June 15, 2025 – Bible Recap Journal

Psalms 134, 146–150

Common Theme
These psalms form a crescendo of unbroken praise, exalting God as the Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and Righteous Judge. They celebrate God’s unmatched power, faithful love, and enduring reign, calling all creation to praise the LORD.

Questions

  • What specific attributes or actions of God compel the psalmist to praise Him?
  • How does the call to “let everything that has breath praise the LORD” shape our understanding of worship?

God Shot
God is the eternal King who made heaven and earth, lifts up the humble, heals the broken, and delights in those who fear Him. His glory fills the universe, and His steadfast love compels all creatures—from angels to the smallest breath-bearing being—to praise His holy name forever.

June 14, 2025 – Bible Recap Journal

2 Chronicles 6–7; Psalm 136

Common Theme
God’s covenantal faithfulness and glory are central in Solomon’s temple dedication and the Psalm’s refrain. Both passages highlight that God’s steadfast love endures forever and that His presence among His people is cause for worship and awe.

Questions

  • How does God’s presence in the temple shape Israel’s identity and purpose?
  • Why is the repeated phrase “His steadfast love endures forever” such a powerful theological anchor in both celebration and repentance?

God Shot
God reveals Himself as the covenant-keeping King who hears, forgives, and fills His dwelling place with glory. He delights to be near His people—not distantly ruling, but actively responding, forgiving, and reigning in loyal love that endures forever.

The Faith Formula

Belief + Faith

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
— Matthew 21:22 KJV

I read twenty versions of this particular Scripture one day. Initially, it’s easy to make “Ask. Believe. Receive” as the faith formula we take away. That’s not exactly what this verse teaches. It’s really “Believe. Ask. Receive.”

Indeed, prayer is the pathway to the heart of God. When there’s a lot to hope for or when things are not going the way we’d like, we become skilled at asking. But the real test is in the believing. If prayer is the pathway, BELIEF is what enables our petition to pass through. Let that soak in for a moment. We’ve been taught to “ask and then it shall be given.” We’ve been told to “name it and claim it.” And we’ve been taught that “you have not because you ask not.” But this passage makes clear that our prayers must be bathed in belief first. Belief is an activator. Know that God hears the prayers of those who believe what they are praying for.

Pray

Dear Lord,
Remove from me the spirits of fear, disbelief, hesitation, worry, and doubt. These voices don’t come from You and therefore don’t belong to me. Give me a spirit of crazy faith and the ability to trust in You no matter what I see.
Amen.

Attribution: Excerpt from “100 Days of Believing Bigger” by Marshawn Evans Daniels

June 13, 2025 – Bible Recap Journal

1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5

Common Theme
God’s presence fills the temple with glory when it is dedicated to Him in reverence and obedience. The assembly and the king recognize that the fulfillment of God’s promises centers on His faithfulness and abiding presence.

Questions

  • What does it reveal about God’s character that He chose to dwell among His people in a physical space?
  • How does Solomon’s prayer show both humility and confidence in God’s covenantal promises?

God Shot
God is a covenant-keeping King who dwells not in buildings made by hands, but in faithful presence with His people. His glory fills the temple not because He is contained, but because He is near and chooses to be known.

June 12, 2025 – Bible Recap Journal

1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 4

Common Theme
Solomon oversaw the creation of sacred spaces and objects with unmatched craftsmanship and reverence, demonstrating that the dwelling place of God among His people was to be marked by beauty, detail, and holiness.

Questions

  • Why did God desire such meticulous craftsmanship and ornamentation in His temple?
  • What do the temple furnishings reveal about God’s nature and His relationship with His people?

God Shot
God is a God of glory and precision, who values beauty and order in the space where He dwells. His holiness is not abstract—it is expressed through design, symmetry, and symbolism, revealing that His presence among us is sacred and intentional.

June 11, 2025 – Bible Recap Journal

1 Kings 5–6; 2 Chronicles 2–3

Common Theme
God fulfills His promises and delights in dwelling among His people, prompting immense care and reverence in constructing His house.

Questions
– Why did Solomon place such emphasis on using the best materials and skilled workers for the temple?
– What does the temple reveal about God’s desire to be present with His people?

God Shot
God is a covenant-keeping King who fulfills His promise to David by establishing Solomon and allowing the temple to be built. He is a God who chooses to dwell among His people in holiness, inviting reverent worship and awe.

