9th August 2026

Tears

"Jesus wept"

John 11:35

Today's Bible Reading: Luke 19:28–44.

The shortest verse in the Bible is found in John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” I first learnt that verse sitting at my grandparents’ kitchen table. Though short, it reveals the tender heart of our Saviour. The Lord Jesus wept three times in Scripture.

First, He wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35). Though He knew He would raise Lazarus from the dead, He was moved with compassion as He saw the sorrow and pain that sin had brought into the world.

Second, He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). As He looked upon the city, He saw a people who had rejected their Messiah. His tears revealed His love for those who refused Him.

Third, He wept in the Garden of Gethsemane before going to the cross (Hebrews 5:7). There He faced the terrible burden of bearing the sins of His people and enduring the wrath of God in their place.

I believe these tears remind us of Christ’s compassion for lost sinners today. Many have rejected Him, many have never truly heard the Gospel, and many have been wounded by those who claim His name.

What can we do? We can pray for the lost, share the Gospel faithfully, invite others to hear God’s Word, support missions, and live as witnesses for Christ. May the tears of our Saviour move us to have compassion on souls and point them to the only One who can save. “Salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9).

Prayer: Almighty Lord God, give me compassion to reach lost souls, in Jesus' name. Amen.

8th August 2026

Hope Beyond Death

"The wicked their banished in his wickedness,

But the righteous have a refuge in their death."

Proverbs 14:32

Today's Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-8.

Death is a subject that many do not like to talk about; it is the forbidden subject of our generation. Yet it is real for all of us. Sometimes on television, or video one might see a films, pictures featuring actors or people who are no longer living. They seem very much alive in the picture, but they are dead. Some of them were just famous actors, others on personal films are ones personal family members and friends. Death is real, and when we die, that is a battle we have to fight all alone. Nobody can be with us in that hour, but King David (the Psalmist) said that he had found an answer that would take the fear of death away. David said that there is an answer to death, there is a hope beyond death. That hope is centred in the risen Christ. Paul wrote that to be “absent from the body” is to be “present with the Lord.” So the fear of death is removed.

Prayer: Almighty Lord God, with complete trust I look toward that day when my soul will be with You for eternity, and this because of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whose name I pray. Amen.

7th August 2026

Feeling Exiled

"You will seek Me and find Me,

when you search for Me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:13

Today's Bible Reading: Jeremiah 29:10–14.

God used the Assyrians and Babylonians to discipline His people for their unfaithfulness (Jeremiah 1:15-16). Israel was completely destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC, but God would not allow the Babylonians to destroy Israel completely (5:18-19). Though the Hebrews would be in Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11), God promised He would “watch over them for their good, and . . . bring them back to this land” (24:6).

People often quote this passage but sometimes overlook its particular historical context. Here, because of their sins, God’s people had been exiled from the promised land. God wanted them to obey and trust Him, believing that He would bring them back from the place to which He had banished them (v 14).

Whether we are living in times of bounty or feeling exiled and alone today, we can trust God’s promises that we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart (v 13). Whatever our circumstances, we will indeed be found by Him.

Prayer: Merciful God, please reveal Yourself to all those who are suffering because of war. Bring peace and hope, and an end to the atrocities. In Christ's name I pray. Amen.