S3E133 – 2 Samuel 15-19: A House Divided

These events really did happen.

Hey there!

This is the Life Spring Family Audio Bible, and coming to you from Riverside, California,

podcasting since 2004, I'm your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb.

This is the Daily Podcast, where we are reading through the entire Bible in a year.

Thank you for being here.

Welcome!

You might notice that my voice is almost back to normal today.

It was a little over two weeks ago that I began to feel sick,

and the way I'm feeling right now I should be completely well in another day or so.

So thank you for your prayers.

Today our reading is 2nd Samuel 15-19.

I'm calling the episode, A House Devided.

The show notes page for today's episode, in case you'd like to comment,

is LifeSpringMedia.com slash S12E141.

Let's get started.

After this, Absalom bought a chariot and horses, and he hired 50 bodyguards to run ahead of him.

He got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city.

When people brought a case to the King for Judgment,

Absalom would ask where in Israel they were from, and they would tell them they're tribe.

Then Absalom would say,

You've really got a strong case here.

It's too bad the King doesn't have anyone to hear it.

I wish I were the judge.

Then everyone could bring their cases to me for judgment, and I would give them justice.

When people tried to bow before him, Absalom wouldn't let them.

Instead he took them by the hand and kissed them.

Absalom did this with everyone who came to the King for Judgment,

and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.

After four years, Absalom said to the King,

Let me go to Hebron to offer a sacrifice to the Lord,

and fulfill a vow I made to him.

For while your servant was at Gesher in Aram,

I promised to sacrifice to the Lord in Hebron

if he would bring me back to Jerusalem.

All right, the King told him, go and fulfill your vow.

So Absalom went to Hebron,

but while he was there he sent secret messengers

to all the tribes of Israel to stir up a rebellion against the King.

As soon as you hear the ram's horn, the message read,

You were to say, Absalom has been crowned King in Hebron.

He took two hundred men from Jerusalem with him as guests,

but they knew nothing of his intentions.

While Absalom was offering the sacrifices,

he sent for a hithelf, one of David's counselors,

who lived in Gilo.

Soon many others also joined Absalom,

and the conspiracy gained momentum.

A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David,

All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you.

Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late.

David urged his men, hurry,

if we get out of the city before Absalom arrives,

both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster.

We're with you, his advisors replied,

do what you think is best.

So the King and all his household set out at once.

He left no one behind except ten of his cocky-binds

to look after the palace.

The King and all his people set out on foot,

pausing at the last house to let all the King's men move past

to lead the way.

There were 600 men from Gath who had come with David,

along with the King's bodyguard.

Then the King turned and said to Itai,

a leader of the men from Gath,

why are you coming with us?

Go on back to King Absalom,

for you are a guest in Israel, a foreigner, an exile.

You arrived only recently,

and should I force you today to wander with us?

I don't even know where we will go.

Go on back and take your Kinsman with you,

and may the Lord show you his unfailing love and faithfulness.

But Itai said to the King,

I vow by the Lord and by your own life

that I will go wherever my Lord the King goes,

no matter what happens,

whether it means life or death.

David replied,

all right, come with us.

So Itai and all his men and their families went along.

Everyone cried loudly as the King

at his followers passed by.

They crossed the Kidren Valley

and then went out toward the wilderness.

Zaidok and all the Levites also came along,

carrying the Ark of the Covenant of God.

They set down the Ark of God

and Abyothar offered sacrifices

until everyone had passed out of the city.

Then the King instructed Zaidok

to take the Ark of God back into the city.

If the Lord sees fit, David said,

he will bring me back to see the Ark

and the Tabernacle again.

But if he is through with me,

then let him do what seems best to him.

The King also told Zaidok the priest,

look, here's my plan.

You and Abyothar should return quietly to the city

with your son, Ahimahaz, and Abyothar's son, Jonathan.

I will stop at the shallows of the Jordan River

and wait there for a report from you.

Zaidok and Abyothar took the Ark of God

back to the city and stayed there.