When You’re Afraid to Pray the Bold Prayer

It takes courage to name both desire and fear in the same breath. You’re not alone in that tension. Scripture is full of people who were called by God and trembled at what it might cost them—think of Moses (Exodus 3–4), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6–8), and even Jesus in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42).

To ask God to “empty you of yourself” is a bold and beautiful prayer—but it’s not a prayer for punishment, it’s a prayer for deeper life. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:23–24). What feels like loss is actually the path to gaining what matters most—Him.

God isn’t out to erase you; He’s out to redeem you. When we surrender our will, our control, our pride, He fills that empty space with more of Himself—His peace, His power, His joy (Galatians 2:20; John 15:11).

And yes, it’s okay to be afraid. But fear doesn’t disqualify you from faith—it just gives you the chance to practice it. Even Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” He felt the weight of surrender, but He trusted the heart of the Father.

So if your heart is being tugged, you can start small. Pray honestly: “God, I want to be emptied of myself, but I’m afraid. Meet me in this fear. Help me want You more than I want safety.”

He’s a good Father. He’s not looking to destroy your life—but to give you real life in Him (John 10:10).

Disruption: Embracing Process

Excerpt from ‘100 Days of Believing Bigger” by Marshawn Evans Daniels

These trials will show that your faith is genuine.
It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—
though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.
So when your faith remains strong through many trials,
it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

—1 Peter 1:7 NLT

Alignment with God’s will is necessary for our divine assignment. Disruption gives us a chance to get an overdue adjustment while God brings all the skewed parts of our life into proper, powerful, and purpose-ready order. Think of it like going to the chiropractor—it’s about getting aligned the way it’s supposed to be. In the middle of the discomfort, it’s important to remember that our purpose is always on the other side of process.

God sends His promise by way of a process, which is why we miss it! We think it is going to fall out of the sky like manna from heaven, but navigating the Gap—the zone of growth, transition, and divine reinvention—is where we must go to enter our promised land. Our purpose, more provision, more healing, and even more miracles are all on the other side of this process.

The Gap is your wilderness between Egypt (what you’ve known) and the Promised Land (what you’ve been praying for and are destined for). What we’re moving toward is not necessarily a bigger house, more money, less stress, or better relationships… although I have no doubt that everything is better on the other side of surrender. God doesn’t leave our heart’s desires behind as He ushers us into our destiny. But this isn’t about stuff. It’s about exchanging your current plans for the life God is calling you toward. And it’s about getting where God needs you to accomplish something new that heaven is seeking to do.

Attribution: Excerpt from “100 Days of Believing Bigger” by Marshawn Evans Daniels

June 10, 2025 – Bible Recap Journal

Proverbs 22–24

Common Theme

Wisdom in daily relationships and work is grounded in humility, reverence for the Lord, and justice. These chapters emphasize the moral consequences of choices, the value of discipline, and the dangers of envy, laziness, and dishonesty.

Questions

  • What does it mean to truly fear the Lord in practical decisions—especially in wealth, parenting, and leadership?
  • How do we cultivate hearts that love wisdom rather than crave what the wicked gain?

God Shot

God is a defender of the oppressed and a just Judge who sees through all pretenses (22:22–23). He delights in righteousness, disciplines those He loves, and lovingly warns His people against paths that lead to ruin—revealing a heart that both protects and purifies.

God Sold the Cattle

Based on a story recounted in The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, Chapter Ten: “The Cattle on a Thousand Hills”

Shortly after Dallas Theological Seminary opened its doors, their doors almost closed because of bankruptcy. Before their 1929 commencement day, the faculty gathered in the president’s office to pray that God would provide. They formed a prayer circle, and when it was Harry Ironside’s turn, he circled Psalm 50:10 with a simple Honi-like prayer:

“Lord, we know you own the cattle on a thousand hills. Please sell some of them, and send us the money.”

The time lapse between our requests and God’s answers is often longer than we would like, but occasionally God answers immediately. While the faculty was praying, a $10,000 answer was delivered. One version of the story attributes the gift to a Texas cattle rancher who had sold two carloads of cattle. Another version attributes it to a banker from Illinois. But one way or another, it was God who prompted the gift and answered the prayer.

In a moment that is reminiscent of the day Peter knocked on the door of the house where his friends were praying for a miraculous jailbreak, the president’s secretary interrupted the prayer meeting by knocking on the president’s door. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder and president of DTS, answered the door, and she handed him the answer to prayer. Turning to his friend and colleague, Dr. Harry Ironside, President Chafer said,

“Harry, God sold the cattle!”

Attribution: Story from Chapter Ten of The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson