1 October 2026
20 Tishrei / Thursday /
@Mandaue Watchtower
Here and Now:
I had to drive to Crimson to get myself things for this Saturdays hyrox exercise, and I'm really preparing for it because of I'm looking forward to meet someone there...but I also don't want to put my hopes up because of fear of being dissappointed again.
Deuteronomy 33:22-26 New King James Version
22 And of Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s whelp; He shall leap from Bashan.”
23 And of Naphtali he said: “O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the Lord,
Possess the west and the south.”
24 And of Asher he said: “Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers,
And let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be.
26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
Daniel 3
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the[e] Son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar Praises God
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the [f]mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
Daniel 4
20 “The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, 21 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.
23 “And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven [m]times pass over him’; 24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven [n]times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.
Luke 2
Simeon Sees God’s Salvation
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 [a]And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Anna Bears Witness to the Redeemer
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow [b]of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to [c]the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
@Mandaue Watchtower
Here and Now:
I had to drive to Crimson to get myself things for this Saturdays hyrox exercise, and I'm really preparing for it because of I'm looking forward to meet someone there...but I also don't want to put my hopes up because of fear of being dissappointed again.
SOAP
Scriptures
Torah Parshat Vezot Hab'rachah, 5th Portion (Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:22-33:26)Deuteronomy 33:22-26 New King James Version
22 And of Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s whelp; He shall leap from Bashan.”
23 And of Naphtali he said: “O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the Lord,
Possess the west and the south.”
24 And of Asher he said: “Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers,
And let him dip his foot in oil.
25 Your sandals shall be iron and bronze; As your days, so shall your strength be.
26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
BIBLE in a Year
Daniel 3-4; Luke 2:22-40
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the[e] Son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar Praises God
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the [f]mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
20 “The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, 21 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.
23 “And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven [m]times pass over him’; 24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven [n]times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.
Simeon Sees God’s Salvation
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 [a]And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Anna Bears Witness to the Redeemer
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow [b]of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to [c]the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Observation-Application
So, my observation in Daniel 3 is that Daniel's friends were so confident in their God that even if they were going to perish in the fire, they did not bow down to other gods. And to have this kind of faith and courage is something that is not outward, but really an inward trust in the God that they knew. And I believe every Christian should be just the same. And in Daniel 4, God gave Daniel the gift of interpreting dreams, because the king's dream was really layered, in which he was symbolized as the tree being chopped off and being the wild beast on the grass of the earth. And only Daniel understood this because God was his priority. Daniel's heart was really devoted to God, and God can trust him with the gifts of understanding and discernment and interpretation of dreams. And that is how God has used Daniel to bring messages to the kings of the earth. And I'm just focused on verse 17, where decision is by the decree of the watchers, and I thought that the watchers were angelic beings, but they belong to God. But somehow, in the Book of Enoch, the watchers are, I think, fallen angels. But I don't think fallen angels have this kind of authority to decree a decision and sentence people to insanity. I don't believe they have that kind of power. And so I believe that the watchers are angelic beings given authority by God to watch and judge the wicked. But at the end of the story, the king repented after seven years of being insane. He repented and understood that God is the only one to be glorified and praised, even with all his achievements, that he should not take credit for that because he had nothing to do with it. Everything and all praises and all glory should belong to God, and he learned this the hard way. But in Luke 2, I really love this word today in Luke 2, wherein Jesus was presented at that temple, and Mary and Joseph were obeying the Mosaic laws written for the Israelites, that the male child will be dedicated to the Lord by offering a sacrifice. And so when they were there, their obedience also was God's answer to prophets, or I don't know if Simon was a prophet, but a priest probably of Israel that's been waiting for God's promises to come upon his life. He wanted to see that promise of a Messiah. He wanted to see this Messiah, and because Simon was filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit also revealed to him that he should go into the temple because the promise would be there. And then he saw the child, Jesus, and the parents. And so Simon blessed the child and gave