Today’s Reading:
Read Zechariah 1-7
If someone asked you how God speaks to you, how would you answer that question? Because we have the gift of God’s Word, we can easily answer by saying, “The Bible.” The Bible helps us know about God and it lets us know what God wants us to know about how we should live our lives. The Israelites did not have the Bible like we do today. They had to learn about God or hear what He was saying to them from prophets. Oftentimes God used dreams or visions to speak to the prophets. The prophets would have a dream or a vision and then they would interpret their dream or vision to share the message with God’s people.
In our reading today, we meet Zechariah. Zechariah was a prophet that had dreams that helped him to understand God’s message for His people. Zechariah’s dreams gave meaning to the current events that were happening around him. They also gave a window into the future and what was going to happen to God’s chosen people in the days and years to come. Zechariah’s dreams were of what would happen with the surrounding nations of Assyria, Babylon and Persia. He dreamt of a New Jerusalem that would be free from sin. He also dreamt of a HIGH PRIEST who would come from the line of David to save God’s chosen people, the Israelites. An angel helped Zechariah interpret or understand his dreams.
God’s message to Zechariah helped him to understand what was going on in the world around him. They also allowed him to see what God’s plan for the future would be. Those plans included a Messiah or a Savior coming from the line of David. Do you know who that would be? Jesus!
Application/Prayer:
Draw a picture thanking God for giving His Word to us. We are so blessed to have the Bible that helps us know the message that God wants to give to us. Spend some time today reading the Bible and thanking God for the gift of His Word.
September Memory Verse:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him,and he will make your paths straight.”
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
September memory verse coloring sheet