David walked up the road to the Mount of Olives,

weeping as he went.

His head was covered and his feet were bare

as a sign of mourning,

and the people who were with him

covered their heads and wept as they climbed the hill.

When someone told David that his adviser,

Ahithafel was now backing Absalom,

David prayed,

oh Lord, let Ahithafel give Absalom foolish advice.

When David reached the summit of the Mount of Olives

where people worshipped God,

Hushai the Arkite was waiting there for him.

Hushai had torn his clothing

and put dirt on his head as a sign of mourning.

But David told him,

if you go with me, you will only be a burden.

Return to Jerusalem until Absalom

I will now be your advisor, O King,

just as I was your father's advisor

in the past.

Then you can frustrate and counter Ahithafel's advice.

Zadok and Abiyathar, the priests,

will be there.

Tell them about the plans being made in the King's palace,

and they will send their sons Ahimaaz

and Jonathan to tell me what is going on.

So David's friend Hushai returned to Jerusalem,

getting there just as Absalom arrived.

Second Samuel chapter 16

David went a short way over the top of the Mount of Olives

and met Ziba, the servant of Mephibishap.

Ziba had two donkeys with saddles on them.

The donkeys also carried two hundred loaves of bread,

a hundred bunches of raisins,

a hundred summer fruits,

and a wine skin full of wine.

King David said to Ziba,

what are these things for?

Ziba answered,

the donkeys are for the King's family to ride on.

The bread and the summer fruit are for the servants to eat,

and the wine is refreshment

for whoever begins to feel weak in the desert.

Then the King asked,

at where is Mephibishap?

Ziba answered the King,

Mephibishap is staying in Jerusalem.

He said,

today the Israelites will give my father's kingdom back to me.

Then the King said to Ziba,

alright,

I now give you everything that belonged to Mephibishap.

Ziba said,

I bow to you,

I pray I will always be able to please you.

As David came to Bahurum,

a man from Saul's family,

Shimei, son of Gira,

came out cursing David again and again.

Shimei began throwing stones at David and his officers.

Both the people and the soldiers gathered around David to protect him.

They were all around him.

Shimei cursed David.

He said,

get out,

get out you no good murderer.

The Lord is punishing you

because you killed people in Saul's family.

You stole Saul's place as King,

but now the same bad things are happening to you.

The Lord has given the kingdom to your son, Absalom,

because you are a murderer.

A Bishai, son of Zuruya, said to the King,

why should this dying dog curse you, my Lord, the King?

Let me go over and cut off Shimei's head.

But the King answered,

what can I do, sons of Zuruya?

Yes, Shimei is cursing me,

but the Lord told him to curse me,

and who can ask him why he did that?

David also said to a Bishai,

and all his servants,

look,

my very own son is trying to kill me,

so why shouldn't this man

from the tribe of Benjamin want to do the same?

Leave him alone.

Let him continue to curse me.

The Lord told him to do this.

Maybe the Lord will see the wrong things

that are happening to me

and give me something good

for every bad thing that Shimei says today.

So David and his men

went on their way down the road.

Shimei kept following David.

He walked on the other side of the road

by the side of the hill.

He kept cursing David on his way.

Shimei also threw stones

and dirted David.

King David and all his people

came to the Jordan River.

They were tired,

so they rested and refreshed themselves there.

Meanwhile,

Absalom,

Ahithafel,

and all the Israelites came to Jerusalem.

David's friend,

Hushai the Archite,

came to Absalom and told him,

long live the king,

long live the king.

Absalom answered,

why are you not loyal to your friend David?

Why did you not leave Jerusalem

with your friend?

Hushai said,

I belong to the one that the Lord chooses.

These people and the people of Israel

chose you.

I will stay with you.

In the past I served your father,

so now I will serve you David's son.

Absalom said to Ahithafel,

please tell us what we should do.

Ahithafel said to Absalom,

your father left some of his slave women here

to take care of the house.

Go and have sexual relations with them.

