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Audible TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 9–11; Psalm 123; Luke 5 One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided...
Key Takeaways
- Daniel experienced overwhelming burdens that left him physically weak, demonstrating that even faithful servants of God can reach points of exhaustion.
- God meets believers in their moments of weakness not with judgment, but with a second touch that restores their strength.
- Rather than trying to manufacture strength through self-reliance, believers are invited to open their hands and receive grace.
- In Luke 5, Jesus continually steps into people's pain—whether through empty nets, leprosy, or paralysis—to offer healing, forgiveness, and belonging.
- Receiving grace is an ongoing daily need, reminding us that God's compassion is renewed whenever we need a fresh touch.
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- TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Daniel 9–11; Psalm 123; Luke 5
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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus’ kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.
TODAY'S EPISODE:
Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 22nd, day 265 of our journey through the Scriptures, and there are just 100 days left in the year.
Our readings today are Daniel 9–11, Psalm 123, and Luke 5.
Daniel is carrying a tremendous weight. He looks back upon the ruins of his people and forward into visions of things he can barely comprehend. At one point, the sheer weight of it all leaves him without strength.
And then God meets him.
Daniel receives another touch.
“Don't be afraid,” he is told. “You are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!”
And Daniel says that as these words are spoken, his strength returns.
Psalm 123 gives us another picture of dependence. The psalmist lifts his eyes toward God, looking for mercy.
Then in Luke 5, people come to Jesus carrying their own burdens.
There are exhausted fishermen with empty nets.
There is a man covered with leprosy.
There is a paralyzed man whose friends carry him through a roof.
There is Levi, the tax collector, sitting at his booth.
Again and again, Jesus meets people where they are and gives them something they cannot manufacture for themselves.
Healing.
Forgiveness.
Calling.
Belonging.
Strength.
Maybe that's the invitation for us today.
We don't have to manufacture what we don't have.
We can open our hands and receive another touch.
TODAY'S DEVOTION:
He Gives Us a Second Touch
Daniel was overwhelmed by what he saw.
The vision God had given him.
The enormity of what was behind him.
The uncertainty of what was ahead.
The ruins of the past.
The challenges of the present.
All of it left Daniel saying:
“My strength is gone. I can hardly breathe.”
Have you ever felt that way?
You look ahead at something that seems impossible.
Or maybe you look behind you at something painful, something broken, something you wish had gone differently.
And you feel paralyzed.
Frightened.
Unable to move.
Maybe you can hardly catch your breath.
If you've ever been there, you're not alone.
Daniel was there too.
But then something beautiful happens.
Daniel says:
“Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning.”
He touched me again.
A second touch.
And then Daniel hears these words:
“Don't be afraid. You are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!”
And as Daniel listens, his strength returns.
I love that.
Daniel doesn't find the strength somewhere inside himself.
He doesn't grit his teeth and try harder.
He doesn't give himself a motivational speech.
Strength comes to him.
It is received.
God meets him in his weakness.
And maybe that's what some of us need today.
Another touch.
Maybe you've been walking with God for years.
Maybe you've experienced grace before.
Maybe you know what it is to be carried by love.
But today you're tired again.
That's okay.
Sometimes we need another touch.
Sometimes we need to hear again what we've heard before.
Don't be afraid.
You are precious to God.
Peace.
Be encouraged.
Be strong.
And when I turn to Luke 5, I see Jesus doing this everywhere he goes.
He meets Peter after a night of empty nets.
He touches the man with leprosy.
He speaks forgiveness to the paralyzed man.
He looks at Levi sitting at the tax collector's booth and says, “Follow me.”
Jesus keeps moving toward people.
Touching.
Healing.
Forgiving.
Calling.
Restoring.
Giving people what they cannot give themselves.
Maybe you need that today.
Maybe the road ahead looks daunting.
Maybe the road behind carries shame or regret.
Maybe you're simply tired.
Open your hands.
You don't have to manufacture strength.
You can receive it.
Let Jesus meet you where you are.
Let him touch the place that is tired.
Let him speak again:
Don't be afraid.
You are precious to God.
Peace.
Be encouraged.
Be strong.
And maybe your prayer today can be very simple:
“Yes, Lord.
Thank you.
I receive your love.
I receive your peace.
I receive your strength.”
Sometimes we need a second touch.
And sometimes a third.
And a fourth.
Grace keeps coming.
That's the prayer I have for my own soul.
That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.
And that's the prayer I have for you.
May it be so.
TODAY'S PRAYERS:
Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.
Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen
And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Bible passages are covered in this episode?
This episode covers Daniel 9 through 11, Psalm 123, and Luke 5 as part of the one-year Bible reading plan.
What is the meaning behind 'a second touch' in this episode?
The phrase refers to how God graciously meets Daniel and everyday believers in their moments of extreme exhaustion, restoring their strength when they can no longer carry their burdens alone.
How does Jesus demonstrate grace in Luke 5?
Jesus meets people right where they are in their physical and spiritual brokenness, offering healing to the sick, forgiveness to the paralyzed, and calling to the weary.
