READ 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:
How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord!
He shouts with joy because you give him victory.
For you have given him his heart’s desire;
You have withheld nothing he requested
(Psalm 21:1-2).

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
But I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned and despised by all!
I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
You have been my God from the moment I was born
(Psalm 22:6, 10-11).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to mind. Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not ignored or belittled
The suffering of the needy.
He has not turned his back on them,
But has listened to their cries for help
(Psalm 22:23-24).

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

• Compassion for those with physical and emotional needs
• Strength for those who minister to the homeless
• Your activities for today

Offer this closing prayer to God:
The whole earth will acknowledge
The Lord and return to him. All the families
Of the nations will bow down before him.
For royal power belongs to the Lord.
He rules all the nations.
His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
They will hear about everything he has done
(Psalm 22:27-28, 31).