Monday, April 13, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Revelation 10
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 43
Key Verse
Revelation 10:6 — “And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:”
Devotional Thought
There is a strange and searching command at the heart of Revelation 10: John is told to take the open book from the mighty angel’s hand and eat it. He does, and the scroll is sweet as honey in his mouth but bitter in his stomach. That is what this passage asks of a reader today—not merely to admire God’s Word from a distance, but to take it in, to let it become part of us, even when its message is hard to digest. The angel stands with his right foot on the sea and his left on the earth, declaring that the God who made heaven and earth and sea will bring His purposes to completion. He swears that there should be time no longer, and that in the days of the seventh angel the mystery of God will be finished, just as He declared to His servants the prophets. The seven thunders speak, and John is forbidden to write what they said. Some things belong to God alone.
Notice also the psalmist’s cry in Psalm 43. He feels cast off, mourning under oppression, and he asks God to send out His light and His truth to lead him to the holy hill. Then he turns to his own soul: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? … hope in God.” That is the same posture John needs as he receives the little book—trusting God’s light even when the message is bitter.
We are writing this on a Monday in mid-April, when spring is breaking open in many places and Easter’s joy is still fresh. Yet life often mixes sweetness and bitterness. A prayer answered brings relief, then a new burden appears. A Scripture verse comforts us, then convicts us. John’s little book teaches us that God’s truth is not always easy to swallow, but it is always good. The angel’s oath reminds us that history is not wandering. The God who created the sea and the earth has set a day when the mystery will be finished. Until then, we are called to eat the book—to read, to receive, to obey—and to prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. That may feel heavy, but it is holy work. Like the psalmist, we can say to our own hearts: hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him.
Reflection
- When has God’s Word tasted sweet in your mouth but sat bitterly in your stomach—and how did you respond?
- What might it look like this week to “eat the book” rather than merely skim it—to let Scripture become part of you even when it is hard?
Prayer
Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth and sea, we come to You as the psalmist did, asking You to send out Your light and Your truth. We confess that Your Word is sometimes sweet and sometimes bitter, and we often prefer only the honey. Give us grace to take the whole book, to receive what You reveal and to trust what You conceal. Steady our souls when they are cast down. Remind us that the mystery of God will be finished in Your perfect time, and that You are our exceeding joy. Lead us to Your holy hill, and let us praise You with harp and heart, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 43:1 — “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.”