reading the Old Testament don’t be surprised to find yourself looking in the face of Jesus.
And here is the second thing this passage teaches us: we must always be ready to testify to Jesus to anyone at any time. I seriously doubt that Philip had any idea when he woke up that morning what God had in store for him. Peter makes this adamant claim on our lives: “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15-16 NRSV). Are you ready too?
As you pray, ask God to make you ready to speak to whomever he brings your way.
Dr. Timothy Brown is the Henry Bast Professor of Preaching and President Emeritus at Western Theological Seminary where he served from 1995-2021. Tim continues to actively coach and encourage former students and pastors who seek help in their preaching life and he has become a certified public school substitute teacher so that he can continue investing in the lives of young people. He is married to Nancy and together they have three children and ten grandchildren.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rev. First Last
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, including Why Doesn’t God Act More Like God, Christ in the Psalms, and A Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
Not Alone
Read: Psalm 34 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted. (v. 18) When I was 21, I was diagnosed with a mental illness. The diagnosis stung. I knew God created me, yet I was ashamed. I prayed, but I couldn’t
The God Who Keeps Us
Read: Psalm 121 My help comes from the LORD. (v. 2) When my son was eight weeks old, he stopped breathing. After dozens of hospitalizations and through the passing years, I still find myself afraid for him. I still find
The Silence and Salvation of God
Read: Psalm 22 Remember and turn to the LORD. (v. 27) When I was seven years old, my father abandoned me after my parents divorced, but I couldn’t stop loving him or longing for him. Many of us feel similarly
How Long, O Lord?
Read: Psalm 13 I have trusted in your steadfast love. (v. 5) There have been times in my life when I felt deep despair. It felt like the world was crushing me, like everything was more difficult than it should
Joy to the World
Read: Psalm 98 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! (v. 4) Every year at Christmas, we sing the lyrics “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” Two
Biblical not Textual
Read: Luke 24:13-35 Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (v. 27) A pastor in a rural village in India took the Word of God very seriously and