Then all the Israelites will hear

how you humiliated your father,

and they will be encouraged to give you more support.

Then they put up a tent for Absalom

up on the roof of the house.

Absalom had sexual relations with his father's wives,

so that all the Israelites could see what happened.

So in those days,

Ahithafel's advice was very important.

Both David and Absalom accepted his advice

as though it were the word of God.

Second Samuel, chapter 17.

Ahithafel also said to Absalom,

now let me choose 12,000 men to chase David tonight.

I will catch him while he's tired and weak.

I will frighten him,

and all his people will run away.

But I will kill only King David.

Then I will bring all the people back to you.

If David is dead,

all the people will come back in peace.

This plan seemed good to Absalom

and all the leaders of Israel.

But Absalom said,

now call Hushai the Archite.

I also want to hear what he says.

Hushai came to Absalom.

Absalom said to Hushai,

this is the plan Ahithafel gave.

Should we follow it?

If not, tell us.

Hushai said to Absalom,

Ahithafel's advice is not good this time.

Hushai added,

you know that your father and his men are strong men.

There is dangerous as a wild bear

when something has taken its cubs.

Your father is a skilled fighter.

He will not stay all night with the people.

He is probably already hiding in a cave or some other place.

If your father attacks your men first,

people will hear the news and think,

Absalom's followers are losing.

Then even your bravest men will be frightened,

because all the Israelites know

that your father is a powerful soldier

and that his men are very brave.

This is what I suggest.

You must gather all the Israelites together

from Dan to Beer Shiba.

Then there will be many people like the sand by the sea.

Then you yourself must go into battle.

We will catch David wherever he is hiding

and attack him with so many soldiers

that they will be like the dew that covers the ground.

We will kill David and all of his men.

No one will be left alive.

But if David escapes into a city,

all the Israelites can bring ropes to that city

and pull its walls down into the valley.

Not even a small stone will be left in that city.

Absalom at all the Israelites said,

Hushai's advice is better than Ahithafel's.

Actually, Ahithafel's advice was good,

but they said this because the Lord had decided

to make Ahithafel's advice useless.

He did this to punish Absalom.

Hushai told the priests,

Zaidak and Abayathar, what was said.

He told them what Ahithafel suggested

to Absalom and the leaders of Israel.

Hushai also told them what he himself had suggested.

He said, send a message to David now.

Tell him not to spend the night at the places

where people cross into the desert.

Tell him to go across the Jordan River at once.

If he crossed the Jordan River at once,

if he crosses the river,

the king at all his people will not be caught.

The priests, sons,

Jonathan and Ahimaaz did not want to be seen

going into the town,

so they waited at Enroguel.

A servant girl went out to them

and gave them the message.

Then Jonathan and Ahimaaz carried the message

to King David.

But a boy saw Jonathan and Ahimaaz

and ran to tell Absalom.

Jonathan and Ahimaaz ran away quickly.

They arrived at a man's house in Behurim.

The man had a well in his courtyard.

Jonathan and Ahimaaz went down into this well.

The man's wife spread a sheet over the mouth of the well

and covered it with grain.

The well looked like a pile of grain,

so no one knew to look there.

Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house.

They asked, where are Ahimaaz in Jonathan?

The woman said to Absalom's servants,

they have already crossed over the brook.

Absalom's servants then went to look for Jonathan and Ahimaaz,

but they could not find them.

So Absalom's servants went back to Jerusalem.

After Absalom's servants left,

Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well

and went to King David.

They said to David,

hurry, go across the river.

A hithophel is planning to do something to you.

So David and his people crossed over the Jordan River.

By sunrise, all of David's people

had crossed the Jordan River.

No one was left behind.

When a hithophel saw that the Israelites did not do what he suggested,

he saddled his donkey and went back to his hometown.

He made plans for his family and then hanged himself.

They buried him in his father's tomb.

David arrived at Mayanam just as Absalom and the Israelites

who were left with him crossed over the Jordan River.