praises to God, saying that, "You have fulfilled today your promise for me, for my eyes have seen your salvation. The light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people, Israel." And he did see Jesus. And he's been waiting for this all his life, just like Anna, a prophetess from the tribe of Asher. She was also old, and she had been living faithfully for God. After she was widowed, she did not depart from the temple but served God with prayer and fasting. And it was also revealed to her when she saw the child. And this, in application to all this that I am receiving, because in the book of- In the book of Deuteronomy, where the Torah portion is written, in chapter 33, what really stood out to me was in verse 24, when God speaks of Asher as the most blessed of all the sons because he is favored, and he dips his feet in oil. And I know that there are deeper layered meanings to this saying, where his sandals will be iron and bronze. Wow. So his days will be full of strength and because of God who rides the heaven to help him, the God of Jeshurun, the God of Israel, that helps him. And Anna is also from the tribe of Asher, and she's reflecting that happiness, blessedness of, even though she was widowed for so long, she fixed her eyes on the things that are unseen and hoped to see God's kingdom come on earth. And this is where she put all her energies and focus, too. And it just encourages me because as someone who has been waiting and praying for God to see the promise that He has given me. The Messiah has already come, and I praise God for my Jesus, who is my King and my Savior. As much as I am indeed saved and blessed to have the Messiah in my life, God has promised me to be married. And so I've been waiting, just like Simeon and Anna, for this promise, to see this promise fulfilled in my life. And just as the Spirit had led them to the temple that day, I believe that God is leading me to the well, where I will meet and see this promise from God, and experience the goodness of God being fulfilled in my life, His promises fulfilled in my life. It's giving me encouragement to keep praying, to move past any disappointment, to move past any fear of hoping, any discouragement, because God is speaking to me through Luke 2, that He is still, and I just have to be just like Simeon and Anna, to keep waiting on the Lord. And so I will keep waiting on Him. And today I am praying with my heart. I am praying on my knees.
Prayers
Father God, thank you for your Word that you have provided, that you have given to me, even the word in-- There was a word emailed to me today, and it also encouraged me. Oh God, I just want to thank you so much for that word in pray.com. To renew, to refresh, and restart. These are the words that come to my mind as I meditate on your words, oh God. And I just want to thank you that whoever is trying to ridicule or parade my waiting, my wilderness season, or even my mistakes around publicly, you will silence them so that they walk away and reflect on the grace that they've been given as well. Father, let this word be a fresh restart, be a starting point of a repentant heart, and remove any sin or hindrances within my life that would move me backwards instead of forward into your glorious future. For you have hold of me, oh God. Lord, I pray that you take control of my entire situation, my entire being, my mind, my thoughts, my heart, my body, my soul, through your power and in your knowledge. You give me the opportunity to have my situation altered for the better. Lord God, I pray that you will just continue to work in my life, continue to speak to me. Continue, Lord God, to fill me with hope, with joy, with peace, to keep praying for the things that you want me to pray for, for your kingdom to come, your will to be done. Father, I'm asking you, God, just have your way in me, in my family, in our church, in the business. Continue to protect us, continue to shine your light, and I pray that you discipline all the workers that have no discipline. Let them understand, Lord God, that to work here is not to take things lightly and take things for granted. And I pray that you deal with the proud The pride in Cherry, the pride in whoever, Lord God. I pray that you deal with this pride, and I pray that you will cause even my parents, Lord God, to look upon me with mercy, with honor, with pity, with favor. I pray that they will bless me to be married to the foreign Middle Eastern man that you have shown me. That you will bring us together this Saturday. If not this Saturday, within this month, that you will bring us together in that well or in that temple, in that place where we will finally meet, God, because your promises say so in Isaiah 34, that you promise none will lack her mate. No, Lord God, I will not lack a mate because your word has promised this, because you are faithful and true, and you will fulfill your promises to me. And you have been encouraging me, even in Habakkuk, to write the vision, because even though it feels like it's delaying, it will not delay. It may feel like it's tarrying. It will not tarry. It will happen on your appointed time and season. And so I praise you, Father God, and I thank you, Father God. I pray that you send more angels, Lord God, to work on that which you have promised me, to connect bone to bone, flesh to flesh. Oh God, let your miracle happen just as Simeon saw and Anna held. Let your miracle happen, oh God. Let it be soon. Let it be now according to your word, according to your promise. And I pray, Lord God, for this so-called nights celebration, that we will bless one another to have what we have been hoping for and praying for in our hearts. I pray, oh God, that your will be done. I pray, oh God, that there be love and unity in the family, that there be forgiveness and reconciliation, that there be redemption, Lord, on every pain that you have allowed in our lives. Father God, have mercy, Lord. And I thank you, Lord, for giving me the courage, and the faith, and the trust to keep waiting on you for everything, and all things come from you, Father God. It's not about me it's all about YOU O LORD GOD ALMIGHTY KING of the UNIVERSE!!! GREAT ARE YOU O LORD!!!
