Today’s study in 2 Chronicles 35:20–27, anchored in verses 26–27, takes us into the final chapter of King Josiah’s life. After years of seeking God, restoring true worship, honoring His Word, and leading Judah in reform, Josiah makes a tragic decision: he ignores a warning that Scripture says came from God and enters a battle that costs him his life.

Job has lost nearly everything, and now his suffering reaches his own body. Covered in painful sores, he sits among the ashes with nothing but a piece of broken pottery in his hand. Yet even there, Job refuses to abandon his trust in God: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” — Job 2:10 (NIV)

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Paul speaks directly into one of the deepest places of the human heart: grief. He does not tell believers not to mourn. Instead, he reminds us that because Jesus died and rose again, our sorrow is not without hope.

Acts 2:42–47 gives us a beautiful glimpse of the newborn church after Pentecost. These believers didn’t simply accept the gospel and return to life as usual. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they became devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. They worshiped together, opened their homes, shared what they had, cared for one another’s needs and lived with glad and sincere hearts.

In 1 Samuel 16:6–12, Samuel arrives at Jesse’s house looking for Israel’s next king—and almost immediately assumes he has found him. Eliab looks the part. But God corrects Samuel with a truth that reaches far beyond David’s story: “People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

God Is Greater Than Your Heart

Before Adam and Eve ever left Eden, God had already announced that the serpent would not have the final word.

Nehemiah 4:6–14 brings us into the messy middle of rebuilding. The wall was already halfway up. The people had worked with all their hearts. The gaps were closing—and that was exactly when opposition intensified, strength began to fail, and fear threatened to stop the work.

This passage is one of the most heartbreaking in Scripture. It isn't just about Absalom's death—it is about the terrible cost of rebellion, the faithfulness of loyal servants, and the grief of a father.