Absalom and the Israelites made their camp in the land of Gilead.

Absalom had made a mesa the new captain of the army.

He took Joab's place.

A mesa was the son of Ithra, the Ishmaelite.

His mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nehash,

the sister of Joab's mother, Zuruya.

When David arrived at Mayanam,

show by son of Nehash was from the Ammonite town of Rabah.

Maker son of Amiel was from Low Debar.

Barzilli was from Rogulum in Gilead.

These three men said,

the people are tired, hungry and thirsty from the desert.

So they brought many things to David and those with him.

They brought beds, bowls and other kinds of dishes.

They also brought wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans,

lentils, dried seeds, honey, butter, sheep,

and cheese made from cow's milk.

Second Samuel chapter 18

David divided his soldiers into groups of one hundred

and groups of one thousand.

Then he chose officers to be in command of each group.

He sent out one-third of his army under the command of Joab,

another-third under the command of Abishai, the son of Zuruya,

and the rest under the command of Itai from Gath.

He told the soldiers, I'm going into battle with you.

But the soldiers said, no, don't go into battle with this.

It won't matter to our enemies if they make us all run away,

or even if they kill half of us.

But you are worth ten thousand of us.

It would be better for you to stay in town and send help

if we need it.

David said, all right, if you think I should.

Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he said,

Joab, Abishai, Itai, for my sake, be sure that Absalom

comes back unharmed.

David stood beside the town gate as his army marched past

in groups of one hundred and in groups of one thousand.

The war with Israel took place in Ephraim forest.

Battles were being fought all over the forest,

David soldiers were winning.

Twenty thousand soldiers were killed that day,

and more of them died from the dangers of the forest

than from the fighting itself.

Absalom was riding his mule under a huge tree

when his head caught in the branches.

The mule ran off and left Absalom hanging in mid-air.

Some of David's soldiers happened by,

and one of them went and told Joab,

I saw Absalom hanging in a tree.

Joab said, you saw Absalom?

Why didn't you kill him?

I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a special belt.

The man answered, even if you paid me a thousand pieces of silver here

and now I still wouldn't touch the king's son.

We all heard King David tell you and Abishai,

and Itai not to harm Absalom.

He always finds out what's going on.

I would have been risking my life to kill Absalom

because you would have let me take the blame.

Joab said, I'm not going to waste any more time on you.

Absalom was still alive, so Joab took three spears

and stuck them through Absalom's chest.

Ten of Joab's bodyguards came over and finished him off.

Then Joab blew a trumpet to signal his troops

to stop chasing Israel soldiers.

They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest

and put a big pile of rocks over it.

Meanwhile, the people of Israel had all run back to their own homes.

When Absalom was alive, he had set up a stone monument

for himself in King's Valley.

He explained, I don't have any sons to keep my name alive.

He called it Absalom's Monument,

and that is the name it still has today.

A hymn as the son of Zadok said,

Joab, let me run and tell King David

that the Lord has rescued him from his enemies.

Joab answered, you're not the one to tell the king that his son is dead.

You can take him a message some other time, but not today.

Someone from Ethiopia was standing there,

and Joab told him, go and tell the king what you've seen.

The man knelt down in front of Joab,

then got up and started running.

A hymn as spoke to Joab again,

no matter what happens, I still want to go.

And besides, the Ethiopian is already left.

Joab said, why should you go?

You won't get a reward for the news you have.

I'll run no matter what, a hymn as insisted.

All right then, run, Joab said.

A hymn as took the road through the Jordan Valley

and outran the Ethiopian.

Meanwhile, David was sitting between the inner and outer gates

in the city wall.

One of his soldiers was watching from the roof of the gate tower.

He saw a man running toward the town

and shouted down to tell David.

David answered, if he's alone, he must have some news.

The runner was getting closer when the soldier saw someone else running.

He shouted down to the gate, look, there's another runner.

David said, he must have some news, too.

The soldier on the roof shouted.

The first one runs just like a hymn as the son of Zadok.

