Like a dream you know you had but can’t remember, I awoke singing, but I can’t remember what. I wanted to pick a Psalm or song I would sing that would be personal and exclusively for Christ, and the melody and lyric of Psalm 31 came to mind:

Psalms 31:1 ¶ In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

Psalms 31:2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.

Psalms 31:3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.

What a great New Year’s psalm.

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in 2 Chronicles 15. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind almost immediately, but verse 8 stood out:

2 Chronicles 15:8 ¶ And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.

The prophet Azariah encouraged King Asa.* The encouragement motivated Asa to put away the idols and renew the altar (2 Chronicles 15:8b).

What was the encouragement from the prophet to the king? ”The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2). After this, the prophet gave the king an example. He pointed out something we must all remember: there is mercy to be found with the LORD.

God does not utterly forsake His people; He always makes a way for them to return. He chastises them (2 Chronicles 15:5-6), intending to turn their hearts back to Him (2 Chronicles 15:3-4).

I thought of my Shepherd Who had been shut out from His church, but stood at the door knocking for any inside who would hear Him, open the door, and restore fellowship (Revelation 3:14, 19-21).

The Laodicean Christians were called to turn from the idolatry of their covetousness (Revelation 3:17-18) and return to their first love. Remember His warning to the first Church, Ephesus, which left their “first love” (Revelation 2:4). This led to the condition of the last of the seven churches, whose love was distastefully tepid, lukewarm, so that He would “spew [them] from his mouth” (Revelation 3:16).

And yet, Jesus is pictured as standing at the door of His church knocking, and calling for any inside who would hear Him and open the door to Him (Revelation 3:19-20).

Wherever you find yourself at this year’s end, hear the encouragement of Azariah. Repent, put away the idols of covetousness, and renew your prayer altar. Then “Be strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak; for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7).

In the valley, I trembled as I remembered Peter’s forsaking (Matthew 26:34, 75; Luke 21:61-62), and then, in my heart, I heard Jesus’ cry, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me” (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34). Forsaken! For our sins, Christ was forsaken. It was for our forsaking that He was forsaken, and died! And three days later, He was quickened and arose for our forgiveness through faith in His blood (Romans 3:25; see Ephesians 1:7 and Hebrews 9:14). He renewed His call: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Those of us who have joined Him on His crucifixion (Galatians 2:20) join Him also in His resurrection (Colossians 3:1). We must daily “reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11).

At the table, my Shepherd encouraged me with the prophet’s words to Asa, and also warned me of Asa’s end, when another prophet came to Asa with a message. The prophet was Hanani, and he rebuked Asa because he relied on the arm of flesh and had “not relied on the LORD [his] God” (2 Chronicles 16:7). Asa refused the prophet’s rebuke, was “wroth with the seer, and put him in prison” and Asa became an oppressor king (2 Chronicles 16:10). His once “beautiful feet” became diseased, but he refused this rebuke of the LORD and persisted to seek not the LORD but to lean on the arm of flesh (2 Chronicles 16:12-13). Jesus, my Shepherd, encouraged me to mark those who draw nigh to God when the message is favorable to them, but become stubborn and sullen against his messengers when the message is not to their liking.

Going into the new year, let us receive the encouragement of our LORD, and faint not when he chastises us. Let us deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. Let us remove the idols of our covetousness and renew our prayer altars. Selah!

Praying for revival! 🙏

I am praying whether the LORD will have me use this devotion for tomorrow’s livestream of Shepherd’s Pasture.

I usually do not post my Friday morning devotions, but today felt urged to do so. I will now fully focus on Brain Massage® show prep and production. Friday is among the longest days of my week. I appreciate your prayers. 🙏

[* Here is a list of the prophets named in 1&2 Samuel and 1&2 Kings, and 1&2 Chronicles, with an asterisk before the name of those who are well known:

*Samuel (seer)  1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 35:18 Chronicled events of King David’s reign; commanded aspects of Passover observance.

Gad (seer)  1 Chronicles 21:9, 29:29; 2 Chronicles 29:25 David’s seer; advised on temple music and worship.

Nathan (prophet) 1 Chronicles 17:1, 29:29; 2 Chronicles 29:25. Delivered God’s promise to David; advised on temple music.

Asaph (seer) 1 Chronicles 25:1–2, 6; 2 Chronicles 29:30 Levite musician appointed by David to prophesy with instruments; authored psalms.

Heman (seer)  1 Chronicles 25:1, 4–5 Levite musician appointed by David to prophesy with instruments; descendant of Samuel.

Jeduthun (seer) 1 Chronicles 25:1, 3, 6; 2 Chronicles 35:15 Levite musician (also called Ethan) appointed by David to prophesy with instruments.

Ahijah the Shilonite 2 Chronicles 9:29 Prophesied against Solomon’s idolatry; chronicled Solomon’s and Rehoboam’s acts.

Iddo (seer)  2 Chronicles 9:29, 12:15, 13:22 Prophesied visions against Jeroboam; chronicled the reigns of Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijah.

Shemaiah (prophet) 2 Chronicles 12:5–7, 15 Delivered God’s word to Rehoboam during Shishak’s invasion.

Azariah, son of Oded, 2 Chronicles 15:1–8 Urged King Asa to reform Judah and remove idols.

Hanani (seer)  2 Chronicles 16:7–10 | Rebuked King Asa for relying on Syria instead of God; father of Jehu.

Jehu, son of Hanani (seer), 2 Chronicles 19:2–3 Rebuked King Jehoshaphat for allying with Ahab.

Micaiah, son of Imlah, 2 Chronicles 18:7–27 The prophet who foretold Ahab’s defeat at Ramoth-Gilead, unlike 400 false prophets.

Jahaziel, son of Zechariah, 2 Chronicles 20:14–17, a Levite who prophesied victory over Moab and Ammon during Jehoshaphat’s reign.

Eliezer, son of Dodavahu, 2 Chronicles 20:37, prophesied against Jehoshaphat’s alliance with Ahaziah of Israel.

*Elijah (prophet) 2 Chronicles 21:12–15  Sent a letter prophesying judgment on Jehoram for idolatry (posthumous reference).

*Elisha (prophet) 1 Kings 19:16–21; 2 Kings 2–13 (multiple) Successor to Elijah; performed miracles, advised kings like Jehoram and Jehoash; central figure in northern Israel’s prophetic tradition during the Omride dynasty and beyond.

Oded (prophet)  2 Chronicles 28:9–11 Confronted the army of Pekah after victory over Ahaz, urging mercy toward captives.

*Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, 2 Chronicles 24:20–22.  Prophesied against Joash for abandoning the temple; stoned to death.

*Isaiah, son of Amoz (prophet), 2 Chronicles 26:22, 32:20, 32. Chronicled Uzziah’s acts; interceded with Hezekiah against Sennacherib. (The Christmas Prophet.)

*Jeremiah (prophet) 2 Chronicles 36:12 | Warned Zedekiah not to resist Babylon (final prophet mentioned before exile). (The Weeping Prophet.)

Jonah, son of Amittai (prophet), 2 Kings 14:25, prophesied territorial restoration for Israel under Jeroboam II; later known for his mission to Nineveh (in the Book of Jonah).

Huldah (prophetess) 2 Kings 22:14–20 Consulted by King Josiah regarding the rediscovered Book of the Law; confirmed impending judgment on Judah but promised mercy for the repentant king.

NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list of all the Prophets. Some well-known (Moses) or named but not well-known as prophets: Abraham (Genesis 20:7), Jacob (Genesis 49), and David (Acts 2:30), are not included since the focus was on prophets active during the time of the kings.]