So, my observation in Daniel 3 is that Daniel's friends were so confident in their God that even if they were going to perish in the fire, they did not bow down to other gods. And to have this kind of faith and courage is something that is not outward, but really an inward trust in the God that they knew. And I believe every Christian should be just the same. And in Daniel 4, God gave Daniel the gift of interpreting dreams, because the king's dream was really layered, in which he was symbolized as the tree being chopped off and being the wild beast on the grass of the earth. And only Daniel understood this because God was his priority. Daniel's heart was really devoted to God, and God can trust him with the gifts of understanding and discernment and interpretation of dreams. And that is how God has used Daniel to bring messages to the kings of the earth. And I'm just focused on verse 17, where decision is by the decree of the watchers, and I thought that the watchers were angelic beings, but they belong to God. But somehow, in the Book of Enoch, the watchers are, I think, fallen angels. But I don't think fallen angels have this kind of authority to decree a decision and sentence people to insanity. I don't believe they have that kind of power. And so I believe that the watchers are angelic beings given authority by God to watch and judge the wicked. But at the end of the story, the king repented after seven years of being insane. He repented and understood that God is the only one to be glorified and praised, even with all his achievements, that he should not take credit for that because he had nothing to do with it. Everything and all praises and all glory should belong to God, and he learned this the hard way. But in Luke 2, I really love this word today in Luke 2, wherein Jesus was presented at that temple, and Mary and Joseph were obeying the Mosaic laws written for the Israelites, that the male child will be dedicated to the Lord by offering a sacrifice. And so when they were there, their obedience also was God's answer to prophets, or I don't know if Simon was a prophet, but a priest probably of Israel that's been waiting for God's promises to come upon his life. He wanted to see that promise of a Messiah. He wanted to see this Messiah, and because Simon was filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit also revealed to him that he should go into the temple because the promise would be there. And then he saw the child, Jesus, and the parents. And so Simon blessed the child and gave praises to God, saying that, "You have fulfilled today your promise for me, for my eyes have seen your salvation. The light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people, Israel." And he did see Jesus. And he's been waiting for this all his life, just like Anna, a prophetess from the tribe of Asher. She was also old, and she had been living faithfully for God. After she was widowed, she did not depart from the temple but served God with prayer and fasting. And it was also revealed to her when she saw the child. And this, in application to all this that I am receiving, because in the book of- In the book of Deuteronomy, where the Torah portion is written, in chapter 33, what really stood out to me was in verse 24, when God speaks of Asher as the most blessed of all the sons because he is favored, and he dips his feet in oil. And I know that there are deeper layered meanings to this saying, where his sandals will be iron and bronze. Wow. So his days will be full of strength and because of God who rides the heaven to help him, the God of Jeshurun, the God of Israel, that helps him. And Anna is also from the tribe of Asher, and she's reflecting that happiness, blessedness of, even though she was widowed for so long, she fixed her eyes on the things that are unseen and hoped to see God's kingdom come on earth. And this is where she put all her energies and focus, too. And it just encourages me because as someone who has been waiting and praying for God to see the promise that He has given me. The Messiah has already come, and I praise God for my Jesus, who is my King and my Savior. As much as I am indeed saved and blessed to have the Messiah in my life, God has promised me to be married. And so I've been waiting, just like Simeon and Anna, for this promise, to see this promise fulfilled in my life. And just as the Spirit had led them to the temple that day, I believe that God is leading me to the well, where I will meet and see this promise from God, and experience the goodness of God being fulfilled in my life, His promises fulfilled in my life. It's giving me encouragement to keep praying, to move past any disappointment, to move past any fear of hoping, any discouragement, because God is speaking to me through Luke 2, that He is still, and I just have to be just like Simeon and Anna, to keep waiting on the Lord. And so I will keep waiting on Him. And today I am praying with my heart. I am praying on my knees.