This time, David said, he's a good man.

He must have some good news.

A hymn as called out.

We won, we won.

Then he bowed low to David and said,

your majesty, praise the Lord, your God.

He has given you victory over your enemies.

Is my son Absalom all right, David asked?

A hymn as said, when Joab sent your personal servant and me,

I saw a noisy crowd, but I don't know what it was all about.

David told him, stand over there and wait.

A hymn as went over and stood there.

The Ethiopian came and said, your majesty, today I have good news.

The Lord is rescued you from all your enemies.

Is my son Absalom all right, David asked?

The Ethiopian replied, I wish that all your majesty's enemies

and everyone who tries to harm you would end up like him.

David started trembling.

Then he went up to the room above the city gate to cry.

As he went, he kept saying, my son Absalom,

my son, my son Absalom, I wish I could have died instead of you.

Absalom, my son, my son.

Second Samuel, chapter 19.

Someone told Joab, the king is crying because Absalom is dead.

David's army found out he was crying because his son had died

and their day of victory suddenly turned into a day of sadness.

The troops were sneaking into Mayanam,

just as if they had run away from a battle and were ashamed.

David covered his face with his hands and kept on crying loudly,

my son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son.

Joab went to the house where David was staying and told him,

you've made your soldiers ashamed.

Not only did they save your life, they saved your sons and daughters

and wives as well.

You're more loyal to your enemies than to your friends.

What you've done today is shown your officers and soldiers

that they don't mean a thing to you.

You would be happy if Absalom was still alive,

even if the rest of us were dead.

You would be happy if Absalom was still alive,

even if the rest of us were dead.

Now get up, get out there and thank them for what they did.

If you don't, I swear by the Lord that you won't even have one man

left on your side tomorrow morning.

You may have had a lot of troubles in the past,

but this will be the worst thing that has ever happened to you.

David got up and went into the town gate and sat down.

When the people heard that he was sitting there, they came to see him.

After Israel's soldiers had all returned home,

everyone in Israel started arguing.

They were saying to each other,

King David rescued us from the Philistines and from our other enemies.

But then we chose Absalom to be our new leader

and David had to leave the country to get away.

Absalom died in battle,

so why hasn't something been done to bring David back?

When David found out what they were saying,

he sent a message to Zadok and Abayathar the priests.

It said,

say to the leaders of Judah,

why are you the last tribe to think about bringing King David back home?

He is your brother, your own relative.

Why haven't you done anything to bring him back?

And tell Amesa,

you're my nephew,

and with God as my witness,

I swear I'll make you commander of my army instead of Joab.

Soon the tribe of Judah again became followers of David,

and they sent him this message.

Come back and bring your soldiers with you.

David started back and had gone as far as the Jordan River

when he met the people of Judah.

They had gathered at Gilgal and had come to help them cross the river.

Shimei, the son of Gira, was there with them.

He had hurried from Bahirum to meet David.

Shimei was from the tribe of Benjamin,

and a thousand others from Benjamin had come with him.

Ziba, the chief servant of Saul's family,

also came to the Jordan River.

He and his 15 sons and 20 servants waited across to meet David.

Then they brought David's family and servants back across the river,

and they did everything he wanted them to do.

Shimei crossed the Jordan River and bowed down in front of David.

He said,

Your Majesty,

I beg you not to punish me.

Please, forget what I did when you were leaving Jerusalem.

Don't even think about it.

I know I was wrong.

That's why I wanted to be the first one

from the northern tribes to meet you.

But Abysheye shouted,

You should be killed for cursing the Lord's chosen King.

David said,

Abysheye,

What will I ever do with you and your brother, Joab?

Is it your job to tell me who was done wrong?

I've been made king of all Israel today,

and no one will be put to death.

Then David promised Shimei that he would not be killed.

The Phoebuschef, the grandson of Saul,

also came to meet David.

He had missed David so much that he had not taken a bath

or trimmed his beard or washed his clothes the whole time David was gone.

