Read: Acts 7:54–8:2

Bible in a Year: Proverbs 1–2; 1 Corinthians 16

Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.—Acts 8:2

In 2002, a few months after my sister Martha and her husband, Jim, died in an accident, a friend invited me to a “Growing Through Grief” workshop at our church. I reluctantly agreed to attend the first session but had no intention of going back. To my surprise, I discovered a caring community of people trying to come to grips with a significant loss in their lives by seeking the help of God and others. It drew me back week after week as I worked toward acceptance and peace through the process of sharing our grief together.

Like the sudden loss of a loved one or friend, the death of Stephen, a dynamic witness for Jesus, brought shock and sorrow to those in the early church (Acts 7:57–60). In the face of persecution, “Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him” (8:2). These men of faith did two things together: They buried Stephen, an act of finality and loss. And they mourned deeply for him, a shared expression of their sorrow.

As followers of Jesus, we need not mourn our losses alone. In sincerity and love we can reach out to others who are hurting, and in humility we can accept the concern of those who stand beside us.

As we grieve together, we can grow in understanding and in the peace that is ours through Jesus Christ, who knows our deepest sorrow. —David C. McCasland

Father in heaven, help us to “mourn with those who mourn” and grow together in Your healing love.

The ministry of mourning with others helps bring healing to our hearts.

INSIGHT: Stephen was part of a group of men, known to be full of wisdom and the Spirit, selected to work together to meet the needs of others in the church. This text raises some interesting questions. Was Stephen alone in front of the members of the Sanhedrin? Where was the rest of the group? Where were they when he was being stoned?

While those who mourned and buried Stephen had the physical shoulders of others to cry on, Stephen wasn’t alone either—he was comforted and supported by Jesus Himself: “ ‘Look,’ [Stephen] said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’ ” (7:56). Stephen was granted a vision of Jesus at the moment of his greatest need of support.

Jesus will never leave us alone and we have the privilege of being Jesus to those around us. Who needs your support today? J.R. Hudberg

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Read: 2 Kings 19:9–19

Bible in a Year: Psalms 148–150; 1 Corinthians 15:29–58

Then [Hezekiah] went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.—2 Kings 19:14

As a teenager, when I became overwhelmed by enormous challenges or high-stakes decisions, my mother taught me the merits of putting pen to paper to gain perspective. When I was uncertain whether to take specific classes or which job to pursue, or how to cope with the frightening realities of adulthood, I learned her habit of writing out the basic facts and the possible courses of action with their likely outcomes. After pouring my heart onto the page, I was able to step back from the problem and view it more objectively than my emotions allowed.

Just as recording my thoughts on paper offered me fresh perspective, pouring our hearts out to God in prayer helps us gain His perspective and remind us of His power. King Hezekiah did just that after receiving a daunting letter from an ominous adversary. The Assyrians threatened to destroy Jerusalem as they had many other nations. Hezekiah spread out the letter before the Lord, prayerfully calling on Him to deliver the people so that the world would recognize He “alone . . . [is] God” (2 Kings 19:19).

When we’re faced with a situation that brings anxiety, fear, or a deep awareness that getting through it will require more than what we have, let’s follow in Hezekiah’s footsteps and run straight to the Lord. Like him, we too can lay our problem before God and trust Him to guide our steps and calm our uneasy hearts. —Kirsten Holmberg

Do you have a prayer request? Share it with the Our Daily Bread family at YourDailyBread.org.

God is our greatest help in times of distress.

INSIGHT: Hezekiah had many reasons to fear Assyria, a cruel nation (19:25-26) that had already conquered the ten tribes of Israel (see 2 Kings 17:1-18). But God reminded Hezekiah that He was more powerful than Assyria and could be trusted to keep His promises (19:28-34).

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Read: Romans 8:18–23; Revelation 21:1–5

Bible in a Year: Psalms 146–147; 1 Corinthians 15:1–28

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”—Revelation 21:5

Gazing out my open study window, I hear birds chirping and hear and see the wind gently blowing in the trees. Bales of hay dot my neighbor’s newly tilled field, and large, white cumulus clouds stand out in contrast to the brilliant blue sky.

I’m enjoying a little bit of paradise—except for the almost incessant noise of the traffic that runs past our property and the slight ache in my back. I use the word paradise lightly because though our world was once completely good, it no longer is. When humanity sinned, we were expelled from the garden of Eden and the ground was “cursed” (see Gen. 3). Since then the Earth and everything in it has been in “bondage to decay.” Suffering, disease, and our deaths are all a result of humankind’s fall into sin (Rom. 8:18–23).

Yet God is making everything new. One day His dwelling place will be among His people in a renewed and restored creation—“a new heaven and a new earth”—where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:1–4). Until that day we can enjoy the bright splashes and sometimes wide expanses of breathtaking beauty we see around us in this world, which is just a small foretaste of the “paradise” that will be. —Alyson Kieda

Dear Lord, thank You that in this world that can seem ugly with sin and decay You allow us to see glimpses of beauty.

Read about the life to come at discoveryseries.org/q1205.

God is making all things new.

INSIGHT: In Revelation 21:1-5, the word new means “of a new kind,” which is different from an updated version of something. The impact of the Revelation 21 kind of new is that when God makes “everything new” (v. 5), it will be unlike anything we have ever seen or experienced! Bill Crowder

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