Prayers
Father God, thank you for your Word that you have provided, that you have given to me, even the word in-- There was a word emailed to me today, and it also encouraged me. Oh God, I just want to thank you so much for that word in pray.com. To renew, to refresh, and restart. These are the words that come to my mind as I meditate on your words, oh God. And I just want to thank you that whoever is trying to ridicule or parade my waiting, my wilderness season, or even my mistakes around publicly, you will silence them so that they walk away and reflect on the grace that they've been given as well. Father, let this word be a fresh restart, be a starting point of a repentant heart, and remove any sin or hindrances within my life that would move me backwards instead of forward into your glorious future. For you have hold of me, oh God. Lord, I pray that you take control of my entire situation, my entire being, my mind, my thoughts, my heart, my body, my soul, through your power and in your knowledge. You give me the opportunity to have my situation altered for the better. Lord God, I pray that you will just continue to work in my life, continue to speak to me. Continue, Lord God, to fill me with hope, with joy, with peace, to keep praying for the things that you want me to pray for, for your kingdom to come, your will to be done. Father, I'm asking you, God, just have your way in me, in my family, in our church, in the business. Continue to protect us, continue to shine your light, and I pray that you discipline all the workers that have no discipline. Let them understand, Lord God, that to work here is not to take things lightly and take things for granted. And I pray that you deal with the proud The pride in Cherry, the pride in whoever, Lord God. I pray that you deal with this pride, and I pray that you will cause even my parents, Lord God, to look upon me with mercy, with honor, with pity, with favor. I pray that they will bless me to be married to the foreign Middle Eastern man that you have shown me. That you will bring us together this Saturday. If not this Saturday, within this month, that you will bring us together in that well or in that temple, in that place where we will finally meet, God, because your promises say so in Isaiah 34, that you promise none will lack her mate. No, Lord God, I will not lack a mate because your word has promised this, because you are faithful and true, and you will fulfill your promises to me. And you have been encouraging me, even in Habakkuk, to write the vision, because even though it feels like it's delaying, it will not delay. It may feel like it's tarrying. It will not tarry. It will happen on your appointed time and season. And so I praise you, Father God, and I thank you, Father God. I pray that you send more angels, Lord God, to work on that which you have promised me, to connect bone to bone, flesh to flesh. Oh God, let your miracle happen just as Simeon saw and Anna held. Let your miracle happen, oh God. Let it be soon. Let it be now according to your word, according to your promise. And I pray, Lord God, for this so-called nights celebration, that we will bless one another to have what we have been hoping for and praying for in our hearts. I pray, oh God, that your will be done. I pray, oh God, that there be love and unity in the family, that there be forgiveness and reconciliation, that there be redemption, Lord, on every pain that you have allowed in our lives. Father God, have mercy, Lord. And I thank you, Lord, for giving me the courage, and the faith, and the trust to keep waiting on you for everything, and all things come from you, Father God. It's not about me it's all about YOU O LORD GOD ALMIGHTY KING of the UNIVERSE!!! GREAT ARE YOU O LORD!!!
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