David asked him,

Why did you go with me?

He answered,

Your Majesty,

You know I can't walk.

I told my servant to saddle a donkey for me so I could go with you.

But my servant left without me,

and then he lied about me.

You're as wise as an angel from God,

so do what you think is right.

After all, you could have killed my whole family in me,

but instead you let me eat at your own table.

Your Majesty, what more could I ask?

David answered,

You've said enough.

I've decided to divide the property between you and Zyba.

My Phoebuschef replied,

He can have it all.

I'm just glad you've come home safely.

Barzilli came from Rogolin and Gilead to meet David at the Jordan River

and go across with him.

Barzilli was 80 years old.

He was very rich and had sent food to David in May and Am.

David said to him,

Across the river and go to Jerusalem with me,

I will take care of you.

Barzilli answered,

Your Majesty, why should I go to Jerusalem?

I don't have much longer to live.

I'm already 80 years old,

and my body is almost numb.

I can't taste my food or hear the sound of singing,

and I would be nothing but a burden.

I'll cross the river with you,

but I'll only go a little way on the other side.

You don't have to be so kind to me.

Just let me return to my hometown,

where I can someday be buried near my father and mother.

My servant Kimham can go with you,

and you can treat him as your own.

David said,

I'll take Kimham with me,

and whatever you ask me to do for him, I'll do.

And if there's anything else you want,

I'll also do that.

David's soldiers went on across the river

while he stayed behind to tell Barzilli goodbye

and to wish him well.

Barzilli returned home,

but Kimham crossed the river with David.

All of Judah's army and half of Israel's army

were there to help David cross the river.

The soldiers from Israel came to him and said,

why did our relatives from Judah

secretly take you and your family and your soldiers

across the Jordan?

The people of Judah answered,

why are you so angry?

We are the King's relatives.

He didn't give us any food,

and we didn't take anything for ourselves.

Those from Israel said,

King David belongs to us ten times more

than he belongs to you.

Why didn't you think we were good enough to help you?

After all, we were the first ones

to think of bringing him back.

The people of Judah argued more strongly

than the people of Israel.

Well, reading chapters 15 through 19

was like reading an adventure novel, wasn't it?

There's the dysfunctional family

where the son of the king leads a national revolt.

There's raw ambition, there's betrayal,

there's loyalty, sex, spies, murder,

revenge, and heartbreak.

It's all there, and it's all real.

These events really did happen.

So, for today, where to begin?

Well, I think we need to talk about David.

There are so many characters in these five chapters

that we could talk about at length,

but we have limited time and David is the central character.

He's the man God called,

a man after my own heart.

So, in chapter 15, after David had been told

that Absalom was leading a conspiracy against him,

David decided that it would be best

for everyone in Jerusalem if he, at his household,

fled the city.

Well, in this Exodus, Zadok the priest

and all the Levites joined David,

bringing the Ark of the Covenant with them.

Did you notice that?

What was the significance of the Ark?

To these people, the Ark was the very presence of God,

and it stands to reason that when David found out

that they had brought the Ark out of Jerusalem to be with him,

he'd be pleased to have it.

But that isn't what happened, is it?

Verses 25 and 26 say,

then the king instructed Zadok

to take the Ark of God back into the city.

If the Lord sees fit, David said,

he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again.

But if he is through with me,

then let him do what seems best to him.

So you see, David had learned to trust God.

He had also learned from the way God removed King Saul

and put David in his place

that it would be foolish of him to try to hold on to the throne

if God had decided that David should be replaced.

But David did not just resign himself

to whatever the circumstances might bring.

He made plans to counter Absalom's attack

and as we read, God ultimately showed

that he was not finished with David.

Through these five chapters,

we see several examples of David's humility.

He told it to I that since he and his kinsmen were guests in Israel,

they should not feel like they had to follow him.

David publicly wept over Absalom's betrayal

and he told his army that they should deal gently with Absalom.

David let Shimei harass him.

