Nahum 1

Nahum warns Nineveh to turn from idolatry and to be true to her vows.

INSIGHT

Nahum is sent from God to urge repentance again. This message must seem absurd. In the ensuing years, Nineveh has grown into the most powerful city in the known world. Her walls seem impregnable. Water totally surrounds the city, and inside there is a self-sufficient agricultural system. Feeling independent, she does not repent. The Babylonian army marches through the breach in the wall—and Nineveh falls. The Word of God is sure!

PRAYER

Praise God that He can overrule what seems to be impossible:
The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
You have given him his heart´s desire,
And have not withheld the request of his lips (Selah, Psalm 21:1-2).

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:

I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised of the people...
I was cast upon You from birth.
From My mother´s womb
You have been My God.
Be not far from Me,
For trouble is near;
For there is none to help (Psalm 22:6, 10-11).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to mind.

Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
You who fear the Lord, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard (Psalm 22:23-24).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

• Compassion for the less fortunate
• Strength for those who minister to the homeless
• Your activities for today

Offer this closing prayer to God:

All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You.
For the kingdom is the Lord´s,
And He rules over the nations...
They will come and declare His righteousness
to a people who will be born,
That He has done this (Psalm 22:27-28, 31).