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OSV News photo/Gregory A. Shemitz
August 22, 2024
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OSV News photo/Sam Lucero
Here are the Bible Book(s)/Chapter(s) to read each day this week. Note that the readings are based on the New American Bible.
1 Kings Chapters 13-15
Read 1 Kings 13:1-24 again.
The man of God disobeyed the command of the Lord not to eat, drink or return by the way that he had come, ending up being killed by a lion. He may have gotten a little carried away with the power that the Lord had given him to heal and to prophesy and thought that he was invincible.
Read 1 Peter 5:8, and ask God to help us know if we need to be more alert about some area of vulnerability in our lives.
Has God ever humbled you after taking yourself too seriously?
1 Kings Chapters 16-18
Read 1 Kings 17:17-24 again.
What do you notice about Elijah’s prayer for the boy’s healing?
Ask God to inspire us to pray from the depths of our hearts.
Is there anything about how Elijah prayed that you can apply to your own prayer life?
1 Kings Chapters 19-22
Read 1 Kings 19:7-8 again.
The angel commanded Elijah to eat so that he could complete his mission.
Ask God to increase our appetite for healthy food and drink so that we can fulfill the mission that God has given to us.
What are you eating? Is it food that will strengthen your body, or hurt it? Are you doing everything you can do to keep your body strong for your life journey?
2 Kings Chapters 1-4
Read 2 Kings 4:42-44 again, and then read Matthew 14:13-21.
Both Jesus and Elisha multiplied loaves of bread that were found at hand to share with many others.
Ask the Lord to multiply our gifts of hospitality.
Take a moment to imagine having a loaf of bread. What type of bread is it? Then, imagine bringing a group of people together to share this particular loaf with Jesus, Elisha and you. Who would be there? How could your gift of bread, to these guests, be multiplied to bring blessings to others?
2 Kings Chapters 5-8
Read 2 Kings 5:9-12 again.
God sometimes heals people without their having to do anything. Sometimes, however, as with Naaman, God expects people to participate in the healing process.
Elisha told Naaman to wash himself in the Jordan River, but Naaman initially thought this was too simple a solution.
Ask God to give us the courage to be healed, not only of our symptoms, but also of the root causes of any difficulties that we have.
Do you need to be healed? Is there something simple you can do to start the healing process?
2 Kings Chapters 9-12
Today’s reading continues the story of a series of kings who either obeyed or disobeyed the Lord. Many wars and horrors were common at that time.
Ask God to bring peace and healing to those who constantly experience violence and terror in our neighbourhoods and in other areas of the world.
Do you live in a violent area? Even in the safest neighbourhoods, domestic violence infects many homes. How well has your community responded to the reality of domestic violence?
2 Kings Chapters 13-16
Read 2 Kings 13:8-9, 13:12-13 and 14:28-29 again. Written records were produced of the actions of Biblical characters.
Ask God to help us to notice the subjects that get the most of our attention as we read the Bible, and to reveal to us whether God is trying to tell us something through our areas of interest.
When you read verses of Scripture, do you ever become curious as to what sources of information may be available for studying the Bible and the history of the people of Biblical times? If so, do you think that God may be calling you to study the Bible in an academic way and perhaps to teach others about it?
A version of this story appeared in the August 25, 2024, issue of The Catholic Registerwith the headline "Pray to God for the courage to be healed".
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