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
A United Heart
Read: Psalm 86
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. (v. 11)
The heart is vital to our bodies. In a lifetime of 70 years, it will pump more than 51 million gallons of blood. Likewise, the spiritual heart is the core of our whole person. When our hearts are committed to God, our lives are full; but when they are divided between competing desires, we face distress.
In Psalm 86, challenged by a heart divided between worldly matters and God, David prays to be wholeheartedly committed to God and to live each day guided by his truth and faithfulness. He prays for a united heart (v. 11) because he realizes if his heart isn’t focused on God, he’ll stray from being devoted to God. God wants us to ask for help to walk in his truth (v. 11). He’s ready and willing to give it and his grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness. Faith and trust in God alone will give us strength and hope that his help will come to us as we call out to him.
Amidst despair, it’s good to know we’re not alone; that we have someone to turn to in distress. Sooner or later, we all realize we need God’s help. He uses the challenges we face to pull us to him and build up our security in him. Prayer fuels our trust in God. Through it, he will unite our hearts and help us regain the hope and peace we’ve lost.
As you pray, ask God to unite your heart and help you walk in his truth.
About the Author
Ariana D. Den Bleyker is a Pittsburgh native currently residing in New York’s Hudson Valley. She is the author of two devotional poetry collections,To Be Held by the LightandWaking in the Light. She is an ordained deacon in the Reformed Church of America.
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.
The Heavens Were Opened
Read: Ezekiel 1:1-9; 25-28 The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. (v. 1) Once when I was young, my parents announced that we were going to Baskin Robbins. I’d never heard of it, and I was distrustful
Woe is Me
Read: Isaiah 6:1-10 Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips. (v. 5) When I was growing up, my family attended an annual Christmas St. Nicholas party with a group of friends. It
At the Lord’s Table
Read: Exodus 24:9-18 They beheld God, and ate and drank. (v. 11) I tend to be restless in worship. My mind wanders. I check my watch. After an hour, I look for the exit. But I once attended a revival
Separated from Heaven
Read: Genesis 3:8-24 The LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden. (v. 23) A common disciplinary technique used by parents and teachers is the “time-out,” in which a disobedient child is temporarily separated from the rest of
In the Beginning
Read: Genesis 2:1-9 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished. (v. 1) One of the Bible’s best-known sentences is, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Biblical language scholars point out that the Hebrew
Dinner with Jesus
Read: Revelation 3:14-22 If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (v. 20) Recently we had out-of-state relatives make the long trip to come and