He mourned Absalom's death even to the point

that his general Joab chastised him

for making it seem that he cared more for his dead son

than the ones who had fought so hard for him.

Plus, we read about several other acts of kindness

that David did.

David knew that it was God's grace

that kept him on the throne.

He truly was a man after God's own heart.

I'd love to hear your comments.

Go to lifespringmedia.com slash S12E141

and let me know what you think.

Our reading tomorrow is Psalms 60 through 62.

Boos!

On this date in church history, January 18th, 1815,

German theologian and textual scholar L.F. Constantine Vantishendorf,

how's that for a name, was born.

He's remembered in scholarly circles

for discovering and deciphering the Codex Sinaticus,

an important 5th century Greek manuscript

of the Pauline Epistles.

He was a very important fella.

Prior requests.

Kirsty Sin and a request she said,

please pray for me this week as I fast

from mindless entertainment,

solitaire and Instagram,

and try to replace that with prayer and Bible study.

I fell out of my regular habits over Christmas

and I'm listening to the prompt

to spend the week getting back on track.

Also, my daughter Eliza is at Worldview Camp this week.

So please pray for her and all the campers and leaders.

Kirsty sent me a link to the Worldview Camp in Australia

and I looked at it and,

man, this sounds like a great thing.

So, yeah, let's pray for Eliza and the campers and the leaders.

And then the lovely lady, Leanne,

asked us to pray for John Patino,

who is a client of hers.

He said, can't from the past and it has returned.

So we need to pray for John Patino and his family.

Let's pray.

Our Heavenly Father,

help us to be people after your own heart.

We want to follow you.

We want to have faith in you.

Faith is weak, Lord.

We humbly ask that you would strengthen it.

Please, Lord, show us that you can be relied upon.

Intellectually, we know that you're faithful,

but some of us need reinforcement.

As the Father of the demon-possessed boy said in Mark 924,

I do believe, but help me to overcome my unbelief.

Lord, by giving us that verse,

you let us know that it's okay to ask for more faith

when it's weak.

We thank you for that, Lord.

So I ask that you would do that for those that are struggling right now.

I pray, Lord, for John Patino,

Leanne's client right now, whose cancer is back.

Be with John and his family, Lord,

comfort them right now and encourage them.

Bring healing to his body.

We ask for a miraculous healing,

but we also know that sometimes you work through doctors and medicines,

and however you work in John's case,

we pray that your will would be done.

Help them through this scary time,

and I pray that they would see you at work

and that they'd feel your presence, Lord.

And if they don't know Jesus,

I pray that you would bring someone to them

who would share the good news with them.

And I pray for Kirstie and others

who might have slacked a bit with their spiritual discipline,

either over the Christmas season

or just as a result of the busyness of life.

Help us all, Lord, to put aside time-waisters

and take up the things that bring us closer to you.

We know that recreation is good,

but when it takes the place of pursuing a relationship with you,

we need to change priorities.

Help us, Lord, to do that.

And we pray for Aliza as she is at camp this week.

We pray for her, and we pray for the leaders

and the campers that you would be glorified

in that lives are changed this week.

Keep them safe, Lord, and I pray

that your presence would be evident in that place.

Then I thank you, Lord, for the life-spring family.

Bless them and make the reality of who you are

completely undeniable to each one.

You know every person intimately,

and you know the needs of each one,

and you're able to meet every need in the very best way.

And I humbly ask you to do that, knowing that you love us.

I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Send in your prayer request below at

prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

You'll find an easy to fill out form there

where you can give me any amount of detail you want.

You can tell me whether or not to use your name,

and we'll pray for you and with you on the show,

and we'll also rejoice if you send in your praises as well.

God is doing great things, and it's good to hear

when God is doing that, so share your praises too.

Amen.

Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com

slash s12e141.

Email me at Steve at lifespringmedia.com

and support the show at lifespringmedia.com slash support.

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Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly,

thank you for being here.

I'm Steve Webb.

See you next time.

Bye.